General English Level 6 V 3
UNIT 02 What do you think? TOPIC 03 A letter to the editor
LANGUAGE FOCUS 03 Written opinions
In this activity we will look at how to give written opinions.

1. Introduction

Rani writes:
In my opinion your editorial, "A new tower for York Square?", was totally biased and very much pro-development. Let's look at the other side of the argument.

In the opening paragraph Rani says what her letter is about. As this is a letter of opinion, Rani says what her main opinion is, " In my opinion your editorial … was totally biased and very much pro-development ."

In the opening paragraph or introduction we say what we are writing about.

Rani tells us that she is giving her opinion with the phrase, In my opinion ...

When we give our opinion we can say, in my opinion … We can also say, it is my belief that ... , I believe that … , I feel that… , I think that…

We don't use informal phrases like I reckon … , If you ask me …

In my opinion
It is my belief that
I believe that
I feel that
I think that
the King George building should not be demolished.

2. Supporting reasons

a. Structure

Rani writes:
Firstly , the claim that our city skyline has 'little of interest' is nonsense.
Secondly , you don't mention that there has been little public consultation about the proposed construction and its effect on our heritage.
Thirdly , your editorial argues that the poor facilities of King George are a good reason for knocking it down.
Finally , your definition of a successful city, one that accommodates more offices and companies, is too narrow.

After she introduces her letter Rani gives supporting reasons for her main opinion. Rani puts her reasons in order of their importance. She puts her most important reason last because this is the strongest place in the letter.

When we write our opinions, we also have to give supporting reasons. We sometimes (but not always) put the reasons in order of their importance, with the most important last.

Rani orders her reasons with firstly, secondly, thirdly, finally. These words make it easier for her reader to follow her argument. We call this prefacing.

Find out more about ordering and prefacing.

Rani writes:
Thirdly, your editorial argues that the poor facilities of King George are a good reason for knocking it down. Although I agree that the facilities are poor, I believe there are alternative solutions to demolition. What about renovation of the existing building? Look at Customs House. They've kept its beautiful old exterior and put in a modern interior. Now it's a city landmark. It is true that renovation would be financially costly, but what are the costs of demolition and the construction of the new tower?

Rani begins each paragraph with a topic sentence: Thirdly, your editorial argues that the poor facilities of King George are a good reason for knocking it down . The topic sentence is the most general sentence of the paragraph. It gives us the subject of the paragraph and tells us what Rani will say in the paragraph.

Find out more about topic sentences.

b. Polite ways of disagreeing

In her letter Rani refers to the opinions of the editorial. She disagrees with these opinions in a polite way: " Although I agree that the facilities are poor, I believe there are alternative solutions to demolition." This is an adverbial clause of concession . Here Rani is saying that she agrees with some of the opinions, but not all of them. In this way she keeps the discussion open.

Another example where Rani agrees with some of the opinions, but not all, is: " It is true that renovation would be financially costly, but what are the costs of demolition and the construction of the new tower?"

Although I agree that the facilities are poor, I believe there are alternative solutions to demolition.
Even though
While
It is true tha t the facilities are poor, but

c. Giving examples

Rani writes, "Look at Customs House. They've kept its beautiful old exterior and put in a modern interior. Now it's a city landmark." She uses an example to support her argument that "there are alternative solutions to demolition."

It is important to give examples to support our reasons for our opinions.

Examples

Most successful modern cities have a mix of modern and older architecture. Paris, London and New York are good examples .

New developments must consider the effect on the surrounding environment. Some streets in the city, such as King Street, have no natural light because of all the tall buildings.

Some older buildings have very poor facilities. The Queen Mary Building, for example, has very old lifts, which often don't work.

Construction companies often don't consult the public about developments. Wilmlow's development of York Square is a good example of this .

3. Conclusion

Rani writes:
To sum up , the demolition of King George would be a great loss to our city. We need more community debate. The people of this city need to have a greater say about what we build and what we keep.

To let the reader know that she is ending her letter, Rani says, to sum up ... We use expressions like to sum up, in conclusion and for all these reasons to start a concluding paragraph.
In this paragraph Rani makes a call for action : "We need more community debate." We often say something about what should be happening, in the conclusion.

Rani then ends her letter with a strong statement about her opinion , "The people of this city need to have a greater say about what we build and what we keep." The reader will remember the last sentences, so it is important to make an impression with a strong statement.

Now go to 04 LANGUAGE FOCUS Written opinions - task.