Sunday, 23 November 2025

Opinion Essays

  Structure of the Opinion Essay:

  • Introduction – introduces the topic and state your point of view clearly
  • Body - consists of two or three  paragraphs each presenting a separate viewpoint supported by reasons/examples
  • Conclusion – summarizes/restates your opinion using different words
Useful Language
То express opinion: I believe, In my opinion, I think, In my view, I strongly believe, I see it, It seems to me (that), As far as I am concerned, I am (not) convinced that..., In my opinion/view …My opinion is that …, I (firmly) believe …, I (definitely) feel/think that, I am inclined to believe that ……
То list points: In the first place, first of all, to start with, Firstly, to begin with
То add more points: what is more, another major reason, also, furthermore, moreover, in addition to this/that, besides, apart from this, not to mention the fact that
То introduce contrasting viewpoints: It is argued that, People argue that, There are people who oppose, Contrary to what most people believe,
As opposed to the above ideas
To introduce examples: for example, for instance, such as, in particular, especially
To conclude: To sum up, All in all, All things considered, Taking everything into account.


Shopping has replaced many other activities that people used to choose as their hobby. What are the reasons for this? Is this a positive or negative development?

Sample Answer:

It is widely known that shopping has become a leisure activity rather than a need. There are many reasons that have led people to choose shopping as a pursuing hobby. While some think this may have a negative development, others consider this trend a positive aspect.

To start with, large shopping malls are attractive and popular source of recreational activity. For example, teenagers gather in shopping centres during weekends to go to the cinema, share a meal or just window shopping. Another aspect to consider is that a sedentary lifestyle is replacing some other sports or free time activities for many families.

While there is nothing wrong in shopping, it cannot be denied that changing social habits requires offering alternative options such as sport competitions or creative art workshops, which can be organized by institutions. On the other hand, participating in exciting, free, cultural activities might eventually help reduce consumerism.

To conclude, shopping is essential and inevitable part of our daily lives. Nevertheless, it should be replaced as a hobby for other healthy activities. Perhaps, these way new habits for young people can be settled, which, in my opinion, is a positive development.

https://quizlet.com/nz/514030838/c13-unit-3-consumerism-speaking-questions-flash-cards/

 

TOPICS:

Consumer Behavior & Psychology

The Ethics of Urgency: Are Cyber Monday's limited-time deals a form of manipulation designed to encourage impulsive spending?

Is "Buy Nothing Day," which is concurrent with Black Friday, a necessary protest against excessive consumerism, and should more people participate on Cyber Monday?

Do retailers inflate original prices before Cyber Monday to make discounts seem better than they actually are?

Can the highly promoted, 24/7 access of online shopping events like Cyber Monday contribute to unhealthy spending habits or online shopping addiction?

Economic & Business Impact

How does the dominance of major retailers during Cyber Monday affect small, local, or independent online businesses?

With Black Friday expanding online, is there still a need for a dedicated "Cyber Monday," or have the two merged into a single "Cyber Week"?

Does the massive volume of shipping and packaging generated by Cyber Monday sales have an unacceptable environmental cost? 

Social & Ethical Issues

Are consumers trading their personal data and privacy for the convenience and discounts offered on Cyber Monday?

Has the focus on sales events like Cyber Monday and Black Friday overshadowed the original, more meaningful aspects of the holiday season?

People buy things they don’t need and/or can’t afford

What is Black Friday?

Black Friday is the day after the American holiday of Thanksgiving, which is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November. Because it’s a holiday in the United States, it has long been a popular day for consumers to start shopping for Christmas. In the 1980s, big retailers started to offer discounts and bargains on this day, and it has become more and more popular. In the USA, people spend billions of dollars between Black Friday and Cyber Monday (the Monday after Black Friday, when online retailers offer discounts). The idea of Black Friday has also spread around the world. Many countries, including the UK and Canada, also hold Black Friday sales. In parts of the Middle East, the same idea is called ‘White Friday’, as the colour white has more positive cultural associations. 

Is Black Friday out of control?

Many of us enjoy getting a bargain, but some people think that Black Friday encourages us to buy things we don’t really need or can’t afford. Some critics also say that Black Friday is difficult for small shopkeepers because they can’t offer the same big discounts as large companies, especially now that big shops start their sales earlier and continue them for several weeks. There is also growing concern about the effects of consumerism on the planet. 

What’s the alternative to Black Friday? 

