from: conversation questions
A Part of Conversation Questions for the ESL Classroom.
1. Tell me about something you love.
2. Tell me about something you hate.
3. Tell me about something you really care about.
4. Tell me about someone you dislike.
5. Tell me about a dream you've had.
6. Tell me about a goal you have.
7. Tell me about yourself.
8. Tell me about your childhood.
9. Tell me about something you believe in.
10. Tell me about a place you've visited.
11. Tell me about an accident you've seen.
12. Tell me about a time when you were happy.
13. Tell me about a time when you were sad.
14. Tell me about a time when you were excited.
15. Tell me about a time when you were frightened.
16. Tell me about your favorite pastime.
17. Tell me about chocolate.
18. Tell me about rainy days.
19. Tell me about something beautiful.
20. Tell me about something ugly.
21. Tell me about something delicious.
22. Tell me about something pleasant.
23. Tell me about something boring.
24. Tell me about something with four legs.
25. Tell me about something with a tail.
26. Tell me about something spicy.
27. Tell me about your education.
28. Tell me about your work.
29.Tell me about a teacher you had.
30. Tell me about a boss you had.
31. Tell me about the hardest thing you ever had to do.
32. Tell me about a time you lied.
33. Tell me about something you regret.
34. Tell me about a mistake you made.
35. Tell me about someone in your family.
36. Tell me about your favorite book.
37. Tell me about someone you envy?
38. Tell me about something you've achieved?
Showing posts with label conversational english. Show all posts
Showing posts with label conversational english. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Monday, September 22, 2008
Conversation Questions: What if?
from: conversation questions
A Part of Conversation Questions for the ESL Classroom.
1. If you had only 24 hours to live, what would you do?
2. If a classmate asked you for the answer to a question during an exam while the teacher was not looking, what would you do?
3. If someone's underwear was showing, would you tell them?
4. If the whole world were listening, what would you say?
5. If one song were to describe your life, what song would it be?
6. If you bumped your car into another car, but nobody saw you do it, would you leave your name and address?
7. If you could ask God any one question, what would it be?
8. If you could be a bird, what would you choose to be?
9. If you could be a plant, what would you choose to be?
10. If you could be a super-hero, which one would you be?
11. If you could be an animal, any animal, what animal would you be and why?
12. If you could be an animal, what would you be?
13. If you could be an animal, what would you choose to be?
14.If you could be another man or woman for a day, who would you choose?
15. If you could be another person for a day, who would you be?
16. If you could be invisible for a day what would you do and why?
17. If you could change one thing about your spouse or significant other, what would it be?
18. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
19. If you could change one thing in the world, what would it be?
20. If you could choose how you were going to die, what would you choose your death to be?
21. If you could choose to live on a different planet, which one would you choose?
22. If you could commit any crime and get away with it, what would you do?
23. If you could date a celebrity, who would you choose?
24. If you could have only one food for the rest of your life (assuming that this strange situation would not affect your health), which food would you choose?
25. If you could hear what someone is thinking for a day, who would you choose?
26. If you could live anywhere, where would you live?
27. If you could meet any famous person, dead or alive, who would it be and why?
28. If you could speak any other language (besides English) which language would you like to speak?
29. If you could spend a day with any celebrity, who would it be and what questions would you ask that person?
30. If you could take a vacation anywhere in the world for any length of time, where would you go?
31. if you could go anywhere in the world for a holiday, where would you go?
32. If you could travel back in time, where would you go?
33. If you didn't have enough money to get the bus home what would you do?
34. If you discovered a new island, what would you name it and why?
35. If you got arrested for murder, whom would you call with your telephone call from prison? And why?
36. If you had an accident and you had to be at home to recover for a long time, what would you do to relieve the boredom?
37. What would you do if you were at home at night, alone, and you heard a noise in your flat/house that seemed to be footsteps? Would you stay calm or would you panic?
38. What would you do if you found the wallet of your next-door neighbor who you hated?
39. If you could have any car you wanted, which car would you choose? Would it be practical or flashy?
40. If your car broke down on the motorway, what would you do? Would you try to fix it yourself?
41.If you could solve the problem of hunger in the third world or repair the ozone, which would you do?
42. If you could stop a bad habit that you have, what would you stop?
43. If you could go back to any moment in history, where would you go?
44. If you could be famous (a household name), what would you like to be famous for?
45. If you were on holiday and you lost your passport, would you know what to do?
46. If you were offered a job in another part of the country, would you be willing to take the job, assuming that the pay is very good?
47. If your partner were offered a job in another part of the country, which was well paid, would you be willing to change places?
48. If you were in the bank and somebody started to hold up the bank, what would you do? How would you react?If you had one wish, what would you wish for?
