Common Debating Phrases, Expressions and Language
Debate Structure
(1) 1st Proposition
opening, definition, teamline,
own arguments
(2) 1st Opposition
accepting definition / redefinition, teamline,
rebuttal of 1st Proposition, own arguments
(3) 2nd Proposition
rebuttal of 1st Opp., rebuild own case, own
arguments
(4) 2nd Opposition
rebuttal of 2nd Prop., rebuild own case, own
arguments
(5) 3rd Proposition
general rebuttal, rebuild own case
(6) 3rd Opposition
general rebuttal, rebuild own case
(7) Opposition Reply (1st or 2nd speaker)
biased summary
(8) Proposition Reply (1st or 2nd speaker)
biased summary
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Formal Section Phrases
(1) opening the debate:
● [some nice opening, e.g. quote]
● Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to this debate.
● Welcome from this side of the house...
● The motion for debate today is: ...
(1) defining the motion:
● Now we as today's proposition/opposition strongly
believe that this is true/not true, but before we come to our actual
argumentation, let us first define some important terms in this debate.
● We believe that what is meant by ... is... / that ...
are ...
● When we say ... should ... we mean that ...
(1) presenting the teamline:
● We as today's proposition/opposition have structured
our case as follows:
● I, as the first speaker, will be talking about ...
● Our second speaker, ..., will elaborate on the fact
that ...
● And our third speaker, ..., will do the rebuttal.
(2) rebutting arguments, rebuilding your case:
● But before I come to my own arguments, let us first
have a look at
what ... has said.
● I will continue our case in a minute, but before that
there are some things about the ... speech that need to be addressed.
● The first prop/opposition speaker has told us ...; on
the contrary ...
● He/She also said that ...; but in fact..
● He/She was claiming that ...; but as my first speaker
already told you, ...
(2) introducing arguments:
● Let me come to my first/second/.../next argument:
[concise label of argument]
● My first/... argument is:
● The first/... reason why we're prop/opposing this
motion is:
explaining arguments:
● [rather abstract explanation on how the argument
should work]
(3+4) giving examples:
● There are many examples for this/for ..., for
instance.
● In fact, you can find many examples for this in real
life. Just think of...
● And there are similar cases, such as ..., ...
● So in this simple example we can clearly see the
effect of ...
(3+4) summarizing & linking the argument:
● So as we have seen [argument label], and therefore
[motion].
● Now because of this ..., we have to support this
motion.
(7+8) summarizing & ending your speech:
● So Ladies and Gentlemen, what have I told you today?
Firstly ..., Secondly..
● [some nice closing words]
● And for all of these reasons, the motion must
stand/fall.
making/rejecting/accepting/answering points of information:
● Point of information, Sir/Madam.
● On that point.
● Wouldn't you have to agree ...? / Doesn't what you're
saying contradict with ...? / What about the ...? / How would you explain, that
... ?
● No, thank you, Sir/Madam.
● Declined.
● Yes, please. / Go ahead.
● Thank you very much, Sir/Madam, I'm going to come to
this very point in my second argument in a minute.
[this is an emergency break]
(7+8) giving reply speeches:
● Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome for the last time from
today's
prop/opposition. It is now my pleasure to summarize this debate,
take a look at what both sides have said and see what the outcome of
this debate actually is.
● A first/second/... major clash was: ... Today's
prop/opposition told us ...; we had to find ...
● [some particularly nice closing words]
● And for all these reasons, I beg you to prop/oppose
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Informal Debate Phrases
When you are listening to the other side.
I see your point, but I think…
Yes, I understand, but my opinion is that…
That’s all very interesting, but the problem is that…
I’m afraid I can’t quite agree with your point.-
I think I’ve got your point, now let me respond to it.-
We can see what you’re saying. Here’s my reply…
When you need to say something now.
I’m sorry to interrupt, but you’ve misunderstood our point.-
Excuse me, but that’s not quite correct.-
Sorry, I just have to disagree with your point.-
Let me just respond to that, please.-
Forgive me for interrupting, but I must respond to that.-
Hold on a moment, that’s not correct.-
If you would allow me to add a comment here...-
If you don’t mind, I’d like to take issue with what you just said.
