MAKING YOUR POINT/ EMPHASIZING THAT SOMETHING IS YOUR OWN OPINION
In my opinion, ...
In my view ...
Personally, I think that ...
Personally speaking,
I reckon ...
If you ask me, ...
I'd say that ...
I feel that ...
My feeling is that ...
As far as I am concerned ...
From my point of view ...
HALF-AGREEING
I see/ take your point, but ...
I see what you mean, but ...
I agree up to a point, but ...
I sort of agree.
DISAGREEING
I completely disagree.
I don't agree at all.
No, you are missing the point.
That's not the point.
I can't see your point at all.
But that's not always the case.
I am not so sure about that.
I am not sure I agree with you.
I am afraid I don't really agree.
I don't really think you are right.
Not necessarily.
ASKING FOR CLARIFICATION
You mean ...
Sorry, I don't quite follow you
END OF AN ANSWER
… in my view, anyway.
That’s my opinion, anyway.
So, in short …
All in all …
And that’s about it, really.
STARTING/CLOSING A DISCUSSION
We couLd start by talking about ...
Let's talk about ... first.
I think we need to make a decision.
Shall we try to come to an agreement?
CONTRAST
But on the other hand …
But at the same time ...
Although I must admit that …
Having said that, …
PREDICTIONS about yourself
I guess I’ll …
I reckon I will …
I don’t think I’ll ever …
I don’t imagine I’ll …
SUPPOSING ABOUT OTHERS
They are probably …
They probably + verb
They must + verb
It looks as if they are + ing
I imagine they might + verb
EXPRESSING OPINIONS/ REACTING
Believe me, …
… seems like the best option to me.
I am really keen on the idea of …
If you ask me, I really think we should …
But just think of the …. !
Personally, I am in favour of … (+ gerund)
I am sure it will be worth it.
… , don’t you agree?
REACTING in a negative way
I don’t find (modern art) very interesting.
I am not really into (modern art) In fact, I don’t really like(modern art) at all.
To be honest, (modern art) just makes me laugh.
(Modern art) isn’t really my thing.
I am not a big fan of (modern art)
REACTING TO STRANGE INFORMATION
How weird/ strange/ bizarre/ odd!
How awful!
EXCLAMATIONS
What a great/brilliant/fantastic idea!
What an amazing coincidence!
What a terrible experience!
What a pity!
What a waste of time!
What bad luck!
What a shame!
How interesting!
How annoying!
How embarrassing!
How awful!
ALLOWING YOURSELF TIME TO THINK
I need to think for a moment.
That’s an interesting question.
That's a tricky question, really.
Well, it’s difficult to say, really.
Let me see.
It depends …
I guess an honest answer would be …
I suppose the simplest answer to that question is …
If I think about it, I suppose …
On balance, I think …
The best example that comes to mind is ...
I have never given it a lot of thought ...
TALKING ABOUT MISUNDERSTANDINGS
I was under the impression that …
I thought that … but in fact …
Naturally I assumed that …
It turned out that …
It was so embarrassing.
I was horrified.
I felt awful.
I felt such a fool.
We had a good laugh about it.
Wednesday, 29 March 2017
Thursday, 23 March 2017
Wednesday, 22 March 2017
Writing a formal letter
Dear Sir/Madam (In case you don’t know the name → Yours Faithfully)
Dear Mr X (→Yours Sincerely)
Reason for writing (Who I am (not the name!), What I want, When and Where it happened)
I am writing with regard/reference to (the article which appeared when/where) to express my concern about/disappointment with/dissatisfation with/disapproval of/apologies for (motivation)
Body (2/3 paragraphs – Points from input material)
- Firstly/To begin with/Moreover
- In fact/Furthermore/In addition/Finally
- (I feel) I must also (dis)agree with
- I would like to/ I want to point out that
- According to your (article)/ Your (article) states that.. However/which is completely wrong
Action Step/Desired outcome
- I trust/very much hope you will (print this letter in the next issue of your newspaper)
- I would appreciate it/be grateful if you would
- It seems only fair that you should
- I look forward to receiving/seeing
- In light of the above (I feel I am entitled to a full refund and a formal apology)
Ending
Yours faithfully/Yours Sincerely
Firma
(Ruolo/Carica)
Linking Words:
Formal
|
Less formal
| |
Addition
|
furthermore, in addition to,
in the same way as,
moreover, similarly
|
also, and, as well as,
besides, just as
|
Opposition
|
although, however,
nevertheless, nonetheless,
whereas
|
but, or, so, on the other hand
|
Reference
|
in all cases, in general,
in many cases, in most
cases, in some cases,
regarding, with reference to
|
since, so
|
Cause and effect (result)
|
accordingly, consequently,
on the whole, therefore,
thus, unfortunately
|
anyway, at any rate, because,
because of
|
Listing
|
firstly, finally, in the first
place, secondly, lastly, next
|
after, and, and then, before,
first, last, second, soon, then
|
Monday, 20 March 2017
Practice blog question
•You
are volunteering with a local organisation that is trying to clean up local
forests and to protect the animals within them.
•Write
a blog post to reflect on your experiences so far…
Writing a blog...
Make sure you have an engaging title:
How to start?
· For many people,…
· I’ve been waiting to write this for some time…
· So, if you haven’t heard about the recent controversy of …
· So, I recently went to …
· I know I’ve posted about … before, but …
· From … to …, our … have
· There’s a story currently…
· Nowadays, I find myself …
· So, this post is going to …
Expressions/ Idiomatic vocabulary
· Well, it goes without saying that …
· If I could put my finger on one thing in particular, it would be …
· Shame it doesn’t work like that.
