UNIT 4

A. WRITING

The Opinion Essay

Read the following essay. Find the topic sentence in each paragraph, underline the linking
words and consider the role of each paragraph.

Although the position of women in society today has improved, there is still a great deal of
sexual discrimination. Do you agree?

P1 Throughout this century, the role of women within society has changed, and the majority
of people feel that this change is for the better. More women work than ever before, and it is
accepted in Western culture that many women now have careers. Nonetheless, in my opinion
there is still a great deal of sexual discrimination against women within society, and the belief
that sexual equality has been achieved is not altogether accurate.
P2 To begin with, many women find it very difficult to return to work after having children.
The main reason for this is that there are rarely any provisions made for childcare in the
workplace and, in these cases, women are forced to find someone to look after the children while
they are at work. Obviously, this can prove to be a time-consuming and expensive process, yet it
must be done if mothers are to be able to resume their careers.
P3 Secondly, the traditional views of the position of women within society are so deeply
ingrained that they have not really changed. For instance, not only is the view that women should
stay at home and look after their family still widely held, but it is reinforced through images seen
on television programmes and advertisements. An example of this is that few men are ever seen
doing housework on television, since this is traditionally thought of as ‘a woman’s job’.
P4 Thirdly, since families often need two incomes in order to enjoy a good standard of
living, a woman finds herself doing two jobs: one at home and one at the office. So, it could be
said that a woman’s position has, in fact, deteriorated rather than improved, with the result that
women carry the burdens of equality but get none of the benefits.

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P5 In contrast, there are some people who claim that the problem of sexual discrimination no
longer exists. They point out that women do, after all, have legal rights intended to protect them
from discrimination. In addition, a few women are now beginning to reach top positions as
judges, business leaders and politicians, while a number of previously all-male professions are
opening their ranks to women. Nonetheless, these examples are not the norm and discrimination
is still very much with us.
P6 Taking these points into consideration, I would say that the position of women has
improved only slightly. While rules and laws have changed, it is the deep-rooted opinions of
people within society which are taking a longer time to evolve. Needless to say, until these
attitudes have changed, sexual discrimination will remain a problem which we all need to face
and fight against.

○ An opinion essay is a formal piece of writing. It requires your opinion on a topic, which must
be stated clearly, giving various viewpoints on the topic supported by reasons and/or examples.
You should also include the opposing viewpoint in another paragraph.
○ Structure
Introduction
Paragraph 1
State the topic and your opinion clearly
Main body
Paragraph 2
Viewpoint 1+reason/example
Paragraph 3
Viewpoint 2+reason/example
Paragraph 4
Viewpoint 3+reason/example
Paragraph 5
Opposing viewpoint+reason/example
Conclusion
Paragraph 6
Summarise/restate your opinion.

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○ Decide whether you agree or disagree with the subject of the topic, then make a list of your
viewpoints and reasons.
○ Write well-developed paragraphs, joining the sentences with appropriate linking words and
phrases. Do not forget to start each paragraph with a topic sentence which summarises what the
paragraph is about.
○ Linking words and phrases should also be used to join one paragraph with the other.

Useful expressions and linking words/phrases

○ to give opinions:
To my mind/To my way of thinking …
It is my (firm) belief/opinion/view/conviction that …
I (firmly) believe that …
I am (not) convinced that …
I (do not) agree that/with …
It strikes me that …
My opinion is that …
I (definitely) fell/think that …
I am inclined to believe that …
It seems/appears to me …
As far as I am concerned, …

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B. GRAMMAR
Hypothetical Constructions
1. Wish
- wish + to infinitive = immediate desire
e. g. I wish to apply for a visa. (I shall apply)
I wish you to speak to the manager. (You will speak to the manager.)
Verbs that can be used in the same way: like, love, ask, beg, expect, want, intend, need, prefer
e. g. I like to keep everything tidy. (refers to my actions)
I like you to keep everything tidy. (refers to my actions)
- wish + Past Tense = wishes referring to the present
e. g. I regret they don’t agree to my proposal.
I wish they agreed to my proposal.
- wish + Past Perfect = wishes referring to the past (unrealized situations in the past)
e. g. I wish you had let me know yesterday.
- wish + would + infinitive functions like a polite request.
e. g. I wish you would be quiet.
I wish you wouldn’t make so much noise.
!!! We use could not would after I and we
e. g. I wish I could be you.
I wish we could be together.
2. If only
- If only + Past Tense = wishes referring to the present
e. g. I don’t live in the country.
If only I lived in the country.
- If only + Past Perfect = wishes referring to the past (unrealized situations in the past)
e. g. If only I had been here yesterday.
- the position of only after if
only can be separated from if and can be placed:
◦ after be e. g. If he were only here now!
◦ before the past participle e. g. If I had only known!
◦ after the modal e. g. If you would only try harder.

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3. It’s time
- It’s time to = the time has arrived to do something
e. g. It’s time for us to have lunch. (It’s about noon)
- It’s time + Past Tense
e. g. It’s time we had our lunch. (It’s past two o’clock)
4. Would rather/sooner - preferences
4.1 would rather/sooner + bare infinitive
preference + action - same subject
◦ would rather + infinitive - refers to the present
e. g. I would rather be a teacher than a bank clerk.
◦ would rather + have + past participle - refers to the present
e. g. If I had lived in 1400, I would rather have been a knight than a monk.
4.2 would rather/sooner + past tense/past perfect
preference + action - different subjects
◦ would rather/sooner + past tense - present/future reference
e. g. I would rather Jack left on an earlier train.
◦ would rather/sooner + past perfect - past reference
e. g. I would rather they had left on time.
5. As if/As though
Indicative = Fact Subjunctive = Non-fact
Simultaneous Simultaneous
He looks as if he is ill. (He really is He looks as if he were ill. (He is not necessarily ill.)
ill.) He looked as if he were ill.
He looked as if he was ill. (He really
was ill.)
Anterior Anterior
He looks as if he was ill. He looked He looks as if he had been ill.
as if he had been ill. (He had really He looked as if he had been ill.
been ill.)

