📄️ According to
According to means ‘as reported by’ or ‘as stated by’ and refers to an opinion which is not the speaker’s opinion. According to usually occurs in front position. It is commonly followed by a noun phrase and sometimes by a clause:
📄️ Actual and actually
Actual
📄️ Approximations (around four o’clock)
When we speak, we often try not to be too exact or factual because it can sound very direct. As a result, we add expressions to make what we say more approximate or vague.
📄️ At all
At all means ‘in any way’. We use it with questions and negatives to add emphasis, but not with affirmative statements:
📄️ Else
Else with someone, anybody, nobody, etc
📄️ Hear that, see that
We use hear that and see that to introduce new pieces of information. When we do this, the verbs hear and see mean ‘understand’ or ‘notice’. We normally use hear when we are thinking of something someone told us, and see when we are thinking about something we read about or saw. We often use the verbs in the present simple and sometimes leave out that:
📄️ However, whatever, whichever, whenever, wherever, whoever
It doesn’t matter how, what, when, etc
📄️ May as well and might as well
We can use may as well and might as well for making suggestions. We can use them to say what we think is the easiest or most logical course of action when we cannot see a better alternative. They are both fairly informal. Might as well is more common than may as well:
📄️ More or less
More or less means ‘mostly’, ‘nearly’ or ‘approximately’. We use it in mid position (between the subject and main verb, or after the modal verb or first auxiliary verb, or after be as a main verb). It is slightly informal:
📄️ Of course
We use of course to refer to things that are obvious or already known to the speaker and listener, or to everybody:
📄️ Point of view
We use the expression from x’s point of view to talk about a way of considering something and/or how it affects someone or something:
📄️ Vague expressions
Vague language is very common, especially in speaking. We often add words and phrases such as about, kind of, sort of, and that kind of thing to make what we say less factual and direct: