We're are going to cover a few useful expressions that we can use a) when we don't see eye-to-eye ( = agree on something) with someone and b) when you want to express your opinion (popular or otherwise) without saying I THINK/ I BELIEVE. Sometimes when we disagree with people we don't want to be too blunt (*izravni). Here are a few responses that are a little less blunt that just saying: "No, I disagree", or "You are wrong." 1.) I’d like to put forward a viewpoint that days leading to Christmas are better than Christmas itself. (B) I agree up to a certain point, however/nevertheless I reckon that Christmas day itself is invaluable (* neprocjenjiv) due to the quality time we get to spend with our family. (A) 2.) I TEND towards the opinion that watching sports is as dull as watching paint dry. I would be inclined to disagree. As a matter of fact... 3.) TO my MIND, the best singer in the world is Kanye West owing to the fact that he's not afraid to openly express his opinion. That's not how I see it. I understand where you’re coming from, but… 4.) I MAINTAIN/RECKON that single sex schools would enable a much higher standard of education due to students of both genders being less distracted and more focused on their school work. I see your point, but ON balance, I'd have to disagree with you... 5.) As far as I'm concerned/As I see it/Speaking for myself, Friends TV show is highly overrated. Moreover, it didn't age well. I beg to differ. On the contrary, I consider... The assignment that you have to complete until 27 April consists of 4 steps: 1. Watch the video above from a show on unpopular opinions to get inspired (unpopular opinions are opinions that are not widely held, that is, opinions with which most people would probably disagree) 2. Go to our Padlet board and post in writing at least ONE (or more :)) unpopular opinion that you hold. Use the expressions provided ABOVE to express your (unpopular) opinion. 3. Upload a short audio, approximately 1 minute long, where you express your disagreement with one or more posted unpopular opinions. I have posted 3 of my own unpopular opinions to get you started. USE the phrases for disagreeing presented ABOVE. You can also provide arguments why you believe someone's opinion is fundamentally wrong. 4.* Go to your previously uploaded work (on Padlet) and if I commented on your audios, please respond below your post. --- Before you record your audio, you should consider doing some vocal exercises or tongue twisters as a warm up. Doing tongue twisters before speaking has proven to have a positive effect on increasing the clarity of your speech.
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Salutations! :) This week you'll get the opportunity to catch up on the work and deadlines you might have missed during the two previous weeks. Most of you were quite consistent and diligent (*marljivi) in completing your assignments. However, some of you have some catching up to do. After this week some of you will be adequately rewarded for your work. If you have any issues (technical or otherwise) with completing your assignments, please drop me a line (i.e., contact me via email). Some of you have already done that. By now, you were supposed to upload 2 short audio/video files on two topics. 1. your 1st assignment is available here 2. your 2nd assignment is available here New deadline for these two assignments - 11 April When you complete these 2 assignments...you can relax till 20 April when we continue with our work. Till then...keep safe and learn to speak like a true Londoner :). CONVERSATIONAL English Elective class - 20.3. (FAK) - THE STORY OF STUFF/THE STORY OF US (project)3/23/2020 Dear all, I hope you are all well!
Since our classes are moving online, we’re going to do them a bit differently. Here are the instructions for the project "The story of stuff, the story of us": 1. Take a photo of an object in your home that has an interesting story behind it. It can be a personal story or a history of an object (or even both). The object you choose can be anything, ranging from a pair of jeans, a football, a book, a trophy, to toilet paper. 2. Think about what you want to say -- plan your speech accordingly and make an audio recording of you delivering the speech. 3. Upload the photo and the audio file to your computer and merge the two into video format via: https://imagetovideo.com/ (go to Convert Audio file to Video section where you 1st upload the audio and then select the background image, that is, the image of the object. When the two are merged, download the video.) 4. Go to the link below and upload your work: https://padlet.com/dunjaopa/ljl8qaapkgcs You have 2 examples/ models provided at this link (The Surogat painting and The invention of the telephone ) 5. Write the title and a short caption. Add your initials at the end. Possible issues: some phones record audio in formats other than mp3 or wav, so you might have to convert it into an mp3. You can use this online converter to do so: https://online-audio-converter.com/ The deadline is next Monday (30 March). Have fun! 1. Talk about your own experience about learning foreign languages. What are some regrets that you have about your language-learning experience? Which aspects of the languages that you know make them easy or difficult to learn? Do you think that if you had started learning your second or third language at an earlier age that you would be more proficient in that language now? Do you think it is better to know more foreign languages sufficiently or one foreign language proficiently and why? What does knowing a foreign language enable you to do? What advice would you give to a foreigner who wants to learn your language?
1. Talk about advantages and disadvantages of genetic engineering. Do parents have the right to 'play God' and genetically engineer their children? Why might they be considered 'immoral' if they don't? What is your opinion on prenatal testing for hereditary diseases, deformities or Down Syndrome?
