Course Book Compilation

Course Code: ENG 100

Course Title: Improving Oral Communication Skills
Department of English
East West University

Compiled by
1. Zohur Ahmed

Assistant Professor
Department of English
East West University
2. Kaniz Fatema

Lecturer
Department of English
East West University
and
3. Refat Bin Reza Rafi

Lecturer
Department of English
East West University
 List of Content
Serial Content Page
1st Mid Term
1 Introducing and Greetings 3
2 Describing People, Places and Things 8
3 Expressing Likes and Dislikes 16
4 Discussing Everyday Routines 18
5 Expressions (Making requests, offers, invitations, excuses, 20
apologies, complaints)
6 Asking and Giving Directions 21
7 Introducing IPA symbols 25
2nd Mid Term
8 Describing Personality 29
9 Discussing and Making Plans 43
10 Reading Newspaper 46
11 Telling Story 48
12 Introduction to Presentation Skills 52
13 Extempore Talk 59
Final
14 Telephone Conversation 60
15 Role Play 63
16 Compare-Contrast 67
17 Peer Interview 70
18 Book/Movie Review 73
19 Debating and Arguing 80
20 Listening Activities

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 1st Mid Term Examination

How to Introduce Yourself in English | Self Introduction

Source: https://7esl.com/introduce-yourself/

Introduce yourself! Learn how to confidently give self introduction in English and how to
introduce yourself in an email, in an interview or in an English class…with example sentences
(questions & answers), video lesson and ESL printable worksheets.

What do you say when you meet someone new? Introduce yourself of course!

Introducing yourself is much more than saying your name. You need to tell some more
information about you in English. Introducing yourself to strangers can be tricky because what
you say depends on the context, situation (introduce yourself in a job interview, introduce
yourself in an email or give self introduction in English class).

In this lesson, you will learn how to confidently introduce yourself in English.

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 Introduce Yourself: Name
Question: What’s your name?
Answers:
 My name is …/ I’m …
 My full/ first/ last name is …
 You can call me …/ They call me …/ Please call me …/ Everyone calls me …
 My nick name is …
Self Introduction: Country
Questions:
Where are you from?/ Where do you come from?
Where were you born?
Answers:
 I’m from …/ I hail from …/ I come from …/ My hometown is …/ I’m originally from …
(country)
 I’m … (nationality)
 I was born in …
Introduce Yourself: Address
Question: Where do you live?/ What’s your address?
Answers:
 I live in … / My address is … (city)
 I live on … (name) street.
 I live at …
 I spent most of my life in …
 I have lived in … for/ since …
 I grew up in …
Self Introduction: Age
Question: How old are you?
Answers:
 I’m … years old.
 I’m …
 I’m over/ almost/ nearly …
 I am around your age.
 I’m in my early twenties/ late thirties.
Introduce Yourself: Family
Questions:
How many people are there in your family?
Who do you live with?/ With whom do you live?
Do you have any sibling?
Answers:
 There are … (number) people in my family. They are …
 There are … (number) of us in my family.
 My family has … (number) people.
 I live with my …
 I am the only child.

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 I don’t have any siblings.
 I have … brothers and … (number) sister.
Self Introduction: Birthday/ Phone number
Questions:
What is your date of birth?/ When is your birthday?
What is your phone number?
Answers:
 My birthday is on …
 My phone number is …
Introduce Yourself: Jobs
Questions:
What do you do?/ What do you do for living?/ What’s your job?/ What sort of work do you
do?/ What line of work are you in?
What did you want to be when you grew up?
Answers:
 I am a/ an …
 I work as a/ an …
 I work for (company) … as a/ an …
 I’m unemployed./ I am out of work./ I have been made redundant./ I am between jobs.
 I earn my living as a/ an …
 I am looking for a job. / I am looking for work.
 I’m retired.
 I would like to be a/ an …/ I want to be a/ an …
 I used to work as a/ an … at … (places)
 I just started as … in the … department.
 I work in/at a … (places)
 I have been working in … (city) for … years.
Useful jobs for self introduction: teacher, nurse, secretary, manager, cleaner, policeman,
builder, engineer, businessman, fire fighter, postman, doctor, architect, farmer, …
Useful places: bank, factory, supermarket, museum, hospital, shop, gallery, …

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 Self Introduction: Hobbies
Questions:
What’s your hobby?/ What do you like?/ What do you like to do?/ What’s your favorite
…?
Answers:
 I like/ love/ enjoy/ … (sports/ movies/ …/)
 I am interested in …
 I am good at …
 My hobby is …/ I am interesting in …
 My hobbies are …/ My hobby is …
 My favorite sport is …
 My favorite color is …
 I have a passion for …
 My favorite place is …
 I sometimes go to … (places), I like it because …
 I don’t like/ dislike/ hate …
 My favorite food/ drink is …
 My favorite singer/ band is …
 My favorite day of the week is … because …
Because: (self introduction sample)
 there are many things to see and do
 This is one of the most beautiful places I have been visited.
 I can relax there
 it’s relaxing/ popular/ nice/ …
Hobbies – Free time activities for self introduction.
 Reading, painting, drawing
 Playing computer games
 Surfing the Internet
 Collecting stamps/ coins/ …
 Going to the cinema
 Playing with friends
 Chatting with best friends
 Going to the park/ beach/ zoo/ museum/ …
 Listening to music
 Shopping, singing, dancing, travelling, camping, hiking, …
Movies: action movie, comedy, romance, horror, document, thriller, cartoons, …
Sports: volleyball, badminton, tennis, yoga, cycling, running, fishing, …
Questions: What do you like doing your free time?/ What do you do in your spare time?
Answers:
 In my free time, I like …
 I like … when I’m free.
 At weekends I sometimes go to … (places)
Introduce Yourself: Education
Questions:
Where do you study?
What do you study? / What is your major?

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 Answers:
 I’m a student at … (school)
 I study at …/ I am at …/ I go to … (school)
 I study … (majors)
 My major is …
Majors in English: accounting, advertising, arts, biology, economics, history, humanities,
marketing, journalism, sociology, philosophy, …
Questions:
Why do you study English?
Do you speak English?
How long have you been learning English?/ How long have you learned English?
Answers:
 I study English because …
 I can speak English very well.
 I’ve been learning English for/ since …
 I can express myself and communicate in English.
Because: (self introduction sample)
 I like it a lot
 I love it.
 I think it’s important
 I have to
 It’s very important and necessary.
 I want to learn more about this language.
 I love to improve my English skills.
Questions:
Which grade are you in?
Which year are you in?
 I’m in … grade.
 I’m in my first/ second/ third/ final year.
 I am a freshman.
 I graduated from …/ My previous school was …
Question: What’s your favorite subject?
Answers:
 My favorite subject is …
 I am good at … (subjects)
Subjects: Maths, English, Physics, Physical Education, Science, Music, …
Self Introduction: Marital status
Questions: What is your marital status?
Are you married?
Do you have a boyfriend/ girlfriend?
Answers:
 I’m married/ single/ engaged/ divorced.
 I’m not seeing/ dating anyone.
 I’m not ready for a serious relationship.
 I’m going out with a … (someone)
 I’m in a relationship./ I’m in an open relationship.

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 It’s complicated.
 I have a boyfriend/ girlfriend/ lover/ …
 I’m in love with … (someone)
 I’m going through a divorce.
 I have a husband/ wife.
 I’m a happily married man/ woman.
 I have a happy/ unhappy marriage.
 My wife/ husband and I, we’re separated.
 I am available.
 I haven’t found what I’m looking for.
 I’m ready for a rebound relationship.
 I’m a widow/ widower.
 I’m still looking for the one.
 I (don’t) have … (number) children.
Introduce Yourself: Others
 I’ve got a … (pet)
 I am a … person/ I’m … (character & personality)
 My best quality is … (character & personality)
 My best friend’s name is …
 I (don’t) have … (number) international friends.
 My dream is …

HOW TO DESCRIBE A PERSON (Using descriptive words)

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(Source: https://writeshop.com/how-to-describe-a-person-descriptive-words/)

Using Descriptive Writing Tools

Can your high schoolers describe a person using vivid vocabulary like the above
examples? Without good observation skills or an arsenal of strong words, this can be a
challenging task!

Can they describe their subject in detail without turning it into a narrative or story? When
I was teaching writing classes, this was a hard concept for my students to grasp. Even
with careful guidelines, many still ended up focusing on what the person was doing instead
of how they looked.

Use the following tips as teaching tools in one of two ways:

1. Discuss the many ways to describe a person before letting students loose to
brainstorm; OR
2. Once the rough draft has been written and edited, give this list of ideas to stimulate
creativity and to help them write a meatier revision.

Either way, whether you work on better brainstorming or focus on more polished
revisions, improved description will result.

How to Describe a Person

It’s good to let your kids struggle with the initial writing process. As they wrestle with ideas and
words, it will remind them of the importance of thorough and effective brainstorming. The
following word lists will help them improve their descriptive paragraphs as they think of
more concrete ways to describe a person’s appearance.

TIP: Students shouldn’t be expected include every descriptive element listed below. Rather,
a few well-chosen details will go a long way toward bringing their subject to life.

Face Shape

 Square
 Oval
 Round
 Triangular
 Heart-shaped
 Thin
 Wide
 Chiseled

Skin and Complexion

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Complexion is the natural appearance and color of the skin, especially of the face. For example,
“Mary has a soft, creamy complexion.”

 Wrinkled: covered with lines or loose folds of skin; often associated with age
 Freckled: sprinkled or covered with light brown spots
 Ruddy: skin that has a reddish tint; may have the appearance of sunburn
 Sallow: skin that has a yellowish tint; may be associated with illness
 Tanned: skin with a warm, golden-brown tint
 Rosy or fresh-faced: pink-cheeked, fair complexion that glows with a hint of pink
 Other skin-related adjectives: pale, fair, spotless, silky, smooth, creamy, dewy, baby-
soft, peaches-and-cream, glowing, paper-thin or translucent (as with a very old person),
sunburned, peeling, rough, callused, weathered, weatherbeaten, craggy, leathery, mottled,
dry, brown, dark

Eyes

TIP: Pay attention to the eyes, as they often reveal much about a person.

