Russell Crowe recently made a video for Vanity Fair explaining Australian & New Zealand Slang. I thought that you might enjoy it. I do not recommend the subtitles. They are misleading!
It is essential when writing an opinion essay to clearly separate opinion and fact.
When teaching essay writing and critical reading skills to students (adults), I have often been dismayed to discover that they accept written opinions as facts. Alas, such is the power of the written word!
What’s real? What is your interpretation?
How can we develop informed opinions if we unthinkingly accept the opinions of others as facts? Present the same facts on a particular issue to ten people and you could end up with ten different opinions which can be influenced by personal experience, interpretation, and understanding of the issues to name just a few. What happens to the facts? What’s real? Do we just listen to the loudest, most opinionated voices?
When you write an opinion essay, it is necessary to state your opinion/s very clearly. Everyone should have the freedom to state his or her opinion, however disagreeable it may be to others. An opinion is neither right nor wrong. A fact can be checked for accuracy and truth.
Importantly, you need to support your opinions with facts and examples, otherwise why should anyone accept what you say? How can you expect a top exam result if your essay is unconvincing?
◊ Introduction
What is your topic and what is your opinion? State them clearly in the first paragraph. Use everyday language but not slang.
19th-century author Oscar Wilde
◊ Main Body of the Essay
You need to use facts and examples to support your opinion. The length of the main body depends on why you are writing. If you are writing for an exam, your time and word count will be limited and perhaps one or two paragraphs will be sufficient. If you are a journalist, this section could be several paragraphs.
Make sure that the reader can follow your ideas and examples easily. Sequence your facts logically. Chronological sequence is often the simplest. You may prefer numerical order.
Do not introduce irrelevant information. Use facts and examples that are directly related to your ideas in the introduction.
◊ Conclusion
This is a repetition of the ideas in your introduction, using different words of course! This final paragraph lets the reader know that you have finished and acts as a summary of your ideas.
∼ ∼ ∼ ∼ ∼ ∼ ∼ ∼ ∼ ∼ ∼ ∼ ∼ ∼
I recommend that you read an excellent example of an opinion piece which I have included below. It was written by Jacinta Price, Councillor for Alice Springs (Northern Territory, Australia) on Facebook, in 2020, a superb example of evidence-based writing.
Note that Jacinta Price:
◊ states her feelings plainly and strongly in the first paragraph
◊ provides a wealth of facts and examples to support her opinions, and
◊ in conclusion, reinforces the views outlined in the introduction.
Given we are continually being denigrated as a nation and bombarded by accusations of racism and bigotry, I felt it wasn’t only necessary to defend my home and the country I love but to also provide the overwhelming evidence that demonstrates these accusations are lies. If we can’t have pride in our own nation how are we expected to evolve successfully? If we keep telling a particular demographic they are victims of others of a certain skin colour we are effectively removing that demographic’s agency and that, to me, is completely un-Australian.
Here is a list of our nation’s achievements toward Aboriginal Australia and dare I say there’s very likely a whole lot that I have missed but we have to start somewhere right? Continue reading
– A Guest Post by Ofer Tirosh The new business is up and running, the website is up and running, and now it is time to expand and move into a more diverse market with a larger potential customer base. Should you find a professional translation company to hire certified and professional proofreaders or is someone who grew up in a bilingual or multilingual environment going to be sufficient to meet all of your translation and proofreading requirements? It may even be possible that you yourself would like to learn how to become a proofreader.
The new shop is finally open, and the neighborhood you have invested in has a large Hispanic population. This is a very common occurrence as Spanish is prevalent in many parts of the United States and is one of the most common languages globally. Advertising and marketing materials need to be adjusted accordingly so you want to find someone to translate into Spanish, all of the requisite materials. That kid from Spain working in the store can probably do all that right?
That new financial business is finally up and running online, advertising heavily in the Hong Kong markets, and that programmer from China speaks Chinese right? What could it possibly hurt to have friends, neighbors or others whose “extensive qualifications” extend no further than having grown up in a bilingual household, to provide cheap translating and proofreading services?