Instead of taking the opportunity to buy as much as possible on Black Friday, you could do the opposite and buy absolutely nothing. Movements like ‘Buy Nothing Day’ and ‘Green Friday’ encourage people to support charities or local communities instead of shopping. Since 1997, Buy Nothing Day has been held on the same day as Black Friday. The rules are simple. Just don’t buy anything at all for 24 hours. Many people are surprised how difficult this actually is. The aim is to make people think more about their spending and to make better decisions about what they buy and where they buy it from.

Ethical spending

As well as spending less and not buying unnecessary items, Buy Nothing Day aims to raise awareness of how to be a more ethical consumer. For example, you can avoid buying ‘fast fashion’, that is, very cheap clothes that are worn a few times before being thrown away. Or you could decide not to automatically upgrade your mobile at the end of a contract. These kinds of decisions can help to protect the environment as well as saving you money. 

What else can you do on Buy Nothing Day? 

Some people carry out protests at shopping centres. Others avoid the shops completely and go for a walk in nature instead. Another alternative, the Buy Nothing Coat Exchange, is an idea that is spreading. People donate winter coats throughout November, and anyone who needs one can come and take one on Buy Nothing Day. 

Paragraph outline: Examples:

Expressions and linking words:

Personal opinion:In my opinion/view, To my mind, To my way of thinking, I am convinced that, It strikes me that, It is my firm belief that, I am inclined to believe that, It seems to me that. As far as I am concerned, I think that the economic recession of the previous decade was foreseeable.
To list advantages and disadvantages:One advantage of, Another advantage of, One other advantage of, A further advantage of, The main advantage of, The greatest advantage of.The first advantage of riding a motorbike in a large metropolis is that of not getting caught in major congestion.
To list points:Firstly, First of all, In the first place, Secondly, Thirdly, Finally. To start/begin with, we have to address the inadequacies within the education system before we can tackle unemployment fully.
To add more points to the same topic:What is more, Furthermore, Apart from this/that, In addition (to this), Moreover, Besides (this),… not to mention the fact that your choice of career is a fundamental decision which will influence the rest of your life. Not only is your choice of career a fundamental decision, but it is also one that will influence the rest of your life.Your choice of career is both a fundamental decision and something that will influence the rest of your life.
To refer to other sources:With reference to, According to the latest scientific research, the use of mobile phones can be damaging to one's health in the long run.
To emphasise a point:Indeed, Naturally, Clearly, Obviously, Of course, Needless to say, the scheme was hound to fail due to insufficient funds.
To give examples:For instance, For example, by establishing day-care centres across the country, working mothers can he encouraged to resume their careers. By providing incentives such as, like day-care centres working mothers are encouraged to resume their careers. If working mothers are to resume their careers then the provision of incentives particularly, in particular, especially day-care centres is essential.
To state other people's opinion:It is popularly believed that, People often claim that, It is often alleged that, Some people argue that, Many argue that, Most people feel that, Some people point out that wealth will bring happiness. Contrary to popular belief, wealth does not necessarily bring happiness.
To conclude:Finally, Lastly, All in all, Taking everything into account/consideration, On the whole, All things considered, In conclusion, On balance, For the above mentioned reasons, Therefore I feel that, To sum up, it is unlikely that there will be peace in all the countries of the world concurrently.
Summarising:In short, Briefly. To put it briefly, his performance on stage was fantastic!

STRUCTURE:
INTRO
It is generally believed that_________________________________________ and I completely agree.
I really feel it is better___________________________________________ although some think ________________________________________. I personally prefer to _________________________.

BODY
There are several reasons why I think________________________________ is better. First of all, you ____________________________________. Most of people think ______________________________.
Secondly, ____________________________ gives you the opportunity to ________________________.
I´m absolutely convinced that __________________________________. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, ____________________ makes you learn__________________________ which is another positive/negative aspect.

CONCLUSION
It seems to me that ________________________ is far better. There are lots of reasons to
__________________. To sum up, from my point of view, _______________________________. Maybe in the future,____________________________

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Monday, 17 November 2025

Thanksgiving

November festivals: Thanksgiving, Blackfriday, Cybermonday, Buy Nothing Day

 

Thanksgiving Day is a national holiday celebrated in Canada and the United States as a day of giving thanks for the blessing of the harvest and of the preceding year. It is celebrated on the second Monday of October in Canada and on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States. Several other places around the world observe similar celebrations. Thanksgiving has its historical roots in religious and cultural traditions and has long been celebrated in a secular manner as well.

