Expressing Opinions

1.     Expressing Opinions: These terms are used to introduce an

opinion, either for or against:

I think……

I feel……..

I believe…….

As I see it……..

In my opinion…….

As far as I'm concerned……

My point of view is that…….

In my view……..

It seems to me that……..

I figure that…….

From my point of view…….

2.     Agreeing with an Opinion:

My view about this is positive.

I agree with this idea.

I agree completely with this idea.

I agree partially with this idea.

This idea is absolutely right.

This idea is partially right.

I couldn't agree more on this.

I think this idea is good.

3.     Disagreeing with an Opinion:

I think this idea is impossible/impractical/bad.

I think this idea is possible, but……

I think this idea cannot be implemented.

I don't agree with this idea.

I think it is a bad idea.

I'm not sure that I agree with this idea.

The project is feasible, but…….

(The Division of English for Science and Technology,

Chulalongkorn University Language Institute)

.

Source. http://pioneer.chula.ac.th/~pkanchan/html/opinion.htm

Use of Be used to

The be used to expression is for talking about something that is familiar to us or easy for us. For example:

• I am used to driving on the left.

It means that it is not a problem for me to drive on the left of the road. I am Japanese. In Japan, people drive on the left. Now I am living in the USA where people drive on the right. Of course, I drive on the right in the USA, but when I go to Japan it is easy for me to drive on the left because "I am used to it".

Look at these examples.

• I am used to hard work.
• I am used to working hard.
• He is not used to New York.
• He isn't used to living in New York.
• Are you used to fast food?
• Are you used to eating quickly?

Tenses

We can use be used to in any tense. We just conjugate the verb be in the tense that we need. Look at these examples:

• When we lived in Bangkok, we were used to hot weather.
• I have been used to snakes for a long time.
• You will soon be used to living alone.

Source. http://www.englishclub.com/grammar/verbs-m_used-be-used-to.htm

Coordinating Conjunctions

The simple, little conjunctions are called coordinating conjunctions

(It may help you remember these conjunctions by recalling that they all have fewer than four letters. Also, remember the acronym FANBOYS:For-And-Nor-But-Or-Yet-So. Be careful of the words then and now; neither is a coordinating conjunction, so what we say about coordinating conjunctions' roles in a sentence and punctuation does not apply to those two words.)

When a coordinating conjunction connects two independent clauses, it is often (but not always) accompanied by a comma:

• Ulysses wants to play for UConn, but he has had trouble meeting the academic requirements.

When the two independent clauses connected by a coordinating conjunction are nicely balanced or brief, many writers will omit the comma:

• Ulysses has a great jump shot but he isn't quick on his feet.

The comma is always correct when used to separate two independent clauses connected by a coordinating conjunction. See Punctuation Between Two Independent Clauses for further help.

A comma is also correct when and is used to attach the last item of a serial list, although many writers (especially in newspapers) will omit that final comma:

• Ulysses spent his summer studying basic math, writing, and reading comprehension.

When a coordinating conjunction is used to connect all the elements in a series, a comma is not used:

• Presbyterians and Methodists and Baptists are the prevalent Protestant congregations in Oklahoma.

A comma is also used with but when expressing a contrast:

• This is a useful rule, but difficult to remember.

In most of their other roles as joiners (other than joining independent clauses, that is), coordinating conjunctions can join two sentence elements without the help of a comma.

• Hemingway and Fitzgerald are among the American expatriates of the between-the-wars era.
• Hemingway was renowned for his clear style and his insights into American notions of male identity.
• It is hard to say whether Hemingway or Fitzgerald is the more interesting cultural icon of his day.
• Although Hemingway is sometimes disparaged for his unpleasant portrayal of women and for his glorification of machismo, we nonetheless find some sympathetic, even heroic, female figures in his novels 

Among the coordinating conjunctions, the most common, of course, are and, but, and or. It might be helpful to explore the uses of these three little words. The examples below by no means exhaust the possible meanings of these conjunctions.