Some people will not trust translators with no work experience to translate such documents. Oddly however, these are also the people who will sometimes use basic machine translations and hire these unqualified translators and proofreaders to proofread all of the document translations. What could possibly go wrong? Besides everything?
In my last post, April 26, 2020, I recommended my colleague Leonie Bywater https://www.facebook.com/ProficiencyExamExpert for those of you who were enquiring about learning English online, particularly for learners wanting private lessons and /or tutoring for English exams.
For Elementary and Pre-intermediate level students who are interested in being part of an Online English Class, I’m excited to announce that the school at which I teach, Langports International English College, will be starting a New Online Course – Survival English next month. Check out the flyer below and click on the links for more information.
Hello Everyone! I’ve received enquiries recently about online lessons. Evidently, many of you have decided to pursue online lessons while you are spending more time at home.
Leonie Bywater
Online interactive lessons suit many language learners and if this style of learning suits you, you will benefit a great deal.
Alas, I cannot provide online lessons at the moment as I am working full-time at my school teaching, you guessed it – English online!
However, I can highly recommend Leonie Bywater, a colleague of mine. I worked with Leonie for over ten years. She is a fantastic English teacher and her students love her. She is highly qualified and experienced at teaching all levels from Elementary to TOEIC and IELTS to Cambridge. You can contact Leonie on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ProficiencyExamExpert or by email: leonie_b57@hotmail.com
Ω α Ω α Ω α Ω α Ω α Ω α Ω α Ω α Ω α Ω
Dua Lipa has a new song called PHYSICAL and she has made a Let’s Get Physical Work Out Video which is the perfect workout class for all of you who are stuck at home feeling bored. While you watch and follow the instructions, your English will improve. Here’s a challenge for you:
How long will it take you to sing along with Dua Lipa while doing the workout? One week? One month?
Click on the picture below to watch the YouTube video (and start your new fitness class!) The lyrics are listed under the video,
LYRICS:
Common love isn’t for us.
We created something phenomenal.
Don’t you agree?
Don’t you agree?
You got me feeling diamond rich.
Nothing on this planet compares to it.
Don’t you agree?
Don’t you agree?
Who needs to go to sleep, when I got you next to me?
Chorus
All night, I’ll riot with you.
I know you got my back and you know I got you.
So come on, come on, come on.
Let’s get physical.
Lights out and follow the noise.
Baby keep on dancing like you *ain’t got a choice. (*ain’t = don’t have)
So come on, come on, come on.
Let’s get physical.
I have found a heart-warming video to cheer you up in these uncertain times. It features artist Niki Daly who says inspiring things like, ‘Children have an imagination that transforms the ordinary into the extraordinary’.
The video is a short film produced by Green Renaissance. Who is Green Renaissance? “We are a tiny collective of 4 passionate filmmakers (Warren, Jacky, Michael and Justine). We live off-grid and dedicate our time to making films that we hope will inspire and share ideas.”
The subtitles provide excellent English.
First, read English Words that are often Confused #1, #2, & #3.
Today, I’m continuing with English Words that are often Confused: words starting with ‘E’. If you would like to receive all my future posts explaining confusing words, just click on ‘Follow’.
Confused?
Let’s have a look at some confusing words:
♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
♦ edible – adjective
♦ eatable – adjective
Avocado are edible and this one will remain eatable for perhaps two more days.
I always thought that avocados were vegetables. In Australia, they are served in salads, on toast, with seafood, and in dips like guacamole. I was surprised to hear my Brazilian students call them fruit! They eat them as a sweet and in drinks. They concluded that Australians were strange!
We all agree that avocados are edible: they can normally be eaten. (The stone in the centre is not edible. It is inedible.) However, that now decaying avocado you put in the fridge a month ago is not eatable! ‘Eatable’ refers to the condition of food.
♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
The International English Language Testing System, or IELTS, is a standardized test of the English language used to measure the proficiency of non-native speakers. Recognized by employers and universities all over the world, it remains one of the most popular and trusted tests for determining one’s overall ability to communicate in English.
There are four components to the exam – listening, speaking, reading and writing – and each individual will find that the difficulty of each section depends on their own skills and strengths.
