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…

I’m a big fan of…

I really enjoy…

I’m into…

I absolutely love…

I’m crazy about…

I’m fond of…

It’s right up my alley

It’s my thing

I can’t get enough of…

It appeals to me

It’s growing on me

I wouldn’t miss it for the world

I’m not a big fan of…

I don’t really enjoy…

I’m not into…

I can’t stand…

I’m not fond of…

It’s not my cup of tea

It doesn’t do anything for me

I’m sick of…

It gets on my nerves

It puts me off

I’d rather not…

It leaves me cold…

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.

Do zobaczenia na większym ekranie 🙂

Zespół The Blue Tree

WORDS IN THE NEWS – Receding Water Levels Unveil Ancient Remains
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THE BLUE TREE

Travel & Nature

CEF B1

CEFR B1

Intermediate

Practise speaking by describing this image

warm up

Answer the questions below.

TRANSCRIPT

Water is extremely important for the global economy. It’s used in farming, energy production, and many industries. If we don’t have enough clean water, prices go up and production slows down. That’s why we need to take care of this resource.

How do you feel about the need for saving water? Do you have any routines in place to save it?
TRANSCRIPT

I think saving water is very important, especially with all the droughts we hear about. At home, we take short showers and collect rainwater for the garden. We also make sure not to leave the tap running when brushing our teeth. Small changes can make a big difference.

What should we do to make sure we do not run out of drinking water in the future?
TRANSCRIPT

“Oh, one really happy moment? There are quite a few, but let me think… Okay, got it! It was the day I got my dream job offer. I was at home, checking my emails, not expecting much. And there it was – the offer letter! I remember feeling this huge rush of excitement and I just started jumping around my living room. It was a job I really wanted, and I’d worked so hard for it. I felt so proud and, well, over the moon! It was like all my efforts had finally paid off. That day was just full of laughter and celebration with my friends and family. Definitely a memory I cherish!”

key language

Go through the flashcards below. Memorize as many words and thier translations as you can.

watch the video

Watch the video below.

COMPREHENSION

Answer the questions below. Try to throw some of the newly learned words into your answers..

  • ⌚ 00:19 What did people find at the bottom of the riverbed in Texas?
  • ⌚ 00:26 How old are these footprints?
  • ⌚ 00:42 What do scientist know about this dinosaur?
  • ⌚ 1:15 What has the water revealed in Spain?
  • ⌚ 1:29 What has become visible in a Chinese river?
  • ⌚ 1:50 What can people see now in the Danube river?
  • ⌚ 2:00 What did authorities discover at the bottom of lake Mead?
  • ⌚ 2:16 Why are some scientists excited about a low level of water in rivers?
  • ⌚2:28 What question are scientists asking now? Do you think, we will find the answer in time?

POLL

Cast your vote in the poll.

Which discovery was the most surprising for you?

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DISCUSSION

DIALOGUE

Alita and Pete are on a nature walk near a dried-up riverbed. They’ve both been thinking about how nature can teach us lessons about time, change, and survival.

Read their dialogue.

Alita: Look at this place, Pete. The riverbed is completely dry. I didn’t expect that.

Pete: Yeah, it’s strange. It used to be full of water. I guess things just dry up during long summers. But it’s peaceful, in a way.

Alita: I love finding old footprints in the mud. Some of them are probably from deer or other herbivores.

Pete: Maybe. Or even something more ferocious—look at this one. Do you think it could be a claw mark?

Alita (laughs): That would be spooky. I hope it’s not something sinister!

Pete: You know, sometimes, after raging wildfires, animals have to retreat and leave behind everything. When the forests grow back, some signs of them resurface—bones, old nests, broken antlers.

Alita: Like the remnants of a bygone time. It’s kind of poetic, isn’t it?

Pete: It is. Nature has a way of reminding us not to take things for granted. Even something that looks extinct might come back in a different way.

Alita: True. Nature is so resilient. And look—on that rock-face—isn’t that a painting or some kind of carving?

Pete: You’re right. It’s stunning! Maybe people lived here a long time ago and left their marks too.

Alita: Just like us. We’re all trying to leave something behind. Hopefully something meaningful.

Pete: That’s a nice thought. Even if time makes things recede, some things still resurface—if they matter enough.

OVER TO YOU

Discuss these questions. Refer to the topic of the lesson and your own experience.

BulletHave you ever seen remnants of something from the past that made you think about history or nature?
BulletWhat do you think people today take for granted that might disappear in the future?
BulletCan you describe a place you visited where the riverbed or water dried up? What did it feel like?
BulletWhat’s something resilient you’ve seen in nature—or even in a person?
BulletHave you ever visited a stunning place that made you stop and admire its beauty? What made it so special?

lesson glossary

COMMENTS

Which discovery surprised you the most? Why?

Do you think humanity will face a water crisis in the future? What can we do today to prevent it from happening?

Share your thoughts and ideas below.

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