Black Friday is the day following Thanksgiving Day in the United States (the fourth Thursday of November). Since the early 2000s, it has been regarded as the beginning of the Christmas shopping season in the US, and most major retailers open very early (and more recently during overnight hours) and offer promotional sales. Black Friday is not an official holiday, but California and some other states observe "The Day After Thanksgiving" as a holiday for state government employees, sometimes in lieu of another federal holiday such as Columbus Day. Many non-retail employees and schools have both Thanksgiving and the following Friday off, which, along with the following regular weekend, makes it a four-day weekend, thereby increasing the number of potential shoppers. It has routinely been the busiest shopping day of the year since 2005, although news reports, which at that time were inaccurate, have described it as the busiest shopping day of the year for a much longer period of time.

Similar stories resurface year upon year at this time, portraying hysteria and shortage of stock, creating a state of positive feedback. The day's name originated in Philadelphia, where it originally was used to describe the heavy and disruptive pedestrian and vehicle traffic that would occur on the day after Thanksgiving. Use of the term started before 1961 and began to see broader use outside Philadelphia around 1975. Later an alternative explanation was made: that retailers traditionally operated at a financial loss ("in the red") from January through November, and "Black Friday" indicates the point at which retailers begin to turn a profit, or "in the black". 

Report on Black Friday: 

  

