Lesson 6

Do you agree with the ponies?

Heh heh. That video was funny.

Heh heh.

Totally.

Here are some key phrases to add to your arsenal:

DRILL TIME!

I take your point but…

I tend to disagree with you there.

Not necessarily.

I beg to differ.

I can only agree with reservations.

English is

awesome.

Totally

awesome.

Today we're going to talk about DISAGREEING

Now, we're going to have a conversation!

Did you agree with the ponies?

PHRASE

CATCH!

The week after next week we are going to review all the writing tasks on the exam. Today we are going to look at how to build a "profile" of a specific type of task to help you study for the exam.

• I think the Sun revolves around the Earth!
• I think copy machines are full of children who make the copies.
• I think ATMs are full of children counting our money.
• I think that vending machines are full of kids.

Now, we're going to work on DIALOGUES!

Grab a partner!

Writing Forms:

REPORT

Question:

You are a member of a committee that is campaigning for an international sports competition to be hosted in your home town. You have received the following memo:

To: Committee members

From: Chairman

I would be grateful if all members could write a short report giving their views on the following points:

why our town would be a suitable host for the competition

any objections to our campaign and how we can overcome them

suggestions as to how we can make the best use of our budget

Write your report for the Chairman of the committee. (220-260 words)

Ha ha!

You probably think that the Sun doesn't revolve around the Earth! But, you're wrong! And...

• Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.
• Swimming in the ocean is better than swimming in a public pool.
• Alcohol should be illegal.
• Children should provide room and board for their aging parents.
• Studying grammar is more important than practising conversation skills.
• Television is the leading cause of violence in today's society.
• Dogs make better companions than cats.
• Females are better students than males.
• A parent shouldn't pierce a baby's ears.
• Women should be allowed to go topless in public.

Your outline should look like this:

Vocabulary building

Read all the words, then choose 10 new words that are interesting for you

READ OUT LOUD

The History of Coffee

gather momentum,

massive,

demand,

tract,

in the vicinity of,

nabírat obrátky, masivní,

poptávka,

plocha,

v okolí,

origin,

dates back, monastery, seed,

roast,

brew,

smuggle,

boil,

sterilize,

period, beverage, initially,

Title:

To:

From:

Subject:

Date:

Reason of writing (Introduction)

Body (2 paragraphs maximum)

Making/giving recommendations

Conclusion(s)

původ,

se datuje,

klášter,

semínko,

pražit se,

vařit,

pašovat,

vařit (ve vodě),

sterilizovat,

období,

nápoj,

zpočátku,

Making/giving recommendations

I would strongly recommend that ... should + bare infinitive

In the light of the results of the survey I would advise against...

I feel it would be to our advantage if...

The best solution is/would be to...

This will have an impact on + noun

The origin of coffee as a drink or a plant dates back to the middle the of the 15th century in the Sufi Muslim monasteries around Mocha in Yemen. It was in Arabia that coffee seeds were first roasted and brewed, in a similar way to how it is now prepared. By the 16th century, it had reached the rest of the Middle East, Persia, Turkey, and northern Africa.

The first coffee smuggled out of the Middle East was by Sufi Baba Budan from Yemen to India in 1670. Before then, all exported coffee was boiled or otherwise sterilized. Portraits of Baba Budan depict him as having smuggled seven coffee seeds by strapping them to his chest. The first plants grown from these smuggled seeds were planted in Mysore, in the state of Karnataka, India. Coffee then spread to Italy, and to the rest of Europe, to Indonesia, and to the Americas.

When coffee reached North America during the Colonial period, it was initially not as successful as it had been in Europe as alcoholic beverages remained more popular. During the Revolutionary War, the demand for coffee increased so much that dealers had to hoard their scarce supplies and raise prices dramatically.

Coffee was introduced to Brazil in 1727, although its cultivation did not gather momentum until independence in 1822. After this time massive tracts of rainforest were cleared for coffee plantations, first in the vicinity of Rio de Janeiro and later São Paulo

Time for a break!

Body (2 paragraphs maximum)

It should be considered, it is worth considering

The first observation to make is (concerns)

First of all/Firstly

Secondly/ Furthermore/Moreover

Lastly/Finally

In fact

According to (the majority of respondents)

However, although, alternatively

In spite of (the fact [that])/Despite (the fact [that]) + Noun,

Predicting the future: The outlook for ... is (far from [+ing]) bright/optimistic/depressing/daunting

The future looks bleak/remains uncertain/is promising

This seems unlikely in the near/foreseable future

It has been stressed that

Ok, you survived. Here is something silly.

Conclusion(s)

As long as/provided that these recommendations are taken into consideration

In conclusion...

The reseach shows/demonstrates

From the research/the evidence we conclude that

Reason of writing (Introduction)

• The aim/objective/purpose of this report is to compare/examine/evaluate/describe/outline (some suggestions)/analyse (some suggestions)/expose/present/give information on/regarding the/recommend/consider/suggest
• This report aims to... etc.
• Nouns: information (remember: not "informations"), ideas, suggestions, situations, conditions, comments in order to improve/decide
• In case of survey/discussion: It is based on a survey conducted among/It is the result of a discussion which took place among