2. Talk about your past habits. E.g. Which shows did you use to watch, which music did you use to listen to, how many hours would you sleep per day? Why did you abandon these habits/interests/activities? Were some of them useful? Which new habits/routines did you have to adopt upon enrolling in high school? Which one was the most difficult to get used to and why? Which new routines/habits will you have to get used to when you enrol in university? Which one do you think will be the most difficult to get used to? 3. Talk about the issue of plastic surgery. What are some reasons why people undergo this kind of an operation? When is it justified to undergo plastic surgery? Is being bullied and taunted about your looks a legitimate reason to decide to do it? What about having low self-esteem? Should cosmetic surgery be banned for teenagers? What is the difference between reconstructive and plastic surgery? 4. Talk about Frankenstein and how it warns us about the unhindered advancements in science. What are some other works of science fiction (movies, books) that urge us to be wary about scientific advancements? Do you think that these warning are warranted/justified? Should science and its discoveries be limited and controlled by ethics, morality and law? What might be some of the downsides of curbing scientific progress in that way? 5. People who lead unhealthy lifestyles (smoking, sunbathing, taking drugs, etc.) should be obligated to pay for their own medical expenses when the fall ill due to their harmful behaviours/habits/addictions. Provide some arguments that support and oppose this thesis. Give your own opinion on the matter. Unit 3 1. Talk about the human need to accumulate possessions. What is the role of advertising and the culture of consumerism in inciting people to buy things they don't really need? How is this achieved? What are some useful techniques of getting rid of clutter? How often do you buy things you don't really need? What are some negative effects of amassing objects that one does not truly need? Which items that you possess have an emotional value? If you could keep only 5 objects in your current possession, what would they be? 2. Talk about pros and cons of returning museum exhibits to their countries of origin. Which is the most interesting museum that you have ever visited? What made it so fascinating? What are some changes that museums might implement to make them more appealing to young people? If you had to curate a museum about your family which items would you exhibit?
Unit 10 1. Talk about a truly remarkable (genius) and renowned individual who made a difference in the world with his/her art. Why is this person so well-known and appreciated? How did she/he become successful? What are some obstacles he/she had to overcome? Talk about his/her work and its qualities. 2. Talk about pros and cons of being a child genius (prodigy). Give some real life examples. In which field would you like to excel and why? 3. What are the pros and cons of having art classes as a part of your school curriculum? Should these classes be compulsory/ obligatory or elective and why? Should art classes only be theoretical or also practical? Should art classes be incorporated/integrated into other subjects (provide examples)?
Unit 9 1. Talk about your 'digital' life: what you do on the Internet, how much time you spend on your phone/computer. How much do you reveal about yourself online? What information can you find about yourself if you google your name [including image search]? Talk about the issue of cyberbullying and different forms it might take. What are the effects of cyberbullying? How can you protect yourself against it (which preventive measures can you take)? Why are people more prone to be nasty and cruel online than in real life? 2. Talk about your best friend: how you two met, how you managed to sustain your relationship, about ups and downs in your friendship and challenges that you had to overcome. What are the advantages and disadvantages of having more than one best friend? Can men (boys) and women (girls) be best friends? Are there any particular challenges that best friends of different genders have to face? What are the advantages of having a good/best friend of a different gender? Do you have friends with whom you communicate only via social networks? 3. What are the advantages (or benefits) and disadvantages (or dangers) of being constantly available/connected with the online world and your friends and family via your phone or computer?
Unit 8 1. What would your perfect job entail and why are these things important to you? What would be the worst job for you and what are its disadvantages? What would you do if you found yourself in a repetitive, dead-end job? Can you see yourself holding one job for the rest of your life? What are some challenges you might face if you chose a high-flying job? How do you generally deal with stress? How does one balance being successful at work and having a social life and/or family? Is it necessary to sacrifice one for the other? Do you form an opinion about a person based on the profession they have chosen? 2. Regrets: Talk about things in your life that might have turned out differently if you had acted in a different way. Talk about two bad things that happened in your life in the past that you wish hadn't. Talk about two bad things about the present that you wish were different. What can one do to turn his/her life around, to change the present situation? 3. Talk about 2 inventions and inventors/pioneers in their filed whom you admire. Tell us how they conceived their ideas. What were some challenges that they had to overcome? What are some characteristics of great innovators? You can talk about scientific innovations, founding great business enterprises [entrepreneurs, e.g. Steve Jobs, Apple] or about people who left a great impact on the art world and beyond with their innovative thinking [e.g. Shakespeare, innovative language]. 4. Talk about protests. Talk about some past instances of social/political injustices and how people managed to make a difference. Do you think protests, demonstrations, boycotts or civil disobedience have an impact on the world today? Support your opinion with arguments and examples. What are some present day issues that you would like to protest about and why? How would you go about it?
Guidelines: Describe the image/images in 2 sentences max. You have to talk about the image for 3 minutes using phrases, collocations and appropriate conjunctions (although, despite etc.) to discuss the obvious topic at hand. (And don't forget "IN THE PICTURE"= the preposition differs from the one in Croatian) The speech should be focused on the overarching theme. When you select the image, conduct a bit of research beforehand (e.g. slide 2: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Violence_in_sports ) and select the target vocabulary. E.g. Image 16 Target vocabulary: bombarded by ads, unconventional advertising methods (shock advertising), selling ideas/ideologies/lifestyles alongside products, medium of advertising (billboards, TV ads), celebrity endorsements, brand awareness (in case of Benetton – why they do not have to show what they actually sell), target audience, generating buzz. |
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