49. If you could only listen to one song for the rest of your life, which song would you choose?
50. If only one book existed, which book would you like it to be?
51. If you could do any job, what would you like to do?
52. If you could move anywhere, where would you like to live?
53. If you found a suitcase full of $1,000,000, what would you do?
54. If you found a wallet with £1,000 in it, what would you do?
55. If you had 25-hour days (while everyone else continued to have 24-hour days), what would you do with the extra time?
56. If you had one wish, what would it be?
57. If you had the opportunity to be different, what would you change?
58. If you had time machine, where would you go and why?
59. If you had to choose between a wonderful romantic relationship that would end after only a year, or a so-so relationship that would last your entire life, which one would you choose?
60. If you had to choose between love and no money or money and no love for the rest of your life, which would you choose?
61. If you had to choose, would you give up your sight or your hearing?
62. If you received lottery tickets as a gift at the office party, and you won $30,000.00, would you share the winnings with the person that gave you the gift?
63. If you saw a robbery, would you report it?
64. If you saw your zipper was down and people had noticed, what would you do?
65. If you speak two languages and your spouse (husband or wife) speaks only one, will you raise your children to be bilingual?
66. If you were a candy, what candy would you be?
67. If you were a monster, what monster would you be?
68. If you were a toy, what toy would you be?
69. If you were abducted by aliens, would you tell anybody? Why or why not?
70.If you were American/Chinese/Mexican, how would your life be different?
71. If you were asked to choose which time you would like to live in, which century would you choose?
72. If you were asked to speak to a graduating class, what would you say?
73. If you were given a chance to go to the moon, would you go? Why or why not?
74. If you were given a choice between being given great wisdom or great wealth, which would you choose?
75. If you were given an opportunity to be born again, in which country would you like to be born?
76. If you were given an opportunity to be born again, what kind of person would you choose to be?
77. If you were given one million dollars, what would you buy?
78. If you were given the opportunity to be born again, how would you change how you lived?
79. If you were given the opportunity to mold your partner the way you wanted, how would you mold your partner?
80. If you were given three wishes, what would you wish for?
81. If you were God, how would you transmit or let people know your message?
82. If you were going to a deserted island and could only take three things with you, what would you take? Why?
83. If you were invited to have tea with the Queen of England, what would say?
if you were the leader of your country, what would you change?
84. If you were the President, what problem or concern would you work on first?
85. If you were to be stranded on an island, which 3 things would you bring with you?
86. If you were told that you were going to die tomorrow, what would you do today?
87. If you were walking through the forest and you suddenly saw a tiger, what would you do?
88. If you woke up suddenly because your house was on fire, which three things would you save as you ran outside?
89. If you worked for a store and you saw another employee steal something, would you tell the manager?
90. If your friend could not have a child, would you carry her child for her?
91. If you saw someone in public with toilet paper stuck to their shoe, would you tell them?
92. If you could change one thing that you did that was bad,perhaps a crime or some wrong you did to another person,what would it be?
93. What kinds of problems would you have if you had to always tell the truth?
94. You were told you had a terminal illness and had six months to live. What three things would be most important for you to do?
95. Your doctor has just told you that you have a month to live, what would you do in that stretch of time?
96. If your doctor told you that you had only one month to live, how would you use the time left?
97. What if you have to sacrifice yourself for the sake of saving your mother? What would you do?
98. If you could live perfectly well without sleeping, if you had no need to sleep at all, how would you spend all your nights?
99. If you could be married with a foreign (man/woman), how do you think your life would change?
100. If you had a chance to choose a poor (man/woman) as a (husband/wife) from your culture or a rich (man/woman) from another culture, which would you choose?
101. If you got into traffic accident, what would you do at first?
102. If you could be God, what would you do for humanity?
103. If you could receive praise from a person, what person would it be?
104. What kind of praise would you like to receive?
105. If you were a color, what color would you be and why?
106. If you could be a crayon, What color and Why?
107. If you were a fruit, what fruit would you be and why?
108. If you had time machine and you could be transported to any time, the past or the future. What time would you choose?
109. If you could ask an All-Knowing Being one question about life, what would it be?
110. If you could have dinner with anyone (dead OR alive), who would you choose, and why?
111. If you could live forever on earth as it is now, would you? Why or why not?
112. If you could have a free chip put in your brain so that you would automatically be able to speak and understand another language besides English, which language would it be and why?