 Shape, size, and appearance: large, small, almond-shaped, round, squinty, crinkly,
bulging, heavy-lidded, hooded, deep-set, close-set, hollow, tear-filled
 Eye color: black, brown, hazel, green, blue, violet, gray, amber
 Eye expressions: piercing, mesmerizing, sad, sorrowful, haunted, gentle, sympathetic,
warm, compassionate, expressive, bright, twinkling, lively, dancing, laughing, shifty, sly,
distrusting, sleepy
 Other: brown-eyed boy, bright-eyed sister, wide-eyed child, gold-flecked eyes

Mouth and Lips

 Lip shape and size: thin, full, pouting, rosebud (baby’s lips, often), pursed (puckered up,
as when concentrating)
 Mouth expressions: laugh, smile, beam, grin, frown, grimace, scowl, sneer, curl, pout
 Adjectives describing the mouth or mouth expressions: toothy, toothless, gap-toothed,
kind, sweet, dimpled, relaxed, firm, serious, cruel, snarling

Hair

 Hair color: black, brunette, brown, chestnut-brown, blond, honey-blond, golden-blond,

ash-blond, fair, cornsilk, auburn, red, strawberry-blond, gray, silver, white, salt-and-
pepper
 Texture or appearance: wispy, fuzzy, wavy, curly, kinky, frizzy, wild, untamed,
unmanageable, straight, spiky, stiff, buzzed, shaved, trimmed, parted, neatly-combed,
tamed, cascading, long, short, cropped, dull, shiny
 Hair styles: braids, ponytail, pigtails, bun, messy bun, twist, bob, ringlets, flip, cornrows,
extensions, bangs, buzz, layered, feathered, chopped, gelled, spiked, slicked down
 Lots of hair: thick, full, lustrous, bushy, coarse, wiry, stiff

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  Little hair: thin, scraggly, fine, baby-fine, downy, wispy, limp, flat, balding, bald, bald
spot, receding (gradual loss of hair at the front of the head)
 Treated hair: permed, dyed, bleached, highlighted, weaved, streaked, colored

Facial Hair

 Hair: beard, goatee, mustache, soul patch, sideburns

 Beard growth: stubble, fuzz, peach fuzz, bristles, five o’clock shadow (describes new
beard growth that’s shadowy in appearance. It’s usually more noticeable late in the day
on the jaw, chin, or cheek area, but some men purposely grow five o’clock shadows.)
 Adjectives: bearded, bushy, stubbly, bristly, scratchy, unshaven, shaggy, whiskered,
beardless, clean-shaven, smooth, trimmed, neatly-trimmed, pencil-thin

Body

TIP: Choose strong verbs and adjectives.

 Build: small, slim, slight, thin, lean, willowy, skinny, angular, bony, fine-boned, chunky,
chubby, large, portly, plump, round, stout, pudgy, full-figured, ample, broad-shouldered,
burly, solid, muscular
 Posture: stand, sit, slouch, flop, lean, recline, rest, stretch, sprawl, curl up, roost, squirm,
arch, slump, stoop, bend, hunch, scoot, walk, run, race, jog

Clothing

 Fabric: denim, twill, wool, cashmere, cotton, linen, seersucker, gingham, lace, chiffon,
tulle, velvet, velveteen, fleece, flannel, tweed, polyester, jersey, corduroy, spandex,
leather
 Bottoms: jeans, skinny jeans, cargo pants, yoga pants, pleated pants, slacks, trousers,
overalls, sweatpants, crop pants, capris, skirt, shorts, board shorts, bermuda shorts
 Tops: sport shirt, dress shirt, polo shirt, button-down shirt, chambray shirt, tank top,
blouse, tunic, long-sleeve, short-sleeve, sleeveless, collared, T-shirt, V-neck, scoop-neck,
boat-neck, turtleneck, sweatshirt, hoodie, pullover, sweater, cardigan, sweater set
 Other clothing: dress, gown, frock, pinafore, uniform, coveralls, costume, pajamas,
bathrobe, robe, vest, jacket, blazer, coat, apron
 Footwear: socks, stockings, shoes, slippers, sandals, flip-flops, mules, loafers, heels,
pumps, boots, ankle boots, riding boots, slouch boots, athletic shoes, sneakers, tennis
shoes, gym shoes, runners, trainers, Chucks
 Accessories: mittens, gloves, hat, cap, head wrap, bandana, scarf, muffler, necklace,
choker, bracelet, ring, earrings, cuffs, cufflinks, purse, clutch, bag, tote, sunglasses,
eyeglasses, glasses
 Adjectives (appearance): stylish, natty, smart, chic, classy, elegant, polished, draped,
flowing, sheer, casual, relaxed, carefree, starched, crisp, sharp, dressy, lacy, shiny,
shimmering, sparkling, glittery, sloppy, torn, ripped, tattered, disheveled, slovenly, tacky,
unkempt, faded, scratchy, worn, frayed, nubby, rough, smooth, pliable, warm, soft,
quilted, knit

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  Adjectives (patterns): argyle, striped, solid, plaid, checked, gingham, ikat, paisley,
dotted, polka-dotted, floral, houndstooth, herringbone, chevron, geometric

Sentence Starters Describing Clothes (Encourage your students to write more maturely by
using strong sentence openings.)

 Smartly dressed in (name of garment), the attorney …

 Casually clothed in (name of garment), the young woman …
 Wrestling wildly, Tim and Ethan tore holes in their (name of garments) when they…
 Elderly but spry, my grandfather sported a (name of garment) and (name of garment) …
 Wearing a (name of garment), the detective …
 Quick as a flash, the acrobat whipped off his (name of garment) and began to …

There are so many ways to describe people! What other words would you include?

Adjectives that Describe Places

A list of useful words for describing cities, towns and countries.
ancient - a place that has a long history. Words with similar meanings: historic
Example sentence: Athens is an ancient city, which was established thousands of years ago.
beautiful - very pleasing on the eye. Words with similar meanings: attractive, lovely.
Example sentence: Paris is very beautiful in the spring.
boring - dull and not very interesting. Words with similar meanings: uninteresting.
Example sentence: Widnes is a boring place to live.
bustling - a crowded, busy place. Words and phrases with similar meanings: lively, fast-paced,
hectic.
Example sentence: New York is a busy, bustling city. One of its nicknames is "The City That
Never Sleeps".
charming - nice, very pleasing. Words and phrases with similar meanings: delightful, quaint.
Example sentence: Oxford is a charming English city, which is steeped in history.
contemporary - modern, very up to date.
Example sentence: Manchester is a northern city with a very contemporary, modern feel.
compact - not very big, contained within a small area. Words with similar meanings: small
Example sentence: Durham is a fairly compact city. You don't need transport to get around.
cosmopolitan - somewhere with a rich and varied mix of cultures and languages.
Example sentence: Liverpool is a cosmopolitan and culturally diverse city.
crowded - very full of people. Words and phrases with similar meanings: busy, bustling.
Example sentence: London can get really crowded during the summer months.
exciting - fun, thrilling, with lots of enjoyable things to do. Words with similar meanings: lively
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Example sentence: The seaside town of Blackpool offers plenty of exciting activities for kids!
expensive - costing a lot of money. Words with similar meanings: pricey, costly.
Example sentence: Tokyo is a very expensive place to live.
famous - very well known, celebrated, notable.
Example sentence: Paris is one of the world's most famous romantic destinations.
fantastic - wonderful.
Words with similar meanings: amazing, awesome, fabulous, great, marvellous.
Example sentence: Barcelona is a fantastic city! It's a must to visit if you go to northern Spain.
fascinating - very interesting. Words with similar meanings: captivating, intriguing.
Example sentence: Tunis is a fascinating place to visit, with a wonderfully rich culture and
history.
huge - very big. Words with similar meanings: big, enormous, giant, large, sprawling, vast.
Example sentence: Istanbul is a huge city, with over thirteen million inhabitants.
lively - somewhere with lots of things going on. Words with similar meanings: vibrant
Example sentence: Newcastle is a lively city, with lots of things to do and see.
inexpensive - not costing very much. Words with similar meanings: cheap.
Example sentence: Egypt, Mexico and Thailand are inexpensive travel destinations.
popular - liked by a lot of people.
Example sentence: York is a historic British town which is very popular with tourists.
picturesque - charming or interesting in a unique or unusual way.
Words with similar meanings: quaint, charming.
Example sentence: Looe and Polperro are picturesque English seaside towns.
polluted - dirty, contaminated.
Example sentence: Bilbao's formerly polluted river has been cleaned up and transformed.
touristy - visited by lots of tourists.
Words and expressions with similar meanings: 'tourist trap', touristic (rarely used by native
speakers).
Example sentence: Chester can be a bit touristy and crowded during summer.

Source: https://www.esolcourses.com/content/exercises/grammar/adjectives/places/words-for-
describing-places.html

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 Describing Things

Source: https://www.macmillandictionary.com/thesaurus-category/british/words-used-to-
describe-attractive-people-or-things

Lovely Adjective very attractive

Stunning Adjective extremely attractive

Stylish Adjective attractive, or well arranged

Delightful Adjective very pleasant or attractive

Eye-catching Adjective attractive or unusual and

therefore noticed
Nice-looking Adjective informal attractive

Appealing Adjective attractive and interesting

Adorable Adjective an adorable person or thing is
attractive in a way that makes
you like them very much
Captivating Adjective very interesting or attractive in
a way that takes all your
attention
Prepossessing Adjective formal attractive, or
impressive

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Beguiling Adjective a beguiling person or thing
seems attractive and
interesting, but may be
dangerous
Sweet Adjective pleasant in smell, sound, or
appearance
Aesthetic Adjective formal nice to look at
Braw Adjective Scottish very good, pleasant,
or attractive
Cute Adjective attractive, usually small, and
easy to like
Cutesy Adjective informal attractive in a way
that does not seem natural or
real
Darling Adjective very attractive. People who
use this word do not usually
sound sincere
Dear Adjective nice. People who use this
word usually do not sound
sincere
Delectable Adjective literary very attractive

Devastating Adjective very impressive or attractive

Easy on the eye/ear Phrase nice to look at/listen to

Enchanting Adjective very interesting and attractive

Enticing Adjective something that is enticing is so

good or attractive that you
want to have it or do it very
much
Esthetic an American spelling of
aesthetic

Fetching Adjective old-fashioned attractive

Flattering Adjective making you look more

attractive
Glamorous Adjective attractive and interesting in an
exciting and unusual way

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Good Adjective attractive
Handsome Adjective a handsome object is well
made and attractive
Kawaii Adjective attractive and appealing; used
when talking about Japanese
popular culture
Magnetic Adjective able to attract and interest
people very strongly

Nicely Adverb in an attractive way

Pettily Adverb in a pretty way

Resplendent Adjective mainly literary impressive to

look at
Sensational Adjective informal very attractive,
impressive, or good

Winning Adjective used about things that make

someone attractive or
successful

Expressing likes and dislikes

Source: https://www.myenglishpages.com/site_php_files/communication-lesson-likes-dislikes.php

To talk about your likes and dislikes, you can use these expressions.

Expressing likes:

 I like…
 I love...
 I adore…
 I ‘m crazy about…
 I’m mad about…
 I enjoy…
 I’m keen on…

Expressing dislikes:

 I don’t like…
 I dislike...
 I hate…

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  I abhor…
 I can’t bear...
 I can’t stand…
 I detest...
 I loathe...

Examples of likes and dislikes :

I'm mad about basketball, but I can’t bear ice hockey.

I adore reading poetry, but I loathe doing the housework.

If you neither like nor dislike something:

"I don't mind doing the housework."

Things to remember about likes and dislikes:

1. When these expressions are followed by a verb, the latter is put in the -ing form.
Examples:

"I like listening to music."

"I hate wearing sunglasses."

I like
I detest VERB+ING
I don't mind

2. Note that" very much" & " a lot" always come after the things you like.
Examples:

"I like basketball very much/a lot. NOT" I like very much/a lot basketball."

3. Be careful when you use "I don't mind..."

Examples:

"Do you mind playing football?"

"No, I don't mind."(Although it's in a negative form, it means that it's ok for me. I neither love it
nor hate it.)

Dialogue:

Steve is at home. His girlfriend comes in...Notice how they express their likes and dislikes

Steve: Hello, darling. Do you fancy watching a film tonight?

Girlfriend: Oh, no thanks, I don't really feel like watching a film tonight. How

17
 about going out instead.
Steve: OK. Do you feel like going to the theater?
Girlfriend: Oh, no. I hate it. Do you like eating at the new Chinese restaurant?
Steve: I don't mind. The Chinese cuisine is alright.
Girlfriend: Well I really love it. Let's go.

