Opinions matter

How to Write An Opinion Composition

Imagine you are given the following topic: Should police officers carry guns? Discuss.

POINTS TO CONSIDER BEFORE YOU START.

Make a draft copy and write down your ideas on the topic. When you are ready...

• Always write a/ the title

• Paragraph 1

 This is your introduction. After you have introduced the reader to the subject of the essay, you write a thesis statement. This is the last sentence of the first paragraph, and it should do two things

          Directly answer the essay question

          Tell the reader what your opinion is

• Paragraph 2

This is the first paragraph of the essay body. Use any of these at the beginning of this paragraph: first, first of all, in the first place, for one thing, to begin with.

Give a reason and a justification or an example.

• Paragraph 3

 This is the second paragraph of the essay body. Use any of these at the beginning of this paragraph: second, next, in addition, also, furthermore, more importantly, another key point is

 Give a reason and a justification or an example.

• Pargraph 4

At this point, you can add the opposite view point giving reasons why this should or could be considered too. On the other hand, however, nevertheless...

Give a reason and a justification or an example.

• Paragraph 5

 This is your conclusion. Use any of these at the beginning of this paragraph:

in conclusion,  to sum  up, all in all, all things considered

Restate your opinion using different words from those used in the introduction.

 

See example below

 

Should police officers carry guns?     Many communities have been debating whether or not police officers should carry guns. In some situations, guns protect the police officer as well as the public. However, guns often result in injuries and death. In my opinion, no police officer should ever carry a gun.       First of all, guns cause more harm than good. There are often stories in the newspaper about people who are accidentally shot. Moreover, many of these stories involve police officers. If guns were not involved, these accidents would not happen.       On the other hand, there are very few stories about how a gun has saved somebody's life. In addition to the previous point, in most cases police officers do not  need guns. My uncle, for example, has been a police officer for over 20 years, and he has never had to use his gun. In fact, he says that most people who break the law are unarmed. Thus, it is often unnecessary for police officers to carry guns.       In conclusion, I do not think that police officers need to carry a gun with them in order to do their job well. I am sure we would all live in a safer and happier world without guns of any type .

HAPPY WEEKEND!

Listening on EDUCATION

HI THERE! 
TODAY I AM GIVING YOU THREE POSTS (3)

• This one on LISTENING. 
• Next one is the powerpoint presentation seen in class and further practice on LET,  BE ALLOWED, MAKE . 
• And below there is a guideline for an OPINION COMPOSITION.

___________________________________________________________________________

Visit the following link to practice your listening skill a bit further:

• B1 LEVEL
• Try this a bit more difficult one: B2 LEVEL

KEEP WORKING. GO TO THE PREVIOUS POST below. 

British Education

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 These days we have started the topic of Education.
 Watch the ppt presentation again.

Could you explain  in similar words what the Spanish Education is like?

British education. from Montse

PRACTICE the new grammar. Visit the link:

MAKE/  LET /  BE ALLOWED to...

KEEP WORKING.GO TO THE PREVIOUS POST. See below !

Reading & Listening Practice

READING

Complete the text using the words given in the box. There are FOUR EXTRA words you don’t need to use.

Another     advice    benefits      cause      harmony       illness      in       insurance      on       other     patients    prescribing         proved        reason      recommends      surgery       therapies      treatment

Pros and Cons of Alternative Medicine
There are numerous_____0______ of using alternative medicine, but as it goes for most things in life, there are also some key factors to take into serious consideration. Just like any other conventional treatment, alternative ___1___may also have their side effects, drawbacks, as well as a few other significant aspects to keep in mind. Listed below are the most important pros and cons of alternative medicine that you should be aware of, before undertaking any new___2___

Pros

Alternative medicine is based ___3__the use of natural and herbal remedies and on the principle that health can be restored by bringing our body’s energy back into balance and ___4___.

•Body and mind. Alternative therapists focus on treating the whole person, and not just the symptoms of a disease or___5___. They believe that mind and body are closely connected and that patient’s emotional and spiritual health is of extreme importance when starting a physical cure. They encourage people to lead a healthy life and concentrate on what has actually caused the disease and led to imbalance.

•Stress. Stress in an important ___6___of many health problems and it considerably weakens the immune system. Conventional medicine doesn’t take it much into account when ____7____treatments, while most alternative therapies are instead based on reducing stress and emotional tension, in order to combat illnesses.

•Prevention. Another great pro of alternative medicine is that it considers prevention as one of the major prerequisites of good health. It teaches ____8____to focus on preventing illnesses before they occur and encourages them to take constant care of their body and mind.Contrary to conventional medicine that intervenes only when an illness has developed, alternative medicine uses a preventive and holistic approach and ____9____a responsible lifestyle.

•Chemicals and toxins. Contrary to conventional medicine, alternative medicine treats patients without overloading them with chemical medications, which usually lead to a buildup of toxins in the human body.
Cons
Before starting any alternative therapy, you should also take into consideration all of its pros. But we should also consider the drawbacks.
•Limited scientific research. Many forms of alternative medicine have not yet been scientifically ____10____and there are many questions that have not yet been answered. However, there are several studies currently under way, examining the efficacy and safety of certain therapies.
•Government approval. Most alternative medicine methods are not approved by any governing body and there aren’t any health ___11___companies that provide coverage for them.
•Long-term treatments. Conventional medicine treatments have relatively immediate effects, while alternative medicine therapies require a longer time to heal a problem. Alternative medicine is focused on treating the cause and eliminating the problem at its source, and thereby needs more time and cannot cure instantly.

•Emergency cases. Alternative medicine cannot intervene in emergency cases, such as car accidents or other circumstances that require immediate pain relief and instant action or ___12___.
•Effectiveness. Some people do not react at all to certain alternative therapies. A healing method that can be useful for one person isn’t necessarily effective for___13____.

0   benefits
1	2	3	4	5	6
7	8	9	10	11	12
13	SOURCE:http://youqueen.com/life/health/pros-and-cons-of-alternative-medicine/

LISTENING

Lucinda talks about using natural remedies to maintain health.

Answer the following questions about the interview.(CLICK!)

1) What does Lucinda say about her family?
a) Her aunt is  path-finder.
b) Her aunt is a homeopath.
 c) Her aunt is a doctor.

2) What does she say about Echinacea?
a) It is a rare treatment.
 b) It is a plant.
c) It gives you a boost.
3) What does she say about Western medicine?

a) She is allergic to it.

 b) She would use it if she needs it.

c) She only will take natural medicine.

4) What does she say about natural medicine?

 a) Doctors dont't like it.

b) You can get it at Starbuck's.

 c) People are against it.

Source: ello

Did you find that too difficult? LISTEN NOW to this other piece...

ANSWERS IN CLASS!!!

Have a nice weekend :-)

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