When you haven’t replied yet.
The other side will have to explain why.... otherwise we win that
point.-
We said that…but the other side has not replied to our point.-
I’d like to focus on two points that the other side has failed to
address.-
There are two points that we have succeeded in establishing…
I want to call your attention to an important point that our opponents
have not addressed yet.-
I’d like to point out that there are two issues our opponents have
failed to dispute, namely…
I must stress again that our point has not been refuted by the other
side.
When you give your rebuttal.
The first point I would like to raise is this…
Our position is the following…
Here’s the main point I want to raise…
I’d like to deal with two points here. The first is…
Our opponents have still not addressed the question we raised a moment
ago…
The other side has failed to answer our point about…
Notice that the affirmative side has not addressed our main point.-
Let me just restate my position.-
Just to be clear, here is what I mean…
When you give concluding statements.
To sum up, here are the main points our opponents have not addressed…
We pointed out that…
Our opponents have claimed that…
To recap the main points…
Let’s sum up where we stand in this debate.
Let me summarize our position in this debate.
In summary, we want to point out that…
Let’s see which arguments are still standing.-
Let’s take stock of where we are in this debate.
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Formal Section Phrases
Opening the debate:
[some nice opening, e.g. quote]
Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to this debate.
Welcome from this side of the house…
The motion for debate today is: …
Defining the motion:
Now we as today’s proposition/opposition strongly believe that this is
true/not true, but before we come to our actual argumentation, let us first
define some important terms in this debate.
We believe that what is meant by … is… / that … are …
When we say … should … we mean that …
Presenting the teamline:
We as today’s proposition/opposition have structured our case as
follows:
I, as the first speaker, will be talking about …
Our second speaker, …, will elaborate on the fact that …
And our third speaker, …, will do the rebuttal.
Rebutting arguments, rebuilding your case:
But before I come to my own arguments, let us first have a look at what
… has said.
I will continue our case in a minute, but before that there are some
things about the … speech that need to be addressed.
The first prop/opposition speaker has told us …; on the contrary …
He/She also said that …; but in fact..
He/She was claiming that …; but as my first speaker already told you, …
Introducing arguments:
Let me come to my first/second/…/next argument: [concise label of
argument]
My first/… argument is:
The first/… reason why we’re prop/opposing this motion is:
explaining arguments:
[rather abstract explanation on how the argument should work]
Giving examples:
There are many examples for this/for …, for instance.
In fact, you can find many examples for this in real life. Just think
of…
And there are similar cases, such as …, …
So in this simple example we can clearly see the effect of …
Summarizing & linking the argument:
So as we have seen [argument label], and therefore [motion].
Now because of this …, we have to support this motion.
Summarizing & ending your speech:
So Ladies and Gentlemen, what have I told you today? Firstly …,
Secondly..
[some nice closing words]
And for all of these reasons, the motion must stand/fall.
making/rejecting/accepting/answering points of information:
Point of information, Sir/Madam.
On that point.
Wouldn’t you have to agree …? / Doesn’t what you’re saying contradict
with …? / What about the …? / How would you explain, that … ?
No, thank you, Sir/Madam.
Declined.
Yes, please. / Go ahead.
Thank you very much, Sir/Madam, I’m going to come to this very point in
my second argument in a minute.
Giving reply speeches:
Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome for the last time from today’s
prop/opposition. It is now my pleasure to summarize this debate, take a look at
what both sides have said and see what the outcome of this debate actually is.
A first/second/… major clash was: … Today’s prop/opposition told us …;
we had to find …
[some particularly nice closing words]
And for all these reasons, I beg you to prop/oppose
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Informal Debate Phrases
When you are listening to the other side.
I see your point, but I think…
Yes, I understand, but my opinion is that…
That’s all very interesting, but the problem is that…
I’m afraid I can’t quite agree with your point.-
I think I’ve got your point, now let me respond to it.-
We can see what you’re saying. Here’s my reply…
When you need to say something now.
