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LANGUAGE STUDY

I/ Words and expressions for introducing an opinion or a point of view:

|- I |think |

| |believe |

| |am of the opinion that… |

|- He |holds (the view) that… |

| |maintains that… |

| |contends that… |

|- My view/opinion on this matter is that |

|- In my opinion |

|INCORRECT: According to me |

|CORRECT: According to someone |

|or According to a source of information |

Examples:

- Some think that prison is a good way of preventing crime. Others, however, hold that education is a better means.

- Tolstoy condemned all wars; but others maintain that nothing is nobler than the life of a soldier fighting for the glory of his country.

- There might be some people who hold that boys and girls should study separately; but such a view is unrealistic.

- There might be some who hold the view that the problem of crime can be combated by the use of a tremendous force of police; but such a view is unrealistic, for crime takes its roots in poverty.

Other examples:

a. Tokyo has become the region’s largest single aid donor, surpassing the United States by dispensing 1.6 billion dollars annually. Some critics contend that the amount is tiny compared with the profits taken out. Others take the view that Japanese aid is a stalking horse for commercial penetration by Japanese companies. A more balanced view, though, is that Japanese provide aid for the profit of all involved. “They don’t give handouts,” says one Southeast Asian ambassador in Tokyo. “Their aim is to increase our purchasing power to make us better markets.”

b. Some people contend that the reformers are simply playing politics themselves, exaggerating the corruption issue in order to enhance their own images. That may be unfair. As it is, some reformers lament that the problem is so widespread that they will have no choice but to put up some degree of corruption.

c. I feel there’s a long way to go before we can talk about equality of opportunity. Men still expect their jobs to take priority. Even where meals and do housework. I mean, go into a supermarket at lunch time. It’s full of working women giving up their lunch hour to do the family shopping. How many men would expect to do the same? They’re probably spending the lunch hour laughing and joking … about women. The same old, tired jokes go on forever… women drivers, mothers-in-law and secretaries. Secretaries. That’s another absurdity. Imagine an office where a man and a woman are doing similar jobs. She’s called a secretary; he’s called a trainee manager. Of course this is how so many firms avoid obeying the law on equal pay … by altering the job description. The media, as always I’m afraid, is so much to blame. Magazines, TV, film and advertising portray women as sex objects, not people. Women are blackmailed into buying useless products because they might fear they are unattractive without them. Too many of us accept the stereotype and waste our time worrying and dieting to fit some imaginary male ideal.

II/ Adjectives that describe your opinion of something.

|RIGHT |WRONG |

|Good |Bad / Evil / Harmful |

|Useful |Useless / Harmful / Detrimental / Bad / Beneficial |

|Appropriate |Inappropriate |

|Suitable |Unsuitable |

|Acceptable |Unacceptable |

|Legitimate |Illegitimate |

|Moral |Immoral |

|Fair |Unfair |

|Honest |Dishonest |

|Prudent |Imprudent |

|Noble |Ignoble |

|Necessary |Unnecessary |

|Indispensable |Dispensable / Unnecessary |

|Legal |Illegal (= against the law) |

III/ Express your opinion in favour of or not in favour of the following things, using one of the above adjectives:

1. Beating children:

• I think physical punishment is unnecessary in child rearing.

• The use of corporal punishment in the school, in my opinion, is unacceptable. It must be abolished at any cost.

• I believe that beating children is an immoral practice. It should be discouraged.

• There is no good word for beating children. It’s an evil practice.

2. Whether we should abolish or maintain examinations:

• I think examinations should be maintained. They are indispensable. Without them how can we test students’ abilities? (It would be impossible to test students’ abilities).

• Examinations should be abolished because they cause unnecessary stress and tension to students.

3. Marriage as a social institution:

• Marriage, as a social institution should be upheld, because without it family would be but a farce and happiness but a name.

• Those who hold the opposite point of view can say:

|Marriage, as a social institution, should be abolished because it |limits |the freedom of those involved. |

| |restricts | |

| |takes away | |

| |kills |those involved of their freedom |

| |deprives | |

IV/ Words and expressions for introducing the reason(s) for holding a point of view or taking a course of action:

For one or two reasons, you can use

BECAUSE

BOTH BECAUSE AND BECAUSE…

PARTLY BECAUSE … AND BECAUSE…

FOR…

FOR ONE THING ….(FOR ANOTHER…)

ON (THE) GROUNDS OF … (formal)

ON THE GROUNDS THAT … (formal)

For more, you can use

FOR THE FOLLOWING REASONS

ON THE FOLLOWING GROUNDS

EXERCISES:

Supply the missing words:

1. They refused to participate in the conference ................... the................... that broader and more relevant issues should be discussed

2. Criminals ................... be detained not only because they................... dangerous................... society but also ................... they must be ................... for their wrongdoings.

3. I am convinced that education for women is ................... waste ...................time for ................... following.................... To begin with, most women become housewives, secondly, they…

4. Trouble is brewing in the suburbs of Paris and Lyons. ................... is hard to measure the extent ................... the problem: ................... thing, it is ................... the law in France to gather statistics ................... the basis ................... racial origin.