AND

1. To suggest that one idea is chronologically sequential to another: "Tashonda sent in her applications and waited by the phone for a response."
2. To suggest that one idea is the result of another: "Willie heard the weather report and promptly boarded up his house."
3. To suggest that one idea is in contrast to another (frequently replaced by but in this usage): "Juanita is brilliant and Shalimar has a pleasant personality.
4. To suggest an element of surprise (sometimes replaced by yet in this usage): "Hartford is a rich city and suffers from many symptoms of urban blight."
5. To suggest that one clause is dependent upon another, conditionally (usually the first clause is an imperative): "Use your credit cards frequently and you'll soon find yourself deep in debt."
6. To suggest a kind of "comment" on the first clause: "Charlie became addicted to gambling — and that surprised no one who knew him."

BUT

1. To suggest a contrast that is unexpected in light of the first clause: "Joey lost a fortune in the stock market, but he still seems able to live quite comfortably."
2. To suggest in an affirmative sense what the first part of the sentence implied in a negative way (sometimes replaced by on the contrary): "The club never invested foolishly, but used the services of a sage investment counselor."
3. To connect two ideas with the meaning of "with the exception of" (and then the second word takes over as subject): "Everybody butGoldenbreath is trying out for the team."

OR

1. To suggest that only one possibility can be realized, excluding one or the other: "You can study hard for this exam or you can fail."
2. To suggest the inclusive combination of alternatives: "We can broil chicken on the grill tonight, or we can just eat leftovers.
3. To suggest a refinement of the first clause: "Smith College is the premier all-women's college in the country, or so it seems to most Smith College alumnae."
4. To suggest a restatement or "correction" of the first part of the sentence: "There are no rattlesnakes in this canyon, or so our guide tells us."
5. To suggest a negative condition: "The New Hampshire state motto is the rather grim "Live free or die."
6. To suggest a negative alternative without the use of an imperative (see use of and above): "They must approve his political styleor they wouldn't keep electing him mayor."

Authority used for this section on the uses of and, but, and or: A University Grammar of English by Randolph Quirk and Sidney Greenbaum. Longman Group: Essex, England. 1993. Used with permission. Examples our own.

The Others . . .

The conjunction NOR is not extinct, but it is not used nearly as often as the other conjunctions, so it might feel a bit odd when nor does come up in conversation or writing. Its most common use is as the little brother in the correlative pair, neither-nor (see below):

• He is neither sane nor brilliant.
• That is neither what I said nor what I meant.

>It can be used with other negative expressions:

• That is not what I meant to say, nor should you interpret my statement as an admission of guilt.

It is possible to use nor without a preceding negative element, but it is unusual and, to an extent, rather stuffy:

• George's handshake is as good as any written contract, nor has he ever proven untrustworthy.

The word YET functions sometimes as an adverb and has several meanings: in addition ("yet another cause of trouble" or "a simple yet noble woman"), even ("yet more expensive"), still ("he is yet a novice"), eventually ("they may yet win"), and so soon as now ("he's not here yet"). It also functions as a coordinating conjunction meaning something like "nevertheless" or "but." The word yet seems to carry an element of distinctiveness thatbut can seldom register.

• John plays basketball well, yet his favorite sport is badminton.
• The visitors complained loudly about the heat, yet they continued to play golf every day.

In sentences such as the second one, above, the pronoun subject of the second clause ("they," in this case) is often left out. When that happens, the comma preceding the conjunction might also disappear: "The visitors complained loudly yet continued to play golf every day."

Yet is sometimes combined with other conjunctions, but or and. It would not be unusual to see and yet in sentences like the ones above. This usage is acceptable.

The word FOR is most often used as a preposition, of course, but it does serve, on rare occasions, as a coordinating conjunction. Some people regard the conjunction for as rather highfalutin and literary, and it does tend to add a bit of weightiness to the text. Beginning a sentence with the conjunction "for" is probably not a good idea, except when you're singing "For he's a jolly good fellow. "For" has serious sequential implications and in its use the order of thoughts is more important than it is, say, with because or since. Its function is to introduce the reason for the preceding clause:

• John thought he had a good chance to get the job, for his father was on the company's board of trustees.
• Most of the visitors were happy just sitting around in the shade, for it had been a long, dusty journey on the train.

