Hi, there, everybody. Today, we're doing a general class on having an argument, giving
an opinion. Okay? Useful words for giving opinions, agreeing, disagreeing. This is something
you have to do in so many walks of life, in so many situations, whether it's with your
girlfriend, boyfriend, wife, whether it's with your boss, your mom, your dad. Many times,
we find ourselves making a point, saying something, having something that is slightly different
to the other person. Okay? It's life.
We're going to start with giving opinions. Now, we might start with an adverb like "personally".
Okay? Or "frankly". So "person" -- you can see the word "person". When we say "personally",
it's about this person; it's about me. "Me, I think this." "Personally, I would say that
--." "Personally, I think that --."
Now, let's spend today talking about the issue of whether you should give money to the homeless
man. "Personally, I think lots of people give money to them." Or, "Personally, I think they
need the money." Or, "Frankly" -- this means "honestly". "Frankly, I think charity starts
at home." That's a phrase that means, "If I'm going to be kind, I need to be kind to
me." "Frankly, I don't want to give them any money." Okay?
Now, what I've done here is I've marked which ones are good to use in a work situation and
which ones are more informal. So where I have marked, this is good to use at work. "Personally",
"I'd say that". But "I reckon" and "if you ask me", these are more casual ways of speaking.
"If you ask me, I think the bloke's taking the piss, mate." Okay? "If you ask me, I think
the bloke's taking the piss." He's having a laugh. Okay? "I reckon he really needs some
coins." Okay? So this is the one you can use at work. "I'd say that you have to think about
it and balance the options up." I don't know.
What do you think? Have a go now. Personally, I think that -- go on. Give me a sentence.
Great. Good work.
Now, you've presented your first opinion, and someone is agreeing with you. Let's practice
agreeing with someone, okay? "Definitely! I mean, it's so cold in London. You should
give some money to them." Okay? "Definite." "Definite" means certain. Okay? It's the same
as "certainly". "Certainly" would be very -- too formal, though." Okay? "Definitely.
You're right." Or if you like what they're saying, you agree, you could say, "I think
so, too. I mean, it must be a difficult life." Yeah? These are all phrases you could use
in a work situation. Okay? All of these are good for work. They're not informal ones.
"I think so, too. I mean, it's really cold at the moment." "You're right. I mean, imagine
not having a home or somewhere to go to the bathroom." "That's a good point. I agree with
you." Okay? "I agree. It's really sad that they're living under a bridge." Okay? So these
are all ways of agreeing. "Definitely. You're right. That's a good point."
Giving opinions, I could say "personally, frankly, if you ask me". These are my informal
ones. These are my formal ones. Formal. Good for work. Good for the pub. Great.
Now, let's disagree. Let's disagree with Mother. "Yes, Mom. But they don't have any money to
spend on a sandwich." Okay? So I'm disagreeing. I think something different to Mom. "You see,
I don't agree, Mom. I think it's nice to be generous." Or you could say, "I don't know
about that." Okay? Listen to the pronunciation. "I don't know about that." This is how it's
spelled, "I don't know", and we say, "I dunno about that." Okay?
"Hmm. I'm not sure about that. I'm not certain." It's polite. We're disagreeing. We know that
we disagree, but we're polite, so we say, "I'm not sure. I think maybe it's a nice idea
to give them 10p." Or "I'm not sure about that. I'm not sure that I like that idea."
Okay? You're still disagreeing. It's an English, English way of talking. We're very polite,
yeah? Sometimes, anyway. Not the drivers.
"I don't go along with you." Okay? If I go along with my friend to the beach, I go along
with them. But if I don't know along, no. I think something different. So, "No. I don't
go along with you on that. I think blah, blah, blah, blah, blah."
"That's a good point, a good argument, but blah, blah, blah, blah, blah." "Surely you
can't give all your money to them because then, you would be like them." Okay? "Surely",
so you're emphasizing.
Now, what do we do once we've given our opinion? We give opinion; we give evidence; we give
facts. "Yes, but in winter, it's minus five degrees Celsius. It's very inhospitable. It's
a very difficult place to live on the street." And we could exaggerate the rule of three.
So if I disagree with giving money to a homeless person, I could say that they have somewhere
to live; they're funding a drink problem; and I don't have any money to give them anyway.
Or if I'm doing it the other way around, I could say -- rule of three, so I give three
points -- "Imagine if you were like them. Wouldn't life be so difficult?" Or, "It's
so cold at night, and no one talks to you. You have nowhere to go." Have I made any sense?
I do so hope so, kind viewer.
Look. We've looked at giving an opinion. We used words like "personally", "I would say
that". Look. This is short for "I would say that". "If you asked me, I would say that."
It's a polite phrase. Again, "I would say that."
We've looked at agreeing. We've said "definitely". "You're right. That's a good point. I agree
with you." Okay? You make these little noises, these sounds, and then you make an argument.
This is just the start. The start, and then you carry on to give an opinion and reasons.
And with the disagreeing, we've had, "Yes but -- reason". "I don't agree because --." Okay?
Don't forget to carry on.
Becoming more fluent in English is all about increasing the amount of time you spend talking
and listening. Don't just give short answers. Give long answers. So right now, we're thinking
about giving money to the homeless people. Give me a sentence with "definitely", with
agreeing with giving money. "Definitely" -- and then disagree." Okay? You can do that on your
own time.
So your homework, you're going to do an agree; you're going to do a disagree. And then, you're
going to go to www.engvid.com, and you're going to take my quiz. Ten short questions,
ten short answers. Okay? Not too difficult. And then, go and subscribe to my YouTube channel.
And if you really love me like I know you do, then, you can check out my website, Exquisite
English. There should be a link here.
Well done. I know you're trying hard. Keep the good work up. Bye!