Expressing Opinions

Expressing Opinions

By: Rustiani Widiasih

 

Objectives

Analyzing social functions, text structure, and linguistic elements of thoughts, in accordance with the context of its use.

(Menganalisis fungsi sosial, struktur teks, dan unsur kebahasaan  dari ekspresi pemikiran, sesuai dengan konteks penggunaannya.

Learn about it

·       Every time, both spoken and written, we communicate our thoughts and point of views about topics, situations, or anything

·       In this lesson, you will learn some common phrases to ask for opinions, express agreement and disagreement, and express personal opinions.

·       We express our opinions on a variety of issues every day. It important that we carefully choose our words and select the right way to express ourselves.

·       People can often find themselves in a hairy situation when they say something inappropriate or in disrespectful.

·       Let’s review some conversation gambits for expressing our opinions so we are ready for nice, respectful, and courteous conversation.

·       Generally speaking, when we are asked about our opinions, we make a stand either we agree or disagree with the topic.  In order to support our stance, we also tell our personal point of views

Study this example:

George :	Mr. Shaw told me that the student should not ride a motorbike to school. What do you think?
Robert :	Yes, I think he is right. In my opinion, riding motorbike could be dangerous for the student.
George :	Well, I’m not really sure about that. I’d say that motorbike saves more time than public transportation.

From the dialogue above, we can see the sequence.

First, George tells Robert about Mr. Shaw’s opinion and asks for Robert’s opinion.

Second, Robert agrees with Mr. Shaw’s.

Third, George disagrees with Robert and Mr. Shaw’s. Last, both Robert and George mention their personal point of views about Mr. Shaw’s statement.

 

Asking for Opinions/ Menanyakan Pendapat

Expressions	Examples
What do you think? Bagaimana menurut anda? What do you think about....? Apa yang Anda pikirkan....?	My dad asked me to take music class. What do you think? (Compare with) What do you think about my dad asking me to take music class?
Do you agree with that? Apakah kamu setuju dengan itu? Do you agree with….? Apakah Anda setuju dengan ....?	Every Monday, students are asked to speak English. Do you agree with that? (Compare with) Do you agree with asking students to speak English every Monday?
Do you want to say something? Anda ingin mengatakan sesuatu? Do you want to say something about…? Apakah Anda ingin mengatakan sesuatu tentang ...?	You got a low score on your English exam. Do you want to say something? (Compare with) Do you want to say something about your English score?
What would you say? Apa yang akan Anda sampaikan? (conditional “if” needed) diperlukan "jika" bersyarat)	What would you say if I ask you “will you marry me”?
Any ideas? Ada ide?	Gina suggests us to go to Bali for the next holiday. Any ideas?
How about you? Bagaimana dengan kamu? (in a situational context)	I think boys are not supposed to cook. How about you?

Expressing Agreement/ Mengungkapkan Persetujuan

Expressions	Examples
-I agree with… -Saya setuju dengan…	A: I don’t like people complaining about Facebook. B: Yes, I agree with you.
- I think so - Aku pikir begitu	A: I asked Gina to go to the library, but she refused. I think she doesn’t like reading. B: I think so.
- That’s right / you’re right / she’s right / he’s right and so on - Itu benar / Anda benar / dia benar dan sebagainya	A: It is really fun to learn English from movie. B: That’s right.
- That’s a good point - Itu poin yang bagus	A: The less we complain, the happier we will be. B: That’s a real point.
- So do I / So am I - Begitu juga saya / saya juga	A: I love this song! B: So do I.
- I couldn’t agree more - Saya sangat setuju	A: My dad told me “the less we complain, the happier we will be.” B: I couldn’t agree more.
- I was thinking about that. - Aku sedang memikirkan itu.	A: What if we go playing tennis after school? B: I was thinking about that.

