DISCUSSTION

SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCES

1. Look at these following issues. Do you agree or disagree about the issues?

Give a tick () in the right column.

No Issue Agree Disagree
a Riding motorcycles to schools

b Infotainment programs on TV

c Flag-hoisting ceremonies on Monday

d The national examinations

e The video game industries

f Beauty pageants

2. Go around your house and ask your family about those issues. Do they agree or
disagree?

a. How many persons agree about the issue?

b. How many persons disagree about the issues?

3. Group the following words in the right column of pros or cons. See the example.

like dislike agree disagree advantage

fact do positive negative condemn

fond Don’t gossip Object to disadvantage

Pros Cons
do Don’t

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LOOK AROUND
1. Match the pictures and the statements below.
A B C

D
E

1. the pros and cons of using a calculator during tests

2. Is it good or bad to get married at a young age?
3. Is it ethical to clone animals?
4. the pros and cons about harnessing solar energy
5. the controversy of living in an apartment

2. Fill in the blanks the words given

a. On the one hand e. On the other

b. a dilemma f. your opinion
c. encourage g. fond of
d. condemn

Louis : Eva. I need 1) ___________ about infotainment programs on TV

Eva : Infotainment program? What’s the problem?
Louis : Do you like news that reveals the personal lives of celebrities?
Eva : Well, I watch it when I have nothing to do
Louis : Do you enjoy it?
Eva : To tell you the truth, sometimes I find the gossip interesting
Louis : I think so, too. But, many people 2) _______the content of the infotainment programs.
The programs sometimes go too far into the private lives of people.
Eva : I can understand that. People who are 3) _________the information programs believe
that the information is based on fact.
Louis : Right. But I also think that the programs can 4) ___________ celebrities to act
positively in public.
Eva : So far the programs have become 5) _____________ for some viewers. 6) ________
the programs run stories on how celebrities build their career. 7) ___________, they
can also bring terrible consequences.
Louis : Oops! It’s almost nine. I have something important to do. Thanks for your opinion.
It will help me with my article. See you.
Eva : See you and good luck.

3. Fill in the following table with information from the dialogue.

The Pros and Cons of Infotainment on TV

Pro Con

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4. Read these arguments. Group the arguments in the right column.

a. I believe video games give a lot of benefits. Playing

video games is a good way to kill children’s boredom.

Pro Con

b. Unfortunately, some people think that the Miss Universe competition is not in line with
Indonesian culture. The fact that the competition
requires each contestant to wear a swimsuit is still
extremely unacceptable in Indonesia culture.

Pro Con

c. I personally believe that the National Examination will

only encourage schools to give tasks which develop
students’ ability to answer typical examination
questions.

Pro Con

d. A motorcycle is not dangerous. Underage drivers are

dangerous! Senior high school students, between 15 and 17
years old, tend to speed, show off and generally put
themselves in far too many dangerous situations

Pro Con

DID YOU KNOW IT?

Discussions are used to look at more than one side of an issue. Discussions allow us to
explore various perspectives before coming to an informed conclusion.

Pro / noun (C) PLURAL pros advantage.

An advantage or a reason for doing something

Con / noun © usually plural) cons disadvantage A disadvantage or a reason for not doing
something.

LET’S LEARN MORE

CULTURAL AWARENESS

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 Debating

To achieve successful communication, we should be sure that our listeners hear what we
are saying and we should deliver our message appropriately.

So id we want to debate or to disagree with someone, we should be able to express our

disagreement politely. This requirement goes for when we, for example disagree with
our friends, our teacher or a family member whom we might debate with.

Debating politely in English can be conducted through word choice and the intonation of
your speech.

Polite expressions to disagree include introduction, phrasing and closing.

Remember you should soften what you are about to say.

Intro Phrasing Closing

Well. I’m afraid I disagree Let’s agree to disagree

Actually I beg to differ Let me tell you my reason

Very true But I don’t see it that way Sorry to disagree

Ways to Say It

When you say, “I disagree” in spoken English, it is considered too direct. To express
disagreement politely in English, you should use phrases that are modified to be more polite,
such as:
 I’m afraid I disagree
 I’m not sure about that
 I don’t see it that way

You may use an indirect disagreement such as:

 Well, in my opinion ….
 Actually, I think ….

In informal disagreement, you may use the following expressions:

 You can’t be serious
 No way

5. Study the following dialogue. Create a similar dialogue based on the following
texts.
Sandra : What do you think we should do about video games?
Leslie : In my opinion, video games offer a lot of benefits.
They can relax a child’s mind after a tiring day at school.
Sandra : actually, I’m not sure about that,. According to the

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 article I read video games make children lazy. Playing
video games to studying.
Leslie : I don’t think that’s a very good argument because
video games can trigger children be more creative.
The games provide a challenge that can sharpen their brains.
Sandra : Sorry. I don’t see it that way. There’s no easy solution to this dilemma.

