Argument Agreement and Disagreement Agree or Disagree with the Idea Not the Person A.

How to Agree Strongly with an Opinion. 1. I couldn't agree more! 2. That's absolutely true! 3. Absolutely! 4. I agree with your point. 5. I'd go along with your point. 6. I'm with you on that point. 7. That's just what I was thinking. 8. That's exactly what I think. 9. That's a good point. 10. That's just how I see it. 11. That's exactly my opinion. B. How to Half Agree with an Opinion. 1. Yes, perhaps, however ... 2. Well, yes, but ... 3. Yes, in a way, however ... 4. Hmm, possibly, but ... 5. Yes, I agree up to a point, however ... 6. Well, you have a point there, but ... 7. There's something there, I suppose, however ... 8. I guess your idea could be right, but ... 9. Yes, I suppose so, however ... 10. That's worth thinking about, but ...

C. How to Disagree Politely with an Opinion. D. How to Disagree Strongly with an Opinion. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. I am not so sure. Do you think so? Well, it depends. I'm not so certain. Well, I don't know. Well, I'm not so sure about that. Hmm, I'm not sure your idea is right. I'm inclined to disagree with that idea. No, I don't think so. 1. I disagree. 2. I disagree with your idea. 3. I'm afraid I don't agree. 4. I'm afraid your idea is wrong. 5. I can't agree with your idea. 6. I couldn't accept that idea for a minute. 7. You can't actually mean that. 8. I wouldn't go along with your idea there. 9. You can't be serious about that point. 10. You must be joking. 11. It's possible you are mistaken about that.

You need to be very polite when disagreeing with someone in English, even someone you know quite well. With someone you know very well, you can disagree more directly.

Debate Advice and Suggestions Advice on Debating with Others

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Avoid the use ofNever. Avoid the use ofAlways. Refrain from sayingyou are wrong. You can say your idea is mistaken. Don't disagree withobvious truths.

12. Quote sources and numbers. 13. If it is just an opinion,admit it. 14. Do not present opinion as facts. 15. Smile when disagreeing. 16. Stress the positive.

17. You do not need to winevery battle to 6. Attack the idea not the person. 7. Use many rather thanmost. 8. Avoid exaggeration. 9. Use some rather thanmany. 10. The use of oftenallows for exceptions. 11. The

win the war. 18. Concede minor or trivial points. 19. Avoid bickering, quarreling, and wrangling. 20. Watch your tone of voice. 21. Don't win a debate andlose a friend.
22. Keep

use exceptions.

of generallyallows

for your just debating. perspective You're

You need to be very polite when disagreeing with someone in English, even someone you know quite well. With someone you know very well, you can disagree more directly.

Students Should have a Part-time Job -- Debate 2 Arguments in Favor: 1. It is good for students to have part-time jobs because this helps cultivate independence among young people. 2. Part-time jobs in business can foster a sense of competition, which is important for students in the future. 3. After-school work enhances a young person's social development. 4. Being able to earn their own money gives students a feeling that they've become adults and, therefore, makes them feel more mature. 5. Part-time jobs make students more confident in themselves. Through the work they can realize their own value and prove that they are capable people. 6. Part-time jobs experience gives students an insight into what work is about and prepares them psychologically for their future jobs. 7. After-school work teaches students how hard it is to earn money and helps develop thriftiness in our younger generation. 8. Part-time jobs can help students apply their knowledge in practice. And, in return, their experience will make them know better what they have learned in classes and books. 9. Part-time jobs give students a feeling of achievement through contributing to the national construction and economy. 10. Part-time jobs can make the students' lives more colorful and is good for their personal development. 11. Students who have part-time jobs can relieve, to some extent, the economic burdens of their parents. 12. With the money earned, students can buy many books they like. 13. Because they earn money, students can pay for their education and thus will value their education even more. 14. Part time work helps the economy by providing additional inexpensive labor.

