Every card in Spoken English, Year 9
The whole deck, in order — so you can read it through before your child ever sees it.
- In a British schools debate, the proposition argues for the motion and the team arguing against it is called the ____.
opposition
HintParliament uses the same name for the parties that face the government.
WhyOther debating formats call the side in favour the government or the affirmative. Speakers do not choose their side, so debaters learn to build the best case for a view they may not hold, which is part of the training.
- You have three arguments ready for a timed debate speech: one strong, one average and one weak. The timekeeper will cut you off the moment your time is up. Which argument should you make first?
The strongest
HintAsk which one you could least afford to lose if the bell went early.
WhyTime can run out, and judges and audiences remember what they hear early. Leading with your best point means it gets full attention and the most time for evidence.
- The motion is 'This house would ban homework.' A speaker spends two minutes arguing that school uniform is uncomfortable. What basic rule of debating have they broken?
Stick to the motion
HintAsk whether anything they said helps decide the question on the table.
WhyEvery point has to bear on the statement being debated. However well made, an argument about something else wins nothing, and it uses up time the speaker needed.
- A debate speaker has thirty seconds left and one more point they have not started. Should they begin the new point or sum up their case?
Sum up their case
HintAsk what the judges will be left holding if the bell cuts a sentence in half.
WhyA point begun and abandoned leaves the audience with a loose end. A short summary reminds the judges of the arguments already made and lets the speaker finish on time and in control.
- An opposition speaker says: 'Banning phones in school would stop pupils contacting their parents in an emergency.' Which reply is a rebuttal? (A) 'Phones distract pupils from learning.' (B) 'The school office can pass on an urgent message within minutes.'
B
HintOnly one of them deals with the emergency.
WhyReply A is a new point for your own side; it leaves the emergency argument standing. Reply B answers the specific point that was made. A rebuttal has to meet the argument the other side actually used.
- Admitting that one of the other side's points is fair, before showing that your own case still stands
A concession in a debate
HintIt often begins: 'My opponent is right that...'
WhyGranting a fair point costs little and makes you look reasonable, which makes your remaining disagreement more believable. The skill is to give up the detail and keep the case.
- A brief question or challenge offered to the speaker by a member of the other team during a debate speech, which the speaker may accept or decline
A point of information
HintThe person offering it usually stands and says its three-word name aloud.
WhyIt tests whether a speaker can think on their feet: accepting one and answering it well shows confidence, while refusing every one looks defensive. It must be short, and the speaker stays in charge of the floor.
- While the other team is speaking in a debate, what should you be writing down so that you can rebut them?
The points they actually make
HintYou cannot prepare this part the night before.
WhyA rebuttal written in advance answers the speech you expected, not the one that was given. Noting each claim as it is made, with a word or two of reply, is what lets you answer on your feet.
- Change the two verb forms into Standard English. 'We was late because I done the wrong paper' becomes: 'We ____ late because I ____ the wrong paper.'
were; did
HintOne verb must agree with a plural subject; the other needs the simple past, not the participle.
WhyThese are the national curriculum's own two examples of Standard English verb forms. 'We was' and 'I done' are regular patterns in many dialects, not random slips, but formal speech and writing expect 'we were' and 'I did'.
- A newsreader has a strong Geordie accent and uses Standard English grammar and vocabulary throughout the bulletin. Is she speaking Standard English?
Yes
HintSeparate how her words sound from which words and verb forms she chooses.
WhyStandard English is defined by grammar and vocabulary and, as the national curriculum glossary puts it, is not limited to any particular accent. You can keep your own voice and still use it.
- Moving between two languages, or between varieties of one language such as a local dialect and Standard English, to suit the situation
Code-switching
HintA speaker might do it between the playground and a job interview.
WhyBilingual speakers do it between languages; most people do it between varieties without thinking, speaking one way at home and another in a formal setting. Doing it on purpose is the skill: you add Standard English for formal moments without giving up the way you speak elsewhere.
- 'I didn't see nothing' is non-standard. To make it Standard English, type the one word that should replace 'nothing'. (one word)
anything
HintStandard English allows only one negative here, and 'didn't' already supplies it.
WhyTwo negatives in one clause are normal in many dialects and in many other languages, but Standard English uses one: 'I didn't see anything' or 'I saw nothing'. The national curriculum glossary gives 'I wasn't doing anything' as a Standard form.
1★ KS3-ENLA-SPO-0013
2★ KS3-ENLA-SPO-0014
3★ KS3-ENLA-SPO-0015
4★ KS3-ENLA-SPO-0016
5★ KS3-ENLA-SPO-0017
6★ KS3-ENLA-SPO-0018
7★ KS3-ENLA-SPO-0019
8★ KS3-ENLA-SPO-0020
9★ KS3-ENLA-SPO-0021
10★ KS3-ENLA-SPO-0022
11★ KS3-ENLA-SPO-0023
12★ KS3-ENLA-SPO-0024
Keep what you learn
Here, nothing is saved. In your child’s own sky every card is scheduled — it comes back just before they’d forget it — and the professor who wrote it is one tap away.