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

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Zespół The Blue Tree

Don’t chase happiness. Become antifragile.
Learn more words

THE BLUE TREE

Man & Society

CEF B1

CEFR B2

Upper
Intermediate

Practise speaking by describing this image

warm up

Answer the questions below. Then listen to the model answers and think about how you could improve yours.

How important is the pursuit of happiness for you?
TRANSCRIPT

The pursuit of happiness is really important to me, but I’ve learned that it’s not always about being happy all the time. I think it’s about finding balance and meaning in life, even when things are tough. For me, it’s about making choices that lead to long-term satisfaction, not just quick moments of joy. Happiness is something I actively work on, but I know it’s not a constant state.

What can tough times teach us? Is there any advantage in going through hardships?
TRANSCRIPT

Tough times can be some of the best teachers. Going through hardships makes you stronger, more understanding, and better equipped to handle future challenges. It’s like when you exercise and your muscles get stronger after being pushed to their limits. In the same way, when life pushes you, you grow, learn, and develop resilience. There’s definitely an advantage in going through tough times because they show you what you’re capable of.

How can we become more resilient to painful emotions and events?
TRANSCRIPT

To become more resilient to painful emotions and events, I think it’s important to first acknowledge and accept those feelings, rather than trying to avoid them. Learning to manage emotions through mindfulness, talking with others, or even just giving yourself time can make a big difference. Building strong relationships and focusing on personal growth also helps. It’s about recognizing that challenges are part of life and using them to grow rather than break.

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.

  • ⌚ 0:09 What two kinds of people do not experience emotions?
  • ⌚ 0:19 What false expectation do many people have in relation to happiness?
  • ⌚ 0:26 What do we need to learn to do with painful emotions?
  • ⌚ 1:12 What is Resilience 1.0 system about?
  • ⌚ 1:23 How is Resilience 2.0 different from 1.0?

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.

  • ⌚ 1:42 What example from our bodies illustrate the antifragile system?
  • ⌚ 2:02 What is PTG and how is it different from PTSD?
  • ⌚ 2:15 What is the goal of happiness studies?
  • ⌚ 3:00 What paradox exists in the context of pursuing happiness?
  • ⌚ 3:09 How can we resolve this paradox?
  • ⌚ 3:50 How is it similar to looking at the sun?

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.

  • ⌚ 4:17 What does SPIRE stand for?
  • ⌚ 4:32 What is spirituality about?
  • ⌚ 4:42 What is one the most important component of the physical element of the rainbow?
  • ⌚ 4:58 What is the main problem related to stress?
  • ⌚ 5:27 How can we draw happiness from intellectual side of life?

part four

KEY LANGUAGE

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

VIDEO

Watch the fourth part of the video.

COMPREHENSION

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

  • ⌚ 5:41 What is the number one predictor of well-being?
  • ⌚ 5:54 How important is the quality of our relationships?
  • ⌚ 6:01 What two kinds of emotions do we need to learn to embrace?
  • ⌚ 6:13 What did Cicero think about gratitude?
  • ⌚ 6:19 What is the benefit of showing more appreciation?
  • ⌚ 6:26 In what sense is happiness more than just pleasure?
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DISCUSSION

  • What do you think of the idea of Antifragility / Resilience 2.0?
  • Would you add any more elements to the SPIRE Model? What would they be?
  • Why do you think people who pursue happiness directly are often unhappy?
  • Which element of the SPIRE Model brings most happiness to you?
  • Tal Ben-Shahar says that ‘happiness resides on a continuum’, that it is a journey. Do you agree with it?
  • At the end he says: “I do not think that things necessarily happen for the best. However, we can learn to make the best of things that happen”. What does it mean for you? 

POLL

Which element of the SPIRE plays the most important role in your happiness?

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COMMENTS

What do you think of the idea of antifragility? Does it make sense to you? What would your rainbow colours refer to? 

Share your views and experience here.

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