Asking and Giving Opinion.
Communication does not occur one way. There is always a response given to an idea or opinion. The way people know other people's opinions and express theirs is called asking for and giving an opinion. Inevitably, everyone will always ask the opinion of others about something difficult, confusing, or even unimportant things.
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| Image by Geralt |
For example, if a man is going to buy clothes. He will take his wife to the shopping center to help her choose clothes that suit her. In choosing a suitable one, the wife gives an opinion on whether or not clothes are suitable for her husband and even expresses her opinion about the price.
Two-way communication like this should be mastered by students. So, first of all, students should know the expression of asking for and giving opinions to be used properly. Like other expressions, this expression is also divided into two, namely official (formal) and informal (informal). We need to know the right expressions to avoid being rude.
The following expressions are commonly used to ask other people's opinions:
| Asking for an Opinion | |
|---|---|
| 1 | What do you think of...? |
| 2 | What do you think about...? |
| 3 | How do you feel about...? |
| 4 | What do you reckon about...? |
| 5 | What's your opinion of...? |
| 6 | What about...? |
| 7 | What are your views on..? |
| 8 | Where do you stand on...? |
| 9 | What would you say to.../if we...? |
| 10 | Are you aware of...? |
Important:
a. Sentences number 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 are followed by a noun or a gerund.
Example:
- What do you think of my new shoes?
- What do you think about going to the cinema this weekend?
b. We can use sentences number 1 and 2 in both formal and informal conversations.
c. Sentences number 3 and 4 tend to be informal (more informal), while sentences number 7 and 8
tend to be more formal (more formal).
d. Sentence number 9 asks other people's opinions about an idea or proposal. We include to with
the noun phrase and follow if we with the past tense.
Example:
- What would you say about my new house? (followed by a noun phrase)
- What would you say if we were your parents? (followed by the last sentence)
e. Sentence number 10 is an indirect way of asking for opinions. We asked, "Do others understand
the situation at hand?" They are then expected to react by expressing their opinion.
After knowing how to ask someone's opinion, we must also know how to convey our ideas.
Here are some examples of expressions of giving opinion:
| Giving an Opinion | |
|---|---|
| 1 | I reckon... |
| 2 | I'd say... |
| 3 | I think... |
| 4 | Personally, I think... |
| 5 | In my opinion... |
| 6 | In my point of view... |
| 7 | What reckons is... |
| 8 | If you ask me... |
| 9 | The way I see it... |
| 10 | As far as I'm concerned... |
| 11 | If you don't mind me saying... |
| 12 | I'm utterly convinced that... |
| 13 | In my humble opinion... |
Important:
A. Sentences numbers 1-5 tend to be informal (more informal), you can use them in a casual chat
with a friend or someone, you know well.
B. In sentence number 1, the word reckon was recently used by Americans. The word reckon is the
same as 1 think, but English people use the word reckon more often than think.
C. Sentences numbers 8, 9, and 10 are polite enough and clearly show that the statement is just an
opinion.
D. Sentence number 11 is polite enough because it tells the other person that they may not agree
with what you are saying.
e. Sentence number 12 shows a very strong opinion. The speaker did not hesitate at all with what
he said.
F. Sentence 13 is the most polite of all the expressions above. Usually written on the internet, with
the abbreviation IMHO or imho.
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