I’m sorry to interrupt, but you’ve misunderstood our point.-
Excuse me, but that’s not quite correct.-
Sorry, I just have to disagree with your point.-
Let me just respond to that, please.-
Forgive me for interrupting, but I must respond to that.-
Hold on a moment, that’s not correct.-
If you would allow me to add a comment here…-
If you don’t mind, I’d like to take issue with what you just said.
When you haven’t replied yet.
The other side will have to explain why…. otherwise we win that point.-
We said that…but the other side has not replied to our point.-
I’d like to focus on two points that the other side has failed to
address.-
There are two points that we have succeeded in establishing…
I want to call your attention to an important point that our opponents
have not addressed yet.-
I’d like to point out that there are two issues our opponents have
failed to dispute, namely…
I must stress again that our point has not been refuted by the other
side.
When you give your rebuttal.
The first point I would like to raise is this…
Our position is the following…
Here’s the main point I want to raise…
I’d like to deal with two points here. The first is…
Our opponents have still not addressed the question we raised a moment
ago…
The other side has failed to answer our point about…
Notice that the affirmative side has not addressed our main point.-
Let me just restate my position.-
Just to be clear, here is what I mean…
When you give concluding statements.
To sum up, here are the main points our opponents have not addressed…
We pointed out that…
Our opponents have claimed that…
To recap the main points…
Let’s sum up where we stand in this debate.
Let me summarize our position in this debate.
In summary, we want to point out that…
Let’s see which arguments are still standing.-
Let’s take stock of where we are in this debate.
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Useful Expressions for Debating
Presenting arguments
The following are useful expressions for debating:
Welcoming the audience
Ladies and Gentlemen welcome to this debate.
Stating the issue
The motion for debate today is ...
People / Dr. Johnson... believe(s) / feel(s) / insist(s) /
think(s)...that...
Let's first define some important concepts...
Phrases to present the most important point
This argument/idea is of paramount importance.
The most important argument for ... is ...
The main idea/thing is ...
The most important idea is...
Most importantly, I want to mention that...
The primary argument for... is...
Two/three... important arguments support my point of view...
Conceding an argument
It's true/obvious/evident that ... However, ...
While you might say that ..., it's important to remember that ...
I agree with you that ... On the other hand, ...
Although/even though it is true that... I believe that...
I agree/admit/concede that... , but we must remember that...
I can understand that... Nevertheless, ...
Sequencing a list of arguments
First of all, I'd like to state ...
Firstly, ... Secondly, ...Thirdly, ...
The second argument in favor of ...
To begin with, ...
I'd start by...
For a start, ...
The next argument I'd like to state is...
Adding an argument to strengthen your point
In addition to that,...
You also have to consider...
Furthermore,...
Moreover,...
What is more,...
I might also add that...
Perhaps / maybe I should also mention...
Not to mention the fact that...
Not only that but also...
Concluding
Let me recap/recapitulate my point ...
As a final word, let me summarize my point of view ...
To reiterate my point of view, ...
My final thought is ...
It all boils down to ...
In a nutshell, what I am trying to say is ...
To sum up, ...
Finally, ...
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Debate Language Phrases
Opening the debate:
[a nice opening is using a quote]
Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to this debate.
Welcome from this side of the house…
The motion for debate today is: … defining the motion:
Now we as today’s proposition/opposition strongly believe that this is
true/not true.
let us first define some important terms in this debate.
We believe that what is meant by … is… / that … are …
When we say … should … we mean that …
Presenting the team-line
We as todays proposition/opposition have structured our case as follows:
I, as the first speaker, will be talking about …
Our second speaker, …, will elaborate on the fact that …
And our third speaker, …, will do the rebuttal.
Rebutting arguments, rebuilding your case
But before I come to my own arguments, let us first have a look at what
… has said.
I will continue our case in a minute, but before that…
There are some things about the… speech that need to be addressed.
The first prop/opposition speaker has told us …; on the contrary …
He/She also said that …; but in fact..
He/She was claiming that …; but as my first speaker already told you, …
Introducing arguments
Let me come to my first/second/…/next argument: [concise label of
argument]
My first/… argument is:
The first/… reason why we’re prop/opposing this motion is: explaining
arguments:
[rather abstract explanation on how the argument should work] giving
examples:
There are many examples for this/for …, for instance.
