Using the adjectives suggested below.

concerned  difficult  poor  (un)interested  bored / boring  lazy  (un)successful patient numerous  determined  eager  helpful  proud  great  confident

Face each other in pairs and engage in the following 2-minute debates. Students A are assigned the first part of the argument, students B the second one. Rotate pairs.

1. English is an international language. vs. It depends on where you are in the world.

2. English will be the most important language in the world. vs Chinese will be.

3. English should be recognized as a national language in many countries. vs. A national language needs strong and long cultural roots.

4. English should be recognized as the official world language. vs. But in the future other languages will overtake English.

5. The world should learn either British or American English. vs. The world should learn international English.

14. Read the following statements and mark them (ν) if you agree, (×) if you disagree,

And (?) if you are not sure. Explain why (produce not less than 6 sentences).

1. I am more likely to use English to native speakers (e.g. British and American people) than I  speak to other non-native speakers.

2. All learners of English should try to pronounce the language as closely as possible to the way native speakers do.

3. It is important for learners of English to have a good command of British and American idioms.

4. People can’t understand you when you speak a foreign language unless you use the grammar correctly.

5. English doesn’t just “belong to” British or American people. It belongs to everyone in the world who uses it.

6. When I speak English I don’t want to imitate a British or American person. I want to keep my own identity.

15. Listen to Dr. Jennifer Jenkins talking about “English as an International

Language”. Which statements above does she agree / disagree with? Why?

Dr. Jenkins mentions some difficulties of English language as examples. Have you had any problems with any of them?

The pronunciation of th  British and American idioms  Uncountable nouns like information  The third person ‘s’ in the Present Simple

Point out your own difficulties when studying English and the ways of their

Overcoming. Work out some useful advice for yourself and your partner how to improve your language skills.

What does Jennifer Jenkins think may happen to these things as English as

International Language develops? How does she think dictionaries in the future will be

Different? Listen again if necessary.

Do you agree with Dr. Jenkins? Has she made you change your mind about any of your answers to Ex. 17 above? Why? Explain.