Source: https://www.vocabulary.cl/Lists/Daily_Routines.htm

Daily Routines

English Vocabulary
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Daily Activities at Home

What are some of the daily activities that you do at home?

I wake up at 7am every morning.

I press the snooze button five times every morning before I turn off the alarm and get up.
I have a cup of coffee and make breakfast. I usually read the newspaper while I have
breakfast. My children like to have a shower after they have breakfast but I like to have a
shower before I get dressed.
My wife brushes her long hair, and I have short hair so I comb my hair. How do you do your
hair in the morning?
It is important to brush your teeth, and some women like to put make-up on.
After I have finished work, I go home to cook dinner. In my house I usually make dinner. The
family eat dinner together at 7:30pm.
After dinner I make sure that my children do their homework, and then I chill out on the sofa
and watch television.
On television I usually watch the News. My wife usually comes to tell me to take the rubbish
out, or wash the dishes.
Our children feed the dog and the cat before they go to bed and I tell them to go to the
bathroom too.
If I am sick I have to take my medication, but then I get into my pyjamas and set the alarm so
I wake up in the morning.
The last things I do is lock the door, turn off the lights, and go to bed.

It doesn't take me long to fall asleep.

Daily Activities at Work

What are some daily activities that you do at work?

I go to work at 8.45am every morning.

I usually drive to work.
I always check my emails when I get to work, but I don't always reply to them immediately.
I take a taxi or a train if I have a lunch meeting. I never take the bus because it is too slow.
When I am at my desk I usually work on the computer, even during morning tea.
At 1pm most days I have lunch.
At 3pm we have afternoon tea, and that is when we usually talk and eat cake.
When you are in the office you probably have a lot of papers. It is important for you to file your
papers, and so that you can find them again you need to organise your files.
When I work I have to make telephone calls. If an important issue happens I ask my secretary to
organise a meeting.
Once a month I report to my boss, but maybe you have to report to your boss more often. I
usually write a document that my boss can read.

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Other Daily Activities

What are some other daily activities that you do?

I exercise at least three times a week.
I usually go to the gym before work, but sometimes I go after work.
I meditate every morning so that I feel less stressed during the day.

Weekly Activities

What are some weekly activities that you do?

I go grocery shopping once a week at the local supermarket.
My family does the housework together every Saturday morning.
I usually do the washing on Sunday morning and when the machine is finished I hang the
clothes out to dry.
On Sunday morning we go to church, and if there is lots of noise coming from next door,
sometimes we fight with the neighbour.
On Saturday night my parents stay at home and I go out with friends.
Even my friends that live at home call their parents each week.
Every evening, I water the garden.
I usually pay someone to wash the car, but my partner says I should do it, so sometimes I argue
with my partner about that.
If we are angry at the neighbour, we seek vengeance by annoying his dogs.
I work in an important office, so I have to shine my shoes each day.
Sometimes we hire a movie, because we don't like to illegally download music and films. I
make sure that I synchronise my iPod so I always have new music on it.
To get our shopping, we go to the mall in the car.
Last week I forgot to recharge my travel card, and I had to argue with a bus driver. I couldn't
call the office because I forgot to recharge my cellphone!

Expressions
Make Request
1. Suppose you want to open a bank account. So, request your friend to tell you in details how to
open a bank account.
2. You want to arrange a picnic with your classmates. Therefore, request your teacher to help
you in planning.
Offer
3. You have recently finished reading a story book. Offer your friend to exchange your one with
his/her book.
4. Ask your friends to initiate a start-up business with you.
Invitation
5. Invite your cousins to visit your university campus.
20
6. Invite the Vice Chancellor of East West University to visit your start-up business project and
to provide his feedback.
Excuses
7. Suppose you went to visit your hometown last week and failed to attend an important meeting
of Cultural Club at East West University. Tell the President of cultural club what problems you
faced at home.
Apology
8. Suppose you had a verbal fight with a senior student while you were working together on a
project. However, you have one day left to submit the assignment. How will you negotiate the
situation?
9. Suppose using phone inside classroom is strictly prohibited during class time. Unfortunately,
the instructor caught you using phone while you were chatting with your online friend. Express
your sincere apology to get your phone back.
Complaint
10. A junior student of your department showed impolite and improper attitude when he/she was
talking to you about an academic issue. Describe the problem to one of your teachers and ask for
a solution.

Asking and Giving Directions

Giving Directions: 1

Give these two maps to two different students and instruct them to ask and give direction
of different places mentioned in the map. They should not see each other’s map during the
conversation.

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1.

22
23
Giving Direction: 2

24
 IPA Symbols
Human Articulators:

10 Commonly Confusing Words

Source: https://pronunciationstudio.com/10-commonly-confused-words/

25
1. walk, work
These two words are very often confused. Both use long vowels:

walk /wɔ:k/ – this uses the long vowel in ‘for’ and the ‘l’ is silent
work /wɜ:k/ – looks like it should rhyme with ‘for’, but the ‘w’ changes the vowel sound to /ɜ:/
I walk to work every day.

2. bought, boat
bought /bɔ:t/ – this uses the long vowel in ‘for’
boat /bəʊt/ – this uses the diphthong in ‘no’

3. match, much
match /mætʃ/ – this uses the short vowel in ‘cat’ – make sure you spread the lips and keep the tongue at the
front of the mouth.
much /mʌtʃ/ – this uses the short vowel in ‘cut’ – make sure you relax the lips and tongue for this sound.

4. wonder, wander
These are very similar and the main thing to remember is that they are both pronounced in the way that you do
not expect:

wonder /ˈwʌndə/ – ‘won’ looks like it should rhyme with ‘on’ but in fact it rhymes with ‘sun’
wander /ˈwɒndə/ – ‘wan’ looks like it should rhyme with ‘ban’ but in fact it rhymes with ‘on’

5. of, off
These very small but extremely useful words differ in very subtle ways:

of /ɒv/ (strong form) and /əv/ (weak form)

off /ɒf/

6. loose, lose, choose, chose

A very tricky, contradictory little group here! Sadly there is not much to do but memorise these ones:

loose – adjective – /lu:s/

lose – infinitive verb – /lu:z/
choose – infinitive verb – /tʃu:z/
chose – past simple of choose! – /tʃəʊz/

26
7. leave, leaf
Sometimes students use the voiceless sound at the ends of words when they should really use the voiced sound.
This can change the meaning of the word quite drastically! Some examples include:

leave /li:v/, leaf /li:f/

hard /hɑ:d/, heart /hɑ:t/
dug /dʌg/, duck /dʌk/
rise /raɪz/, rice /raɪs/

8. bow, bow, row, row, sow, sow

Although there is only one spelling pattern being used here, there are two different pronunciations and multiple
meanings! The two pronunciations are /əʊ/ to rhyme with ‘oh’ and /aʊ/ to rhyme with ‘ow’.

bow /bəʊ/ – noun – ‘shoelaces tied in a bow’, ‘bow and arrow’

bow /baʊ/ – noun – the front of a ship
bow /baʊ/ – verb – ‘actors bow at the end of a play’
row /rəʊ/ – noun – ‘row of seats’, ‘columns and rows’
row /rəʊ/ – verb – ‘row a boat’
row /raʊ/ – noun – argument
row /raʊ/ – verb – to argue
sow /səʊ/ – verb – to plant seeds
sow /saʊ/ – noun – a female pig

9. bear, beer
These words all use diphthongs:

bear, bare /beə/ – this rhymes with ‘air’

beer /bɪə/ – this rhymes with ‘ear’
Similar sorts of words include:

hair /heə/
here, hear /hɪə/
tear (tear a piece of paper) /teə/
tear (water from your eyes when you cry) /tɪə/
rare /reə/
rear /rɪə/

27
10. tough, though, through, thorough, thought
tough /tʌf/
though /ðəʊ/
through /θru:/
thorough /ˈθʌrə/
The above words all end in ‘ough’ but below is a very similar one ending in ‘ought’:
thought /θɔ:t/

28
 2nd Mid Term Examination

Describing Personality

Source: https://www.clarkandmiller.com/positive-personality-adjectives/

Vocabularies to describe personality:

1. adaptable

capable of fitting a particular situation or use

When Connie's parents divorced, she proved herself to be adaptable. It wasn't easy, but
she learned how to cope with this big change.

People who are adaptable can overcome change easily.

2. adventurous

willing to undertake new and daring enterprises

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 People who are adventurous seek out the fun in life. They love to try something new--
sometimes an act that others would find scary. Adventurous people love to travel and try
new foods at a restaurant.

3. affectionate

having or displaying warmth or affection

If you like to snuggle up next to someone, then you are affectionate.

4. ambitious

having a strong desire for success or achievement

Ambitious people try to get ahead in life--they look for opportunities to better their life.
For the most part, this has a positive feeling, but in some people, ambition is too strong
and they hurt people along the way to get what they want.

5. amiable

diffusing warmth and friendliness

Amiable people are affable. They are kind, warm and friendly.

6. compassionate

showing or having sympathy for another's suffering

Someone who is compassionate feels a strong sense of sadness when they see others who
are suffering. A compassionate person always tries to do something to help ease the
suffering. You would find a compassionate person helping out in a homeless shelter.

7. considerate

showing concern for the rights and feelings of others

A considerate person looks out for other people. They often allow someone else to have
the last piece of pie or they hold the door open for another person.

8. courageous

able to face and deal with danger or fear without flinching

A courageous person is brave. They are the type of person to run into a burning building.
They are also likely to get involved to stop a bullying situation.

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9. courteous

characterized by politeness and gracious good manners

Courteous people say, "Please," "Thank you" and "No, thanks." Their manners are
present because they are nice toward other people.

10. diligent

characterized by care and perseverance in carrying out tasks

Diligent people work hard until a job is done. They take great care in doing things right.
They don't give up.

11. empathetic

showing ready comprehension of others' states

Someone who is empathetic is able to understand people better because they see things
from the other person's perspective.

When it comes to working with children it is important to be empathetic. My daughters

might be upset for a ridiculous reason, but I can only help them if I understand why they
truly feel as they do.

12. exuberant

unrestrained, especially with regard to feelings

An exuberant person is full of joy and has a lot of energy to show it.

13. frank

characterized by directness in manner or speech

Someone who is frank "tells it like it is." It might not be pretty, but they will tell you
straight.

14. generous

willing to give and share unstintingly

A generous person shares what they have willingly. It might be a cupcake or their time--
either way, they're happy to share.

15. gregarious

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 temperamentally seeking and enjoying the company of others

Gregarious people are fun to be around and they like being around other people. They are
the "life of the party."

16. impartial

free from undue bias or preconceived opinions

Impartial people are fair. They are able to remain neutral before forming an opinion.
Lawyers like to have impartial people on juries so that they can fairly weight the
evidence.

17. intuitive

obtained through instinctive knowledge

An intuitive person operates by instinct. They sort of have a special feel for a situation.
The best basketball players are intuitive when it comes to finding the open teammate.

A lot of teaching is intuitive--the best teachers just know how to present things so that
kids understand. (Related words: intuition and intuitively).

18. inventive

marked by independence and creativity in thought or action

Since the band's drummer did not show up for the concert, they got inventive--they asked
members of the audience to come up and clap and play tambourines.

