Visual Vocabulary - To Play the Devil's Advocate - Speak English Fluently and Naturally

27,238 views ・ 2016-11-11

EnglishAnyone


Please double-click on the English subtitles below to play the video.

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Welcome to Visual Vocabulary, the new animated series from EnglishAnyone.com that helps you
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learn useful English expressions the same way native speakers do so you can master them
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quickly, AND start using them confidently in your conversations today!
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Today’s expression is “to play the devil’s advocate.”
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This is an advanced expression meaning to give a counterargument, usually just to help
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people think more clearly.
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It’s often easy to think an idea is great, so you pretend to “play,” or become, “the
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devil’s advocate” by arguing against the idea to test that idea’s strength.
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You’re advocating the opposite position that the devil might take.
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to play the devil’s advocate
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to play the devil’s advocate
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“To play the devil’s advocate” is a phrase you can use in both professional and
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casual situations:
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A: This sounds like a good plan, but let me play the devil’s advocate for a moment.
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Won’t this hurt sales?
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B: Actually, you’re right.
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Maybe we should consider something else.
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A: Not to play the devil’s advocate, but shouldn’t we ask Mom before borrowing the
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car?
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B: It’s OK.
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She already knows we’re going to use it.
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A: If I may play the devil’s advocate, going to the party might not be a good idea because
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you might meet your ex-girlfriend.
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B: That’s a good point!
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Let’s get pizza instead.
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A: If someone had played the devil’s advocate, your team might not have made the wrong choice.
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B: You live and learn!
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Well, that’s the end of this lesson.
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But if you want to keep learning more great phrases, take our free English fluency test
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by clicking on the link in this video!
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This quick, simple test will show you exactly what to focus on so you can finally become
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a successful, confident English speaker 2, 3 or even 10 times faster!
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Click on the link in this video to take your free test now, and get personalized advice
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that will help you see immediate improvement in your spoken English.
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Have a fantastic day, be sure to click that like button, and we’ll see you in the next
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lesson!
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