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Useful Expressions and Thinking Skills for the Elective Modules on Social Issues and Debating

The following are the basic thinking and debating skills and useful expressions for analysing social issues and presenting debating speeches. English teachers

should exercise their discretion as to what to cover based on students language abilities and needs.

Thinking skills for writingand debating

elated language features fordifferent purposes

Useful expressions

!. Identif" and group

si#ilar or different

ideas under #eaningful

categories

Exa#ples$

Pros Vs cons

Positive side Vs

negative side

Advantages Vs

disadvantages

Facilitating and

hindering factors

Evidence (e.g. facts and

figures

Exa!ples (e.g.

experience" people"

Use of connectives% se&uence

words and cohesive devices to

show how ideas are organi'ed

#rouping different ideas

$howing the contrast ofideas

#rouping si!ilar ideas

#iving evidence

#iving exa!ples

#iving analogies

Firstly, secondly, then, finally

However, but, yet, conversely, in contrast with, on the other hand, on the

contrary

Similarly, in a similar way, the same goes for, in like manner

According to, based on, the figures show that

For example, for instance, such as

...is like,can be compared to

%anguage %earning $upport $ection &orkshop on 'nterschool )ollaborative Planning of *on+seful expressions and thinking skills for %anguage Arts Electives in the *$$ English %anguage )urriculu!elective !odules on social issues and debating ,- anuary ,//0

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events and precedents

for explaining an idea

(. Identif" causal

relationships in

ideas

Exa#ples$

Action and

conse2uences

)auses and

conse2uences

)auses and i!pacts

Use of verbs% nouns% adverbs%

adverb clauses ) phrases of

result and reason%prepositional phrases and

conditional sentences

#iving causes

$howing effects and

i!pacts

Expressions for describing causes

3stems from ..

is caused by is resulting from

can be attributed to

can be accounted for by

the most likely causes of are

is an important factor

..one of the main causes is

a contributing factor is that

the root of ... is

may cause

Expressions for describing effects and conse2uences

can lead to

can result in

can give rise to

can bring about

the most likely effects of are

is a result conse!uence of

can have a serious effect impact influence on .

as a result of

%anguage %earning $upport $ection &orkshop on 'nterschool )ollaborative Planning of *on+seful expressions and thinking skills for %anguage Arts Electives in the *$$ English %anguage )urriculu!elective !odules on social issues and debating ,- anuary ,//0

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Expressing reasons forcauses and conse2uences

"onse!uently

As a result conse!uence

so that

the first and second conditional sentences #e.g. if we eat poisonous food, we may

get sick.$

Expressions for giving reasons as elaboration %wing to

&ue to

because of

because as since

'he reason why is that

't explains why3

*. Distinguish between

facts and opinions andbetween facts and #"ths

Exa#ples$

+ fact , a thing that is

known to be true or can

be proved

+ #"th , so!ething

that !any people

believe but that does

not exist or is false

Use of for#ulaic expressions

and reporting verbs withdifferent connotations

Expressing facts

Expressing statistical data

Expressing !yths

(t is a fact that

(t is true to say that

(t shows an increase decrease of,analysed by sex age,the percentage

of...wasis..., the percentage of has dropped slightly drastically,compared

with , display similar different patterns

(t is only a myth that, many people believe that

%anguage %earning $upport $ection &orkshop on 'nterschool )ollaborative Planning of *on+seful expressions and thinking skills for %anguage Arts Electives in the *$$ English %anguage )urriculu!elective !odules on social issues and debating ,- anuary ,//0

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+n opinion your

feelings or thoughts

about so!ebody or

so!ething

+ fantas" , one5s

i!agination

Expressing opinions

Pointing out invalid

state!ents 6 clai!s

)eporting verbs toshow the extent of agreement

Neutral connotations #e.g. say, show, announce, report, state, describe, etc.$

* Positive connotations#e.g. agree, recommend, assert, etc.$

* Negative connotations#e.g. disagree, argue, ob+ect, complain, etc.$

(t is incorrect ridiculous wrong invalid un+ustified fallacious to say

-. Use different

perspectives to

express ideas and

opinions

Exa#ples$

Different parties , Parents"

teachers" principals" students"

the govern!ent" etc.

Different aspects ,

resources (e.g. ti!e" !oney"

hu!an resources" etc. and

views (e.g. historical"

econo!ic" political aspects"

etc.

Use of for#ulaic expressions

and phrases

Expressing personal points

of view

Expressing different

parties5 points of view

Expressing different

perspectives

(n my opinion, ( think, ( consider, ( believe, on a personal level

From parents the -overnments citiens point of view

'hey think believe

'hey hold the view that.

A different view is held by

in terms of human financial resources

looking atin monetary terms

if we view the issue from a historical political social economic

perspective

at a micro macro level

%anguage %earning $upport $ection &orkshop on 'nterschool )ollaborative Planning of *on+seful expressions and thinking skills for %anguage Arts Electives in the *$$ English %anguage )urriculu!elective !odules on social issues and debating ,- anuary ,//0

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