Ungkapan lain

·       That’s true ·       I agree with you ·       I know what you mean

·       Itu benar ·       Saya setuju denganmu ·       aku tahu apa yang kamu maksud

 

Expressing Disagreement/

 Mengungkapkan Ketidaksetujuan

Expressions	Examples
-I disagree with… -Saya tidak setuju dengan ...	A: Charles Darwin claims that his theory is unbreakable. B: I disagree with him.
- I don’t think so - Kurasa tidak begitu	A: Based on my reading, stress can lead people to commit a crime. B: I don’t think so.
- I wouldn’t say so - Saya tidak akan mengatakannya	A: Tom is a very honest person, I think. B: I wouldn’t say so
- I’m not sure about that - Saya tidak yakin tentang itu	A: Jane asked me your phone number. She may have a crush on you. B: I’m not sure about that.
- I agree to disagree with… - Saya setuju untuk tidak setuju dengan ...	A: The court judged my cousin was guilty of car hijacking. B: I know that your cousin is a good man. I agree to disagree with the judgment.
- Yes, but… (only for spoken) Ya, tapi ... (hanya untuk berbicara)	A: These days, the use of paper-based book is useless. B: Yes, but I just can’t feel the joy of reading without turning pages.

 

Ungkapan lain

I agree with you, but… Yes, but on the other hand I don’t see it quite like that I don’t think so I doubt it

·       Saya setuju dengan Anda, tapi ... ·        Ya, tetapi di sisi lain ·       Saya tidak melihatnya seperti itu ·       Saya rasa tidak ·       aku meragukan itu

 

Expressing personal opinions/ Mengungkapkan Pendapat Pribadi

In expressing personal opinions, we usually put the phrases followed by the central idea of our opinions. (Dalam mengungkapkan pendapat pribadi, kita biasanya menempatkan frasa diikuti oleh ide sentral dari pendapat kita.)

These expressions highlight the origin of the idea, so the audience would not be confused by questioning “Whose opinion is that?” Ungkapan-ungkapan ini menyoroti asal usul ide itu, sehingga audiens tidak akan bingung dengan mempertanyakan "Pendapat siapa itu?"

Look at the examples:

 

Expressions	Examples
-I think…. -Kupikir….	I think our government should pay more attention to education and health problem. (It comes from the speaker’s thought)
- In my opinion - Menurutku	In my opinion, drugs dealer should be punished to death. (It is the speaker’s opinion)
- Based on my experience, - Berdasarkan pengalaman saya,	Based on my experience we have to respect others before they respect us.
- I would say that… - Saya akan mengatakan itu ...	I would say that your mother is a very caring person.
- Personally… - Secara pribadi ...	Personally, I don’t like the way Mr. Brad speaks.

 

Ungkapan lain

·       From my point of view... ·       I strongly believe that...   ·       I personally think\ feel \ believe that... ·       I’m convinced that...  ·       What I’m more concerned with is... ·       Without a doubt...

·       Dari sudut pandang saya... ·        Saya sangat mempercayai hal tersebut... ·       Saya pribadi berpikir \ merasa \ percaya bahwa ...   ·       Saya yakin bahwa ... ·       Yang lebih saya pedulikan adalah ... ·       Tanpa keraguan...

 

We sometimes have opinions about things that we might not be 100% sure about.

Kita  terkadang memiliki pendapat tentang hal-hal yang mungkin tidak diyakini  100%

Here are some ways to express yourself when there is a bit of doubt attached with your opinion or something that you can't prove to be true:

Berikut adalah beberapa cara untuk mengekspresikan diri ketika ada sedikit keraguan yang melekat pada pendapat Anda atau sesuatu yang Anda tidak dapat membuktikan kebenarannya:

It seems that... It appears that... There is little evidence that... There is little doubt that...

•    Tampaknya... ·       Sepertinya... ·       Ada sedikit bukti bahwa ... ·       Ada sedikit keraguan bahwa ...

Add more information

And besides What’s more Not to mention the fact that Plus the fact that And to add to that

·       Dan selain itu ·        Apalagi ·       Belum lagi fakta bahwa ·       Ditambah fakta itu ·        Dan untuk menambah itu

Generalising

In general Generally speaking In my experience As a rule, By and large

·       Secara umum ·       Secara umum ·       Dalam pengalaman saya ·       Sebagai peraturan ·       Pada umumnya

 

Illustrating your point

For instance Take the way (they…) For one thing To give you an idea Look at the way (they)

·       Misalnya ·        Ambil jalan (mereka ...) ·       Untuk satu hal ·        Untuk memberi Anda ide ·       Lihatlah jalan (mereka)

Please note that, there are many ways for you to ask for an opinion. The expressions above are just some typical examples.
Remember, to understand expressing opinion, you have to know how to ask for an opinion, express agreement and disagreement, and expressing opinion.

 

THANK YOU