Now here’s two products, the iPhone and an Android phone, well I want to buy an iPhone
because it functions very smoothly and its use is quite seamless, but on the other hand
I think Android phones like Samsung have a stronger battery life. Did you see how I used
the expression “on the other hand”? Yes, we use it all the time, when talking to people
at work or while giving presentations, especially to give opinions at the time of stating two
different facts. For example, you may say, “online marketing is a great idea but, on
the other hand we should also pay attention to outdoor marketing like billboards”. Now
if you notice, we use this expression, ‘on the other hand’ way too much, especially
when we are comparing or contrasting ideas. But I'll tell you what, if we use this phrase
over and over and over again, you will sound very boring, you will sound very repetitive,
right? As if you are not comfortable with the language. So I'm now going to show you
some alternative phrases that you can use instead of, ‘on the other hand’. So take a look.
The first phrase I have is, “on the flip side”. You will use this phrase
when you are looking at two different things which may have the opposite possibility or
the opposite result. For example, you can say, “I'll have to work really long hours
and be away from my family, but on the flip side, I'll get the opportunity to travel around
the world”. So what are you doing here, you're talking about opposite ideas and therefore
you use, ‘on the flip side’. “Having said that”. Now this expression is another
way of saying, despite what has just been said. When people say, “having said that”,
it is a signal that they are going to say something which will contrast or disagree
with what they said just a moment ago. For example, I can say, “their work has been
fairly good, but having said that, I still think there's room for improvement”. So
I kind of contrasted the previous idea. The next expression is, “then again”. When
do we use ‘then again’? ‘Then again’ is used to introduce an after thought or a
second thought after having made a statement. So how would I use it in a statement? I could
say, “I love to travel but then again, nothing is as comfortable as being at home with my
family”. So as you can see, we've used the expression, ‘then again’ after having
another thought immediately after having made my first statement. The next expression is,
“on the contrary” or “quite the contrary”. This is used when you want to really emphasize
a point by showing why the opposite cannot true, confusing? Well don't be. I'll give
you an example, suppose if I said, “I don't ever come late, on the contrary I make it
a point to come at least half an hour before time”. What am I saying? I am saying that,
my first statement can never be true and therefore I use ‘on the contrary’ followed by the
actual truth. So our next expression is, “alternatively”. We use ‘alternatively’ when giving another
option or talking about a different possibility. You will use this when you want to clearly
provide a choice between two things. “We could go for a movie or alternatively we could
go for a long drive”. That's how you will use it in a sentence. Okay then, our next
word, rather an expression that we can use is, “while”. Now see, sometimes when you
want to compare two things, you can start your sentence with this word ‘while’ and
then go on to give the first idea, immediately followed by the second one. Let's put that
in a sentence, “while fighting crime is very important, we must also remember that
bringing awareness of crime is equally important”. So we've started the sentence with ‘while’,
gone on to give our first sentence, followed by the second one. The next phrase, “all
the same” is used as another way of saying, ‘despite what I just mentioned’. So in
a sentence you could say, “I'm sure they are happy in their new home, but all the same
they loved the old house in the countryside”. So despite the fact that I just said that,
they love their home, they love their new home, they still love the old house that they
lived in. Alright, now this word is used to contract or compare with another fact. So
you can say, “The winters in New York are very cold, “whereas” in California we
face a relatively mild weather”. So ‘whereas’ is used to compare or contrast two ideas.
The last expression I have is, “nonetheless”, another way of saying despite having said
that. Now if you break the word it is ‘none-the-less’, ‘nonetheless’. It means that the statement
you've just made, does not diminish or make less, of what is going to come next. For example
I could say, “Art might be easily available, nonetheless, it brings value to life”. So
guys as you can see there are several different ways of using ‘on the other hand’, so
why don't you go out and use it and in the comments, tell me how it has enriched your
communication, whether you've given presentations or had informal conversations at work. I'll
be back with some more lessons, until then, keep learning and keep practicing.