15. Part time labor helps the employer by providing labor at peak workloads without the costs of the labor when the workload goes down. 16. Students, part-time jobs contribute a lot, in one way or another, to our socialist construction. Students Should have a Part-time Job -- Debate 2 Arguments Against: 1. It's not good for students to do part-time jobs because they will become moneyoriented. 2. Many students who have part-time jobs have shown a decline in their studies. 3. Part-time jobs do not help develop a sense of thriftiness among young people. Because many students spend the money on high-priced items, luxuries that their parents can hardly afford. 4. Part-time jobs often distract the students' attention away from their studies, and some students even play truant. 5. The main task of students is to study hard and learn what is needed for the development of our nation. Social experience can be gained later after they finish their studies. 6. Students are in their formative years. Part-time jobs may expose them to social ills at an age when they cannot differentiate the good from the bad. 7. Some students become juvenile delinquents because they come under the influence of bad people through part-time jobs. 8. Students who have part-time jobs may relieve their parents' economic burdens. But their early contact with society adds greatly to the worries of their parents. 9. Though some after-school work can help students to practice what they learn in classes, many jobs require nothing of the students' knowledge. 10. Some students have become dropouts because through part-time jobs they've found that the more education you have, the less money you make. 11. After the chaotic 10-year-long Cultural Revolution, China now has a shortage of 60 million engineers. The problem of dropouts only makes the situation worse. 12. Because of the low cost of part time workers, employers are tempted to employ only part time and not employ full time workers. 13. Part time workers are not given vacations, sick pay, and health care. 14. Most part time jobs are very menial and do not lead to meaningful full time jobs.

Smoking Should Prohibited -- Debate 4 Arguments in Favor:

1. Smoking should be prohibited. People who smoke smell bad to nonsmokers. The World Health Organization points out that diseases linked to smoking kill at least three million people each year, one every six seconds. 2. Scientific research has shown that the risk of developing lung cancer increases with smoking. The number of cigarettes smoked per day and the duration of the smoking habit increase your chances. It diminishes with the cessation of smoking. 3. Smoking is not only harmful to the smoker but also results in the deaths of non-smokers. Statistics show that passive smoking is causing 3000 to 5000 lung cancer deaths a year among American non-smokers. 4. Smoking not only leads to lung cancer, but also many other diseases. This includes heart attacks, sore throats, headaches, chronic bronchitis, pulmonary emphysema, etc. 5. An American scientist estimated that smokers who average a package a day for 20 years would lose about eight years of their lives. 6. Smoking makes the indoor environment far more polluted than the outdoor environment. 7. Pregnant women who smoke run the risk of having deformed babies. When the mother smokes so does the baby. 8. Smoking is an expensive habit, for a smoker who consumes a package a day will spend much money every month. 9. Smoking has a bad impact on the psyche of the smokers. On the one hand, smokers realize the bad effects of smoking and are persuaded from time to time to stop. On the other hand, many of them can hardly resist the temptation to smoke. Thus, they often lose confidence in themselves. 10. Children exposed to parental cigarette smoking are put at a higher risk of developing lung cancer later in their lives. 11. In the countryside, some smokers share the same pipe, which is even more unhealthier. 12.Smoking not only pollutes the air but also makes the streets dirty. Some smokers flick ash off their cigarettes and throw cigarette butts everywhere. 13. Smoking speeds up the process of aging and helps cause wrinkles on people's faces. 14. Smokers cause many fires that kill people and destroy property. 15. Each cigarette smoked costs smokers six minutes of their life.

Smoking Should Prohibited -- Debate 4 Arguments Against: 1. Smoking should not be prohibited, for cigarettes give many people a good deal of pleasure much of the time. 2. Nicotine can produce a tranquilizing effect during high emotions and shock situations, and therefore, helps to calm people down. 3. Smoking counteracts the decrease in efficiency that typically occurs in boring, monotonous situations. 4. Smokers can improve their performance in complex situations while smoking. 5. Smokers help increase the revenue of our country. 6. Smoking kills no more people than epidemics or traffic accidents. 7. Most nonsmokers spend much money on snacks, a habit costing as much as smoking if not more

8. Many young women admire handsome boys with a cigarette on their lip. 9. Young women who smoke appear cool and capable. 10. If we eliminated smoking, many people in the tobacco industry will be out of jobs, and that will create many social problems. 11. Smoking may not always lead to death, Winston Churchill was a chain-smoker but he enjoyed a long life. 12. Facts have shown that if a chain-smoker suddenly quits smoking, He's more likely to have lung-cancer than those who keep the habit. 13. Everybody has the right to keep his or her habits. Smokers are no exception. 14. Many smokers live to a very old age. 15. Many non-smokers die an early death. 16. The government should not restrict the rights of an individual to seek pleasure that does not hurt anyone. 17. Tobacco has not been proven to be harmful to health. 18. Tobacco and smoking is a harmless pleasure enjoyed by many for many years. 19. Many older people derive great pleasure for a smoke now and then.

http://www.paulnoll.com/Books/Clear-English/English-debate.html