· It goes hand in hand with …
· Rhetorical questions and answers: Who knows? I don´t. …, right? But when did … become …?
· Yes/No, …
· A distraction that I, for one, can’t wait to get rid of.
· How dare he/ she/ they!
· I have never eye-rolled this much…
· Let’s face it …
· Boo them!/ Cheer them!
· Needless to say …
· Anyway, each to their own.
· To become a dartboard - to become a target
· To go through the roof - to increase
Introducing yourself in the text/ expressing opinions
· As a teenager
· As a black woman…
· How much I care…
· But that’s just me.
· I never thought I’d find myself saying this but …
· I must say that I agree/disagree with …
· If I could put my finger on one thing in particular, it would be …
· What I do know is …
· Aghh, I’m sorry, I don’t mean to sound like …
· So, I’m here to …
· As much as I think that …, I also think that …
· I love…
· I reckon… (informal for I think)
· I guess there is/are …
· I was pretty freaking amazed…
· Oddly, while…
· Aside from the fact that I’m …, I also think …
· Shock horror, I’m not into …
Speaking directly to your reader
· Ha! Don’t be ridiculous!
· Don’t try and kid yourself!
· Don’t be silly enough to…
· Get off your high horse!
· Get off your soap box!
· Make a difference!
· By the way, …
How to end?
· If you want to share/ offer your opinion and join in with this conversation, please leave a comment below.
· I’d love to know your thoughts so leave a comment below!
· If you agree with me, please share my post.
EXTRA: Idioms are an excellent way to show off in informal writing. Try to learn some of the ones below and use them in your blog.
CAE Idioms
Body Idioms
Sunday, 5 March 2017
Reading comprehension Practice
In preparation for our Reading exam on Wednesday, work through the reading comprehension exercises via the following link:
Friday, 3 March 2017
Thursday, 2 March 2017
Debate: Artificial Intelligence will be a disaster for humanity
As a summative assessment, you will be conducting a debate based on whether or not you agree with the following statement:
´Artificial Intelligence will be a disaster for humanity.´
Do you agree or disagree?
You will be assessed on how well you put your views across, as well as the quality of your English.
Quizlet List: Debating Verbs
Verbs:
To improve / worsen
To encourage / prevent
To support / object to
To develop
To provide (with)
To implement
To solve
To allow / permit / let
Be Convincing:
Without a shadow of a doubt, …
It is absolutely vital that / crucial that …
There is no question that
Scenarios:
Imagine a society where…
Wouldn’t you prefer …?
Techniques to involve the audience:
We all know that… (get the listeners on your side)
Think about it: … (use imperatives to attract the audience’s attention)
I’m sure that everyone in the room would agree / recognize / accept … (encourage your listener to agree)
Let’s face it, … (making something seem like a self-evident truth)
Imagine a school where … Does this sound ……….? (scenario)
Would you really ………? (rhetorical question – add detail)
What next? Would you accept …(use exaggeration)
Connnectives
·Although / Even though / Though
·Despite / In spite of
·Therefore / As a result of this / Consequently
·On the other hand / However / Yet / Conversely
·Otherwise / If not
·This may lead to / This could cause
·Without
·If
·As
·Whereas
·While
·Therefore
·Due to this
·First of all / Firstly / Secondly / Thirdly / Furthermore / Moreover / In addition to this
·In conclusion / In summary / To sum up, …
·…for two main reasons: Firstly…., Secondly, …
·Unfortunately / Undoubtedly / Currently / Unsurprisingly
Lists of 3:
Adjectives (It is expensive, inefficient and unreliable)
Nouns (It would negatively affect students, parents and teachers.)
Verbs (to improve, renovate and develop …)
Points (It would lead to an increase in the profits of the company, a positive impression of the business and a number of new customers)
Knock down the other side of the argument:
While it’s true that …,
Although many people may agree that…
Yes, …. Yes, … and yes, … However, have you seriously considered ….?
Rhetorical questions (and provide a detailed response to your own question):
Do you honestly want to implement a system which ….?
Use of facts and statistics (To back up your arguments)
In fact, according to recet studies 87% of scientists said that...
To back up my point, an article I read in the Guardian written by the scientist Nick Cohen stated that...
How will I be marked in the debate?
•Criterion C:
–Key points and ideas
–Debating techniques
–Responding to the opposition’s point
–Appropriate register and style
•Criterion D:
–Grammar
–Vocabulary (e.g. Quizlet words)
–Fluency
–Pronunciation and intonation
Revise debating verbs using the following Quizlet link:
Top Tips
•About ten strong ideas to support your argument
•Be prepared to counter your opponents’ arguments
•Use a range of persuasive devices within each argument
•Use appropriate debating etiquette
•Include a range of sophisticateddebating phrases (see above)
Debate Arrangements
Each individual needs about 3 unique arguments they can use in their debate.
These need to be backed up by quotes from articles, by statistics etc to make your arguments strong.
You will be marked on how well you respond to the other group and your use of debating vocab and etiquette
Aiming for a total of 10-15 minutes debate as a group.
When debating you cannot have sheets and sheets of notes. You are only allowed a cue card of notes that is the size of a quarter of a side of A4.
Each individual utterance must not succeed 40 seconds so that EVERYONE has a chance to speak and contribute.
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