Inventive people are able to find creative, ingenious solutions to problems. They might be
able to repair a car with a paper clip.

One of my favorite quotes is by Benjamin Franklin: "Necessity is the mother of

invention." In other words, when there is a strong need, an invention to fill that need
usually occurs.

19. passionate

having or expressing strong emotions

Passionate people have a real love for something in their life. They embrace this or many
activities with a strong feeling. What are you passionate about?

20. persistent

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 stubbornly unyielding

Persistent people never give up. Even when the odds are stacked against them, the work
tirelessly until the goal is achieved.

21. philosophical

meeting trouble with level-headed detachment

People who are philosophical often wonder, "In the grand scheme of things, is it worth
it?" Philosophical people tend to look at the larger picture of life and stay above trivial
situations.

When teaching it is important to remain philosophical about a student's success. A

teacher has a large part to play in a student's success, but ultimately I cannot "make" him
learn. Actually learning something is up to him.

22. practical

guided by experience and observation rather than theory

People who are practical look at things is a reasonable, level-headed way. They are likely
to take a coat with them in case it is cold--they know they can take it off if it is too hot--
they're just practical.

23. rational

having its source in or being guided by the intellect

Rational people are practical. They make rational decisions based on their logical
reasoning about a situation. They don't base decisions on emotions.

24. reliable

worthy of trust

Someone who is reliable is trust worthy and dependable. You can "count on" a reliable
person.

25. resourceful

adroit or imaginative

A resourceful person uses creativity and the things around them to tackle a problem.
They see solutions (sometimes obvious ones) that others don't see.

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26. sensible

able to feel or perceive

A sensible person is a clear thinking, reasonable person.

27. sincere

open and genuine; not deceitful

A sincere person is honest in their feelings toward others. (Antonym: insincerely).

28. sympathetic

expressing compassion or friendly fellow feelings

You are sympathetic when you feel sorry for someone else. You send a sympathy card
when a friend loses a loved one because you want her to know that you feel sorry for her
loss.

Their loss upsets you because you are sympathetic.

29. unassuming

not arrogant

An unassuming person is awesome but does not go around bragging about it. In fact, she
might not even know that she's so awesome. A girl might be a great artist, but is
unassuming about her skill.

30. witty

combining clever conception and facetious expression

Someone who is witty combines humor with intelligence. A witty observation is funny
but also sophisticated. You need to be smart to understand a witty person's jokes.

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Positive Personality Adjectives #1

Nik — the people person

Nik is the friend who’s great with people. See how popular he is? People like Nik:

There are lots of reasons why people like Nik.

Reason why people like Nik #1

Nik is very easy to be with. You can talk to him easily, and he’s very friendly:

Affable — He’s easy to talk to.

Agreeable — He’s enjoyable to talk to.
Amiable — He’s friendly and nice.
Charming — He has a “magic” effect that makes people like him.
Polite — He’s good at saying “please,” “thank you,” etc.
Likeable — He’s easy to like.
Gregarious — He likes being with other people.

35
Reason why people like Nik #2

He thinks about you and how you feel:

Considerate — He always thinks about other people when he does something or talks to
someone.
Sympathetic* — He shows that he understands and cares about other people’s problems.
Understanding — The same as “sympathetic” — he understands other people’s problems well.

*Sympathetic is a false friend: in many languages, it means “nice,” but in English, it has a
different meaning.

Reason why people like Nik #3

He doesn’t choose one side when his friends disagree with each other:

Diplomatic — He is very good at trying to help people see both sides of a situation.
Impartial — He doesn’t support just one side of a disagreement.

Reason why people like Nik #4

He’s honest:

Sincere — He says what he really thinks and feels.

Straight-forward — He’s direct and honest.

Reason why people like Nik #5

He likes giving and helping:

Generous — He likes giving things to people.

Helpful — He likes helping.
Kind — He cares about others and likes to help them, often emotionally.
Giving — He likes giving things to people — it’s the same as “generous.”

So that’s Nik. What an awesome guy!

Positive Personality Adjectives #2

Alexa — the good worker

Alexa is a great worker. She’s focussed and likes to get things done! She’s the perfect candidate
for a job. Bosses like her:

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There are lots of reasons why Alexa is a good worker:

Reason why Alexa is a good worker #1

Alexa has a lot of natural personal qualities that make her a good worker:

Observant — She’s good at noticing different things around her.

Quick-witted — She can think quickly and intelligently.
Patient — She can accept difficult situations without getting angry.
Dynamic — She has a lot of energy and can think creatively.
Bright — She’s smart and intelligent.

Reason why Alexa is a good worker #2

She also “applies herself.” This means she isn’t lazy, and she tries to do the best work that she
can:

Self-disciplined — She can control her own behaviour easily, and she’s organised.
Resourceful — She’s good at finding ways to solve problems.
Proactive — She doesn’t wait for things to happen. She makes them happen!
Practical — She’s good at finding the simplest and most efficient solution.
Organised — She knows how to organise things well.
Efficient — She can organise things quickly and clearly.

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Hardworking — She works hard!
Diligent — She does her work carefully and cares about the details.

Reason why Alexa is a good worker #3

To be a good worker, you have to be good at managing change. When things change, Alexa can
change with them:

Versatile — She can do different things depending on the situation.

Intuitive — She can understand what’s happening using her feelings (not just facts).
Adaptable — She can change depending on the situation.

Reason why Alexa is a good worker #4

Finally, Alexa is someone who you can trust:

Dependable — If she says she will do something, she will do it.

Reliable — The same as “dependable”
Trustworthy — You can trust her to be honest and sincere.
Loyal — She will always be on your side.

So that’s Alexa. A great worker but not necessarily great fun.

That’s why we need to have Freya in our lives!

Positive Personality Adjectives #3

Freya — the fun lady!

We all need a Freya in our lives. She’s the friend who makes us happy and who we can have fun
with. She’s the friend who puts a smile on our faces and helps us kill the stress from our working
day.

Here’s Freya at a party. Like Nik, she’s very popular. But for slightly different reasons:

38
Freya is fun to be around for several reasons.

Reason why Freya is fun #1

First of all, Freya has a lot of energy. When people have a lot of energy, this energy often
transfers to you. It’s fun!

Energetic — She has a lot of energy.

Adventurous — She likes doing new and different things.
Enthusiastic — She shows a lot of excitement and interest in things.
Kooky — She’s a little crazy. But in a fun way.

Reason why Freya is fun #2

She’s also very a very sociable and happy person:

Cheerful — She’s always happy.

Chatty — She loves talking and talks a lot.
Convivial — She’s always in a good mood and is always friendly.

Reason why Freya is fun #3

She’s also very funny:

39
Hilarious — She’s very, very, funny.
Witty — She’s funny and can tell good jokes in an intelligent way.
Humorous — She’s funny and entertaining.
Amusing — She’s funny and fun.

Reason why Freya is fun #4

Finally, you don’t feel bad when you’re with Freya. You feel like you can say anything, and she
won’t think badly of you:

Non-judgemental — She won’t make you feel bad for something that you think, believe or do,
even if it’s a mistake.
Laid-back — She’s very relaxed about everything.
Easy-going — This is the same as “laid-back” — it means “relaxed”!

OK. So Freya’s good fun. But perhaps sometimes she can get annoying! There are times when
we need to be serious.

This is a good time to try to be like Delia.

Positive Personality Adjectives #4

Delia — the leader

Delia is the person we know who will probably become successful. She knows what she wants in
life, and she has the power to take it! She may not have so many friends, but she takes pleasure
from her success.

40
Why will Delia succeed? There are two main reasons for this:

Reason why Delia is a good leader #1

She has so much power in her. She’s an unstoppable force!

Ambitious — She has very high targets for herself in life.

Determined — She doesn’t quit, even when things get hard.
Passionate — She believes in her work and her success on an emotional level.
Persistent — She never gives up!
Decisive — She can make a decision quickly and confidently.

Reason why Delia is a good leader #2

She’s also not afraid of anything. Or anyone!

Courageous — She’s brave.

Fearless — She has no fear.

Basically, she’s like a superhero!

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How to use personality adjectives

OK. So now you know 59 positive adjectives to describe people you like. Let’s take a look at a
few different ways to use adjectives.

Let’s start with a simple adjective to describe someone:

funny

There are different ways we can use this word to describe a person.

If we simply want to describe the person directly, we can say:

She’s funny.

or

She’s a funny woman.

There isn’t much difference between these sentences. The only difference is that you have the
freedom to use different words to describe the woman in the second example:

She’s a funny person.

She’s a funny friend.

She’s a funny boss.

But what if you don’t know this person? What if you just have the feeling that she might be
funny?

The first thing to ask yourself is this: What gives you this feeling? Is it about her appearance or
just a general feeling?

If it’s a general feeling, we can say:

She seems funny.

But if it’s about her appearance (she might be a clown), then we can say:

She looks funny.

or

She looks like a funny person.

42
Remember:

she looks + adjective

she looks like + (adjective) noun

Discussing and Making Plans

(Source: Adapted from https://www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com/blog/how-to-plan-a-vacation/ and pictures

from Google Image)

How to plan a vacation

This system can be broken up into 7 steps:

 Step 1: Decide where to go

 Step 2: Pick a time to travel
 Step 3: Take time off work

43
  Step 4: Find affordable transport
 Step 5: Find a great place to stay
 Step 6: Decide amount of expense
 Step 7: Budget consciously for your trip

Select a place from the pictures below and plan to go there in next vacation with your
friends.

Nafakhum, Bandarban

Sajek Valley, Rangamati

44
 Tanguar Haor, Sunamganj

Kuakata Sea Beach Safari Park, Bangladesh

St. Martin’s Islands

45
Reading Newspaper and Presenting Opinion

"Fighting the brain drain in Bangladesh"

February 5, 2014, The Daily Star
Kazi Prottoy, 20, a Correspondent from Dhaka in Bangladesh

46
It has been seen as a trend for some years now that Bangladeshi graduates almost religiously go
for the prospect of leaving their homeland to complete their next level of education, and
eventually settle into the countries of their choice.

Education specialists call this development by its fancy name ‘Brain Drain’. The term is usually
derogatory in a sense. But in truth, most of the graduates look for opportunities to go abroad
from the year they get themselves admitted. Most of the experts believe that some migratory
push factors are the reason for this trend.

If we want to explain what migratory push factors are, we have to explain what factors play a
role in the migration. The factors are mainly economic, social, and physical in nature, and they
can usually be categorized into push and pull factors.

Push factors are those related with the area of origin, while pull factors are those that are related
with the area of destination.

It would be unwise to disregard the effect of pull factors. As overseas countries like the USA,
Canada and Germany offer better service, more wealth and higher employment opportunities,
ambitious candidates often choose to emigrate there. It’s a good example of migratory pull
factors in play. But in recent times, push factors have begun to emerge. It’s been observed that
young people, who were undecided or even reluctant about leaving their home country, are now
thinking about migrating. When questioned, almost all of them list the ever-growing problems of
the major metropolitan areas, especially of the capital, Dhaka.

Sorowar, age 22, is a third year graduate student of North South University, a reputable
University in Dhaka. He lives in Dhanmondi, while his university is situated at Bashundhara.
Because of the infamous traffic jam in Dhaka city, it takes him almost one and a half hours every
morning to go to his university from his home. And it takes another two hours to return in rush
hours. In weekends, the traffic jam is a lot less acute and it takes him only thirty minutes to reach
his university. He admits that for the sake of attending classes, wasting nearly three hours every
day on the road sometimes proves to be intolerable. He has made up his mind to emigrate and he
is already prepping for his IELTS exams.

