Idioms & Expressions:
next door neighbor (noun; this is someone who lives directly next to you)
I saw my next-door neighbor when I was at the market.
neighbor on (verb; means that something is located directly next to something to something else)
My apartment building neighbors on the CGV.
take a poll (verb; means to ask a number of people for their opinions)
Let’s take a poll to see who likes MTP and who hates him.
in my humble opinion (an expression that is used when people share their thoughts. Also abbreviated as “IMHO”)
Most people hated the ending of “Infinity War,” but in my humble opinion it was pretty good.
contrary to popular belief (an expression used when dispelling a myth)
Contrary to popular belief, traffic in Hanoi is not that bad.
sway (someone’s) opinion (verb; means to convince someone to change their opinion)
The president appeared on TV after the scandal, attempting to sway the people’s opinion of him and win them over.
Part I: Group Discussion
- How well do you know the people who live next door to you?
I live in a shared house with a few other foreigners. They are mostly from America. We share a living room and kitchen. I also live in a compound in between two houses with a few other Vietnamese families.
- How often do you see them?
I bump into the foreigners once or twice a day in the house, and I see the local family in the driveway.
- What kinds of problem do people sometimes have with their neighbors?
Probably mostly noise complaints, I think. Some people who live nearby me shout often and wake up too early and start making noise.
- How do you think neighbors can help each other?
They can housesit, babysit or pet sit for each other. They can also help each other with cleaning, yardwork, and projects such as moving a couch.
Part II: Individual Presentations
Describe a time when you were asked to give your opinion in a questionnaire or survey. You should say:
What the questionnaire / survey were about?
Why you were asked to give your opinions?
What opinions did you give?
And explain how you felt about giving your opinions in this questionnaire / survey.
I have been frequently asked to give my opinions in online surveys that have been sent to me by university students. This is probably because I’m friends with a lot of students who study marketing. The surveys are usually about 10 questions long and they involve questions about tourism or vacations. I try to be honest when I answer the questions, but I don’t really remember exactly what kind of questions they ask. I’m happy to do the surveys to help my friends out, but I think they’re boring and don’t really enjoy doing them.
Part III: Class Discussion
- What kinds of organization want to find out about people’s opinions?
Almost every possible institution that has some sort of financial investment in data – political bodies, corporations, ad firms – the list is endless.
- Do you think that questionnaires or surveys are good ways of finding out people’s opinion?
Well, of course. Some people mislead pollsters, though. I know people do this when they answer political polls in order to confuse the opposition party.
- What reasons might people have for not wanting to give their opinions?
Some people might not have an opinion in the first place, or they might not want to take the time to give their opinion.
- Do you think it would be a good idea for schools to ask students their opinion about lessons?
Sure, if it helps the teachers have a more effective lesson. But some younger kids will be bored with a lesson no matter what, so they’re not worth asking, I don’t think.
- What would the advantages for schools be if they asked students their opinions?
They could possibly have more interesting lessons – but students are probably not to be trusted, because they don’t necessarily like to learn.
- Would there be any disadvantages in asking students’ opinions?
As I’ve said, many students don’t like to learn, so we shouldn’t ask them for their opinions on educational matters. We should ask them for their input on extracurricular activities, though.
