Collins Cobuild English Grammar (212 page)

Rejecting ideas and proposals

distancing yourself from a situation

To distance yourself from an opinion, and therefore sound less direct, you can use the
passive
form of a
reporting verb
with
it
as the
impersonal subject
(see
7.69
).

It was understood that
if we were successful in securing the takeover, Sarong would become a part of International Latex.
It is assumed that
share prices will rise as a result of the operation.
It was agreed that
the details would remain confidential.

being diplomatic

You can use a
qualifier
such as
a little
,
a bit
, or
rather
to make a negative message seem less strong (see
2.162
).

That sounds
a little
expensive.
They may be
a bit
late, I’m afraid.
Unfortunately, we were
rather
disappointed with the quality of the last delivery.

Expressions like
not very
,
not totally
,
not completely
, and
not entirely
followed by a positive adjective sound more diplomatic than using a negative adjective.

We are
n’t totally convinced
by the idea of using road transport.
I would
n’t
be
very happy
with that arrangement.
You do
n’t
seem
absolutely certain
about that.

The
past progressive
can be used to make a statement more indirect in order to be polite (see
4.31
and
4.32
).

We
were expecting
to hear a new proposal today.
I
was aiming
to establish a framework for further discussion.
We
were hoping
to reach agreement about this before we go.

Presenting

Describing change

the past compared to the present

You can use the
present perfect simple
to talk about events or situations that are still important in the present (see
4.33
).

The FTSE Index
has strengthened
further since this morning.
We
have made
changes based on your concerns and feedback.

the present moment

To talk about change that is still in progress at the present moment, you can use the
present progressive
(see
4.19
).

The economy
is growing
, but if we look closer there are some worrying trends.
In the country’s major cities, the quality of life
is improving
.

Making predictions

opinions about the future

You can use
will
when you are certain about a situation in the future (see
4.53
).

The cuts
will
certainly have a negative effect on the economy.
I believe this attitude
will
soon become the norm.

You can also use
be going to
instead of
will
to make predictions (see
4.58
).

She predicts that earnings
are going to
come down sharply.
We are trying to decide whether the economy
is going to
go into recession.

expressing a negative opinion about the future

If you want to make a negative prediction, it sounds more polite to introduce an affirmative clause with a phrase like
I don’t think
than to use a negative clause.

I don’t think
this will go down well with the union.
I don’t think
it’s going to be a great success.

degrees of certainty about the future

You can use
could
,
may
, or
might
to say that it is possible that something will happen (see
5.124
).

These economic problems
could cause
huge problems for the rest of Europe.
New technology
might be able to halve
the amount of water we use.
The market
may eventually accomplish
what environmentalists want.

You use
be likely
followed by a
to
-infinitive to say something will probably happen.

Emerging economies
are likely to face
continuing problems.

You use
be bound
followed by a
to
-infinitive to say strongly that something is certain to happen in the future (see
5.232
).

The pressure on margins
is bound to make
success difficult.

Contrasts and comparisons

concessive clauses

You use conjunctions like
while
,
although
,
in spite of
, and
despite
to contrast one idea with another (see
8.66
).

Until now, only 8,000 people have registered with the site,
although
the company said the number is still increasing.
In spite of
the crisis, sales are actually up on last year.
Retail sales are plummeting,
while
consumer prices are rising.

Whilst
and
whereas
are more formal.

In France there was a small improvement,
whereas
there was no change in Germany.
Micro’s online store is almost empty,
whilst
Azar’s has nearly 50,000 products.

making comparisons

You can use an adjective with either
-er
added to the end (
cheaper
,
older
) or
more
placed in front of the adjective (
more expensive
,
more interesting
), followed by
than
(see
2.103
to
2.111
).

The chip is
more economical than
a dedicated system.
Kondex is
bigger than
Gartex in terms of sales.

You can also use
not as … as or not so … as to compare things (see
2.128
).

Our factories are still
not as efficient as
the car plants in Japan.
Traditional forms of advertising are
not as effective as
they used to be.

emphasizing degrees of difference

You can use
much
,
a lot
or
far
in front of comparative adjective forms to emphasize a big difference.

Manufacturers are
much more cautious
than before about investment plans.
The job provides her with a
far greater
challenge than ordinary office work would.

You can use
slightly
,
a bit
or
a little
to emphasize small differences.

The first-quarter increase was
slightly higher
at
1.2
%.
If anything, European and Pacific Rim executives are
a little more aggressive
than the Japanese.

To emphasize small differences with the
not as … as
structure you can add
quite
.

But by other measures, oil is
not quite as expensive as
it seems.

Linking ideas

You can show what sort of connection there is between one sentence and another by using sentence connectors. In a presentation, these connectors prepare the listener for what is coming next.

adding strength to your argument

Connectors such as
on top of that
and
at the same time
can be used to add strength to your argument. In writing, or in more formal situations, you can use
moreover
or
furthermore
(see
10.49
).

The financial crisis continues.
On top of that
, exceptional weather has devastated crops.
Unemployment has grown rapidly.
At the same time
, there is low demand for existing skills.
Experts predict that the downturn will be less severe than expected.
Furthermore
, banks plan to lend more freely in the next three months.

contrast

You use connectors like
however
,
on the other hand
, or
nevertheless
when you want to give another point of view (see
10.51
).

If you want job security, this is not the post for you.
On the other hand
, the salary is good.
There was a fall in sales last month.
However
, revenue from digital products rose by nearly 20% in the first half.
It is necessary for foreign currency traders to think quickly and accurately.
Nevertheless
, mistakes do occasionally occur.

cause and effect

When you want to show that the fact or situation you are mentioning is a result of what you have just referred to, you can begin your statement using a connector like
so
or
as a result
. If you want to sound more formal you can use
consequently
or
therefore
(see
10.52
).

Another 3,100 jobs were lost last year.
So
people no longer trust the company.
We lost sight of what our customers wanted.
As a result
, sales slumped.
Confidence is still low.
Consequently
, firms are not willing to make new investments.

Distancing yourself

the passive

You use the passive when you want to focus on actions, views and decisions, rather than on the people responsible for them (see
9.8
to
9.24
). It is frequently used in reports, and it is more common in written English.

In 2006, 18.3 % of the world’s electricity
was produced
using renewable sources.
When materials
were coated
in the substance, the plating remained stable at room temperature.

The passive is often used to describe processes with adjuncts like
first
,
second
,
then
, and
finally
to indicate order (see
10.54
).

First
, the raw data
is collated
in tables, It
is then prepared
for processing.
Finally
, the data model
is produced
.

Meetings

Interrupting

can
,
could

When you are participating in a meeting you can use
can I
and
could I
to interrupt politely.
Could
is more polite than
can
.