113. If you were the Queen or King of Britain for a day, what would you do?
114. If you were the President of the USA for a day, what would you do?
115. If you had to spend 100 days on a desert island, what five things would you take with you and why?
116. If you were down on your luck, would you seek the advice of a palm reader?
117. What would you do if you lost your bathing suit while you were swimming?
118. Imagine you woke up one morning to find you had switched bodies with someone you know. What would you do?
119. If you could have any one supernatural power (flying, being invisible), which would you choose and why?
120. What if your cell phone fell in the toilet, what would you do?
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Surrogate Mother
Vocabulary
contracted- An agreement between two or more parties, especially one that is written and enforceable by law.
relinquish- to give up; to let go; release
conceived- to become pregnant with
gestational- The period of development in the uterus from conception until birth; pregnancy.
carrier- a person or thing that carries
Surrogacy is a method of reproduction whereby a woman agrees to become pregnant and deliver a child for a contracted party. She may be the child's genetic mother (the more traditional form of surrogacy), or she may, as a gestational carrier, carry the pregnancy to delivery after having been implanted with an embryo. Surrogacy is a controversial, and in some jurisdictions, illegal, medical procedure.
Terminology
A surrogate mother is the woman who is pregnant with the child and intends to relinquish it after birth.[1] The word surrogate, from Latin subrŏgare (to substitute), means appointed to act in the place of.[citation needed] The intended parent(s) is the individual or couple who intends to rear the child after its birth.[1]
In traditional surrogacy (aka the Straight method) the surrogate is pregnant with her own biological child, but this child was conceived with the intention of relinquishing the child to be raised by others; by the biological father and possibly his spouse or partner, either male or female. The child may be conceived via home artificial insemination using fresh or frozen sperm or impregnated via IUI (intrauterine insemination), or ICI (intra cervical insemination) which is performed at a fertility clinic.
In gestational surrogacy (aka the Host method) the surrogate becomes pregnant via embryo transfer with a child of which she is not the biological mother. She may have made an arrangement to relinquish it to the biological mother or father to raise, or to a parent who is themselves unrelated to the child (e. g. because the child was conceived using egg donation, sperm donation or is the result of a donated embryo). The surrogate mother may be called the gestational carrier.
Altruistic surrogacy is a situation where the surrogate receives no financial reward for her pregnancy or the relinquishment of the child (although usually all expenses related to the pregnancy and birth are paid by the intended parents such as medical expenses, maternity clothing, and other related expenses).[1]
Commercial surrogacy is a form of surrogacy in which a gestational carrier is paid to carry a child to maturity in her womb and is usually resorted to by well off infertile couples who can afford the cost involved or people who save and borrow in order to complete their dream of being parents. This procedure is legal in several countries including in India where due to excellent medical infrastructure, high international demand and ready availability of poor surrogates it is reaching industry proportions. Commercial surrogacy is sometimes referred to by the emotionally charged and potentially offensive terms "wombs for rent", "outsourced pregnancies" or "baby farms".
Rationale
Intended parents may arrange a surrogate pregnancy because of female infertility, or other medical issues which may make the the pregnancy or the delivery risky. A female intending parent may also be fertile and healthy, but unwilling to undergo pregnancy.
Alternatively, the intended parent may be a single male.[2], or a male homosexual couple.
Surrogates
Surrogates may be relatives, friends, or previous strangers. Many surrogate arrangements are made through agencies that help match up intended parents with women who want to be surrogates for a fee. The agencies often help manage the complex medical and legal aspects involved. Surrogacy arrangements can also be made independently. In compensated surrogacies the amount a surrogate receives varies widely from almost nothing above expenses to over $30,000.[citation needed] Careful screening is needed to assure their health as the gestational carrier incurs potential obstetrical risks.
History
Having another woman bear a child for a couple to raise, usually with the male half of the couple as the genetic father, is referred to in antiquity. For example, chapter 16 of the book of Genesis relates the story of Sarah's servant Hagar bearing a child to Abraham for Sarah and Abraham to raise.
Attorney Noel Keane is generally recognized as the creator of the legal idea of surrogate motherhood. However, it was not until he developed an association with physician Warren J. Ringold in the city of Dearborn, Michigan that the idea became feasible. Dr. Ringold agreed to perform all of the artificial inseminations, and the clinic grew rapidly in the early part of 1981. Though Keane and Ringold were widely criticized by some members of the press and politicians, they continued and eventually advocated for the passage of laws that protected the idea of surrogate motherhood. Bill Handel, who is a partner in a Los Angeles, Surrogacy firms, also attempted to have such laws passed in California, but his attempts were struck down in the State Congress. Presently, the idea of surrogate motherhood has gained some societal acceptance and laws protecting the contractual arrangements exist in eight states.[3]
In the United States, the issue of surrogacy was widely publicised in the case of Baby M, in which the surrogate and biological mother of Melissa Stern ("Baby M"), born in 1986, refused to cede custody of Melissa to the couple with whom she had made the surrogacy agreement. The courts of New Jersey eventually awarded custody to Melissa's biological father William Stern and his wife Elizabeth Stern, rather than to the surrogate Mary Beth Whitehead.