Most of us might consider Sorowar to be over-reacting. But unfortunately he is not. Many of the
recent graduates have taken their decision to emigrate, as they can predict that the condition of
traffic jams in Dhaka city will only get worse. They do not want to start their professional life
here as it would be very unproductive. The fact of the matter is, traffic jam is just one of the
many push factors. Lack of economic opportunity is also a major one. Lack of services, lack of
security, high crime rate and political instability also fuel the younger generation’s aspiration to
emigrate.

It’s been said that migration usually happens as a result of a mishmash of push and pull factors.
If the authorities are sincere enough to deal with the push factors, then the emigration rate can be
radically reduced.

47
 Telling Story
 Do you find any story in each of these pictures?

48
49
Source: englishforeveryone.org

“Which Way?”
)

Directions: Read the story below. Then finish it with

your own imagination.

This weekend, I went on my first camping trip. I went with my dad and my older
brother, Sam. We left on Friday morning and drove for four hours until we reached the
mountains. I slept for most of the ride, and Sam woke me up when we reached the park.
“Here we are!” he cheered. I opened my eyes and looked at the forest that
surrounded the parking lot. My dad unloaded our backpacks from the trunk and we set
off on the trail. We hiked for about three miles and I became very hot and tired. We
decided to stop and set up camp for the night. Sam found a big flat spot in a grassy area
away from the trail. My dad told Sam and me to catch some fish for dinner from the
nearby pond while he pitched our tent.
Sam had a special fishing pole that folded into a small size so he could carry it in
his backpack. He caught three trout in the pond and I caught two. There were a lot of
mosquitoes by the water so we didn’t stay at the pond for too long. By the time we
returned to our campsite, the sun was beginning to set. My dad was relaxing in the tent,
reading a book. We showed him the fish that we caught and he told us that he was very
proud of us.
“Can you two gather some wood for the campfire so we can cook the fish?”
he asked us. “Sure!” I answered.
“Don’t forget your flashlights!” my dad warned. We grabbed our flashlights from
our backpacks and walked towards the trail.
“Which way should we go?” I asked Sam. The trail led in two different
directions. We were excited so we just started running down the trail. After a little while,
we gathered as much wood as we could hold. It was time to go back to the camp site. It
was getting dark and I didn’t want to get lost in the middle of the woods!
Sam pointed to the west. “We can either go back the way that we came from, or
we can go the other way. What do you think?”

50
Source: englishforeveryone.org

“The Troublemaker”
Troublemaker
Directions: Read the story below. Then finish it with
your own imagination.

Allison had a bad night on Saturday. She went to the Smith’s house to babysit their
son, Jake, and daughter, Lisa. Jake is four years old. He gets into a lot of trouble. He started
the night by pouring his glass of milk all over the floor during dinner.
“Clean that up,” Allison ordered.
“You can’t tell me what to do,” Jake responded. He ran away from the
dinner table. “I’m bored. I want to play a game,” Lisa whined.
“Jake, if you clean up your mess we can play a game,” Allison said.
“Okay,” Jake said. Allison gave him a handful of paper towels and he used them to
clean up the milk. “I want to play hide-and-seek,” he said.
“Okay, I will be the seeker first,” Allison said. “You two have thirty seconds to
hide!” Allison covered her eyes with her hands and counted slowly from one to thirty.
“Ready or not, here I come!” she called. Allison walked downstairs and peeked into
the kitchen closet. Nobody was inside. She checked under the couches in the living room.
She looked in the garage. Allison decided that nobody was hiding downstairs, so she
walked upstairs and continued her search. She opened the door to Lisa’s bedroom and
found her hiding under the bed.
“I found you!” she squealed. “Okay, now help me find Jake,” she told Lisa. Allison
and Lisa searched all over the house. They could not find Jake.
“It has been twenty minutes and he is nowhere in sight,” Allison thought. “I wonder
where he is.”

51
 Introduction to Presentation

Helpful phrases for a presentation

Introduction
Welcoming the audience
Good morning / afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. Hello / Hi everyone.
First of all, let me thank you all for coming here today. It’s a pleasure to welcome you today.
I’m happy / delighted that so many of you could make it today.
It’s good to see you all here.

Introducing yourself
Let me introduce myself. I’m Ann Brown from …
For those of you who don’t know me, my name is … Let me just start by introducing
myself. My name is …

Giving your position, function, department, company

As some of you know, I’m the purchasing manager.
I’m the key account manager here and am responsible for …
I’m here in my function as the head of … I’m the project manager in charge of …

52
Introducing your topic
What I’d like to present to you today is … I’m here today to present …
Today’s topic is …
The subject / topic of my presentation is …
In my presentation I would like to report on … In my talk I’ll tell you about …
Today I’m going to talk about … I’ll be talking about …
Saying why your topic is relevant for your audience
Today’s topic is of particular interest to those of you / us who …
My talk is particularly relevant to those of us who … My topic is / will be very important
for you because … By the end of this talk you will be familiar with …

Stating your purpose

The purpose / objective / aim of this presentation is to … Our goal is to determine how / the
best way to …
What I want to show you is … My objective is to …
Today I’d like to give you an overview of … Today I’ll be showing you /
reporting on …
I’d like to update you on / inform you about … During the next few hours we’ll be
…

Structuring
I’ve divided my presentation into three (main) parts. In my presentation I’ll focus on three
major issues.

Sequencing
Point one deals with … , point two … , and point three … First, I’ll be looking at … , second
… , and third …
I’ll begin / start off by … . Then I’ll move on to … Then / Next / After that …
I’ll end with …
Timing
My presentation will take about 30 minutes.
It will take about 20 minutes to cover these issues. This won’t take more than …

Handouts
Does everybody have a handout / brochure / copy of the report? Please take one and pass
them on.
Don’t worry about taking notes. I’ve put all the important statistics on a handout for you.
I’ll be handing out copies of the slides at the end of my talk.
I can email the PowerPoint presentation to anybody who wants it.

53
Questions
There will be time for questions after my presentation.
We will have about 10 minutes for questions in the question and answer period.
If you have any questions, feel free to interrupt me at any time.
Feel free to ask questions at any time during my talk.
Effective openings
Rhetorical questions
Is market research important for brand development? Do we really need quality assurance?

Interesting facts
According to an article I read recently, …
Did you know that … ?
I’d like to share an amazing fact / figure with you.

Stories and anecdotes

I remember when I attended a meeting in Paris, …
At a conference in Madrid, I was once asked the following question: …
Let me tell you what happened to me …

Problem to think about

Suppose you wanted to … . How would you go
about it?
Imagine you had to … . What would be your first step?

The middle/main part

Saying what is coming
In this part of my presentation, I’d like to talk about … So, let me first give you a brief
overview.

Indicating the end of a section

This brings me to the end of my first point. So much for point two.
So, that’s the background on … That’s all I wanted to say about …

Summarizing a point
Before I move on, I’d like to recap the main points. Let me briefly summarize the main
issues.
I’d like to summarize what I’ve said so far …

54
Moving to the next point
This leads directly to my next point. This brings us to the next question. Let’s
now move on / turn to …
After examining this point, let’s turn to … Let’s now take a look at …
Referring to other points
I have a question in connection with/ concerning payment. There are a few problems regarding
the quality.
With respect / regard to planning, we need more background information.
According to the survey, our customer service needs reviewing.
Adding ideas
In addition to this, I’d like to say that our IT business is going very well.
Moreover / Furthermore, there are other interesting facts we should take a look at.
Apart from being too expensive, this model is too big.
Talking about (difficult) issues
I think we first need to identify the problem.
Of course we’ll have to clarify a few points before we start. We will have to deal with the
problem of increasing prices. How shall we cope with unfair business practices?
The question is: why don’t we tackle the distribution problems?
If we don’t solve this problem now, we’ll get / run into serious trouble soon.
We will have to take care of this problem now. We are currently having difficulties
with …
Rhetorical questions
What conclusion can we draw from this? So, what does this mean?
So, just how good are the results?
So, how are we going to deal with this increase? So, where do we go from here?
Why do I say that? Because …
Do we really want to miss this opportunity to … ?

Conclusion
Indicating the end of your talk
I’m now approaching / nearing the end of my presentation.
Well, this brings me to the end of my presentation.
That covers just about everything I wanted to say about … OK, I think that’s everything I
wanted to say about …
As a final point, I’d like to …
Finally, I’d like to highlight one key issue.
Summarizing points
Before I stop, let me go over the key issues again. Just to summarize the main points of

55
my talk … I’d like to run through my main points again …
To conclude / In conclusion, I’d like to … To sum up (then), we …

56
Making recommendations
We’d suggest …
We therefore (strongly) recommend that … In my opinion, we should …
Based on the figures we have, I’m quite certain that …

Inviting questions
Are there any questions?
We just have time for a few questions.
And now I’ll be happy to answer any questions you may have.

Effective Conclusions
Quoting a well-known person
As … once said, …
To quote a well-known businessman, … To put it in the words of …

Referring back to the beginning

Remember what I said at the beginning of my talk today?
Let me just go back to the story I told you earlier. Remember, …

57
Source: https://www.slidegenius.com/blog/presentation-checklist/

PRESENTATION CHECKLIST
Content
Topic
 A brief orientation to the topic is provided
 The topic and content are of a level appropriate to an academic context
 The content is ‘pitched’ at an appropriate level for the audience (neither too difficult nor
simplistic)
Organisation of information
Introduction
 Is an appropriate length in proportion to the entire presentation
 A clear statement of thesis or purpose is given
 Includes an outline or preview of the content
Body
 Main points are well developed, and contain some analysis as well as description
 Information is selected carefully to make your point clearly without too much detail
Original sources
 The required number of resources is used
 Sources are appropriately acknowledged, both verbally and on slides using appropriate
reporting structures (e.g. “Einstein in his Theory of Relativity published in 1906 claimed that
time is ….”)
Cohesion
 The different stages of the talk are clearly introduced using appropriate transition signals
(e.g. I’d firstly like to begin by… / Let’s now take a look at… / In summing up…)
 Ideas are logically sequenced
Conclusion
 An appropriate summary of the main points is made and the thesis is restated
 Concluding comments are made in support of the main purpose of the talk
Delivery of presentation
Clarity & coherence
 The content is coherent and logically presented

58
 Information is delivered in a spoken style (with minimal reading or reference to notes)
 Fillers (e.g. “umm”, “aah”) are not overused 2
Body Language
Appropriate eye contact is regularly made with most of the audience
Natural body posture and hand gestures are used (i.e. there is fluid movement)
Language
 Grammar does not impede meaning and sentence structures are accurate
 Extensive range of vocabulary is used accurately (parallel language is used to avoid
repetition)
 Pronunciation (especially of keywords) is correct
 Voice is clear and well projected
 Chunking is effectively employed
 Intonation and stress on words is natural
 Pace is appropriate (i.e. ensure that you are not speaking too quickly)
For learning resources on Pronunciation, go to:
http://www.uts.edu.au/current-students/support/helps/self-help-resources/pronunciation
Visual aids
 Visual aids are relevant and used effectively to support the content
 Visual aids are managed in an organised manner so as not to interrupt the flow of the talk
 The number of slides is in reasonable proportion to the length of the presentation
 Visual aids are clearly visible (use an appropriate font, colour and point size), are not too
complicated (may be easily and quickly read) and contain clear headings
Discussion
 An invitation for questions is offered
 Questions and discussion are handled confidently. Responses that cannot be provided may be
followed up later.
 Time is devoted to group discussion and feedback (where necessary)
 Focus questions have been prepared beforehand (where necessary)
Additional learning resources
• For practical advice and tips on presentations (including HELPS downloadable materials),
visit: http://www.uts.edu.au/current-students/support/helps/self-help-resources/presentation

