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General English · Speaking · C1

Developing persuasive arguments

Build a case with a clear claim, sound reasoning and a fair response to the strongest objection.

Lesson 4 · About 22 minutes

Learn: your objectives

  • Make the reasoning between evidence and recommendation explicit.
  • Address a serious objection rather than a weak substitute.

Warm-up

Think about these questions. Say a short answer aloud.

  • What makes an objection worth addressing?
  • Can a persuasive case admit a genuine cost?

Useful language

Claim, objection, response

The case rests on …

State the central basis of the argument.

The case rests on making existing resources easier to use.

The strongest objection is …

Represent a substantive challenge fairly.

The strongest objection is the extra work required to maintain it.

That concern is valid, but it does not necessarily follow that …

Concede a concern while examining the conclusion drawn from it.

That concern is valid, but it does not necessarily follow that we should reject a limited trial.

Notice: model speaking

Read aloud. Notice how the speakers use the phrases and respond to each other.

Speaker: I'd support a shared equipment register. The case rests on visibility: people cannot borrow equipment they don't know is available. A simple register could make existing resources easier to use without requiring new purchases.

Speaker: The strongest objection is maintenance. An outdated list could waste time rather than save it. That concern is valid, so my proposal includes named owners and a short review date for each entry.

Speaker: This does not eliminate the workload. It makes the workload visible and testable. I would begin with one small category of equipment and stop if maintaining the list costs more effort than it saves. The argument is for a bounded experiment, not for a system at any cost.

Speaking strategy

State the claim, explain why your evidence supports it, address the strongest objection and define what would change your recommendation. Avoid winning only against an exaggerated version of the other side.

Pronunciation & fluency focus

Give the objection a neutral, credible delivery. Mark your response with a pause rather than a dismissive tone; the reasoning should do the work.

Teaching guidance, not an analysis of your voice.

Use: controlled practice

Choose a useful response for each situation. Check when all questions are answered. These are phrase exercises, not a speaking assessment.

1. Which objection genuinely challenges a shared register?
2. Which response addresses maintenance directly?
3. What links visibility to the register recommendation?
4. Which concession strengthens rather than hides the trade-off?
5. Which stopping condition is relevant?

Build your answer

Write a few keywords. Then look away and speak. Notes stay on this page only.

Speak: your challenge

Make a three-minute case for sharing a resource within a group. Explain the mechanism, address the strongest objection fairly and state when you would revise your recommendation.

Do not invent evidence. You may argue from a clearly described hypothetical case.

Speak aloud. This page does not record, listen to or assess your speech. There is no automatic speaking score.

Self-check

Open to everyone. Answers, notes and checklists are not saved to an account. These original lessons use level labels to organize learning; completion is not official CEFR certification or proof of a level.