Idioms and Phrasal Verbs: Evidence and Belief
Explore evidence and belief with eight useful expressions, including take something at face value, read between the lines, add up. Read the meanings and examples, then use the language in eight C1 discussion questions.
What’s in the worksheet?
- Eight expressions with meanings and example sentences
- Eight matching discussion questions
- One printable page
- Open-ended speaking practice
Use eight C1 expressions to discuss evidence, inference and credibility. The sheet distinguishes bearing out a claim, calling it into question and ruling out an explanation.
Worksheet preview
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A simple way to teach it
Before the lesson
Prepare the one-page adults/teens discussion sheet. There are no fixed answers; use invented claims rather than requiring a live research task.
- Read the examples, including an explanation that does not add up. Compare accepting something at face value with reading between the lines.
- Discuss the eight questions, explaining what kind of evidence would support a course's effectiveness and what would only create doubt.
- Compare inference with confirmation. Consider how a grain of truth can make a larger misleading account persuasive while keeping an open mind.
Support and extension
Support with a fictional training report. Extend by reformulating a strong claim more cautiously; do not treat keeping an open mind as giving every claim equal credibility.
Suggested approach. Adjust the pace and number of questions to suit your class.