59
• For interactive advice on delivering presentations, go to: http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~comcoach/

• For real-life examples of presentations, visit: www.ted.com

Topics for Extempore Talk

Positive attitude
Does fashion influence Bangali culture?
Women are the weaker gender
Women are better managers
Ego spoils relationship
Your dream partner
Internet as a device for relationship
Your reading habits
Parents are demanding on their children
Real learning takes place through experience
Love is essential for peace of mind
Next Door Neighbor
Food from Makeshift stall
Outdoor Games
Racism
Talk show cannot change anything, only activism can
Recently watched movie
Facebook Celebrity
Break up
Pocket money
Part time job

60
 Final Examination

Telephone Conversation

Source: https://www.thoughtco.com/telephone-conversations-1210222

Telephoning is an important part of doing business in English. Telephone conversations,

especially business telephone conversations, follow certain patterns:

1. Someone answers the phone and asks if they can help.

2. The caller makes a request—either to be connected to someone or for information.
3. The caller is connected, given information or told that they are not in the office at the
moment.
4. If the person who is requested is not in the office, the caller is asked to leave a message.
5. The caller leaves a message or asks other questions.
6. The phone call finishes.

Of course, all business telephone conversations do not follow this rigid scheme. But this is the
basic outline for most business telephone conversations, especially those made to request
information or ask for clarification.

Example Business Telephone Conversation: Role-Play

The following business telephone conversation can be used as a role-play in class to introduce a
number of standard phrases to practice telephoning in English.

61
Ms. Anderson (sales representative Jewels and Things): ring ring...ring ring...ring ring...
Mr. Smith (Secretary): Hello, Diamonds Galore, this is Peter speaking. How may I be of help
to you today?

Ms. Anderson: Yes, this is Ms. Janice Anderson calling. May I speak to Mr. Franks, please?

Mr. Smith: I'm afraid Mr. Franks is out of the office at the moment. Would you like me to take a
message?

Ms. Anderson: Uhm...actually, this call is rather urgent. We spoke yesterday about a delivery
problem that Mr. Franks mentioned. Did he leave any information with you?

Mr. Smith: As a matter of fact, he did. He said that a representative from your company might
be calling. He also asked me to ask you a few questions...

Ms. Anderson: Great, I'd love to see this problem resolved as quickly as possible.

Mr. Smith: Well, we still haven't received the shipment of earrings that was supposed to arrive
last Tuesday.

Ms. Anderson: Yes, I'm terribly sorry about that. In the meantime, I've spoken with our delivery
department and they assured me that the earrings will be delivered by tomorrow morning.

Mr. Smith: Excellent, I'm sure Mr. Franks will be pleased to hear that.

Ms. Anderson: Yes, the shipment was delayed from France. We weren't able to send it along
until this morning.

Mr. Smith: I see. Mr. Franks also wanted to schedule a meeting with you later this week.

Ms. Anderson: Certainly, what is he doing on Thursday afternoon?

Mr. Smith: I'm afraid he's meeting with some clients out of town. How about Thursday
morning?

Ms. Anderson: Unfortunately, I'm seeing someone else on Thursday morning. Is he doing
anything on Friday morning?

Mr. Smith: No, it looks like he's free then.

Ms. Anderson: Great, should I come by at 9?

Mr. Smith: Well, he usually holds a staff meeting at 9. It only lasts a half-hour or so. How about
10?

Ms. Anderson: Yes, 10 would be great.

62
Mr. Smith: OK, I'll schedule that. Ms. Anderson at 10, Friday Morning...Is there anything else I
can help you with?

Ms. Anderson: No, I think that's everything. Thank you for your help...Goodbye.

Mr. Smith: Goodbye.

Short Summary of the Telephone Conversation

Review your knowledge by filling in the gaps with the words and phrases below to complete the
summary of the conversation.

Ms. Anderson telephones Diamonds Galore to _____ with Mr. Franks. Mr. Franks is not in the
office, but Henry Smith, the secretary, speaks to Ms. Anderson about a _____ problem with
some earrings. The earrings have not yet _____ at Diamonds Galore. Ms. Anderson tells Peter
that there was a problem with the _____ from France, but that the earrings should arrive
tomorrow morning.

Next, they _____ a meeting between Ms. Anderson and Mr. Franks. Mr. Franks is not able to
_____ with Ms. Anderson on Thursday because he is _____. They finally decide on Friday
morning at 10 o'clock after a _____ that Mr. Owen usually holds on Friday mornings.

Key Phrases and Vocabulary

 How may I be of help: This is a formal phrase used to show politeness. It means "Can I
help you?"
 calling: telephoning
 out of the office: not in the office
 take a message: to write down a message from the caller
 urgent: very important
 delivery: the bringing of goods to a client
 mentioned: said
 resolved: taken care of
 as quickly as possible: in the fastest manner, ASAP
 shipment: delivery, the bringing of goods to a client
 assured: a certainty that something is true or will happen
 pleased: happy
 delayed: not be able to do something on time
 looks like: seems
 staff meeting: a meeting of employees
 lasts: to take time
 schedule: make a future appointment

Practice Cues for Role-Plays

63
Use these cues, roles, and scenarios to create practice role-plays on your own to further your
telephoning skills to help with workplace communication.

Role-Play Cue 1

Joy

You'd like to speak to Arif at Wonderland Toys, a toy-making company. You're returning his
product instead of selling because you're not interested in the company's products.

Koly

You're the receptionist at Wonderland Toys. Try to transfer the call to Arif, but Arif does not
want to talk to John. Negotiate and convince Joy to sell the products.

Role-Play Cue 2

Ishita

You're calling to schedule a meeting with the head of the personnel department. You'd like to
meet on Tuesday morning, but can come in on Thursday and Friday as well.

Billal

You're able to schedule a meeting at the end of next week, but you will be out of the office until
Thursday morning.

Role Play
Source: https://www.thoughtco.com/english-for-medical-a-physical-examination-1211327
https://www.eslprintables.com/speaking_worksheets/role_plays/
Role_plays_for_intermediate_st_520310/

1. Doctor-Patient Conversation:

64
This sample conversation is for a physical examination.

65
Doctor: When did you last come in for a physical exam?
Patient: I had my last physical two years ago.

Doctor: Have you had any other exams recently? Blood work, an EKG or an ultra-sound?
Patient: Well, I had a few X-rays at the dentist.

Doctor: How have you been feeling in general?

Patient: Pretty well. No complaints, really.

Doctor: Could you roll up your left sleeve? I'd like to take your blood pressure.
Patient: Certainly.

Doctor: 120 over 80. That's fine. You don't seem to be overweight, that's good. Do you exercise
regularly?
Patient: No, not really. If I run up a flight of stairs, it takes me a while to get my breath back. I
need to get out more.

Doctor: That would be a good idea. How about your diet?

Patient: I think I eat a pretty balanced diet. You know, I'll have a hamburger from time to time,
but generally, I have well-balanced meals.

Doctor: That's good. Now, I'm going to listen to your heart.

Patient: Ooh, that's cold!

Doctor: Don't worry it's just my stethoscope. Now, breathe in and hold your breath. Please pull
up your shirt, and breathe deeply... Everything sounds good. Let's take a look at your throat.
Please open wide and say 'ah'.
Patient: 'ah'

Doctor: OK. Everything looks ship shape. I'm going to order some blood work and that's about
it. Take this slip to the front desk and they'll arrange an appointment for the tests.
Patient: Thank you, doctor. Have a nice day.

Key Vocabulary

 physical examination (exam)

 blood work
 EKG
 ultra-sound
 x-rays
 to roll up sleeves
 overweight - underweight
 to exercise regularly
 balanced diet
 well-balanced meals
 stethoscope

66
 to breath in
 to hold one's breath
 to pull on one's shirt
 to breathe deeply
 to open wide
 to look ship shape
 slip
 front desk
 to arrange an appointment

 More topics for role play:

67
 Compare-Contrast
Source: https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-
d&channel=crow&biw=1366&bih=626&ei=HXQkXazqJOKEmgfbp4bQDw&q=wordlist+f
or+compare+contrast+essay&oq=wordlist+for+compare+contrast+essay&gs_l=psy-
ab.3..33i160.3049.20697..21086...17.0..0.246.4398.8j30j1......0....1..gws-
wiz.....0..0i71j0i67j0j0i131j0i10j0i22i30j0i22i10i30j33i21.Yk722lDWvV8
Transition Words for Compare & Contrast
This list illustrates "relationships" between ideas, followed by words and phrases that can
connect them.
Comparison/Similarities Transitions:
also, again, as well as, besides, coupled with, furthermore, in addition, likewise, moreover,
similarly, comparatively, correspondingly, identically, similar, moreover, together with, by the
same token
Contrast/Difference Transitions:
contrast, conversely, instead, on one hand, on the other hand, on the contrary, rather, yet, but,
however, nevertheless, in contrast
Summarizing Transitions:
after all, all in all, all things considered, briefly, by and large, in any case, in any event, in brief,
in conclusion, on the whole, in short, in summary, in the final analysis, in the long run, on
balance, to sum up, to summarize, finally, in essence, in other words, in short
Example Transitions:

68
for example, for instance, for one thing, as an illustration, illustrated with, as an example, in this
case, chiefly, especially, for instance, in particular, markedly, namely, particularly, including,
specifically, such as
Compare-Contrast between two dogs:

Compare and contrast between the pictures given below:

1.

69
 2.

3.

Topics for Compare-Contrast:

Feeling Sad and Feeling Happy

A Country in War and A Country in Peace

Bad and Good Aspects of Overwork

School vs. College

70
Employed Students and Unemployed Students

Traditional Education or Online Learning

Interview

Source: https://www.monster.com/career-advice/article/ten-interviewing-rules

10 interviewing rules

Stay focused on these 10 basic tenets to prepare for your next interview and to drive off any
potential jitters.

In the current job market, you'd better have your act together, or you won't stand a chance against
the competition. Be prepared to the best of your ability. There is no way to predict what an
interview holds, but by following these important rules you will feel less anxious and will be
ready to positively present yourself. Check yourself on these 10 basic points before you go on
that all-important interview.

1. Do your research

Researching the company before the interview and learning as much as possible about its
services, products, customers and competition will give you an edge in understanding and
addressing the company's needs. The more you know about the company and what it stands for,
the better chance you have of selling yourself in the interview. You also should find out about
the company's culture to gain insight into your potential happiness on the job.

2. Look sharp

Select what to wear to the interview. Depending on the industry and position, get out your best
interview clothes and check them over for spots and wrinkles. Even if the company has a casual
environment, you don't want to look like you slept in your outfit. Above all, dress for confidence.
If you feel good, others will respond to you accordingly.

71
3. Be prepared

Bring along a folder containing extra copies of your resume, a copy of your references and paper
to take notes. You should also have questions prepared to ask at the end of the interview. For
extra assurance, print a copy of Monster's handy interview take-along checklist.