Text 1

Living in a city has both advantages and disadvantages. On the plus side, it is often easier to find
work and there is usually a choice of public transportation, so you don’t need to own a car. Also,
there are a lot of interesting things to do and places to see. What is more, you can find a park
where you can feed the ducks, or just sit on a park bench and read a book when you want to
relax. All in all, city life is full of bustle and variety and you will never feel bored.
However, for every plus there is a minus. For one thing, you might have a job, but unless it
is well-paid, you will not be able to afford many things because living in a city is often very
expensive. It is particularly difficult to find good and cheap accommodation. What’s more,
public transportation is sometimes crowded and dirty, particularly in the rush hours, and even the
parks can become very crowded, especially on Sundays when it seems that every city-dweller is
looking for some open space and green grass.

Text 2

LED TVs offer more advantages than other television technologies. They are the fastest selling
new TV technology on the market because of their exceptional color. LED TVs are slim, but
provide a highly accurate, life like picture with bright output. LID TVs are able to display higher
resolution graphics than conventional TVs.
Nevertheless, LED TVs do have some disadvantages. Although LED TVs are considerably
energy efficient than LCD TVs, and plasma TVs, they do cost more than both LCD and plasma
TVs. Also plasma TVs offer better black level and natural colors than LED TVs. The contrast
ratio of plasma TVs is also better than that of LED TVs

REMEMBER!
Connective Words
 Connectives are words to link ideas, so that there is a unity in a paragraph
 Connectives are found in a discussion text.

Connectives Function
And, also, as well as, besides, finally, More information follows.
furthermore, moreover, in addition to.

For examples, such as the following, like, Examples will follow.

for instance.

Even if, however, in spite of, instead of, An opposite idea will follow.
nevertheless, on the other hand, despite,
still, yet.
But, except An exception will follow

As a result of, because, due to, in order to Information about the cause of
since something follows.

As a consequence, as a result, Information about the effects of

consequently, so, so that, therefore something follow.

ACT IT OUT
6. Read the following issues and then find the topics discussed.

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a. You know, I can’t deny the fact that computers help us
a lot in this information age. I can’t imagine what this
world would be like if there were no computers. How
could I handle so much work in my office? How could
the police regulate the traffic light without the help of
computers? How would we communicate with each
other in different places without computers?

b. Do you know what a hacker is? A hacker is a

person who enjoys exploring the details of
programmable systems on computers. Hackers like
to stretch the capability of these systems. Activities
they do with computers are called ‘hacking’. So,
what’s the problem with ‘hacking’ and hackers?’
The problem is whether hacking is legal or illegal.
People around the world have many different views
about hacking and hackers. Some of them take the side of hackers, but many
disagree.

c. A debate about nuclear energy as an alternative

to overcome the energy crisis often arises. The
debate about whether nuclear energy is effective
has not come to an end. Some people agree with
its utilization because of the benefits. Some
others, however, disagree because of the risks to
the environment.

d. when do people use an X-ray? Correct. When they

are ill. I mean when there is something wrong with
internal parts of their body. Can you give any
examples of such illnesses? When people have
these diseases, they need an X-ray to check. Yes,
cancer, kidney trouble, heart trouble, tumors, etc.
do you know that there are many conflicting
opinion about the use of X-rays in a hospital?.

e. As you see, there has been a great deal of

discussion on the problem of abortion in some
countries. The discussion includes: is abortion legal
or illegal? Is abortion morally justified or not?
However, in this discussion I would like to talk
from a different angle

No Issue

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7. After reading the text, write what you have learnt from the reading in the text.

8. Read the text. Then, complete the following mind map.

Nowadays, the video game industries are developing rapidly.

They have become multi-billion dollar industries. Video games
have become an important part not only of children’s lives but
also of adults’. Nevertheless, there are some arguments whether
video games have a good or a bad influence on children.
People who believe in the good influence of video games say
that video games kill children’s boredom and refresh their minds
after a tiring school day. These games encourage children to be more creative because the
games challenge children to win. The games sharpen their brains.
On the other hand, video games discourage children from studying. They find it hard to
concentrate on their studies because the games they play are on their minds during school.
Some children even skip their extracurricular activities to play games.
In addition, video games too often expose children to violence. Two years ago, a student
in the U.S.A. shot his teacher and some of his friends. Newspapers said that the boy was
deeply influenced by violence in video games he used to play.
It is obvious that video games have many more disadvantages than advantages.
So parents should be careful in selecting appropriate games for their children.

