15. Current Affairs - 1. Opening Gambits

Conversation Gambits - Eric Keller, Sylvia T Warner 1988

15. Current Affairs
1. Opening Gambits

Preparation

Listen to today s news or buy today s newspaper. Pick a news item which you are interested in — perhaps something you know a little about Write short notes giving your opinion of the news item

(If you can not listen to the news or buy a paper there is a list of possible topics at the bottom of this page)

When everyone has prepared their opinions work in groups of 3 or 4 Each student then states his or her opinion using the phrases from the list

Writing

After making the short notes, students may then write out their opinions in full sentencesas if they were writing an article for a students' magazine or 'leader article for a newspaper

Alternative news items

1. A recent report suggests that work is playing too important in people's lives

2. A survey has |ust been published showing that only 2% of the population go to church regularly Is religion less meaningful today?

3. After a series of horrific killings the government is trying to ban guns completely from private use Only the army and police would be allowed to carry guns

4. The Education Secretary announced last week that he is thinking of lowering the school leavingage from 16to 13 so that young people who do not like school can leave for a couple of years, get a job then come back later in life

5. The Government of an African republic has announced that it now has nuclear weapons It has thousands of starving and homeless people in parts of the country away from the capital

I think ...

I suppose ...

I 1suspect that ...

I’m 2pretty sure that ...

I’m fairly certain that ...

It’s my opinion that ...

I’m 3convinced that ...

I 4wonder if ...

1. Gives a tentative opinion

2. Informal, only with friends

3. A strong opinion

4. A way of giving an “open” opinion, which invites other people to comment too