Legality
There is a default legal assumption in most countries that the woman giving birth to a child is that child's legal mother. In some jurisdictions the possibility of surrogacy has been allowed and the intended parents may be recognized as the legal parents from birth. Many states now issue pre-birth orders through the courts placing the name(s) of the intended parent(s) on the birth certificate from the start. In others the possibility of surrogacy is either not recognized (all contracts specifying different legal parents are void), or is prohibited.
Ethical issues
Mother Child Relationship
A study by the Family and Child Psychology Research Centre at City University, London, UK in 2002 concluded that surrogate mothers rarely had difficulty relinquishing rights to a surrogate child and that the intended mothers showed greater warmth to the child than mothers conceiving naturally.[15] Anthropological studies of surrogates have shown that surrogates engage in various distancing techniques throughout the surrogate pregnancy so as to ensure that they do not become emotionally attached to the baby. [16] Many surrogates intentionally try to foster the development of emotional attachment between the intended mother and the surrogate child. [17] Instead of the popular expectation that surrogates feel traumatized after relinquishment, an overwhelming majority describe feeling empowered by their surrogacy experience.[18]. However, this has been widely criticised by feminists who claim that surrogate motherhood is a form of commodifying and dismemebering the female body and thus a patriarchal form of violence, not unlike prostitution.
Compensated surrogacy
Bioethicists are concerned that Indian surrogates are being badly paid for their surrogacy and that they are working as surrogates in a country with a comparatively high maternal death rate. [19] However, high maternal death rates are found in the poorest sections of the population in India. They may not get access to proper medical facilities in time, or there are those who opt not to access them because of superstition. Surrogate mothers in India enrolled in commercial surrogacy programs are usually cared for with advanced medical, nutritional and overall care.[citation needed]
from:
Surrogacy
Comprehension Questions:
1. Is surrogacy legal in your country?
2. What do you think is the stand of religion to this issue?
3. If a sister, friend or close relative plan for surrogacy as a gestational carrier or intended parent, what suggestions can you give her? Would you recommend surrogacy?
4. What possible problems might pose in the future for both parties (surrogate mother and intended parent/s)?
contracted- An agreement between two or more parties, especially one that is written and enforceable by law.
relinquish- to give up; to let go; release
conceived- to become pregnant with
gestational- The period of development in the uterus from conception until birth; pregnancy.
carrier- a person or thing that carries
Surrogacy is a method of reproduction whereby a woman agrees to become pregnant and deliver a child for a contracted party. She may be the child's genetic mother (the more traditional form of surrogacy), or she may, as a gestational carrier, carry the pregnancy to delivery after having been implanted with an embryo. Surrogacy is a controversial, and in some jurisdictions, illegal, medical procedure.
Terminology
A surrogate mother is the woman who is pregnant with the child and intends to relinquish it after birth.[1] The word surrogate, from Latin subrŏgare (to substitute), means appointed to act in the place of.[citation needed] The intended parent(s) is the individual or couple who intends to rear the child after its birth.[1]
In traditional surrogacy (aka the Straight method) the surrogate is pregnant with her own biological child, but this child was conceived with the intention of relinquishing the child to be raised by others; by the biological father and possibly his spouse or partner, either male or female. The child may be conceived via home artificial insemination using fresh or frozen sperm or impregnated via IUI (intrauterine insemination), or ICI (intra cervical insemination) which is performed at a fertility clinic.
In gestational surrogacy (aka the Host method) the surrogate becomes pregnant via embryo transfer with a child of which she is not the biological mother. She may have made an arrangement to relinquish it to the biological mother or father to raise, or to a parent who is themselves unrelated to the child (e. g. because the child was conceived using egg donation, sperm donation or is the result of a donated embryo). The surrogate mother may be called the gestational carrier.
Altruistic surrogacy is a situation where the surrogate receives no financial reward for her pregnancy or the relinquishment of the child (although usually all expenses related to the pregnancy and birth are paid by the intended parents such as medical expenses, maternity clothing, and other related expenses).[1]
Commercial surrogacy is a form of surrogacy in which a gestational carrier is paid to carry a child to maturity in her womb and is usually resorted to by well off infertile couples who can afford the cost involved or people who save and borrow in order to complete their dream of being parents. This procedure is legal in several countries including in India where due to excellent medical infrastructure, high international demand and ready availability of poor surrogates it is reaching industry proportions. Commercial surrogacy is sometimes referred to by the emotionally charged and potentially offensive terms "wombs for rent", "outsourced pregnancies" or "baby farms".