https://www.liveworksheets.com/worksheet/en/english-language/517718

https://www.liveworksheets.com/worksheet/en/english-second-language-esl/2219715

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Wednesday, 12 November 2025

Use of English. Future forms

 Ways of Expressing the Future in English


Despite what you will find in some course books and student’s grammars, and hear from some teachers, there is no future tense in English. If we want to refer to future-time situations we can do this in several ways. In these notes, we look at seven ways.
The first five of these are commonly used in both speech and writing:
1. Emma is seeing Luke tomorrow – the present progressive, also known as the present continuous.
2. Emma is going to see Luke tomorrow – BE + going to, sometimes referred to as the “(BE) going to future”.
3. Emma sees Luke tomorrow – the present simple.
4. Emma will see Luke tomorrow - this modal form is sometimes, unhelpfully, called the “future simple”.
5. Emma will be seeing Luke tomorrow – this modal progressive (or continuous) form is sometimes, unhelpfully, called the “future progressive/continuous”.
The last two are used in more restricted contexts:
6. Emma is to see Luke tomorrow – BE + to  + infinitive.
7. Emma to see Luke tomorrow –  to- infinitive.
There are also some so-called ‘future perfect’ constructions, which we will consider at the end of these notes:
8. Emma will have seen Luke …
9. Emma will have been seeing Luke …
10. Emma is going to have seen Luke …
1. the present progressive (also known as the present continuous)
This form usually refers to a situation that began before the moment of speaking, continues at or around, andafter, the present moment, and into the future, and is of limited duration:
I am writing these notes on the future. (At this moment).
Lindsay is driving to work this week. (She normally goes by bus).
The present progressive can refer to a future situation that has been arranged before the present time. The arrangement continues through the present until the situation occurs:
Emma is seeing Luke tomorrow, (They arranged this meeting yesterday)
Note that only the context or co-text (in the last example the word tomorrow) can tell us which time-period a present progressive verb form refers to.
Also note that it is simply not possible to make arrangements for some future situations. It is therefore not normally possible to say XIt is raining tomorrow. X
2. BE + going to
Although you may hear or read that this form indicates ‘present intention’, this is not always true. It is hard to imagine any intention in this sentence: “Look at those black clouds; it is going to rain soon.”
BE + going to refers to a future situation for which there is present evidence. In the previous example, the present evidence is the black clouds. In the following example, the present evidence may simply be the speaker’s knowledge that Emma and Luke have arranged the meeting:
Emma is going to see Luke tomorrow.
When the present evidence is an arrangement, then there is, practically speaking, no real difference in meaning between the present progressive and BE + going to.
3. the present simple
The present simple is frequently used for situations that often or regularly happen.  It can therefore be used for a future situation that is part of a regular series of happenings:
The train for Berlin leaves at midnight tonight.
It is also used for something that is seen as part of a fixed timetable:
The sun rises at 07.34 tomorrow. (We can imagine the speaker thinking of a table of sunrise and sunset times.)
Emma sees Luke tomorrow. (We can imagine the speaker mentally looking at Emma’s diary).
4. the modal will + bare infinitive
The modal auxiliary verb will has a number of possible meanings. Four of the more common are:
a. certainty – John left an hour ago, so he will be home by now. (The speaker is certain that John is home)
b. habitual characteristic: Andrea will sit at her desk for hours without saying a word. (This is what she often does.)
c. volition (willingness): I’ll carry your bag for you. (The speaker is offering to carry the bag.)
Fred will carry your bag for you. (The speaker is offering Fred’s services.)
d. instant decision: What will I do tomorrow? I know! I’ll go to the zoo. (The speaker decides to go to the zoo at the very moment of speaking – no plans had been made for this visit.)
Context tells us whether the certainty (a) is about the present, as in the example above, or the future: Prince Charles will become King when the present Queen dies.
Habitual characteristic (b) is something that is shown regularly. It was observed in the past, can be observed in the present, and will presumably be observed in the future. It is not possible to know of a future habitual characteristic, so we do not use this form for purely future reference.
Volition (c), denoting an offer, can refer only to a future situation. Will is normally contracted to ‘ll.
Instant decisions (d) can be made only about a future situation and, usually, only reported by the person making the decision. We therefore usually encounter this meaning only with I or we as the subject. Will is normally contracted to ‘ll. 
The word tomorrow in the following sentence tells us that the seeing (meeting) is in the future:
Emma will see Luke tomorrow.
Only context can tell us whether the speaker is certain of the occurrence of the future meeting, or reporting that Emma is willing to see Luke.
Note that other modals, which have different meanings, can also can also refer to future situations, for example:
Peter might come over next week. (It is possible that this will happen)
You must finish the report before you go home tonight. (You are obliged to finish the report.) )
You may read in some books that shall is used instead of will when the subject is I or we. Only a small minority of native speakers use shall other than in questions, and then only for certainty and instant decision, never for volition or habitual characteristic. Shall is used commonly in questions:
e) making a suggestion: Shall we go to the pub this evening?
f) asking if the person addressed wants the speaker to do something: Shall I arrange the publicity?  
5. The modal will + be + -ing form
Progressive forms usually refer to a situation that began before a time point continues through and after that time point, and into the future, and is of limited duration. The combination of this idea with the modal will, expressing certainty, leads to the modal will + be + -ing form referring to a situation beginning before a future time point and continuing through that time point:
Sally’s plane takes off from Heathrow at 9 o’clock tomorrow, so by about midday she will be flying over Istanbul.
It is also possible that the speaker is more concerned with the pure certainty of the action happening than with volitional aspect that might be implied by the use of WILL by itself:
Emma will be seeing Luke tomorrow.
Some writers claim, with some justification, that this use of modal will + a progressive implies, by its lack of reference to intention, volition or arrangement, a 'casual' future. Depending on the context and co-text, the speaker may be intending a ‘casual’ futurity, or may be indicating a situation in progress at a particular time.
6. BE + to  + infinitive
This form is not common in informal conversation. It refers to something that is to happen in the future as a plan or decree, normally by some authority other than the subject of the sentence, and  is common in television and radio news reports Thus we are unlikely to hear the first of the following examples (unlessEmma and Luke are the names of well-known singers, actors, etc) . We might well hear the second:
Emma is to see Luke tomorrow.
Downing Street announced this morning that the Prime Minister is to fly to Washington this evening for urgent talks about the current crisis.
7. to- infinitive
This form is common only in newspaper headlines, where editors want to announce the news as briefly as possible. Once again, we are unlikely to see the first of the following examples (unless Emma and Luke are the names of well-known singers, actors, etc). We might well see the second:
Emma to see Luke tomorrow.
PM to fly to US.
8. will + have + past participle (third form)
When we refer to a future action completed before a later future time, or a future state continuing up to that later future time, we use will + have + a past participle (third form). This is sometimes known as the ‘future perfect’:
I will have lived here for just over thirteen years when I celebrate my 66th birthday next March. (At the moment of speaking, six months before ‘next March’, the speaker has lived ‘here’ for twelve and a half years.)
By the time she leaves Paris tomorrow, Emma will have seen Luke and told him the news. (When Emma leaves Paris tomorrow, the seeing and telling will be, for her, in the past.)
This form is sometimes known as the ‘future perfect’.
9.  BE + going to + have + past participle (third form)
It is possible, though not very common, for a speaker to suggest that there is present evidence of  a future action completed before a later future time, or a future state continuing up to that later future time, using BE +going to + have + a past participle form (third form):
By the time Emma leaves Paris tomorrow, She is going to have seen Luke and told him the news.
Learners may see/hear this usage, but are recommended to use only 8. will + have + a past participle (third form), which has practically the same meaning, and is far more commonly used.
10. will + have + been + -ing form
When we refer to a future action begun before a later future time and continuing through that later future time, we use will + have + been + -ing form. By the end of next week, Emma will have been seeing Luke for three months. (She has now, one week before ‘the end of next week’ been seeing him for a week less than three months.) This form is sometimes known as the ‘future perfect continuous’.
Homework:live worksheets
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