Be careful of the conjunction SO. Sometimes it can connect two independent clauses along with a comma, but sometimes it can't. For instance, in this sentence,

• Soto is not the only Olympic athlete in his family, so are his brother, sister, and his Uncle Chet.

where the word so means "as well" or "in addition," most careful writers would use a semicolon between the two independent clauses. In the following sentence, where so is acting like a minor-league "therefore," the conjunction and the comma are adequate to the task:

• Soto has always been nervous in large gatherings, so it is no surprise that he avoids crowds of his adoring fans.

Sometimes, at the beginning of a sentence, so will act as a kind of summing up device or transition, and when it does, it is often set off from the rest of the sentence with a comma:

• So, the sheriff peremptorily removed the child from the custody of his parents.

Source. http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/conjunctions.htm

Argument in English /Argumen dalam bahasa Inggris FOR 

         CLASS XI IPS ENGLISH

Argument in English

(Source: Sudarwati. Look Ahead.Jakarta: Erlangga)

Example:

The Importance of English Language (Title)

I personally think that English is the world’s most important language. Why do I say that? (Thesis)

Firstly, English is an international language. It is spoken by many people all over the world, either as a first or second language. (First of argument)

Secondly, English is also the key which opens doors to scientific and technical knowledge, which is needed for the economic and political development of many countries in the world. (Second of argument)

Thirdly, English is a top requirement of those seeking jobs. Applicants who master either active or passive English are more favorable than those who don’t. (Third argument)

From the fact above, it is obvious everybody needs to learn English to greet the global era.

(Adapted from: Student Book For SMA, Balai Pustaka)

Every paragraph needs a topic sentence. It usually put in the first sentences of the paragraph. It gives the reader an idea of what the paragraph is going to be about. The supporting sentences need to be about the idea presented in the topic sentence.

What is topic sentences?

A topic sentence states the main point of a paragraph: it serves as a mini-thesis for the paragraph.

Does a topic sentence have to be at the beginning of the a paragraph?

No, though this is usually the most logical place for it. Sometimes a transitional sentence or two will come before a topic sentence.

What is a topic sentence’s function?

It controls the content of the paragraph.

IN INDONESIAN (with google translate English-indonesian)

Argumen dalam bahasa Inggris

(Sumber:. Sudarwati Lihat Ahead.Jakarta: Erlangga)

contoh:

Pentingnya Bahasa Inggris (Judul)

Saya pribadi berpikir bahwa bahasa Inggris adalah bahasa dunia yang paling penting. Mengapa saya berkata begitu? (Tesis)

Pertama, bahasa Inggris adalah bahasa internasional. Hal inidiucapkan oleh banyak orang di seluruh dunia, baik sebagaibahasa pertama atau kedua. (Pertama-argumen)

Kedua, bahasa Inggris juga merupakan kunci yang membuka pintu untuk pengetahuan ilmiah dan teknis, yang diperlukan untukpembangunan ekonomi dan politik dari banyak negara di dunia.(Kedua argumen)
Ketiga, bahasa Inggris merupakan persyaratan atas mereka yang mencari pekerjaan. Pelamar yang menguasai bahasa Inggris baikaktif atau pasif lebih menguntungkan daripada mereka yang tidak.(Argumen Ketiga)

Dari fakta di atas, semua orang jelas perlu belajar bahasa Inggrisuntuk menyambut era global.

(Diadaptasi dari: Student Buku Untuk SMA, Balai Pustaka)

Setiap paragraf membutuhkan kalimat topik. Biasanya dimasukkan ke dalam kalimat pertama paragraf. Ini memberi pembacagambaran tentang apa ayat ini akan menjadi sekitar. Kalimatpendukung perlu tentang ide disajikan dalam kalimat topik.

