FUNCTIONS:

Agreeing

Disagreeing

Hesitating

Introducing your opinion

Asking for opinions

Expressing preferences

Asking for clarification

Expressing likelihood

Speculating, guessing

Advice and recommendations

Describing a picture

Agreeing

I think you’re right

I would go along with the idea

I completely agree with you

That makes perfect sense

You have a point there

Absolutely, that’s spot on!

I couldn’t agree more

Disagreeing

That’s not how I see it

I couldn’t agree less

You must be kidding

That’s a ridiculous idea, don’t you think?

With all due respect, I must disagree

I’m afraid I can’t see it that way

No way, that’s nonsense!

Hesitating

I’m in two minds about it

I have some reservations regarding that

I’m not entirely convinced

There’s something that gives me pause

While I’m not entirely opposed, I do have some doubts

Introducing your opinion

To my mind

I reckon

In my opinion

As I see it

It seems to me

I would argue

From my point of view

Asking for opinions

Don’t you think …?

What’s your attitude to …?

What’s your opinion of …?

Are you in favour of …?

What’s your position as regards …?

You don’t support …, do you?

Expressing preferences

I prefer…

I would rather…

My preference would be…

I tend to favour…

If I had to choose, I would…

I lean towards…

I am inclined to…

Giving reasons

Asking for clarification

Could you please elaborate on that?

Would you mind explaining that further?

I’m not quite sure I understand. Could you clarify?

Could you provide more details?

Can you expand on that point?

Expressing likelihood

“It’s a foregone conclusion that…”

“There’s no doubt in my mind that…”

“I am almost certain that…”

“It’s highly likely that…”

“Chances are that…”

“I wouldn’t be surprised if…”

“It’s possible that…”

“There’s a chance that…”

“It’s unlikely that…”

“I doubt that…”

Speculating, guessing

“It seems to me that…”

“My gut feeling is that…”

“From what I gather…”

“If I were to guess…”

“It would appear that…”

“I reckon that…”

“I suspect that…”

“In all likelihood…”

“There’s a distinct possibility that…”

“It’s plausible that…”

Advice and recommendations

“You might want to consider…”

“Perhaps you could try…”

“If I were you, I would…”

“One thing you could do is…”

“Have you thought of…”

“May I suggest…”

“It might be beneficial to…”

“Consider this approach…”

“Why not give this a go…”

“If it were up to me, I’d…”

Describing a picture

“In the foreground…”

“In the background…”

“In the center of the image…”

“On the left side of the picture…”

“On the right side of the picture…”

“At the top of the picture…”

“At the bottom of the picture…”

“The picture depicts…”

“The image illustrates…”

“The photograph shows…”

“One can see…”

“Notice how…”

“This scene captures…”

“This photograph highlights…”

DICTIONARY

Add new and interesting words from this lesson to your English dictionary.

Store your words and expressions in this handy dictionary. You can create groups and play games based on your entries. There is also a practical importing feature.

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Sorry, but lessons on The Blue Tree work only on a computer or a tablet.

Bardzo mi przykro, ale lekcje na platformie The Blue Tree działają jedynie na komputerze lub tablecie.

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Zespół The Blue Tree

12 RULES FOR LIFE by Jordan Peterson
Learn more words

THE BLUE TREE

Personal
Productivity

CEF B1

CEFR B2

Upper
Intermediate

Practise speaking by describing this image

warm up

Answer the questions below.

Do you sometimes compare yourself to others? How does it make you feel?
TRANSCRIPT

Yeah, I definitely compare myself to others sometimes, especially when I see people around me achieving things faster or doing things I wish I could. It can make me feel a bit insecure or like I’m not doing enough. But I’ve been trying to focus more on my own progress, like how far I’ve come compared to where I was a year ago. It’s tough, but I feel better when I focus on myself instead of everyone else.

Which is worse, lying to yourself or others? Why?
TRANSCRIPT

I think lying to yourself is worse. When you lie to others, it’s bad, but at least you can try to repair the damage. But when you lie to yourself, you’re distorting your own reality, and that can lead to much bigger problems down the road. Being honest with yourself, even when it’s hard, is crucial if you want to grow and improve. Without that honesty, you can’t fix what needs fixing.

What would be your main rules for life? Think about 2 or 3 at least.
TRANSCRIPT

My main rules for life would be, first, always seek to improve yourself—just like the rule about comparing yourself to who you were yesterday. Second, stay honest, with yourself and others. That’s important for building trust and staying grounded. And third, keep things simple. I’ve found that life is easier when you cut out the unnecessary and focus on what really matters.

part one

KEY LANGUAGE

Go through the flashcards below. Make sure you understand all the words and expressions.

VIDEO

Watch the first part of the video.

COMPREHENSION

Answer these questions. Refer to the information from the video.

  • ⌚ 0:18 What are the all 12 rules meant to help us with?
  • ⌚ 0:39 What motivated Natan to read Jordan Peterson’s book?

part two

KEY LANGUAGE

Go through the flashcards below. Make sure you understand all the words and expressions.

VIDEO

Watch the second part of the video.

COMPREHENSION

Answer these questions. Refer to the information from the video.

  • ⌚ 0:55 What was the first rule?
  • ⌚ 1:12 Why do people compare themselves to others?
  • ⌚ 1:30 What are the disadvantages of comparing yourself to others?
  • ⌚ 2:18 Is social media good for our self-confidence and health? Why?
  • ⌚2:27 Who should we be comparing ourselves to?
  • ⌚2:52 What 4 questions can you ask yourself regarding your progress?
  • ⌚ 3:27 What are the benefits or comparing yourself to your past self rather than others?

part three

KEY LANGUAGE

Go through the flashcards below. Make sure you understand all the words and expressions.

VIDEO

Watch the third part of the video.

COMPREHENSION

Answer these questions. Refer to the information from the video.

  • ⌚ 3:33 What is the second rule and what makes it so difficult?
  • ⌚ 3:45 What can lying to ourselves do to our progress?
  • ⌚ 4:47 Why is it so important to know and admit to yourself what you really want from life?
  • ⌚ 4:47 What is another way of telling the truth?
  • ⌚ 5:22 Why did Peterson avoid an uncomfortable conversation with his neghbour?
  • ⌚ 5:50 How did the man react at first and what happened later?
  • ⌚ 6:43 What question we might ask ourselves at the end of each day?
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DISCUSSION

Answer the questions below. Throw some newly learned words and phrases

  • Which of those two rules do you think is harder to follow?
  • Which is worse, lying to yourself or others? Why?
  • Do you have a working strategy for dealing with  uncomfortable situations?
  • Do you think you could stand your ground like Jordan Peterson while confronting the ex-con biker?
  • What do you think might have happened if Jordan had shown any sign of weakness to the ex-con?
  • What do you think of the idea of giving ourselves scores like Natan does for himself?

POLL

Cast your vote in the poll.

Which of the Peterson's 12 Rules for Life do you think are the most practical and relevant for you?

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lesson glossary

COMMENTS

What do you think of the ideas presented in this lesson? Do you think the Rules for Life are practical and relevant for you? Do you have your own Rules for Life?

Share your views and experience here.

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