Rationale
Intended parents may arrange a surrogate pregnancy because of female infertility, or other medical issues which may make the the pregnancy or the delivery risky. A female intending parent may also be fertile and healthy, but unwilling to undergo pregnancy.
Alternatively, the intended parent may be a single male.[2], or a male homosexual couple.
Surrogates
Surrogates may be relatives, friends, or previous strangers. Many surrogate arrangements are made through agencies that help match up intended parents with women who want to be surrogates for a fee. The agencies often help manage the complex medical and legal aspects involved. Surrogacy arrangements can also be made independently. In compensated surrogacies the amount a surrogate receives varies widely from almost nothing above expenses to over $30,000.[citation needed] Careful screening is needed to assure their health as the gestational carrier incurs potential obstetrical risks.
History
Having another woman bear a child for a couple to raise, usually with the male half of the couple as the genetic father, is referred to in antiquity. For example, chapter 16 of the book of Genesis relates the story of Sarah's servant Hagar bearing a child to Abraham for Sarah and Abraham to raise.
Attorney Noel Keane is generally recognized as the creator of the legal idea of surrogate motherhood. However, it was not until he developed an association with physician Warren J. Ringold in the city of Dearborn, Michigan that the idea became feasible. Dr. Ringold agreed to perform all of the artificial inseminations, and the clinic grew rapidly in the early part of 1981. Though Keane and Ringold were widely criticized by some members of the press and politicians, they continued and eventually advocated for the passage of laws that protected the idea of surrogate motherhood. Bill Handel, who is a partner in a Los Angeles, Surrogacy firms, also attempted to have such laws passed in California, but his attempts were struck down in the State Congress. Presently, the idea of surrogate motherhood has gained some societal acceptance and laws protecting the contractual arrangements exist in eight states.[3]
In the United States, the issue of surrogacy was widely publicised in the case of Baby M, in which the surrogate and biological mother of Melissa Stern ("Baby M"), born in 1986, refused to cede custody of Melissa to the couple with whom she had made the surrogacy agreement. The courts of New Jersey eventually awarded custody to Melissa's biological father William Stern and his wife Elizabeth Stern, rather than to the surrogate Mary Beth Whitehead.
Legality
There is a default legal assumption in most countries that the woman giving birth to a child is that child's legal mother. In some jurisdictions the possibility of surrogacy has been allowed and the intended parents may be recognized as the legal parents from birth. Many states now issue pre-birth orders through the courts placing the name(s) of the intended parent(s) on the birth certificate from the start. In others the possibility of surrogacy is either not recognized (all contracts specifying different legal parents are void), or is prohibited.
Ethical issues
Mother Child Relationship
A study by the Family and Child Psychology Research Centre at City University, London, UK in 2002 concluded that surrogate mothers rarely had difficulty relinquishing rights to a surrogate child and that the intended mothers showed greater warmth to the child than mothers conceiving naturally.[15] Anthropological studies of surrogates have shown that surrogates engage in various distancing techniques throughout the surrogate pregnancy so as to ensure that they do not become emotionally attached to the baby. [16] Many surrogates intentionally try to foster the development of emotional attachment between the intended mother and the surrogate child. [17] Instead of the popular expectation that surrogates feel traumatized after relinquishment, an overwhelming majority describe feeling empowered by their surrogacy experience.[18]. However, this has been widely criticised by feminists who claim that surrogate motherhood is a form of commodifying and dismemebering the female body and thus a patriarchal form of violence, not unlike prostitution.
Compensated surrogacy
Bioethicists are concerned that Indian surrogates are being badly paid for their surrogacy and that they are working as surrogates in a country with a comparatively high maternal death rate. [19] However, high maternal death rates are found in the poorest sections of the population in India. They may not get access to proper medical facilities in time, or there are those who opt not to access them because of superstition. Surrogate mothers in India enrolled in commercial surrogacy programs are usually cared for with advanced medical, nutritional and overall care.[citation needed]
from:
Surrogacy
Comprehension Questions:
1. Is surrogacy legal in your country?
2. What do you think is the stand of religion to this issue?
3. If a sister, friend or close relative plan for surrogacy as a gestational carrier or intended parent, what suggestions can you give her? Would you recommend surrogacy?
