1.

Introduction

 Let's begin/start with ...

2. What you think about somebody/something

 As far as I'm concerned ...

 I think ...
 In my opinion ...
 As far as I know ...
 In my view ...
 I don't think ...
 I don't believe that ...
 Well, if you ask me ...
 If you want my honest opinion ...
 I've never come across the idea that ...

3. How to agree/disagree

 I must admit that ...

 I totally/fully/partly agree.
 I agree/don't agree with you.
 I believe/don't believe ...
 I'm convinced that ...
 The way I see it ...
 It seems to me that ...
 I wouldn't say that ...
 I don't think so.
 You're right up to a point.
 You could be right.
 That can't be right.
 I don't agree at all.
 As a matter of fact, ...
 That's right/wrong.
 Exactly.
 I can understand ...
 It's hard to say.
 It's a fact that ...
 However, ...
 That's why ...
 John likes computers. - So do I.
 Steve doesn't like mobiles. - Neither do I.

1
 4. Asking for clarification

 What do you think?

 What's your opinion?
 Would you like to say something?
 What do you mean?
 What are your ideas?
 What are you trying to say?

5. How to interrupt politely

 I'm sorry, but ...

 Can/May I add something?
 Sorry to interrupt, but ...

6. Other opinions

 On the one hand ... on the other hand ...

 They claim that ...
 They also say ...
 Opinion among teachers is that ...
 That's a matter of opinion.

7. Phrases to keep a discussion going

 Let's get back to ...

 As we just heard ...
 Where were we?

CONVERSATION TOPICS - ADVANCED LEVEL

1. Fake news
Fake news (fabricated news) is the deliberate spread of
misinformation. Sensationalist, dishonest or outright fabricated
headlines are often used to increase readership.
1. Do you agree with the above definition?
2. Where do we most often find fake news? (newspapers, social
media ...)
3. What sort of fake news can you think of? (politics, show
business...)
4. How can we tell if a news story is ‘fake’ or not? (checking
sources, dates, photos…)
5. What is the purpose of the misinformation?
6. Is fake news used in election campaigns?

2
 7. Have any countries recently been accused of spreading fake
news?
8. Can you think of ways to prevent the circulation of fake news?
2. Violence in the world today
1. When you hear the word "violence", what do you think of?
2. Is the world more violent today?
3. Are there different sorts of violence? (physical / mental
/psychological/domestic …)
4. What forms of violence have you noticed?
5. Do people tend to be more violent when they group together?
(gangs / mobs / crowds…)
6. In what areas is there an increase in the level of violence?
(football, politics, religion, environment …)
7. What are the causes of violence? (jealousy, frustration,
unemployment, poverty, conspiracy theories, fake news …)
8. What violent conflicts are going on around the world?
9. Does the repetition of violent images in TV news reports have a
positive or negative effect?
10. Does violence ever achieve anything?
11. Is the increase in violence a worldwide phenomenon?
12. What could be done to reduce violence?
3. Annoying things
1. Do people have habits that annoy you?
2. Do you annoy people with some of your habits?
3. What does 'pet peeve' mean?
4. Do you have a pet peeve?
5. What annoys you when you are driving a car?
6. What are some things that car drivers do that annoy you?
7. Does it annoy you if someone cuts in front of you when you are
waiting in line?
8. Does smoking bother you?
9. Does something that your parents or friends do annoy you?
10. Do some people in your office/company do annoying things?
11. Can you think of any celebrities that are annoying? Why?
12. What do people do on public transport or on the street that
annoys you?
4. Success-Failure
1. How would you define success?
2. Do you have the same idea of success as your parents?
3. To what extent will your encourage your children to become
successful?
4. Do you think failures can contribute to a person's success?
5. Can you think of any famous people who encountered failure
before success?
5. Social Networking
1. What is social networking?
2. Can social networking sites be dangerous?
3. What precautions would you advise people to take?
4. Should the use of social networking sites be banned at work?
5. Are social networking sites changing our daily behaviour?

3
 6. Is it possible to become a social networking addict?
6. Diseases
1. What dangerous diseases are people scared of nowadays?
2. Should we be better-informed about the dangers of these
diseases?
3. What is the best way to stop diseases from spreading?
4. Do diseases have an effect on travel?
5. Which disease is it urgent to find a cure for?
7. Manners
1. Are good manners important?
2. Do people have better manners today than before?
3. Can you give examples of what you think are good manners?
4. What do you think are bad manners?
5. Can good manners in one country be bad manners in another
country?
6. What about table manners? Can you give examples of some
good table manners?
7. How about bad table manners?
8. Can manners affect your success in life? How?
9. What's the best way to teach manners to children?
10. What advice about manners would you give a foreigner visiting
your country?
8. News coverage in the media today.
1. Do you think news coverage today correctly describes what is
going on in the world?
2. Do you trust everything you hear or see on the news?
3. What improvements would you make?
4. What is the most important current news story?
5. Do certain types of events get too much/too little coverage?
6. Do you trust the media? Are you sure the information given is
always true?
7. Is it important to keep up with current events?
9. Job interviews
1. Is it necessary to prepare for a job interview?
2. How can a person make a good first impression?
3. Is there a recommended dress code for an interview?
4. Can you think of any difficult questions one should be prepared
for?
5. Is there anything a candidate should avoid mentioning?
6. Is it ok to make negative comments about your present
employer?
7. Is it ok for interviewers to ask questions about age, marital
status, etc.?
8. What information should a candidate have about the company?
10. Environment
1. What are some of the most serious environmental problems
today?
2. Can you find ten things that each of us can do to help preserve
our planet?
3. What is your opinion on climate change?

4
4. In what way will our children be affected by climate change?
5. How can we make our homes more environmentally friendly?
6. What can companies do to help preserve the environment?
7. Which countries cause the most pollution?
8. If we run out of oil, where will we get our energy from?

5
6
7
Shopping on the internet
 Do you often do your shopping online?
 What do you buy online? :
- food
- clothes
- furniture
- services : airline tickets, theatre reservations, flowers, greeting
cards ...
- other
 Are the prices the same as in the shops/agencies or less expensive?
 Have you ever had any disappointments or bad surprises?
 What are the advantages of shopping online?
 What are the dangers?
 What advice would you give future online shoppers?