The issue discussed Pro

________________________ List of arguments
________________________
________________________ ________________________

Con The position of the writer

List of arguments ________________________
_________________________ ________________________
_________________________

9. Answer the following questions based on the text in Activity 10.

a. What is the purpose of writing about the controversy over video games?
b. Analyze the structure of the text by matching the columns.

The Text Structure of the Text

1. Pros and Cons about Video Games a. Argument ‘against’ 1

2. Paragraph 1 b. Arguments ‘for’ 1

3. Paragraph 2 c. Issue

4. Paragraph 3 d. Argument ‘for’ 2

5. Paragraph 4 e. Argument ‘against’ 2

6. Paragraph 5 f. Title

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10. Analyze the language features of the text in Activity 10. Write the sentences in the right column.
See the examples.

The present tense The games sharpen their brains

The present continuous Nowadays, video game industries are

developing rapidly
The use of modal ‘should’

Connective words

Past tense

DID YOU KNOW?

In our daily lives, we often make decisions about things. We consider both sides before
deciding if something is good or bad. We also question if something is right or wrong, or
debate which side to take

LINK IT TO
11. Study the structure of the following discussion text.

Text Text Feature

Structure
Title The Internet on Education: Social function
Pros and Cons To get a balance on a
picture and point of view
about the role of the
Internet in education
Issue You know, we can’t deny the role of the Internet in Sign indicating an issue
education. But actually there are several positive  You know
and negative impacts of he Internet in education. Sign indicating a
controversy
 Positive and negative
Argument One of the positive impacts of the Internet in Grammar used The
‘for/pro’ education is when you are curious about present tense
Elaboration something. You can find out the information to feel The use of modal
your ‘learning hunger’ immediately from the Connective words
Internet. So, if you are curious about the ants in
your backyard or if you want to know more about
dinosaurs or any other prehistoric animals, there is
abundant information at your fingertips and you
can improve your knowledge.
Argument Well, on the other hand, some would argue that the Sign indicating an
‘against/con’ Internet degrades the quality of research, throwing argument.
elaboration people into areas where the answers they find are Grammar used
low-quality guesses, at best. Since the Internet Contrastive connector
allows anyone to publish anything, finding high Connective words
quality information is sometimes difficult. The The present tens
Internet can also be a huge distraction, like many
other things that distract us from serious inquiry.
Conclusion So far, the role of the Internet in education has Sign indicating an
become a dilemma for many people in the world. argument
On the one hand, it can feed our ‘learning hunger’, Grammar used
but on the other hand, it degrades the quality of Contrastive connector
research. Connective words
The present tense
The use of modal

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12. Read the text and then answer the following questions in pairs.
a. What is the topic of the text?
b. What is the role of the Internet in education?
c. Why do some people object to the use of the Internet in education?
d. Why do some people support the role of the Internet in education?
e. What is the solution to the controversy?

13. Discuss the following questions

a. What is the purpose of the text in Activity 16?
b. What do you call this kind of text?
c. Explain the text organization in your own words.
 What is the content of an issue?
 What does the argument ‘for’ say?
 What does the argument ‘against’ say?
 What does the conclusion say?
d. What do you think of the speaker’s attitude? Fair or unfair? How do you know this?
e. The text above is mostly written in ________________ tense.
f. Write all connective words used in the text.
g. Write all contrastive connectors used in the text.

14. Match the phrases in column A with the phrases in column B to make good sentences.

A B
1. Although LED TVs are a. I sometimes find something interesting
considerably energy efficient behind the gossip.
than plasma TVs

2. Even though many people b. Though some people condemn the

condemn the content of content of the program
infotainment programs

3. Despite improving your c. The Internet can feed your learning

knowledge hunger fast.

4. In spite of disliking gossip d. LED TVs do cost more than plasma

programs TVs

5. The infotainment program can e. The high-rating TV programs provide

encourage celebrities to do a livelihood for many, from
positive things in public infotainment journalists to celebrities.

REMEMBER!

 Although, even though, though should be followed by a clause

 In spite of and despite should be followed by a noun.
 Other contrastive conjunctions are: even if, however, no matter how, whatever.
e.g.:
 Even if some people support the role of the Internet in education, many
people believe that the Internet degrades the quality of research.
 However interesting the video games are, children should remember their
homework.
 No matter how difficult the final examination is, you should finish it on
time.
 I won’t buy an LED TV whatever it costs.

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15. Review of connectives and comment adverbs.

a. Pay attention to the following dialogues. Then, create similar dialogues in pairs.

Dialogue 1
Teacher : The Internet shouldn’t be allowed because of the interior quality of the
research.
Student A : In addition, the Internet degrades the quality of the students’ knowledge.
Student B : Furthermore, the Internet can take students into areas that provide
information of poor quality.
Student C : For example, the internet allows anyone to publish anything, so finding high
quality information is difficult.
Student D : in my opinion, we should be very careful in accepting the quality of the
information that we find on the Internet.