Apakah kalimat topik?

Sebuah kalimat topik menyatakan titik utama paragraf: berfungsi sebagai tesis mini untuk paragraf.

Apakah kalimat topik harus berada di awal paragraf?

Tidak, meskipun ini biasanya tempat yang paling logis untuk itu.Kadang-kadang kalimat transisi atau dua akan datang sebelumkalimat topik.

Apa fungsi kalimat topik itu?

Dia mengontrol isi paragraf

Expressing Agreement & Disagreement

A.    AGREEMENT (kesetujuan)

·         I agree (saya setuju)

·         I am with you (saya sependapat dengan anda)

·         I think so (saya kira begitu)

·         It certainly is (saya kira juga)

·         That is what I was thinking (itulah yang saya pikirkan/pkirannya saya juga begitu)

·         I am of the same opinion (pendapat saya sama)

B.    DISAGREEMENT (ketidak setujuan)

·         I disagree (saya tidak setuju)

·         I am not with you (saya tidak sependapat)

·         I can agree with (saya tidak dapat menyetujui pendapat anda)

·         I can’t be along with you (saya tidak sepaham)

·         I wouldn’t say that (saya tidak bias mengatakan begitu)

·         I don’t think so (saya kira bukan begitu)

C.    UNGKAPAN LAIN UNTUK DISAGREEMENT:

Disamping ungkapan-ungkapan diatas, dapat juga seperti:

·         I don’t entirely agree with …….

·         I see what you mean, but ……

·         I agree, but ……

·         Yes, but on the other hand ……

·         Yes, but don’t you think …..

Source. http://nurinuryani.wordpress.com/expressions/expressions-ii/agreement-disagreement/

GIVING COMPLAIMENT

Everyone likes to hear compliments. Compliments make people feel good about themselves, and we all need that at times. Hotel guests and staff are no exceptions. Guests may give hotel staff compliments for the quality of their service, for their English ability, for their appearance in an unique uniform, or for doing something a little extra for the guest.

A hotel staff may give a guest a compliment about how they look in a newly purchased outfit, or for their patience when a problem arises, or for a beautiful new hair style after visiting a beauty parlor. Look at the expressions below that can be used when giving and responding to compliments.

Expression Of Giving Compaliment

Giving Complaiments

—That’s a very nice …(dress).

—Great job on the …(presentation).

—You look very good in … (that new hair-do).

—This dish is delicious, my compliments to the chef.

—That … (tie) looks great on you.

—

Responses to compliments

—How kind of you to say so.

—Thank you.

—I’m glad you like it.

—It was nothing really. (an expression of modesty and humility)

Learn the expressions used for giving compliments to others. Practice by saying them loudly.

—Your performance on the stage is amazing.

—How wonderful to listen to  your  great voice.

—How mar vellous .

—Great ! (You look great) / Great for  you.

—Terrific ! (Hey, that’s terrific !)

—Fantastic!

—Smashing.

—That’s really remarkable /well  done.

—

Now, learn the expressions  use for responding to compliments.

—It’s very kind of you to say so.

—Thank you.

—I can say how pleased (delighted) I am.

—I’m delighted  to hear  that.

—Thank for your compliment.

Dialogue

Staff: What a beautiful dress, Mrs. Elliot.

Guest: Thanks, I’m glad you like it.

Staff: Your new hair-do looks absolutely gorgeous, Mrs. Simpson.

Guest: How kind of you to say so.

Guest: My compliments to the chef. This linguine is superb.

Staff: Thank you ma’am. I’ll be sure to let the chef know.

Guest: Your English is very good.

Staff: Thank you very much.

Staff: Excellent game Mr. Johnson. You really gave me a workout.

Guest: Thanks, I guess all those private lessons are finally paying off.

Guest: I really appreciate all the extra work you did on helping us solve that problem. It truly went above and beyond. My compliments to your work ethic.

Staff: Thank you sir, how kind of you to say so.

