 Asking for and giving opinions in English. This video is brought to you by the following English learning sites. There are several ways to ask for and give opinions in English. You can ask directly with phrases like, What do you think about this design? What is your opinion about this color? How do you feel about these patterns? What are your ideas or thoughts about? Redecorating the office. Do you have any thoughts about what our new logo design should be? Nouns and gerunds. The preposition about can be followed by a simple object, noun, or a gerund, verb-ing indicating an action. For example, What's your opinion about robots? What do you think about skydiving? How do you feel about donating to charity? Sometimes gerunds can have objects of their own. Bringing up a topic. Sometimes you can state the topic or give your own opinion before asking others about theirs. For example, Everyone's talking about What's your opinion? I think What do you think? Maybe we should. How do you feel about that? More examples. You're talking about moving the office to New Jersey. What's your opinion about that? I think we need to get a new printer. What do you think? Giving opinions. You can state your opinion directly with phrases like, In my opinion, I think that I feel that I believe that The main sentence I think or feel can be followed by that and a new subject. For example, I think that we should buy a new computer. She feels that we made a big mistake. We believe that sales will improve next year. The word that is often omitted. I think we should buy a new computer. We believe sales will improve next year. Negative opinions. Negative opinions are a little tricky in English. We usually put the negative word before think or feel, not before the opinion itself. For example, I don't think she will come to the party. He doesn't feel that we should cancel the event. In many languages, it is common to say something like, I think that she will not come to the party. He feels that we should not cancel the event. While these sentences are not incorrect and they make sense logically, they are not as common in English. Supporting your opinions. It's not good to just state your opinion and walk away. After you have given your opinion, tell why you think or feel the way you do. Support your ideas with reasons, evidence, facts, or details. For example, opinion. I think we should get a new car. Reason. The old one keeps breaking down and repairs are expensive. It is common to state your opinion using the word should. For example, I think that smoking should be banned in public places. We believe that employees should be given health insurance. The word should sets it up as a proposition or something to be discussed openly. Should is often used in debates and each side needs to defend or support their opinions with evidence or facts. Agreeing or disagreeing. After listening to others' ideas, it's okay to share your own. The easiest way to do this is to continue the conversation with, I agree or I disagree. Then state your opinion. Examples. I agree. We need to buy a new computer for the office. I disagree. I don't think we need to spend all that money. Other ways to agree or disagree. Expressing agreement. Good idea. I think that's a good idea. Sounds good. That sounds like a good idea. Expressing disagreement. I'm sorry, but I don't agree with you. I don't think that's such a good idea. I'm afraid I have to disagree. Don't forget to support your ideas. Tell why you agree or disagree. Your turn. Practice asking for and giving opinions with your partner. Here are some sample topics. What do you think about online classes? Discuss your ideas about buying a big ticket item, like a computer, refrigerator, boat, car, dishwasher. Should smoking be outlawed? What's your opinion of a current politician? How do you feel about surveillance cameras? Don't forget to state your opinion clearly and grammatically. Support your opinion with evidence and details. Agree or disagree politely and state your own ideas along with the reasons to back them up. Go ahead and talk. Feel free to pause the video if you'd like more time for conversation. Need some more ideas for topics? Here are some more examples. Discuss your opinions about how the office or classroom environment can be improved. Ask a partner what he or she thinks of a popular movie. Discuss whether you should move to a new location. Give your opinions about a new type of technology. Discuss what needs to be changed in your hometown. Give your opinion about a new teenage trend. What do you think about? A controversial issue. Think of your own topics for discussion. Time to talk. Pause the video and talk as long as you'd like. Hope you enjoyed this. Don't forget to subscribe and give a thumbs up in the comment section if you liked this video. And please remember to send us your ideas for our next one. Thanks for watching. Check out our websites for more information on learning and using English.