Dialogue 2
Teacher : Do you think it’s a good idea to abolish the national exams?
Student A : No, I disagree because they can be used to evaluate the education system in
or country.
Student B : But, the national exams will only encourage schools to give tasks that develop
student’s abilities to answer typical exam questions.
Student C : Despite criticism of the national exams, schools across the nation still plan to
hold the final exams.
Student D : I personally believe that the national exams can be used only for evaluating
the education system and to determine its weakness.

b. Choose the texts you have just studied in this chapter.

REMEMBER!

Comment Adverbs
Comment adverbs in discussion text are used to express our opinion on something. Some
comment adverbs that can be found in discussion texts are personally, obviously, clearly and
undoubtedly.

16. Study the following issue and conclusion attentively.

No Issue Conclusion

a Well, do you like news about the lives of So far, infotainment programs have become
celebrities? Then, you must enjoy a dilemma for some viewers. On the one
watching infotainment programs on TV. hand, these programs can run stories on
Even though many people condemn the how celebrities have built their careers and
content of the infotainment programs, how they feel about being famous, but on
those highly rated TV programs provide a the other hand these programs also bring
livelihood for many from infotainment terrible consequences, especially for
journalists to celebrities. people’s private lives.
b You know, we can’t deny the role of the So far, the role of the Internet in education
Internet in education. But actually, there has become a dilemma for many people in
are several positive and negative impacts the world. On the one hand, it can feed our
of the Internet in education ‘learning hunger’, but on the other hand it
degrades the quality of research.
c Nowadays, the video game industry is It is obvious that video games have many
developing rapidly. It has become a multi- more disadvantages than advantages. So,
billion dollar industry. Video games have parents should be careful ins electing
become an important part, not only of appropriate games for their children
children’s life but also the lives of adults.
Nevertheless, there is an argument about
whether video games have a good or a bad
influence on children.

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17. Discuss the following questions.

a. Where can you find con conjunctions?

b. Where can you find contrastive words?
c. The writer shows the good side of the topic by using . . . .
d. In the previous extracts, there are some expressions indicating spoken language. Underline them.

18. Create a similar spoken and written issue and conclusion by completing the following
extract. Choose one of the following topics.

a. Beauty Pageant.
b. Flag-hoisting ceremonies on Mondays.
c. Should mobile phones be banned from school?.

Spoken Issue Spoken Conclusion

Well, do you like news about So far, _____________ become a dilemma

____________? Then you must enjoy for some ________________
watching ________________ programs. On the one hand, ________________ and
Even though many people condemn the _____________ but on the other hand
___________, the ______________ provides _______________
_______________

Nowadays, the _______________ is It is obvious that ______________ have

developing rapidly. It has become a more disadvantages than advantages. So,
____________. _____________ become an _____________ should be _____________
important part not only of a child’s life but
also the lives of adults.
Nevertheless, there is an argument whether
______________ have a good or a bad
influence on _______________

19. Work individual and do these activities.

a. Find two different discussion texts on the Internet.

b. Compare the text structure, language features, and social function with the texts in this chapter.
c. Discuss the issues in the texts.
d. Appoint a leader to present your group’s conclusions in a presentation program.

20. Write a discussion text.

To make a good and meaningful discussion text:

a. Omit spoken expression
b. Use con conjunctions
c. Use contrastive words and
d. Mention a good side of the topic

Title

Issue

Argument ‘for’

elaboration

Argument ‘against’

Elaboration

Conclusion

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 SUMMARY
Discussion texts
In a discussion text, we express our opinion about a certain issue whether it is a pro or a con.
In expressing our pro opinion, we can use these following expressions.
 I agree with you
 I’m positive about that
 I like it that way

In expressing our con opinion, we can use these following expressions

 I’m afraid I disagree
 I’m not sure about that
 I don’t see it that way

Connective words are words to link ideas, so that there is unity in a paragraph.
We also use contrastive conjunctions to express disagreement, such as:
 Even if
 However
 No matter how
 Whatever
 Although
 Even though
 Though
 In spite of, and
 Despite

When we express our opinion, we also use connective words to link our ideas.

Connective Words Function

And, also, as well as, besides, finally, More information follows
furthermore, moreover, in addition to

Examples, kinds, types, numbers, others,

several, some, such as, the following Examples will follow.
ways
Even if, however, in spite of, instead of, An opposite idea will follow
nevertheless, on the other hand, despite,
still, yet.
All, but except Exceptions will follow

As a result of, because, due to, in order Information about the cause of
to, since, because of something follows

As a consequence, as a result, Information about the effects of

consequently, so, so that therefore something follows

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