Have you ever wanted to show great emphasis in your conversations in English?
Do you ever want to say more than just “yes” in response to something that somebody has asked you about?
Today we are looking at how to do just that–how to express an affirmation but take it a step further than just yes.
We will look at the words and phrases you can use, as well as how you can use this in conversation.
This is a great conversation skill, so you will want to learn about it and then see how to use it on your own.
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Different Ways To Say The Same Sort of Thing
So today we are looking at a very important concept, which is how to answer strongly and clearly in the affirmative before you give your explanation.
In other words, this is about how to say yes to something quickly and with great emphasis.
There are times when you want to offer this up, and you want to say yes but perhaps in a different way.
This is something that was discussed a bit in the past, and it’s a great topic to look at and understand.
This episode was inspired by our listener Adiana from Clubhouse.
We reviewed this concept in a previous episode, and it’s definitely something you will want to check out.
The Three Step Formula To Expressing Yourself In English
So the opening part of the framework is a quick answer, and that’s the focus here.
This episode could give vocabulary for answering yes, and that’s an interesting concept instead of just saying the word.
This adds a bit of excitement and makes for an interesting way to express this sort of thing.
An example of this would be to ask a question such as “Do citizens have an obligation to protect the environment?”
Rather than just saying yes to this, you can add a bit more with words such as absolutely, for sure, no doubt, definitely.
Looking At How To Use This
So why not just say yes?
The truth is that you could answer yes to such questions, but sometimes you want it to be a bit more interesting than just that.
Let’s remember what the formula is that we discussed in episode 1571.
YOUR QUICK OPINION → EXPLANATION (SUPPORT) → YOUR FULL OPINION
Remember that formula because it can really help you here.
It can help you to remember why you are saying this and how this can work for you in your conversations.
Today we will go over how to quickly answer yes–because in reality sometimes you just want to get to the answer RIGHT away!
Of course, listen to the episode for the whole formula and some helpful background, but you can see how to apply this within this episode.
You have to basically decide if you need or want to use the whole thing, because sometimes you can just use one of these words and it works out perfectly!
Go through everything so that you can understand the similarities and differences, but it comes down to showing a greater emphasis for something.
There are times when you want to express that or when you have bigger opinions on things.
There may be deeper discussions that warrant this sort of exclamation.
There may be times when it’s centered on more casual things, like if you ask somebody if they can do something for you.
So you can start to understand when you may want that deeper expression, and now it’s time to see how this can all work.
We will take a look at the words or phrases that you may use, and how you could use each one in conversation.
This will help you to see how you can use it and make this a part of your conversations.
Roleplays For Different Situations
There are different times when you may want to use this.
We’re going to look at each word or phrase, and then how it would play out in a roleplay for each.
This can help you to understand how it would work, and then you can begin using this in your conversations.
Absolutely
Lindsay: “Do citizens have an obligation to protect the environment?”
Michelle: “Absolutely! We live here and want to make it safe for generations to come….”
For sure
Michelle: “Should dog owners receive fines if they don’t pick up after their dog?”
Lindsay: “For sure. It’s not fair and it’s disgusting.”
No doubt/without a doubt
Lindsay: “Do you think we should buy her a gift for her birthday?”
Michelle: “No doubt, Lindsay. Especially since she’s having a party!”
Definitely
Michelle: “Do you want to plan the party together?”
Lindsay: “Definitely. We can’t do it alone!”
Totally
Lindsay: “Do you think people have trouble talking about politics in the US?”
Michelle: “Totally! It causes a lot of arguments.”
Now let’s look at a larger roleplay, so that you can see how this works naturally in an actual conversation.
In this roleplay, Lindsay and Michelle are classmates going over discussion questions from the book.
Lindsay: “Ok, so the next question is “Did Judy have a right to be rude to her mother in Chapter 3?” What do you think?”
Michelle: “Without a doubt! I don’t normally think people should be rude to their parents, but what her mother did was unforgivable, so I say she had a right. Do you agree?”
Lindsay: “Absolutely. That’s what I was going to say.”
Michelle: “Ok next question. “Do you think Ross and Jill will have a lasting relationship?”
Lindsay: “Oh, totally. They are perfect for each other. You?”
Michelle: “Definitely. That’s an easy one!”
Lindsay: “True. Ok- here’s a tough one. “Is there a difference between the conflict in chapter 3 and chapter 5?”
Michelle: “For sure! They are totally different!”
Takeaway
Sometimes you need to give a VERY quick yes from the start.
There are instances where this works perfectly, and now you can get a feel for how these work.
This is how to do it, and as you can see it helps you to sound more confident in the process.
Try it out today as a way to sound confident, and to show your true understanding of something.
This is a great aspect of conversation, and you want to try to use it so that you can sound natural doing so.
If you have any questions, please leave them below in the comments section.
We’ll get back to you as soon as we can.