5. ................... one side ................... the issue ................... those from the country’s privileged classes ................... oppose job quotas ................... that the country cannot afford them. Quotas, ................... say, entrench caste divisions and retard economic progress by rewarding people ................... the basis ................... birth, ................... than merit.

6. Activists for the welfare of the working................... take the view that job ................... are a viable thing. ................... say “job quotas provide for the majority ................... the people the opportunity to ................... their lives”.

V/ Words and expressions describing contending factions:

|FOR | |

|Advocators |of corporal punishment hold that |

|Supporters | |

|Upholders | |

|Proponents | |

|Those who |favour this practice contend that… |

| |advocate… |

| |are in favour of… |

| |plead for this practice… |

| |support this practice… |

| |argue for this practice… |

| |believe in this practice… |

|AGAINST | |

|Critics of this |policy maintain that… |

|Those who |criticize this policy maintain that… |

| |oppose this policy… |

| |are opposed to this policy… |

| |condemn this policy… |

| |argue against this policy |

Some examples:

a. Those who support corporal punishment take the view that it is an indispensable measure to keep peace and order in the school, without which no learning activity is possible.

b. Those who criticize this practice are of the opinion that beating children is counter-productive and that it only alienates the children from the school.

c. Paddling advocates insist that the practice is needed to maintain discipline. A recent Houston poll shoed that 77 percent of teachers and 60 percent of parents and 49 percent of students favour corporal punishment.

d. Critics of this practice contend that it only destroys children’s sense of dignity.

e. Critics of this practice hold the view that it is highly risky because serious injuries might be inflicted on the victim.

f. Those who oppose this practice hold that it does a lot of harm to the student’s character. Long exposed to violence, students will become insensitive and callous.

VI/ Organizing your ideas:

|First |(Firstly / In the first place / To begin with) |

|Second |(Secondly / Next / Then / In addition) |

|Third |(Thirdly / Moreover) |

|Last |(Lastly / Finally / Last but not least) |

VII/ Steps in an argument:

|Make a general statement of your position. |

|Give the first argument. Provide evidence or reasons to support the first argument. |

|Give the second argument. Provide evidence or reasons to support the second argument and so on… |

Examples:

1. I believe that marriage, as a social institution, should be upheld. For one thing, marriage is unlike any casual form of relationship which can be broken at any time. It involves obligations and responsibilities. Children that come as a result of the cohabitation of a man and a woman need to be supported and educated.

2. I am of the opinion that marriage is an old-fashioned institution and therefore it should be abolished.

Firstly, marriage takes away the freedom of the couple involved. It can give rise to such evils as insincerity, hypocrisy and life-long acceptance of an unsatisfying relationship.

3. I object to the cohabitation of a man and a woman without marriage. It only leads to promiscuous relationships and swapping and changing partners all the time. What else could the outcome of this situation be if it were not broken homes, uncared-for children and venereal diseases?

4. I support the idea that marriage as a social institution must be upheld. I believe that true love must lead to marriage. For one thing, marriage gives meaning and purpose to love. “To love does not mean to gaze at each other only but to look in the same direction,” so writes a French philosopher.

VIII/ Rhetorical questions:

|1) There is no |good |in doing something. |

| |use | |

| |point | |

| |sense | |

| |

|Is there any |use |in doing it? |

| |point | |

| |good | |

| |sense | |

| | | |

|What |use |is there in doing it? |

| |good | |

| |sense | |

| |point | |

2) Why don’t we…?

|3) Wouldn’t it be more |practical | |

| |sensible |to…? |

| |advisable | |

IX/ A course of action or a solution proposed or recommended:

1) The first thing to do is…

All we have to do is…

What needs to be done is…

The right thing to do is…

The best idea is to…

It’s a good thing to…

The only way we can fight is to…

|2) The right |step |to take |is… |

| |measure |to be taken | |

3) The time has come when…

|It is time for |them to… |

| |they + (Past Subjunctive) |

| |

|4) It |is |well |for … to… |

| |would be |advisable |that…(should)… |

| | |best | |

| | |wise | |

| | |sensible | |

| | |preferable | |

| | |necessary | |

| | |highly desirable | |

5) And some auxiliaries: SHOULD; OUGHT TO; HAD BETTER; COULD

Examples:

- To have peace, it would be well to remember (It would be highly desirable) that all the youths all over the world should be nurtured (fed) with the same intellectual and moral food.

- It should be borne in mind that (It would be well to remember that) whatever your knowledge and experience, there are always two sides to every coin. To ignore this is to appear narrow-minded and intolerant (It would be a sign of narrow-mindedness and intolerance to ignore this).

- The time has come when all countries should consent to having their school and university curriculums approved by an international committee.

- It’s high time we should forget all about our selfish interests and dedicate ourselves to the welfare of our nation.

- The best thing to do is to take time out – see a movie, go away for the weekend – and come back to the problem with a relaxed mind.

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