While it is often said that the IELTS is difficult, preparing well can make it seem much less so. This article aims to offer you some fun and practical ideas to help you get ready for the exam. Because not everyone learns the same way, we have provided a variety of approaches to help you boost your vocabulary.
Dua Lipa – Don’t Start Now
Dua Lipa sings a song, Don’t Start Now, in which she tells an ex boyfriend very clearly that their relationship is finished and she is not interested in seeing him again. Her life is so much better without him. Her message to him is clear: If you don’t want to see me with another man, don’t look!
Click on the above picture for the official YouTube video. For the YouTube video with lyrics, click here.
Sentences starting with ‘If” are usually conditional sentences, and Dua Lipa is telling her ex what not to do in the future if he doesn’t want to see her with another man. Because she is referring to possible future situations, the sentence structure is First Conditional. Because she is warning him about possible future actions, she uses Imperatives:
Walk away!
Don’t show up;
Don’t come out;
Don’t start caring about me now.
Walk away;
› › › › › › › › ›
You may have studied First Conditional with WILL + Base Infinitive. If you would like to revise the rules for First Conditional with WILL, click here. Today, however, I’m focusing on First Conditional with Imperative Verbs.
If you don’t *wanna see me dancing with somebody; *want to
If you *wanna believe that anything could stop me,
Don’t show up;
Don’t come out;
Don’t start caring about me now;
Walk away; you know how;
Don’t start caring about me now.
Conditional Sentences are Complex Sentences, which means that they include at least one Dependent Clause (blue print) and at least one Independent Clause (green print). The chorus includes two Dependent Clauses and five Independent Clauses.
Imperatives
Don’t show up
Don’t come out
Don’t start
Walk away
Did a full one-eighty …
But look at where I ended up.
I’m all good already;
So moved on, it’s scary.
I’m not where you left me at all,
Don’t show up;
Don’t come out;
I’m better on the other side.
Walk away.
Can you work out the meanings of the above collocations? Look at what you can understand. She is telling someone: ‘Don’t … Don’t … Don’t … Don’t … I’m all good … I’m better …” When Collocations are idioms, you can often work out the meaning if you know the context.
♦ Did a full one-eighty …
To do a one-eighty (180°) is to change your thinking and/or actions completely: to think or do the opposite. The singer thinks about the way she was before and the way she is now – from heartbroken (maybe) to ‘all good’.
♦ But look at where I ended up.
To end up is to eventually finish, to end a situation. The singer was possibly heartbroken but at the end, she was ‘all good’. For more examples of ended up, click here.
I’m all good! I’ve moved on!
♦ I’m all good already
She is not just ‘good’; she is great, completely okay. Don’t worry! (‘Already’ means ‘sooner than expected’.)
♦ So moved on
To move on from a relationship means to accept that the relationship is over, finished, and to be ready for a new relationship, a new life.
♦ So … , it’s scary.
So + adjective/adverb, it’s scary, means that something (or someone) is so bad / wonderful / clever etc. that it is hard to believe. The singer has moved on and recovered so quickly and easily from the relationship that it is impressive and hard to believe – it’s scary.
♦ I’m not where you left me at all
Literally, where you left me, means the last place you saw me. However, here it means that she is not the sad, rejected person he said ‘goodbye’ to. She has moved on.
Don’t!
♦ Don’t show up
To show up means to arrive. For example, All the employees were expected at the Christmas party but fewer than half showed up.
♦ Don’t come out
Meaning: Don’t leave your house. Stay at home. If you don’t want to see me with another man, don’t leave your house!
♦ the other side
I’m better on the other side. Her life is better now after the end of the relationship. The experience has been like a journey and she has come through to the other side. She is no longer in the journey or experience. She is at a distance from it: the other side.
♦ Walk away.
To walk away from someone or something means to leave or abandon the person or situation. She tells him to walk away, leave her. She reminds him that he knows how to walk away because he had abandoned her more than once.
For more examples of walk away, click here.
Click here for a free idioms and phrases dictionary.
My book, which is a visual explanation of the 12 tenses, is available at www.amazon.com Check it out!
 | mhardy3222 on The Crocodile and The Monkey :… |
