MIND YOUR LANGUAGE- DEBATE

Debate – when people have different opinions concerning certain subjects and discuss their options.

De (the) bait – odds and ends of food that you put on a fishing line to catch a fish (often worms, leftovers of bread)

To dispute – to discuss

To have an argument / to have a fight – when people do not agree with each other on some point. Sometimes they start insulting each other or even hitting and punching.

To chair – to be in a role of a judge

To cheer (to cheer up) – to make someone happy, to support somebody

To sit on the fence (idiom) - if somebody sits on the fence they don't take sides in an argument.

 
For example:

I'm sitting on the fence.

I don't know who is right or wrong.

I prefer to sit on the fence.

I hate taking sides in any argument.

 
He's so indecisive.

He always prefers to sit on the fence.

To do a commercial – to promote some products via TV, Internet, Social Media, etc.

To drop something – when you hold an object and the you let it out, the object drops on the floor

To carry on – to keep going, to continue

TV license – a confirmation allowing you to watch TV programms

Jolly good – cool, awesome

Violence – when one person does something bad against the other person’s will

To drown somebody – to kill a person by holding him/her under the water for a long time

To chop off – to cut off

To spare a moment – to have a minute

Out here – come here

To throw something open – to open a debate, a meeting, etc.

To take a vote / to vote – to collect point for opposite proposals

To dismiss – to let go people from the class, lecture, etc.

To call it a draw – to compromise, to admit that nobody’s won.

Split the class into at least two groups and pick up a person who will be a chairman. One group is going to be The Opposers (bad), the other one – The Proposers (good).

Then, announce a topic of the debate. Frankly speaking, you can give any topic you like but if you’d prefer to use mine, feel free to do that.

The topic is:

“Nowadays, a lot of researches say that children are not obliged to go to school. They suppose that schools kill creativity, will and the desire of studying. So they think it is better for children to self-study, to learn at home with private tutors”.

The first group (the Opposers) gives supportive points to the thought that self-studying is bad and children must go to school. The Proposers, on the contrary, agree with the topic and give supportive details to that.