4. Be on time

Never arrive late to an interview. Allow extra time to arrive early in the vicinity, allowing for
factors like getting lost. Enter the building 10 to 15 minutes before the interview.

5. Show enthusiasm

A firm handshake and plenty of eye contact demonstrate confidence. Speak distinctly in a
confident voice, even though you may feel shaky.

6. Listen

One of the most neglected interview skills is listening. Make sure you are not only listening, but
also reading between the lines. Sometimes what is not said is just as important as what is said.

7. Answer the question asked

Candidates often don't think about whether they are actually answering the questions their
interviewers ask. Make sure you understand what is being asked, and get further clarification if
you are unsure.

8. Give specific examples

One specific example of your background is worth 50 vague stories. Prepare your stories before
the interview. Give examples that highlight your successes and uniqueness. Your past behavior
can indicate your future performance.

9. Ask questions

Many interviewees don't ask questions and miss the opportunity to find out valuable information.
The questions you ask indicate your interest in the company or job.

10. Follow up

Whether it's through email or regular mail, the interview follow-up is one more chance to remind
the interviewer of all the valuable traits you bring to the job and company. Don't miss this last
chance to market yourself.

 Follow the checklists to practice peer interview

72
▌Interview Template –
Candidate Name:
Applicant for position of:
Date of interview:

Aspirations
▌ Can you describe the most enjoyable role that you have ever had and why you feel that way about
it?
▌ Could you please describe an ideal role for yourself?
▌ What are your short and long term career plans?

Handling Conflict
▌ What has been the most difficult situation you have had to deal with at work?
▌ How do you think you handled the situation and, given the opportunity, would you do anything
differently?

Decision Making
▌ Tell me of a difficult decision you have had to make quickly in recent times.
▌ In hindsight, was it the right decision?
▌ What is your decision-making process?

Leadership
▌ If you had the time, money and authority to change something in your current/previous place of
employment, what would you change and why?
▌ What have you done about this already?

Goal Orientation
▌ What do you think is your greatest achievement in life? (secure a response from business and
from life outside work)

Accountability / Results
▌ Can you give examples of times when you were assigned a number of tasks and had to prioritise
what needed to be done?
▌ What was the biggest single contribution you have made to your organisation’s success in the last
12 months?

73
Team Management
▌ What style of management do you feel that you work best with?
▌ What type of person do you find the most challenging to work with?

Role Awareness
▌ Why did you apply for this role?
▌ What is it about <this career> you particularly enjoy?

Qualities
▌ Can you describe your strengths to me (character and professional)

Skills
▌ What accounting software have you worked with in the past?
▌ How would you rate your skills and knowledge in the use of this software?

Work / Life Balance

▌ What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

Book/Film Review

Sources:

74
  https://www.writemypapers.org/examples-and-samples/spiritual-path-to-higher-creativity-book-
review-sample.html
 https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/book-reviews/
 http://www.angelfire.com/journal2/englishresource/filmreview.html

Book Review
Book review includes:

 First, a review gives the reader a concise summary of the content. This includes a
relevant description of the topic as well as its overall perspective, argument, or purpose.
 Second, and more importantly, a review offers a critical assessment of the content.
This involves your reactions to the work under review: what strikes you as noteworthy,
whether or not it was effective or persuasive, and how it enhanced your understanding of
the issues at hand.
 Finally, in addition to analyzing the work, a review often suggests whether or not
the audience would appreciate it.

Sample Book Review:

Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity

The title “Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity” fully conveys the content of the book. The
author set a goal to help the person to overcome a creative impasse. That is why this book is
intended for those who passionately want to create something but experience temporary or
permanent difficulties with this.

It is hardly possible to place “Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity” in any standard frames and
categories. This is a book that must be read repeatedly with carefulness.

One of the most striking features of the book is the uncompromising approach of its author. She
constantly rejects all halftones and any attempts to evade from responsibility. Everything
becomes very clear and straightforward: there is a way to creativity and if someone refuses to
choose it, he betrays creativity and himself. This position requires taking a very big
responsibility and only few people can bear it.

The book is penetrated with a specific spiritual approach to the defined problems. But the
contemporary people who lead modern life often do not want to hear about spirituality and faith,
since they give their preference to pragmatic approach, economic calculations, explanations and
persuasion.

“Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity” depicts a huge energy charge. Julia Cameron managed
to express her outlook on the pages of the book very clearly and powerfully. While reading you
will notice that the path of a true artist requires significant changes in life. Even if these changes
are stretched in time, sweetened with promises of success or with descriptions of positive

75
examples, they still can be enormous and irreversible. It is impossible not to change oneself after
reading this great book!

Film Review

A film review should have a number of purposes:

1. To inform. The review needs to tell people who is in the film, who it is by and where or
when readers can see it.
2. To describe. The review should describe the story, characters and some of the action -
without spoiling the plot or giving too much away!
3. To analyse.

 Sample Film Review:

The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

Cast: Christian Bale, Tom Hardy, Anne Hathaway, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Director: Christopher Nolan
Synopsis: Christian Bale stars as both the classic caped crusader and his billionaire alter-ego,
Bruce Wayne. In this third installment of Christopher Nolan’s Batman films, Bruce Wayne no
longer feels that the City of Gotham needs a hero and goes on a secluded hiatus. However, when
a new villain, Bane (Tom Hardy), threatens Gotham City, Wayne dons his cape and mask once
more.

Review:
Christopher Nolan brings yet another adrenaline-filled, comic-inspired movie to the big screen.
We see all sorts of familiar faces this time around, but the audience is introduced to a few new
characters as well.
When crisis threatens Gotham City, Bruce Wayne jumps back into the Batmobile to fight crime.
Batman is joined on his quest by an eager orphaned cop (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), a seductive cat
burglar (Anne Hathaway), and a violent masked villain (Tom Hardy).
This film served as great entertainment with its colorful cast and numerous plot twists. Nolan
used actors that had either appeared in previous Batman films or in his blockbuster hit Inception,
and all of them shone in their respective roles: Tom Hardy was almost unrecognizable in his
Bane costume, while Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Marion Cotillard were both excellent—and
obviously comfortable with Nolan’s directing style and the film’s dramatic tone.

76
The one actor that gave this reviewer pause was Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle. She has
historically been typecast as the girl next door, so it was a shock to watch her steal and fight her
way through the City of Gotham. After a few scenes, however, we were convinced that the
casting decisions was a good one, as Hathaway portrayed the darker Catwoman role brilliantly.
True to Nolan’s style, at 164 minutes, this film is fairly long. There were a few times when the
movie felt a bit drawn out, but the gorgeous action scenes and impressive dialogue really held
the audience’s attention and kept them on the edge of their seats. However, the timeline was a bit
unclear at times. For a number of scenes, it was hard to tell whether it had been days or months
or years that had passed since the last time a given character had been on screen.
Despite the films minor shortcomings, The Dark Knight Rises is exciting, creative, and dark—
and well worth a few hours of your time.

USEFUL PHRASES:

x has much to recommend it.

X is, at heart, a(n) love/spy/adventure story.
It is based on a book by ...
It is set in the countryside/the future.
The film has a quality cast.
The film was directed by ...
The film score is enchanting/evocative/scary.
The film captures the spirit of ...
The hero/heroine/villain is ...
I felt/thought it was …
I was impressed by …
What struck me most was ...
What I liked most/didn't like was ...
The plot was gripping.
The characters were very convincing/very well drawn.
On reflection, I think it was ...
It struck me as being ...
What I didn't understand was how ...
In spite of these few criticisms, I think ...
I would have no hesitation in recommending …

Expressing and supporting opinions

These words and expressions are especially useful in letters, essays and articles.
I believe/do not believe that ... (because) ...
Personally I feel that ... Let me explain why.
In my opinion, ... Just consider ...
As I see it, … The reason is ...
It seems to me that… This is because ...

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I would argue that for the following reasons.
I feel very strongly that ...
I am convinced that ...
I am of the opinion that ...
I am very much in favour of/against ...
I am completely opposed to ...
The reasons why I believe that ... are as follows.
Opening phrases
These words and expressions are especially useful in letters, essays and articles.
People (sometimes) claim that … but I feel that ...
It is often said/argued that ... However, it seems to me that ...
It is a fact that ...
Over the past few months/years, it seems that …
Recently, we have all become concerned that …
Nowadays, we are all realising that ...
In the past, people used to …, but now ...
These days, it seems that ….
Making statements
These words and expressions are especially useful in letters, essays and articles.
It is clear that ...
On the whole, it appears/seems that ...
We must take into account the fact that ....
It goes without saying that ...
It is important to remember that ...
Explaining/Expanding ideas and giving examples
These words and expressions are especially useful in letters, essays and articles.
... This means that ...
... This is largely due to ...
…For example/For instance, ...
…In other words, ...
Take, for example, the situation in ...
Listing arguments
These words and expressions are especially useful in letters, essays and articles.
Firstly/In the first place / To begin with, …
Secondly/A second area to consider is …
Another point to remember is ...
Finally, ...
In conclusion, ..
Last but not least, ...
Evaluating ideas, Dismissing contrary arguments
These words and expressions are especially useful in letters, essays and articles.
I think it is true that ...
I totally disagree/agree with the point that…
It is questionable whether …

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I am sure/I doubt whether …
It is true that ... On the other hand, ...
While nobody can deny that ... , I would like to point out that …
I agree that …However, ...
Although it is true that , we must remember that ...
It could be argued that … However, I would like to point out that ...
Despite all the arguments, I still feel that ...
Notwithstanding the claim that ... , I would argue that…
It may be true that ... , but all too often ...
In no way can I agree that ...
Surely it is completely unacceptable that ...
Persuading
These words and expressions are especially useful in letters and proposals.
I would urge you to consider…
I am sure you will agree that…
Surely you must agree that…
I would urge you very strongly to ...
When you hear the arguments, I am sure you will agree that ...
Evaluating
These words and expressions are especially useful in reports, proposals and reviews.
I was extremely impressed by…
I was rather disappointed by…
While X has much to commend it, I feel that some aspects could be improved.
The problem could easily be solved if ...
I would like to praise the ...
Another area for complaint is …
My overall impression was that …
I am sure that visitors/readers/holidaymakers will thoroughly enjoy ...
While some people will love ... , others may feel less happy.
A major problem is that ...
I was less happy with ...
Making recommendations
These words and expressions are especially useful in proposals and reports.
I recommend that we ...
I propose that we ...
We should also ...
I believe that we should ...
We could ...
If we were to… , we could ...
I suggest we… We would then be able to ...
Summarising
These words and expressions are especially useful in letters, essays,articles, reports, proposals
and reviews.
All in all, I think that ...

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To sum up, I believe that ...
In conclusion, the facts suggest that ...
Describing
These words and expressions are especially useful in articles, reviews, and letters.
Character/Personality
He tends to be ...
She can be ...
He is inclined to be ...
She appears/seems to be ...
Hobbies and interests
He is crazy about ... -ing.
She loves ... -ing.
His greatest love is ...
What she loves most in life is ...
He spends all his time ... -ing.

Debate

Topics for Debating:

1. All students should have an after-school job.
2. Every student should be required to take a performing arts course.
3. Homework should be banned.
4. All students should be required to perform one year of community service.
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 5. A good CGPA is essential for getting a good job.
6. Peer pressure is a good thing.
7. Everyone should be vegetarian.
8. Artificial intelligence is dangerous.
9. Beauty products should be banned.
10. Parents should limit the amount of time their children spend on technology.

