In this lesson on the theme of Human Rights, you will learn how to express agreement and disagreement politely during a discussion, and how to give a firm opinion when defending a cause. These functions are essential for classroom debates and written arguments about social issues.
Agreeing and Disagreeing
When we discuss human rights issues, we often need to show that we share — or do not share — someone else’s opinion. Here are useful expressions.
- Agreeing: I completely agree that everyone should have equal access to education.
- Agreeing: That’s exactly how I see it too.
- Agreeing: You have a point there; discrimination really does harm whole communities.
- Disagreeing: I’m afraid I disagree; I think the new law does protect workers’ rights.
- Disagreeing: I see it differently — in my opinion, more needs to be done for refugees.
- Disagreeing: I’m not so sure about that; the statistics suggest otherwise.
- Partly agreeing: That’s true to some extent, but I think there is more to consider.
Making a Case / Persuading
When defending a human right, we often need to persuade our listener or reader that our position is correct. The following expressions help build a convincing argument.
- In my view, education is a right, not a privilege.
- The fact is that millions of children are still denied basic freedoms.
- It seems clear to me that stronger laws are needed to stop discrimination.
- Surely we must act now to protect the rights of refugees.
- How can we accept a situation in which so many people live without dignity?
- We simply cannot ignore the suffering caused by oppression.
Practice Exercises
Exercise 1 — Complete each response with an expression of agreement or disagreement: 1) ‘Every child should have free access to school.’ — ‘___, education changes lives.’ 2) ‘I don’t think the new law goes far enough.’ — ‘___, I believe it is a good first step.’
Exercise 2 — Classify the following expressions as Agreeing, Disagreeing, or Persuading: a) The fact is that discrimination still exists today. b) I couldn’t agree more. c) I’m not so sure about that. d) Surely we must act now.
Exercise 3 — Rewrite the sentence to make it more persuasive using a phrase from the lesson: ‘People should have freedom of speech.’
Exercise 4 — Write a short dialogue (4 lines) in which two students disagree politely about whether social media helps or harms human rights campaigns.
Exercise 5 — Choose the best expression to complete the argument: ‘Refugees deserve safe housing. ___ we cannot turn our backs on people in danger.’ (a) I’m not so sure b) Surely c) That’s exactly how I see it)
Exercise 6 — Write three sentences defending the right to education, using at least one agreeing expression and one persuasive expression from the lesson.
Answer Key
Answer 1 — 1) I completely agree 2) I see it differently / I’m not so sure about that
Answer 2 — a) Persuading b) Agreeing c) Disagreeing d) Persuading
Answer 3 — Example: Surely everyone must have the right to freedom of speech, since it lies at the heart of a fair society.
Answer 4 — Answers will vary. Example: A: Social media really helps human rights campaigns spread quickly. B: I see it differently — it can also spread false information. A: That’s true to some extent. B: Still, I think the benefits are greater overall.
Answer 5 — b) Surely
Answer 6 — Answers will vary. Example: I completely agree that education is a basic human right. In my view, every government must guarantee free schooling for all children. Surely no child should be denied the chance to learn.
