Making a Point: English Vocabulary List

used to emphasize one's seriousness, determination, or truthfulness

"So help me, I will tell the truth."

"I will find out who broke my window so help me God and they will be very sorry."

to speak convincingly or authoritatively about a subject, especially in a way that suggests knowledge, expertise, or confidence

"He can talk the talk."

"He can talk the talk but when it comes to actually doing the work he is completely useless."

used to emphasize that something cannot be true or accurate

"I am not angry — nothing could be further from the truth."

"The rumour that the company was planning layoffs was categorically denied — nothing could be further from the truth, said the spokesperson."

to forcefully make a point in an argument or discussion to ensure that there are no misunderstandings

"He pressed his point home."

"The coach hammered home the importance of teamwork by showing video clips of successful plays executed by coordinated units."

used before stating the most important fact about a particular situation

"At the end of the day, family is most important."

"At the end of the day your happiness matters more than money or a fancy job title."

used before summarizing or stating most important facts of a situation

"In the final analysis, it was his fault."

"In the final analysis the success of the project depends on whether we can raise enough money to fund it."

to talk about something in a completely open and direct way

"Let's call a spade a spade."

"She is not afraid to call a spade a spade even when the truth is uncomfortable for people."

to deliberately delay or avoid talking about the main point

"Stop beating around the bush."

"Instead of beating around the bush, please tell me directly what the problem is."

to avoid talking about the details of something that has happened and only give the main points

"To make a long story short, we lost."

"To make a long story short we missed the flight but caught the next one and arrived only two hours late."

to get straight to the point or the most important part of a matter without wasting time on irrelevant details or preamble

"Let me cut to the chase."

"Please cut to the chase and tell me how much money you need instead of telling me a long story."

a thorough explanation of how something happened

"Long story... I will tell you later."

"Long story. I will tell you later, but right now I do not have enough time to explain everything."

used for saying that something has the same effect as another thing

"The project is for all intents and purposes complete."

"For all intents and purposes the old law has been replaced by the new one even though it has not been officially cancelled yet."

the final part of a joke or a humorous story that is intended to make the audience laugh or surprise them with a clever twist or unexpected ending

"The audience roars with laughter at the punch line."

"The audience laughed heartily at the punch line after a long buildup in the joke."

considering all the parts or items that make up a whole

"All told, there were fifty people."

"All told there were nearly two hundred guests at the wedding and everyone had a wonderful time celebrating."

the most important factor in an argument or a discussion that brings it to an end

"The bottom line is money."

"After all the discussion, the bottom line is that we cannot afford this extravagant project at this time."