4. What possible problems might pose in the future for both parties (surrogate mother and intended parent/s)?
Monday, September 8, 2008
Agreement and Disagreement
Agreement, disagreement and ... the English soul
By Olga Mindrul, Moscow State University
The way people agree or disagree in an argument or discussion varies in different languages. A lot here depends on the national cultural and traditional background of the speaker. The English are not as straightforward in expressing their opinion as Russians are, for example. The word which describes the English way of speaking and behaving in the best way is probably the word “reserved”. If you look it up in the dictionary, you’ll find a sentence that says it all: “An Englishman is very reserved, quiet, always discreet” (COLLINS COBUILD ENGLISH LANGUAGE DICTIONARY).
George Mikes in “How to be an Alien” wrote in a humorous way about these typical features of the English, which are reflected in the use of the language: “The English have no soul, they have understatement instead”. Understatement in proposing, according to George Mikes, “takes the form of “I say… would you". If it is an indecent proposal it is "I say… what about…".
In agreement and disagreement one should remember about understatement as an important underlying principle of wording what you think.
Agreement and disagreement are types of affirmation and denial in which the expression of JUDGEMENT or OPINION rather than the assertion of FACT is involved. It is all the more necessary not to offend standards of politeness when the other person’s judgement is in question.
AGREEMENT
In agreeing with an unfavourable opinion, you may wish to qualify your agreement with an expression of regret, etc.
His speech was boring / Yes, I am afraid it was.
I have to agree that it was.
\ I must say I found it so.
In other cases, you can be as enthusiastic as you like in emphasizing your agreement.
It was an interesting exhibition, wasn’t it? – Yes, it was superb/absolutely splendid!
A referendum will satisfy everybody. – Yes, definitely/quite/absolutely/I absolutely agree/I couldn’t agree more/I quite agree/ I agree entirely.
A referendum will not satisfy everybody. – Definitely not/It certainly won’t/You are absolutely right, it won’t/ I agree that it won’t.
It’s good practice and it’s good fun. – Exactly.
I feel I ought to give her a hand – Oh, quite, quite.
I must do something, though – Yes, I quite agree.
There is far too much attention being paid to these hoodlums – Yes I couldn’t agree more.
The public showed that by the way it voted in the General election – That’s quite true.
We reckon that this is what THEY would have wanted us to do. – I think you are absolutely right.
You can show that you agree strongly with someone’s description of something by repeating the adjective they have used and using "very" in front of it. You usually use “indeed” after the adjective.
It was very tragic, wasn’t it – Very tragic indeed.
The pacing in all these performances is subtle, isn’t – Oh, very subtle, indeed.
Other ways of expressing agreement are:
That’s just what I was thinking.
You know, that’s exactly what I think.
That’s a good point.
Partial agreement.
If you agree with someone, but not entirely or with reluctance, you can reply “I suppose so”.
I must have a job – I suppose so.
That’s the way to save lives, and save us a lot of trouble? – I suppose so.
If you are replying to a negative statement, you say, “I suppose not”.
Some of these places haven’t changed it – I suppose not.
Qualified agreement
In discussion and argument, there is often a need to agree with one aspect of a speaker’s view, and to disagree with another. Here are some of the methods you might use to express this sort of qualified agreement:
Certainly it’s true that …, but on the other hand…
I can see that…. But surely…
I am in total agreement with you about… but we also have to consider….
Agreed, BUT if we accept… then it must also be true that…
Corroboration
We can also agree, and add a further point to corroborate or confirm the argument
Yes, and in fact….
Yes, and what is more…
I agree, and in fact one might go so far as to say…
Absolutely. Actually, I would go further, and say…
DISAGREEMENT
Notice that you need to be very polite when disagreeing with someone in English – even someone you know quite well. When you deny or contradict what someone else has stated, the effect is often impolite, unless the denial is qualified in some way. You can qualify it by an apology or by adjusting to the speaker’s point of view:
English is a difficult language to learn.
-I am afraid I disagree with you: some languages are even more difficult, I think.
Or
- TRUE, but the grammar is quite easy.
Or
-Yes, but it’s not so difficult as Russian.
Or
-Do you think so? Actually, I find it quite easy.
The commonest ways to express disagreement are as follows:
Yes, that’s quite true, but…
I’m not sure I quite agree.
Well, you have a point there, but…
Perhaps, but I don’t think that…
I see what you mean, but…
Rather than simply expressing complete disagreement, people usually try to disagree politely using expressions, which soften the contradictory opinion they are giving "I don’t think so" and "Not really" are the most common of these expressions.
It was a lot of money in those days – Well, not really.
It’s all over now, anyway. – No, I am afraid I can’t agree with you there.
People often say “Yes” or “I see what you mean”, to indicate partial agreement and then go on to mention a point of disagreement, introduced by “but”.
You’ve just said yourself that you got fed up with it after a time. - Yes, but only after three weeks.