Source. http://inilahblogsaya.wordpress.com/2011/04/09/materi-bargaining-and-giving-responding-complaiment/

Expressing Certainty- Uncertainty

A. Ask for Certainty
     Untuk menanyakan kepastian, kita dapat menggunakan ekspresi-ekspresi berikut ini:

• 1. Are you sure?
• 2. Are you sure about it?
• 3. Are you certain about it?
• 4. Are you positive about it?
• 5. Is that definite

B. Expressing Certainty 
     Untuk menyampaikan kepastian, kita dapat menggunakan ekspresi-ekspresi

     berikut ini:

• Yes, I am certain.
• Of, course.
• I'm positive.
• She must be excellent at mechanics.
• I'm absolutely sure.
• It's certain that she is a good mechanic.
• I'm sure about it.
• I'm quite sure that he told the truth.
• I'm absolutely sure about the news.
• I'm no doubt about it.
• I'm absolutely certain that he told the truth.
• I'm sure/certain about .....
• I've no doubt about.....

C. Expressing Uncertainty 
     Untuk menyampaikan ketidakpastian atau keraguan kita dapat menggunakan  ekspresi-ekspresi berikut:

• Sorry, I'm not sure about it.
• I'm not really sure that  he told the truth.
• I'm not really sure about it.
• I'm not too sure about ....
• I don't know for sure.
• I'm not completely sure that ...
• I'm not a hundred percent sure.
• I  don't know yet.
• Not as far as I know.
• I doubt it.
• I couldn't say ....
• There's some doubt in my mind that ....
• I'm afraid I can't be certain about ....
• I'm not convinced about ....
• There's surely some doubt about ....

D. Responding to Uncertainty 
     Untuk menanggapi keraguan, kita dapat menggunakan ekspresi-ekspresi berikut ini:

• I'm a hundred percent certain ....
• You can be sure about ....
• I've no doubt about.....
• It's quite certain ....
• I don't think there can be any doubt about ....
• I'm fairly sure ....
• Everything will be fine.
• It's all going to be okay.
• Don't be worried too much. Next time will be better.

Conjunction : not only ... but also

Pay attention to these sentences.
1.   a. Mr. Ryan is diligent.
      b. He is clever.
     =   Mr. Ryan is not only diligent but also clever.

2.   a. I like burger.
      b. I like pizza.
     =   I like not only burger but also pizza.

Look at the examples. Then do the exercises.

• In Prambanan Temple you will not only see the Ramayana performance but alsoenjoy the full moonlight.

MAKING A DIALOGUE USING THE EXPRESSION OF CERTAINTY AND UNCERTAINTY

SMOKERS

This morning, there are two people in meeting room. They are talking.

Marnih    : “Hi, good morning”

Weldian  : “Good morning, how are you today ?”

Marnih    : “I’m fine. The air in this room will feel fresh, if you smoke here.”

Weldian  : “Of course, because smoking is very nice. If we smoke, we can fell

                 comfortable and quiet”

Marnih    : “Sure, I agree with your opinion”

Weldian  : “Thanks”

Marnih    : “But, I have some problems here”

Weldian  : “What ?”

Marnih    : “Do you know, if I satirize you ?”

Weldian  : “Why ?, because I’m a smoker?”

Marnih    : “Certainly. Do you know, if smoking is harmful for everybody ?”

Weldian  : “Of course not”

Marnih    : “Cigarettes contain many harmful chemical substances, for example :

                 nicotine, tar, Carbon monoxide, a chemical substance that can cause

                 cancer, etc”

Weldian  : “What are the impacts of smoking ?”

Marnih    : “The impacts of smoking are lung cancer, heart decease, emphysema,

                 bronchitis, etc”

Weldian  : “It means that my lungs are already ruined ?”

Marnih    : “Yes, of course. In addition, cigarette smoke is dangerous for passive

                 smokers, like me”

Weldian  : “I’m sorry. i don’t know, if smoking is harmful.”

Marnih    : “Okey, no problem”