How to Debate
Source: https://www.wikihow.com/Debate#Formal_Team_Debate

https://www.sfu.ca/cmns/130d1/HOWTODEBATE.htm

The Basic Debating Skills

Style

Style is the manner in which you communicate your arguments. This is the most basic part of
debating to master. Content and strategy are worth little unless you deliver your material in a
confident and persuasive way.

Speed

It is vital to talk at a pace which is fast enough to sound intelligent and allow you time to say
what you want, but slow enough to be easily understood.

Tone

Varying tone is what makes you sound interesting. Listening to one tone for an entire
presentation is boring.

Volume

Speaking quite loudly is sometimes a necessity, but it is by no means necessary to shout through
every debate regardless of context. There is absolutely no need speak any more loudly than the
volume at which everyone in the room can comfortably hear you. Shouting does not win
debates. Speaking too quietly is clearly disastrous since no one will be able to hear you.

Clarity

The ability to concisely and clearly express complex issues is what debating is all about. The
main reason people begin to sound unclear is usually because they lose the “stream of thought”
which is keeping them going. It is also important to keep it simple. While long words may make
you sound clever, they may also make you incomprehensible.

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Use of notes and eye contact

Notes are essential, but they must be brief and well organized to be effective. There is absolutely
no point in trying to speak without notes. Of course, notes should never become obtrusive and
damage your contact with the audience, nor should they ever be read from verbatim. Most
people sketch out the main headings of their speech, with brief notes under each.

When writing notes for rebuttal during the debate, it is usually better to use a separate sheet of
paper so you can take down the details of what the other speakers have said and then transfer a
rough outline onto the notes you will actually be using.

Eye contact with the audience is very important, but keep shifting your gaze. No one likes to be
stared at.

Methods:
There are many types of debates, ranging from British Parliamentary to Policy Debates to regular
old backyard sparring sessions. Whether you're in a team or going at it solo, this article will go
over some general facts about debating, as well as offer you tips on how to improve your
technique.

Method 1: Formal Team Debate

Be ready to receive a topic to get to go debate on. One team must debate the
"affirmative" stance, and the other must debate the "negative" stance. The team that
agrees with the topic is called the affirmative, while the team that disagrees is called the
negative.

o Both teams will be seated near the front of the room they are to speak in —
affirmative team on the left, negative team on the right.
o The chairperson will start the debate, and the first speaker will present their
speech. The order of the speakers is generally affirmative, negative, affirmative,
negative, and so on.

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Define the topic, if necessary. Debating "That the death penalty is a just and effective
punishment" is probably already pretty clear, but what if you're given a topic like "That
happiness is a nobler trait than wisdom?" You might need to offer a definition before you
proceed.

o The affirmative always gets the first and best opportunity to define the topic. The
first affirmative should offer the "person on the street"[1] test:
 How might an average person on the street define the topic? Is it
reasonable to expect a "normal" person to think of the topic in a certain
way?
o The negative team is given an opportunity to refute the definition and offer their
own, but only if the affirmative's definition is unreasonable or it renders the
negative's position obsolete. The first negative speaker must refute the
affirmative's definition if s/he wishes to challenge it.

Write your argument according to the designated time limit. Depending on what
position you argue, you must follow certain protocol such as defining the topic or
presenting a main argument.

o Support your opinions/contentions. If you say "I think the death penalty should be
abolished," be ready to prove why this is the best course of action.
o If you don't know it, don't debate it unless you have no other choice. If you don't
know much about the topic, try and at least come up with some vague, ambiguous
information so that your opponents will have a hard time refuting your
contentions. If they don't understand it, they can't refute it. Keep in mind that the
judge probably won't understand you so well either, but trying is probably better
than saying, "I know nothing. I give the case to my opponents."

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 o Don't use rhetorical questions. Always give a clear answer to every question you
ask. Leaving a question open-ended gives your opponents room to refute.

Present your argument. When it is your turn, go ahead and present your argument. Be
passionate in your speech—a monotone voice will cause people to drift off, and they may
miss the point of what you're trying to say. Speak clearly, slowly, and loudly.

o Make eye contact with whomever decides the winners of the debate. While it's
okay to look at your opponents every once in a while, try to direct your argument
at the judge.
o Give a layout of your argument before you make it. That way, your audience will
know what to expect and your judge won't cut you off unless you run way
overtime.

Strike a balance between presenting your team's point(s) and rebutting the
opponents’ point. Since teams take turns debating, it's always possible to offer rebuttals
unless you are the first affirmative speaker. Here is a rundown of how both teams might
organize their debate strategy:

o 1st affirmative:
 Define the topic (optional) and present the team's main line.
 Outline, in brief, what each affirmative speaker will talk about.
 Present the first half of the affirmative's argument.
o 1st negative:

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  Accept or reject the definition (optional) and present the team's main line.
 Outline, in brief, what each negative speaker will talk about.
 Offer a rebuttal of a few of the points presented by the first affirmative.
 Present the first half of the negative's argument.
o 2nd affirmative:
 Reaffirm the affirmative's main line.
 Offer a rebuttal of a few of the points presented by the first negative.
 Present the second half of the affirmative's argument.
o 2nd negative:
 Reaffirm the negative's main line.
 Offer a rebuttal of a few of the points presented by the second affirmative.
 Present the second half of the negative's argument.
o 3rd affirmative:
 Reaffirm the affirmative's main line.
 Offer a rebuttal of any of the remaining negative's arguments.
 Offer a summary of the affirmative's case.
 Conclude debate for the affirmative team.
o 3rd negative:
 Reaffirm the negative's main line.
 Offer a rebuttal of any of the remaining affirmative's arguments.
 Offer a summary of the negative's case.
 Conclude debate for the negative team.

Note the three rules of rebuttal. When rebutting a team's argument, remember three
essential rules:

o Offer evidence for your rebuttal. Do not rely on vigorous assertion alone. Show
the chairperson why the other team's argument is fundamentally flawed; don't just
tell.
o Attack the most important parts of their argument. It's not very effective if you
pick bones with an obscure part of the opponent's argument. Go for the crux of
their argument and pick it apart with the ruthless efficiency of a surgeon.
o No ad hominem attacks. An ad hominem attack is when you criticize another
person instead of his or her ideas. Attack the idea, not the person.

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Use up all your time (or most of it). The more you talk, the more you'll convince the
judge. Note that this means you should come up with many examples, not that you should
ramble. The more the judge hears about why you are correct, the more inclined s/he will
be to believe you.

Know what aspects of the debate you will be judged on, if appropriate. For the most
part, debates are judged on three main areas: matter, manner, and method.[1]

o Matter:
 Amount of evidence. How much evidence does the speaker marshall to
support his/her claims?
 Relevancy of evidence. How strongly does the evidence used support the
argument?
o Manner:
 Eye contact. How well does the speaker engage his or her audience? Does
the speaker spend too much time on his or her cue cards?
 Voice. How well does the speaker's voice accentuate his or her argument?
Does he or she offer a diversity of volume, pitch and speed to highlight
important parts?
 Body language. How well does the speaker use his or her body to
emphasize arguments and communicate authority and calmness?
 Nervous habits. How well does the speaker avoid verbal and bodily tics
when he or she speaks? Does the speaker stammer, fidget, or pace?
 Elocution. How clearly does the speaker pronounce words? Does the
speaker use words, or do the words use him or her?
o Method:
 Team cohesion. How well does the entire team organize their arguments
and rebuttals? How well do the individual arguments mesh together, as
well as the rebuttals? How clear and consistent is the team line?
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  Individual prowess. How well does the individual stand out as he or she
speaks? How clearly does he or she mark the end of one argument and the
beginning of another?

Method 2: Conversational or Informal Debating

Ask questions to gradually reveal an argument. Since you're not engaging in a formal
debate, you don't really know what side of the argument the other person is going to take,
or what they necessarily believe in. Ask questions to narrow things down.

Clearly understand the other person's position or ask them to clarify any confusing
areas. Nobody's perspective is perfectly coherent. But it's hard to debate someone when
they're all over the place. Try to gently get them to adhere to one line of arguments that
are more or less consistent.

o If you're not sure about what their argument is, help them out in a non-threatening
way: "So, if I understand what you're saying, you mean that the penny should be
abolished because it costs more than a penny to produce a penny?"

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Introduce your counterargument. Introducing your counterargument after the other
person has made their argument clear makes things feel less antagonistic, even if it's still
a debate.

o Offer examples along with your thesis for why you hold a particular belief:
 "Here's what I think: I think overabundance of political correctness has
actually made us afraid to say anything at all. Instead of saying what we
actually mean, we say what we think people want to hear. We're more
worried about offending other people than we are about telling the truth."

Offer rebuttals to the other person's argument. State your counterargument first, and
then offer any rebuttals that you can think of.

o "Does it really make sense to say that any form of government — municipal, state,
or federal — should legislate sexual morality? It's not a question of "could" —
they're more than capable of doing it; it's more a question of whether it's right for
them to say how we should treat our own bodies in the privacy of our own home.
Where does it stop if we let them get a foot in the door? Wouldn't that be inviting
them to pass judgment on more and more private aspects of our lives? When do
our lives stop becoming their own?"

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Respond to any of the other person's rebuttals. More than likely, the other person
you're debating will take issue with some of the things you are saying. Remember their
rebuttals and tackle them when the other person has finished speaking.

Pay attention to some informal (and unspoken) conversational etiquette. It pays to be

nice to the other person, even if you're debating them. Remember to:

o Not hog the conversation. It's a debate, which should mean a free-flowing
exchange of ideas, not you rambling on and on about why you're right and s/he's
wrong.
o Assume the other person means well. S/he might misspeak or the debate could get
unintentionally heated. It's best to assume that the other person is coming at the
debate expecting only some friendly verbal sparring, and isn't out to hurt you.
o Don't raise your voice or let things get heated. Try not to get so wrapped up in the
debate that you lose your cool. A debate should be civilized and enlightening, not
a lesson in browbeating.

Don't rehash the same arguments over and over again. Some debates come full circle
and then keep on going because neither party is willing to admit defeat. If you become
involved in a debate that never ends, don't push it. Just say: "I respect your opinion. I
don't agree with you, but maybe I will in the future. Give me a little bit of time to think it
over?"

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 Wrap things up amicably. No one will want to debate you if you're a sore loser or if you
refuse to treat your sparring partner with respect. However heated the debate might have
been, try to be friendly as you wrap things up. You may disagree with someone, but that
doesn't mean you can't be friends.

For more Information:

 Ted Talks on presentation skill:
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=ted+talks
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5ZESpOAolU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-HYZv6HzAs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6n3iNh4XLI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w82a1FT5o88
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrjlW00kkws
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yl_FJAOcFgQ
 How to make PowerPoint Presentation
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XF34-Wu6qWU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHhqWbI0y4M
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3vtOUC-uQg
 Comparing Good and Bad Presentation
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8eLdbKXGzk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjr3w6CbLSM
 More Links:
http://learnenglishteens.britishcouncil.org/skills/speaking/upper-intermediate-b2-speaking

http://www.esl-lounge.com/student/listening-advanced.php

https://www.kidsworldfun.com/shortstories.php

https://americanliterature.com/100-great-short-stories

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