ARGUMENTATIVE

Facts and Opinion

Fact Opinion
 Evidence to support its  Personal view
truth  An idea or belief about a
 A piece of information that particular subject
is true  Arguable
 Undisputed  Driven and reinforced by
 Driven by rational thought emotion
 Head  Heart
Example: That film was three Example: That film was boring
hours long.
Facts are what we need to focus in order to make helpful changes. Reacting to
our opinions is pointless and upsetting. Asking “is this Fact or Opinion?” helps us to
pull back from our distress and defuse from the unhelpful thinking.
It is often meanings or opinions that we attach to facts that cause us the distress,
rather than the fact itself.
Imagine reading a newspaper that is different to your usual one. You might look at
the headlines and wonder whether they might be biased in some way. It may be
the journalist or editor’s opinion rather than just the facts. So we might ask
ourselves whether this headline is “fact or opinion”. We can do the same with our
thoughts. If we identify our thought is an opinion, then we can look at the facts –
what we KNOW about this situation. Then we can make choices about what we can
or cannot do.
Asking opinions:
 What do you think/reckon….?
 What is your opinion about…..?
 What is your stance on……?
 What are your thoughts on that?
 Do you agree with me?
 Do you know/see what I mean?
 Don’t you think (that)....?
Giving a neutral opinion: Giving a strong opinion
 I think/ feel/ consider/ find/  I’m absolutely convinced that……
believe/ suppose/ presume  I’m sure that……..
/assumed that……  I strongly believe that……
 In my view……  I have no doubt that….
 It seems to me……..  There’s no doubt in my
 In my opinion…… mind that….
 In my experience  I can’t be wrong that…..
 As far as I’m concerned…..  There will be no mistake
 As for me, I reckon…… that…….
 From my point of view….
 Expressing Likes and Dislikes

It was a hot day and the Brown family was at the beach with their son, Mike, their daughter,
Sara, and some of the children's friends.

'It's so hot that I need some ice cream to cool me down,' said Mr. Brown. 'Would anyone else
like one?' When most of the party said that they would also like some ice cream, Mr. Brown
asked, “What flavor does everyone want? What does everyone like or dislike?'

I like chocolate ice cream,' said Sara, 'and so I'll have that.'

I love chocolate ice cream, too,' said Sara's friend Meg, 'but I like strawberry best. I'll have
that, please.'

'I like chocolate very much, too,' said Mary, another of Sara's friends, 'but my favorite flavor
is lemon. They don't always have it, though.'

'I'll ask,' said Mr. Brown. They have quite a good selection. I'll get you chocolate if they don't
have lemon, shall I?'

I’m not very fond of chocolate,' said Mrs. Brown, 'and I hate any flavor of ice cream that
tastes of toffee. It's far too sweet for me. I prefer raspberry, but they might not have it. I'll
have strawberry if they don't, please.'

'And, as you know, I detest anything with nuts in it,' said Mr. Brown. 'I'm going to have plain
vanilla. What about you boys?'

'I like chocolate bars and so on,' said Mike, 'but I can't stand chocolate ice cream for some
reason. I'll have strawberry, please.'

'I know it's unusual, but I'm not very keen on ice cream at all,' said Bill. 'I'd rather have an
orange juice, please, if that's OK.'

'And I actually loathe it,' said Bob. 'It's too sweet and it makes me feel sick. I'll have an orange
juice, too, if that's all right.'

'It is unusual not to like ice cream, especially when you're young,' said Mrs. Brown, 'but I'm
not mad about it myself. It's just when the weather's very hot that it sometimes appeals to
me.'

Mr. Brown had been writing down everyone's requests and now said, 'Right! I think I've got a
note of what everyone wants. I'll go and get them but I'll need some help to carry it all.'

Mike helped his father and everyone enjoyed whatever they had chosen.
 Useful Expressions
appeal
... appeals to me
You say that something appeals to you
when you like it or you find it
attractive or interesting:
• I'm trying to decide where to go on
holiday. Greece has always
appealed to me, although I've
never been there.
• The film that's on at the local cinema
will probably appeal to the
children. I think I'll take them to it.
something doesn't
appeal to you:
I as possible.
dislike
You say that you dislike something
when you do not like it. The word is not
as strong as the word hate (see
below):
• I dislike red meat and never eat it.
• I dislike my new job and plan to
find another one as soon as
possible.
detest
I detest ...
You say I detest something or someone
when you dislike them very, very
much. The word is even stronger than
the word hate:
• I detest liver. It makes me feel sick.
• I'm certainly not asking Sara
to my birthday party. I
absolutely detest her.
fond
I'm not very fond of ...
You say I'm not very fond of
something when you do not really like
that something:
• I'm not very fond of spicy food.
• I read a lot of fiction, but I'm not very
fond
of biography.
hate
I hate ...
You say I hate something or someone
when you dislike them very much:
• I hate living in the city. I'm going
back to live in the country as soon
• I hate Frank. He's so rude to
everyone, even his teachers.
keen
I'm not very keen on ...
You say I'm not very keen on
something when you do not really like
that something:
• I like most green vegetables, but I'm
not very keen on broccoli.
• I like going to the cinema, but I'm
not very keen on violent films.
like
I like ...
You say I like something when you
enjoy it or think that it is pleasant:
• I like chicken dishes.
• I like dancing.
I like ... best
You say I like (something) best when
you like it better than anything else of
a similar kind:
• I like most vegetables, but I like • I'm not mad about pizza, but I like
green beans best. pasta dishes.
• I enjoy most sports, but I like tennis • I'm not mad about opera, but
best. Jane had no one else to go with.

loathe
I loathe ...
You say I loathe something or someone
when you dislike them very, very much.
The word is even stronger than the word
hate and has much the same meaning
as detest (see above):
• Jim wanted me to go to the theatre with
him, but it's a musical that's on and I
loathe musicals.
• Don't ask Peter to dinner if you're
asking Lucy. They used to go out
together, but they now loathe each
other.
love
I love ...
You say I love something when you
like something very much:
• I love my mother's apple pie.
• I love the autumn. I like it better
than the summer months.
prefer
I prefer ...
You say I prefer something when you
If you say I'm mad about something
you
like it better than something else:
• I prefer fish to meat.
• I prefer the theatre to the cinema.
stand
I can't stand ...
You say I can't stand something or
someone when you dislike them very
much:
 I can’t stand salmon, although I like
most other fish.

 I can’t stand Jack’s new girlfriend.

When you say I love someone She talks about herself all the time.
you have very strong warm
feelings for them, sometimes of
a romantic nature:

mad
I'm not mad about ...
You say I'm not mad about
something when you do not really like
it. The expression is used in an informal
context:
Task:

A. Insert the word missing from each expression below.

1. I can’t ……………….. the noise from the flat above any longer. I’m going
to complain.

2. I’m not ………… about living here, but it’s cheap and it’s near my work.

3. The idea of living somewhere warm ……… to me, but my husband won’t
even consider it.

4. I’m not very fond …… beach holidays but I’m renting a cottage by the
seaside for the sake of the children.

5. I’m not very…………on accepting the job, but jobs in this area are scarce
and it’s well paid.

B. Write three fact sentences and three opinion sentences