Someone you know comes up with a statement: “Living in a large
city is depressing”.
You
happen to live in a large city and you’re definitely not
depressed. Obviously, you’ll want to make a comment on
what was said.
Here are some ways you can use to
comment.
I agree with… I don’t agree
with…..
In my opinion…
I believe…
I personally believe…
I think…. I don’t
think…..
Most people think…. Many people don’t
believe
Perhaps it’s true…. I don‘t care
about…..
What is the definition of the word “conversation “?
Conversation is defined as the spoken exchange of thoughts,
feelings and opinions. We all have our personal opinions about
things and it’s only natural that we wish to express them.
Now here
are some controversial statements that can be used.
≈ T.V.
Quiz programs are entertaining and educational.
≈
Taking your vacation in
August is unadvisable.
≈ “Old
movies” are the best.
≈
Amsterdam is one of the most beautiful cities in the world.
≈ Chinese
food is unusual and delicious.
≈ Brad
Pitt is a better actor than Richard Gere.
≈
Italians spend a lot of money on food.
≈ English
is a really difficult language to learn.
≈ Dialects are ruining the Italian language.
This
activity can be used with students who already have some
conversation experience. It is made up to stimulate a
conversation and helps the students to enter into a discussion
giving their own opinions.
It’s best
to choose a statement for the class and then give them some time
to organize their thoughts before starting the oral
conversation. It would be a good idea to let them copy the ways
to comment and have them on hand during this activity.
We can
also add on some expressions, often exclamations, to further
comment on a subject. I like to describe these as
comments of “indignation”.
That’s ridiculous! That’s absolutely
absurd!
Nonsense! Don’t
believe everything you hear!
That’s crazy! You must
be kidding!
And you BELIEVE that? Do you think I
was born yesterday?
I wouldn’t count on it. I wouldn’t
bet on it.
Someone’s pulling your leg!
This is
an oral activity but it could also be a written exercise.
Let the students formulate their own statement and then write up
a dialogue between two persons with different opinions. Here
the students can be quite creative. I always enjoy reading
their work. There may be some future authors in our
classrooms!
A
Nice Thought
“No two men are alike, and both of them are happy for it.”