Essential Phrases for Essays, Articles, and Letters
Posted on Mar 31, 2025 in English
Essay Writing Phrases
Expressing Personal Opinions
- In my opinion
- I believe (that)
- I feel (that)
- It seems to me
- In my view
- As I see it
- I think
- Personally
Showing Purpose
- To
- In order to
- So as to
- So that
Listing Ideas
- Firstly
- Secondly
- Finally
- In the first place
- Lastly
Contrasting Ideas
- However
- Although
- In contrast
- Whereas
- But
- Nevertheless
- In spite of
- Despite
Describing a Cause
Showing Sequence
- First of all
- Then
- After that
- Eventually
- In the end
- Finally
Adding Information
- In addition
- Moreover
- What is more
- Besides
- Too
- Furthermore
- And
Describing a Consequence
- Consequently
- As a result
- Therefore
- So
- Thus
- For this reason
- That is why
Concluding the Topic
- In conclusion
- To sum up
- In short
- All in all
Article Writing Techniques
Involving the Reader
- Just imagine…
- Have you ever…?
- How would you feel if…?
- Are you one of those people who…?
- If the answer is …, you should….
- What would life be like if…?
Making the Article Lively and Interesting
- I was absolutely terrified when I realised…
- More importantly, it was something I…
- Not surprisingly, it’s a good way of raising money.
- The tent was worryingly small for three people!
- It was the most amazing experience I have ever had.
Developing Your Points
- Let’s start with…
- Another advantage of…
- On top of that, …
Giving Your Own Opinion
- I think that…
- In my opinion…
- It seems to me that…
- If you ask me, …
- To my mind…
Informal Letter Phrases
Useful Opening Phrases
- How are you?
- How have the family been?
- I hope you are well.
- Thank you / Many thanks for your (recent/last) letter.
- It was nice to hear from you again.
- I was so surprised to hear that…
- I’m sorry I haven’t written / haven’t been in touch for such a long time.
- It’s ages since I’ve heard from you. I hope you’re well / you and your family are well.
- How are things?
- How’s it going?
Referring to News
- Great news about…
- Glad to hear that…
- Sorry to hear about…
Giving News
- Listen, did I tell you about…?
- You’ll never believe what…
- Oh, and another thing…
- This is just to let you know that…
- I thought you might be interested to hear about / know that…
- By the way, have you heard about / did you know that…?
Apologies
- I’m writing to apologise for missing your party but I’m afraid I was with flu.
- I’m really sorry that I forgot to send you a birthday card but I was busy with my new job.
Invitations
- I’m / We’re having a party on Friday 19th and I / we hope you’ll be able to come.
- Would you like to come / go to see ‘Room With a View’ with me at the weekend?
- I was wondering if you’d like to go to the theatre / come on holiday with us.
- Could you let me / us know if you can come / you’d like to join us?
- Thank you very much for your invitation. I’d love to come.
- Thank you for asking / inviting me to … but I’m afraid I won’t be able to…
Requests
- I’m writing to ask for your help.
- I was wondering if you could help me.
- I hope you don’t mind me asking but could you (possibly)…?
- I’d be very grateful if you could…
Thank You / Congratulations / Good Luck
- I’m writing to thank you for your hospitality.
- It was so kind of you to invite me to stay with you.
- I really appreciated all your help.
- Congratulations on passing your exams!
- I wish you good luck with your exams.
- Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll pass.
- Do be on time, won’t you, and don’t forget to…
Making Suggestions and Recommendations
- Why don’t you…?
- Maybe you could…?
- How about…?
- You can’t leave New York without (…doing sth)
- I’m sure you will enjoy (…doing sth).
- If you like, we can…
- Don’t forget to…
