Do you know how to indicate in English that you have eaten a lot or that you have a lot of things to do?
Today you’ll learn how to indicate that there is an excess of something in English.
This is a common language expression that you need so that you can connect with natives in real conversations.
Let’s start with a role play:
M: Lindsay you sound scattered. Has your day been busy?
L: Oh yeah Michelle- busy, crazy, but a good kind of busy.
M: What do you have going on?
L: Well at AEE we’re working on the app plus tomorrow we kick off the Boston Adventure so things have been crazy getting ready for that.
M: Yeah? Wow, that is a lot.
L: On top of all of that I am moving to a new room in my house and my car needs to be repaired plus I’m training for a marathon now.
M: Woah.
L: Yeah but it’s all good. Super exciting things happening around here these days.
So in this little opening role play what was Lindsay doing with her words?
She was trying to indicate that there was more, something additional, on top of what she already listed.
This is another great transition episode.
If you want to connect in English transitions are important.
When you are moving to higher levels of speaking you need them to move listeners smoothly from one idea to the next.
They help you show people where you are in your story.
Last week we did an episode on how to show that you are about to state a contradiction. That is also a helpful transition.
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Today we are answering a student’s question:
“Another phrase that she said was:”On top of whatever else,”
What is the meaning of ‘on top of whatever else’?”
Andrea
So what does “on top of whatever else” mean?
The speaker is emphasizing excess.
The speaker is trying to say that there is already a lot of stuff and then there is something else.
Situations:
Packing a car: Last summer when I went cross country I overpacked. I had duffel bags of clothes, blankets, a tent, camping chairs, bug spray, and on top of all of that, I had to fit my camera equipment in the car.
These phrases that we’re going to teach you today also have the connotation that you are a bit overwhelmed.
Phrases to indicate excess:
-What’s more…
-On top of that…on top of all of that…
-Not to mention (the fact that)
-That’s not even taking into account ____
-To top it off….
-Plus…
What questions do you have from today?
Let us know in the comments below.