It’s a very clever film. – Yes, perhaps, but I didn’t like it.
They ruined the whole thing. – I see what you mean, but they didn’t know.
Strong disagreement
If you know someone very well you can disagree more directly using expressions like these:
I can’t agree with you there.
You can’t be serious!
Come off it!
Don’t be silly!
You should be very careful when using them, in order to avoid offending people.
That’s very funny – No, it isn’t.
You were the one who wanted to buy it – I am sorry, dear, but you are wrong.
More formal ways
University education does divide families in a way – I cannot go along with that.
There would be less guilt which characterized societies of earlier generations. – well I think I would take issue with that
When it comes to the state of this country, he should keep his mouth shut – I wholly and totally disagree.
He wants it, and I suppose he has a right to it – Rubbish.
He said you plotted to get him removed - that’s ridiculous.
Learning to express agreement and/or disagreement with someone’s views and opinions can be part of assertion training, which has gained increasing recognition in recent years. Its aim is to help people express themselves more effectively and appropriately.
The following three types of behavior are identified:
1. Non-assertive behaviour – failing to express your feelings, needs, opinions, or preferences, or expressing them in an indirect or implicit way. For example, agreeing to activities you are not really interested in or failing to ask for a favour even though one is needed/ Statements like “I suppose we could go to the cinema”, or “I wish I knew someone who could help me repair my car” represent indirect or implicit statements in which the other person must infer what the needs and opinions of the speaker really are. One difficulty with this type of communication is that it is open to varying interpretations and is therefore easily misunderstood.
2. Aggressive behaviour – expressing your feelings or opinions but in a punishing, threatening, demanding or hostile manner. There is little or no consideration of the feelings or rights of the other person. In addition, the person who behaves aggressively assumes little responsibility for the consequences of his/her action.
E.g. You’d better lend me $5.
You are going with me whether you like it or not.
3. Assertive behaviour – expressing your feelings, needs, legitimate rights or opinions honestly and directly without being aggressive to others, without infringing on their rights and without expecting the other person to read your mind. Assertive behaviour is not designed primarily to enable an individual to obtain what he/she wants. Rather its purpose is the clear, direct and inoffensive communication of one’s needs opinions and so on. To the extent that this is accomplished, the probability of achieving one’s goals without denying the rights of others increases.
from: Hello Online
By Olga Mindrul, Moscow State University
The way people agree or disagree in an argument or discussion varies in different languages. A lot here depends on the national cultural and traditional background of the speaker. The English are not as straightforward in expressing their opinion as Russians are, for example. The word which describes the English way of speaking and behaving in the best way is probably the word “reserved”. If you look it up in the dictionary, you’ll find a sentence that says it all: “An Englishman is very reserved, quiet, always discreet” (COLLINS COBUILD ENGLISH LANGUAGE DICTIONARY).
George Mikes in “How to be an Alien” wrote in a humorous way about these typical features of the English, which are reflected in the use of the language: “The English have no soul, they have understatement instead”. Understatement in proposing, according to George Mikes, “takes the form of “I say… would you". If it is an indecent proposal it is "I say… what about…".
In agreement and disagreement one should remember about understatement as an important underlying principle of wording what you think.
Agreement and disagreement are types of affirmation and denial in which the expression of JUDGEMENT or OPINION rather than the assertion of FACT is involved. It is all the more necessary not to offend standards of politeness when the other person’s judgement is in question.
AGREEMENT
In agreeing with an unfavourable opinion, you may wish to qualify your agreement with an expression of regret, etc.
His speech was boring / Yes, I am afraid it was.
I have to agree that it was.
\ I must say I found it so.
In other cases, you can be as enthusiastic as you like in emphasizing your agreement.
It was an interesting exhibition, wasn’t it? – Yes, it was superb/absolutely splendid!
A referendum will satisfy everybody. – Yes, definitely/quite/absolutely/I absolutely agree/I couldn’t agree more/I quite agree/ I agree entirely.
A referendum will not satisfy everybody. – Definitely not/It certainly won’t/You are absolutely right, it won’t/ I agree that it won’t.
It’s good practice and it’s good fun. – Exactly.
I feel I ought to give her a hand – Oh, quite, quite.
I must do something, though – Yes, I quite agree.
There is far too much attention being paid to these hoodlums – Yes I couldn’t agree more.
The public showed that by the way it voted in the General election – That’s quite true.
We reckon that this is what THEY would have wanted us to do. – I think you are absolutely right.
You can show that you agree strongly with someone’s description of something by repeating the adjective they have used and using "very" in front of it. You usually use “indeed” after the adjective.
It was very tragic, wasn’t it – Very tragic indeed.
