Grammar: 🔄 Review & Consolidation (B2) - Communicative Task: Debates or discussions requiring speculation, opinion, and hypothetical reasoning

🔄 B2 Communicative Task: Debates & Discussions

Welcome to your final B2 consolidation task! Today, we put all your advanced grammar to use in a practical, communicative¹ way. The goal is not to learn new rules, but to use the language you know to participate in a debate². This requires expressing opinions, making speculations, and using hypothetical reasoning³.

Your Communicative Toolkit (A Quick Review)

To succeed in a discussion, you need the right tools. Here is the B2 grammar you can use to express your ideas effectively:

• Giving Opinions: "In my opinion...", "I believe that...", "We should..."
• Speculation⁴ & Deduction: "That plan might work.", "It must be expensive.", "That can't be the only solution."
• Hypotheticals: "If we built a new park, people would be happier." (2nd Conditional) / "If they had asked the people, they would have known the answer." (3rd Conditional)
• Linking Ideas: "The project is expensive. However, it will create many jobs. Furthermore, it will attract tourists."

The Debate Topics

Choose ONE of the following topics. Think about what your opinion is and what arguments you can make to support it.

Topic 1: A large international company wants to build a huge, modern shopping mall in the historic center of Battambang. Is this a good idea for the city?

Topic 2: Should a law be passed in Cambodia requiring all high school students to complete 100 hours of community service (e.g., cleaning parks, helping the elderly) in order to graduate?

Topic 3: Is online learning a good replacement for traditional classroom learning for university students?

How to Structure Your Argument

When you state your opinion in a discussion, a clear structure helps people understand you. Try this simple model:

1. State Your Opinion: Clearly say if you agree or disagree, and give your main reason.
2. Give Supporting Points: Add one or two examples or reasons.
3. Acknowledge the Other Side: Show you understand the counter-argument (e.g., "I understand why some people think..., however...").
4. Use a Hypothetical: Use a conditional sentence to explore a possible result.
5. Conclude: Briefly summarize your final position.

🧠 Language Builder Practice

Let's practice the language for Topic 1 (The Shopping Mall). Complete these sentence starters.

1. (Opinion): In my opinion, building the mall is a bad idea because _______.
   (Example: ...it would destroy the city's unique charm.)
2. (Hypothetical): If the company built the mall, it _______ attract more tourists.
   (Example: ...would...)
3. (Speculation): The old buildings _______ be damaged during construction.
   (Example: ...might/could...)
4. (Acknowledging): I understand that it would create jobs; however, _______.
   (Example: ...it might also create a lot of traffic.)

📝 Homework: Present Your Argument

Choose one of the three debate topics. Write a short paragraph (5-7 sentences) presenting your main argument⁵. Try to use at least one conditional sentence, one modal of speculation, and one advanced linking word (e.g., however, furthermore, consequently).

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Example Answer (for Topic 2):
"In my opinion, required community service for students is an excellent idea. Firstly, it would teach young people about social responsibility. Furthermore, it would provide real help to communities that need it. I understand that some students might say they are too busy with their studies. However, if schools integrated the service into the curriculum, it would be manageable. The students might even discover a passion for helping others. Consequently, I believe it would build better citizens for Cambodia's future."

Vocabulary Glossary

1. Communicative: (Adjective) - ដែលទាក់ទងនឹងការប្រាស្រ័យទាក់ទង (dael teak'tông nɨng kaa pra'sray'teăk'tông) - Related to the activity of expressing ideas and feelings. ↩
2. Debate: (Noun) - ការជជែកដេញដោល (kaa châ'chék'denh'daol) - A formal discussion on a particular topic in which opposing arguments are put forward. ↩
3. Hypothetical Reasoning: (Noun Phrase) - ការ​ផ្ដល់​ហេតុផល​បែប​សម្មតិកម្ម (kaa ph'dɑl haet'phâl baep sâm'mâ'tĭ'kâm) - The process of thinking about situations that are imaginary or not real. ↩
4. Speculation: (Noun) - ការស្មាន (kaa s'maan) - The activity of guessing possible answers to a question without having enough information to be certain. ↩
5. Argument: (Noun) - ហេតុផល (haet'phâl) - A reason or set of reasons given in support of an idea, action or theory. ↩