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

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Zespół The Blue Tree

Try something new for 30 days by Matt Cutts
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THE BLUE TREE

Personal
Productivity

CEF B1

CEFR B1

Intermediate

Practise speaking by describing this image

warm up

Answer the questions below. Listen to same people answering these questions. Report back or read the transcript to practise speaking.

TRANSCRIPT

Learning to play the guitar was the hardest skill I have ever learned. At first, my fingers hurt and nothing sounded right. I practiced for 30 minutes every day, even when it was frustrating. After a few months, I could play simple songs. This experience taught me patience and showed me how important regular practice is.

TRANSCRIPT

I believe setting personal and professional goals is important for growth. Goals give direction and motivation. I like setting small, realistic goals that lead to bigger results. For example, I wanted to improve my public speaking, so I practiced regularly. At work, goals help me focus and track progress. Without goals, it’s easy to fall into an unproductive routine.

People often abandon their New Year’s Resolutions. Why do you think that is?
TRANSCRIPT

“I think people often abandon their New Year’s resolutions because they set goals that are too ambitious or vague. For example, instead of saying, ‘I want to get fit,’ it’s better to set a specific and realistic goal like, ‘I’ll exercise three times a week for 30 minutes.’ Another reason is that they don’t plan for obstacles. Life can get busy, and if there’s no backup plan, it’s easy to give up. Lastly, people sometimes lose motivation because they expect quick results. Change takes time, and staying consistent is key.”

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.

  • ⌚ 0:20 How did Matt Cutts feel a few years ago?
  • ⌚ 0:26 Who inspired Matt Cutts to set himself challenges?
  • ⌚ 0:36 What is the idea of a 30-day challenge about?
  • ⌚ 0:43 Why is a 30-day period of time good for such challenges?
  • ⌚ 0:45 What are some examples of habits we can add or subtract?

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.

  • ⌚ 0:56 What is the first benefit of doing 30-day challenges?
  • ⌚ 1:05 What does Matt remember about the picture with trees?
  • ⌚ 1:12 What was the second advantage of doing harder challenges?
  • ⌚ 1:17 How did Matt describe himself from the time before the challenges?
  • ⌚ 1:28 What does Matt consider his most adventurous act?
  • ⌚ 1:38 What did he figure out as regards these challenges?

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.

  • ⌚ 1:49 What do many people do in November?
  • ⌚ 1:57 How many words does a person need to write a day to complete the challenge?
  • ⌚ 2:03 What’s the secret of completing this challenge?
  • ⌚ 2:16 What does Matt think about his book?
  • ⌚ 2:31 How can Matt introduce himself from now on?

part four

KEY LANGUAGE

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

VIDEO

Watch the last part of the video.

COMPREHENSION

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

  • ⌚ 2:41 Which challenges are more likely to stick?
  • ⌚ 2:47 What does he think about the big, crazy challenges?
  • ⌚ 2:56 What happened when he finished his “no sugar” challenge?
  • ⌚ 3:03 What question does he ask the audience?

POLL

Cast your vote in the poll.

1. Matt Cutts described 30-day challenges as a way to make life more memorable, break routines, and build confidence by trying something new for a short, manageable time. Does this concept appeal to you?
2. Have you ever set a personal or professional goal that pushed you outside your comfort zone?
3. If you could challenge yourself to do one new thing for 30 days, what would it be?
4 votes

×
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DISCUSSION

WHAT WAS YOUR 30-DAY CHALLENGE

Alita, Pete and Kat are chatting about their 30-day challenges. 

Read (role-play) their dialogue. 

Alita: “I just loved Matt’s talk! It reminded me of when I did that 30-day photography challenge. I took a picture of something new every day, and honestly, it was such a game-changer. I started noticing beauty in the smallest things!”

Pete: “That sounds awesome! I remember doing a 30-day fitness challenge. I did push-ups every day. At first, I could barely do ten, but by the end, I was smashing out thirty like it was nothing. It felt so good to see the progress.”

Kat: “You two are so productive! My 30-day challenge was more… well, indulgent. I baked something new every day—cakes, cookies, even bread. It brought me so much joy, and my friends loved it too. Though I think I gained a few pounds!”

Alita: laughing “That’s the best kind of challenge—everyone wins! Honestly, it’s so cool how these little things can make such a big impact.”

Pete: “Totally. It’s like you’re proving to yourself that you can do anything if you just take it one day at a time.”

Kat: “Exactly! Plus, it makes life way more fun. I mean, every day felt like an adventure.”

Alita: “We should do another one together! Any ideas?”

Pete: “How about a 30-day gratitude journal? Write down one thing we’re thankful for each day. Simple, but I bet it’ll feel amazing.”

Kat: “I’m in! And maybe I’ll bake something to celebrate at the end of it!”

Alita: “Deal! Let’s start tomorrow. Here’s to another 30 days of fun and happiness!”

OVER TO YOU

Discuss the questions below. Refer to the information from the lesson and your own experience.

BulletWhat is something new you would like to try for 30 days? Why?
BulletHave you ever done a challenge or set a goal for yourself? How did it go?
BulletWhat do you think is the most difficult part of trying a 30-day challenge?
BulletHow can small changes, like those in a 30-day challenge, make a big difference in life?
BulletIf you could challenge your friends to try something with you for 30 days, what would it be? Why?

lesson glossary

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