C. VOCABULARY

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 Tennis

1. Read the following text and fill in the diagram.

The players (or teams) stand on opposite sides of the net. One player is designated the server,
and the opposing player, or in doubles one of the opposing players, is the receiver. Service
alternates between the two halves of the court.
For each point, the server stands behind his/her baseline, between the center mark and the
sideline. The receiver may stand anywhere on his/her side of the net, usually behind the
diagonally opposite service box. When the receiver is ready, the server will serve.
In a legal service, the ball travels over the net (without touching it) and into the
diagonally opposite service court. If the ball hits the net but lands in the service court, this is a let
service, which is void. If the first service is otherwise faulty in any way, the serving player has a
second attempt at service. If the second service is also faulty, this is a double fault and the
receiver wins the point.
A legal service starts a rally, in which the players alternate hitting the ball across the net.
A legal return consists of the player or team hitting the ball exactly once before it has bounced
twice or hit any fixtures. It then travels back over the net and bounces in the court on the
opposite side. The first player or team to fail to make a legal return loses the point.
A tennis match usually comprises one to five sets. A set consists of a number of games,
which in turn consist of points.
Matches consist of an odd number of multiple sets, the match winner being the player
that wins more than half of the sets. The match ends as soon as this winning condition is met.
Some matches may consist of five sets (the winner being the first to win three sets), while most
matches are three sets (the winner being the first to win two sets).
A set consists of a sequence of games played with service alternating between games,
ending when the count of games won meets certain criteria. Typically, when a player wins a set
when he wins at least six games and at least two games more than their opponent.
A game consists of a sequence of points played with the same player serving, and is won
by the first player to have won at least four points and at least two points more than their
opponent. The running score of each game is described in a manner particular to tennis: scores of
zero to three points are described as "love" (or "zero"), "fifteen", "thirty", and "forty"
respectively.

1. 2.

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 service court

3.
4.
Serve
The divisions of a tennis match

love

forty fifteen

thirty

2. Fill in the blanks with the appropriate word.

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server, strikes, serve, net, doubles, racket, court, indoors, match, receiver
Tennis is a game played with a 1_____ and a ball by two (as in singles) or four (as in 2_____)
competitors, on a rectangular 3_____ with a 4_____ strung between the two sides of the field. Tennis may
be played 5_____ or outdoors.
A 6_____ begins every point of a tennis 7_____. The player who initiates the point is called the 8_____,
and the one who receives the ball is called the 9_____. To serve, a player tosses the ball into the air and
10_____ it before it touches the ground, hitting it into the opponent’s service area, known as the service
box.

3. Fill in the blanks with the words in the diagram

tennis ball

size colour composition

weight
diameter artificial
56-59,4 g yellow white rubber wool
6.35-6.6 cm fibres

A 1_____ is hollow and composed of inflated 2_____ covered with a fabric made of 3_____ and
4_____. 5_____ and 6 _____ balls are used in tournament competition and are the most common
colours, although balls of other colours are manufactured. A standard tennis ball measures
between 7_____ in diameter and weighs between 8 _____.

4. Read the following text and fill in the diagrams.

There is no uniform design of tennis rackets, and their sizes and shapes vary. The general
classifications, determined by the size of the racket head, are standard, midsize, oversize, and
super oversize. In tournament play, the maximum length of a racket is 29 in (73.7 cm). The
maximum width is 12.5 in (31.8 cm). The head of the racket may not exceed a length of 15.5 in
(39.4 cm) and a width of 11.5 in (29.2 cm), and it is usually strung with resilient gut or nylon or
other synthetic materials. There are no restrictions on weight. Rackets were originally made of
wood, but now virtually all rackets are made of materials such as aluminum, graphite, and carbon
fiber, which are stronger and lighter than wood. The racket handle is generally covered with a
rubber or leather grip.

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 tennis racket

structure size composition

racket
head

general specific string

size size comp.

racket handle

grip composition

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5. Fill in the blanks with the following words in order to find out the names of the lines and
areas of a tennis court: doubles side line, singles side line, service courts, baseline, net.
Some of them are must be used twice

1
2

5
6
7

Tennis court

6. Match the names of the following stokes with their definitions.

1.forehand a. This is a powerful shot often used to return a lob

that has not been hit high or deep enough. The shot
is hit in a similar manner to the serve in volleyball.
2. backhand b. This is a high, soft return over the head of an
opponent who has approached the net. It is
frequently used to force the opponent to retreat to
the back of the court to play the ball. It can also be
used as a defensive stroke, providing time for the
hitter to regain court position.
3. lob c. This is a lightly hit, spinning return that drops
softly over the net, forcing the opponent to
approach the net. If the opponent is positioned deep
in the court, it can be used to win the point.
4. overhead smash d. It is struck by swinging the racquet away from
one's body in the direction of where the player
wants the ball to go, and it is generally considered
more difficult to master than the forehand. It can be
executed with either one or both hands.
5. drop shot f. It occurs when a player strikes the ball before
it bounces. It is most often employed when a
player is playing close to the net.

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