In fact, you can find many examples for this in real life. Just think
of…
And there are similar cases, such as…, …
So in this simple example we can clearly see the effect of …
So as we have seen [argument label], and therefore [motion].
Now because of this …, we have to support this motion.
Summarising & ending your speech
So Ladies and Gentlemen, what have I told you today? Firstly …,
Secondly..
[some nice closing words]
And for all of these reasons, the motion must stand/fall.
Making / rejecting / accepting / answering points of information
Point of information, Sir/Madam.
On that point.
Wouldn’t you have to agree …?
Doesn’t what you’re saying contradict with …?
What about the …?
How would you explain, that … ?
Declined.
Yes, please. / Go ahead.
I’m going to come to this very point in my second argument in a minute.
Giving summarising speeches
Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome for the last time from today’s
prop/opposition.
It is now my pleasure to summarize this debate,
Take a look at what both sides have said and see what the outcome of
this debate actually is.
A first/second/… major clash was: …
Today’s prop/opposition told us …; we had to find …
And for all these reasons, I beg you to prop/oppose
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Material 14: Debate vocabulary
(1) When you start saying something / contributing to a conversation
First of all, I would like to say/state that
To begin with, I
In the first line, I
(2) What can you say instead of
"I think"
I would say/think
In my opinion
To my mind
I am of the opinion that
I hold the opinion that
(3) When you want to stress your
"personal opinion":
Personally I think
As far as I am concerned
As for me
As I take it
As far as I can see
(4) When you "agree"
or when you "don't agree":
I entirely/quite agree with you.
I agree to (with) her plan.
I am of the same opinion.
I differ from/with you entirely.
I disagree with you: I am sure you're mistaken.
I stick to my opinion.
Let's agree to differ!
(5) When you want to say the
"opposite" of what someone else said:
on the contrary! quite the contrary! just the opposite!
That is the very opposite of what I said.
That is quite the contrary to what I said.
I maintain the contrary.
In contrast to what you said, I maintain that...........
(6) When you are "quite
sure" of something:
of course!
That goes without saying
It goes without saying that
I contend/maintain that................
It's my conviction that..................
(7) When you want to "ask a
question":
May I interrupt you?
There arises the question/point whether/if
This question raises the whole issue
(8) When you "haven't understood":
I beg your pardon. / Pardon?
Could you repeat what you've just said? But slower, please./
Could you slow down a bit?
(9) If you should want to "correct a mistake":
Excuse me (for interrupting) you should have said:"....."
(10) When you want to distinguish one aspect from the other:
on the one hand - on the other hand
in general - in particular
generally speaking
on the whole
taken as a whole
at first sight - on second thoughts
(11) When you want to "add" something:
In addition
Moreover
Furthermore
Finally
(12) When you want to "emphasize" something:
I would like to lay (put) emphasis (stress) on the fact that..
I just want to point out that
(13) When you want to "say the truth":
To be frank (with you)
Frankly (speaking)
To say the truth
(14) And if you are "not sure":
I don't know exactly.
I don't know for certain.
(A) General phrases:
in other words
in this respect
to a certain degree/extent
It depends on your point of view
in brief/short
To be brief
To cut a long story short,......
Let me put it this
way:....
I don't know. - I don't know either.
Nor/Neither do I.
Add the following expressions to the given categories I agree with /
disagree with you; I see/understand your point but ; You´ve got a point / a
case there but; I´m not sure. whether …; I have doubts / reservations about ; I
don´t see that working in practice. ; It may work in the short-term / in the
long-term. ; I think that´s debatable. ; Prove it! ; Your argument is flawed
because... ; What´s that got to do with the issue? ; You´re missing the point.
; It´s ridiculous to suggest that.... ; My feeling is.. ; If you ask me... ; As
for me.... ; Bear in mind that … ; You´d better do ... ; Let´s face it.... ; In
general... ; On the whole... ; As a rule.... ; It goes without saying that... ;
What´s more / in addition / furthermore ; What I´m getting at is... / What I´m
trying to say is.. / My point is... ; What is your point? What are you driving
at? ; You´re not serious, are you? ;You must be joking! That´s nonsense /
rubbish / ridiculous.
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