The pacing in all these performances is subtle, isn’t – Oh, very subtle, indeed.
Other ways of expressing agreement are:
That’s just what I was thinking.
You know, that’s exactly what I think.
That’s a good point.
Partial agreement.
If you agree with someone, but not entirely or with reluctance, you can reply “I suppose so”.
I must have a job – I suppose so.
That’s the way to save lives, and save us a lot of trouble? – I suppose so.
If you are replying to a negative statement, you say, “I suppose not”.
Some of these places haven’t changed it – I suppose not.
Qualified agreement
In discussion and argument, there is often a need to agree with one aspect of a speaker’s view, and to disagree with another. Here are some of the methods you might use to express this sort of qualified agreement:
Certainly it’s true that …, but on the other hand…
I can see that…. But surely…
I am in total agreement with you about… but we also have to consider….
Agreed, BUT if we accept… then it must also be true that…
Corroboration
We can also agree, and add a further point to corroborate or confirm the argument
Yes, and in fact….
Yes, and what is more…
I agree, and in fact one might go so far as to say…
Absolutely. Actually, I would go further, and say…
DISAGREEMENT
Notice that you need to be very polite when disagreeing with someone in English – even someone you know quite well. When you deny or contradict what someone else has stated, the effect is often impolite, unless the denial is qualified in some way. You can qualify it by an apology or by adjusting to the speaker’s point of view:
English is a difficult language to learn.
-I am afraid I disagree with you: some languages are even more difficult, I think.
Or
- TRUE, but the grammar is quite easy.
Or
-Yes, but it’s not so difficult as Russian.
Or
-Do you think so? Actually, I find it quite easy.
The commonest ways to express disagreement are as follows:
Yes, that’s quite true, but…
I’m not sure I quite agree.
Well, you have a point there, but…
Perhaps, but I don’t think that…
I see what you mean, but…
Rather than simply expressing complete disagreement, people usually try to disagree politely using expressions, which soften the contradictory opinion they are giving "I don’t think so" and "Not really" are the most common of these expressions.
It was a lot of money in those days – Well, not really.
It’s all over now, anyway. – No, I am afraid I can’t agree with you there.
People often say “Yes” or “I see what you mean”, to indicate partial agreement and then go on to mention a point of disagreement, introduced by “but”.
You’ve just said yourself that you got fed up with it after a time. - Yes, but only after three weeks.
It’s a very clever film. – Yes, perhaps, but I didn’t like it.
They ruined the whole thing. – I see what you mean, but they didn’t know.
Strong disagreement
If you know someone very well you can disagree more directly using expressions like these:
I can’t agree with you there.
You can’t be serious!
Come off it!
Don’t be silly!
You should be very careful when using them, in order to avoid offending people.
That’s very funny – No, it isn’t.
You were the one who wanted to buy it – I am sorry, dear, but you are wrong.
More formal ways
University education does divide families in a way – I cannot go along with that.
There would be less guilt which characterized societies of earlier generations. – well I think I would take issue with that
When it comes to the state of this country, he should keep his mouth shut – I wholly and totally disagree.
He wants it, and I suppose he has a right to it – Rubbish.
He said you plotted to get him removed - that’s ridiculous.
Learning to express agreement and/or disagreement with someone’s views and opinions can be part of assertion training, which has gained increasing recognition in recent years. Its aim is to help people express themselves more effectively and appropriately.
The following three types of behavior are identified:
1. Non-assertive behaviour – failing to express your feelings, needs, opinions, or preferences, or expressing them in an indirect or implicit way. For example, agreeing to activities you are not really interested in or failing to ask for a favour even though one is needed/ Statements like “I suppose we could go to the cinema”, or “I wish I knew someone who could help me repair my car” represent indirect or implicit statements in which the other person must infer what the needs and opinions of the speaker really are. One difficulty with this type of communication is that it is open to varying interpretations and is therefore easily misunderstood.
2. Aggressive behaviour – expressing your feelings or opinions but in a punishing, threatening, demanding or hostile manner. There is little or no consideration of the feelings or rights of the other person. In addition, the person who behaves aggressively assumes little responsibility for the consequences of his/her action.
E.g. You’d better lend me $5.
You are going with me whether you like it or not.
3. Assertive behaviour – expressing your feelings, needs, legitimate rights or opinions honestly and directly without being aggressive to others, without infringing on their rights and without expecting the other person to read your mind. Assertive behaviour is not designed primarily to enable an individual to obtain what he/she wants. Rather its purpose is the clear, direct and inoffensive communication of one’s needs opinions and so on. To the extent that this is accomplished, the probability of achieving one’s goals without denying the rights of others increases.
from: Hello Online
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