1. How to agree strongly with an opinion
I couldn’t agree more!
That’s absolutely true!
Absolutely!
I take your point.
I’d go along with you there.
I’m with you on that.
That’s just what I was thinking
That’s exactly what I think
That’s good point
That’s just how I see it.
That’s exactly my opinion.
2. How to half agree with an opinion.
Yes, perhaps.
Well, yes.
Yes, in a way
Mum, possibly
Yes, I agree up to a point
Well, you’ve got a point there.
There’s something in that, I suppose
E guess you could be right
Yes, I suppose so.
That’s worth thinking about.
3. How to disagree politely with an opinion
I am not so sure really.
Do you think so?
Well. It depends.
I’m not so certain.
Well. It don’t know.
Well, I’m not so sure about that.
Mmm, I’m not really sure you’re right.
I’m inclined to disagree with that.
No, I don’t think so really.
4. How to disagree strongly with an opinion
I disagree.
I disagree with you entirely.
I’m afraid I don’t agree.
I’m afraid you are wrong there.
I really can’t agree.
I wouldn’t accept that for one minute.
You can’t really mean that.
I wouldn’t go along with you there.
You can’t be serious.
You must be joking.
Note that you need to be very polite when disagreeing with someone in English, even someone you know quite well. With someone you know very well, you can disagree more directly. 5. How to present both sides of an argument
On the one hand... on the other hand...
Although it’s true to say that... it’s also true to say that...
Lesson 1
Does Television Play a Positive or Negative Role in the Modern Society?
Text
Do the Advantages of Television Outweigh the Disadvantages?
Television is now playing a very important part in our life. But television, like other things, has both advantages and disadvantages. Do the former outweigh the latter?
In the first place, television is not only a convenient source of entertainment, but also a comparatively cheap one. For a family of four, for example, it is more convenient as well as cheaper to sit comfortably at home, with almost unlimited entertainment available, than to go out in search of amusement elsewhere(1). They do not have to pay for expensive seats at the theatre, the cinema, or the opera, only to discover, perhaps, that the show is disappointing (2). All they have to do is press a button, and they can see plays, films, operas, and shows of every kind, not to mention political discussions and the latest exciting football match. Some people, however, maintain that this is precisely where the danger lies. The television viewer takes no initiative(3). He makes no choice and exercises no judgment to him without any effort on his part.
Television, it is often said, keeps one informed about current events, allows one to follow the latest developments in science and politics, and offers and endless series of programmes which are both instructive and entertaining. The most distant countries and the strangest customs are brought right into one’s sitting-room. (4) It could be argued that the radio performs this service just as well; but on television everything is much more living, much more real. Yet here again there is a danger. We get so used to looking at it, so dependent on its flickering pictures(5), that it begins to dominate our lives.
There are many other arguments for and against television. The poor quality of its programmes is often criticized. But it is undoubtedly a great comport to many lonely elderly people. and does it corrupt or instruct our children? I think we must realize that television in itself is neither good nor had. It is the uses to which it is put that determine its value to society. |
