Disagreeing

This programme is all about expressions you can use when you want to tell someone that you disagree with them (you think what they are saying is wrong).

We do this with the help of the British Prime Minister, Tony Blair. He was recently interviewed by a BBC journalist and there were lots of phrases expressing disagreement in the conversation!

After you have listened to the programme, why not get some more practice using the quizzes below.

Useful vocabulary for disagreeing

no I don't agree that's not true I don't accept that	Note: 'no' is usually followed by a statement (see below) (quite direct) (quite formal)
Examples: No, I don't think that's what happened. No, that's not a good idea.

that's

complete (no adjective) absolute total

nonsense! rubbish!

Very strong ways of saying you disagree - unless said as a joke, they usually sound quite aggressive, so be careful about using them! They can be made stronger with adjectives (2nd column).

hang on! hang on a minute!		expressions often used to interrupt and disagree with what someone has just said:
Example: Hang on! That's not what she did at all!

Structures you can use when you agree with part of something that's been said, but disagree with other parts, or want to bring in a contrasting idea:
although while	it's true to say that it's fair to say that I agree that	(..followed by what you agree with, then what you don't agree with, or a contrasting idea)
Examples: Although it's true to say that he is intelligent, I don't think he works well in a team. While I agree that we should leave soon, I think we should finish this work first.

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WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNT?

Now it's time for you to have a go at practising the language we've looked at in this programme. Part A is a short listening activity and part B is a matching exercise. Good luck!

A. LISTENING ACTIVITY
Here's a task: Listen to this conversation. See if you can spot four expressions used to show disagreement.


B. MATCHING ACTIVITY
Your partner is angry with you and the two of you get into an argument. The accusations against you are on the left. It's up to you to reply with the appropriate answers by dragging the arrows to the best responses on the right. Once you've finished, click 'Check Answers'.



Don't have flash?
You can also download a printable version of this activity.

Download Activity (pdf -16k)