ENGLISH CORNER

Differentiate Between An Opinion and A Preference

Your independent speaking or writing task often asks you to express your opinion or preference. It is then essential for you to differentiate between an opinion and a preference.

An opinion is a position for or against a plan, action or argument. It requires objective and logical support. More explanation is required such as cause and effect and it must be persuasive, too.

For example:

Independent Writing Question:
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement?
Always telling the truth is the most important consideration in any relationship.

Independent Brief Writing Answer:
……
In any relationship of mine, I would wish that the person I’m dealing with is honest. Even though he did something wrong that I wouldn’t like, he had better tell me the truth and not to lie about it. Later on if I find out about a lie or hear the truth from someone else, that would be much more unpleasant. In that case, how can I ever trust that person again? How can I ever believe that this person has enough confidence in me to forgive him and carry on with the relationship from there. So, if cannot believe that person anymore, if the person doesn’t think I can handle the truth, there’s no point to continue the relationship.

Although I also consider that altruistic, understanding, thoughtful and loyal behavior from people important, an instance of these opposite behaviors would not upset me as much as dishonesty would. Among all the possible behaviors, dishonesty is the only one for me that terminates how I feel about a person’s reliability. Therefore, honesty would be my first concern and the most important consideration in a relationship.

A preference is a choice based on a writer’s taste (likes and dislikes) or personality. It could be objective or subjective. Though both need your logical explanation, you don’t need to convince or persuade someone. It is more descriptive.

For example:

Independent Speaking Question:
Some people like to watch the news on television. Other people prefer to read the news in a newspaper. Still others use their computers to get the news. How do you prefer to be informed about the news and why?

Independent Speaking Answer:
Although newspapers contain some information that’s limited to local interests and I like to turn to those pages, for the most part, I prefer to get my news on TV and on my computer. The problem with printed news is it takes so long to produce it that the stories could have changed or more important news could have happened minutes after the newspaper is delivered. So, I scan the local stories in the paper when I get home from work, then I watch international news on TV at night for the most current information, and the following morning, I click on one of the web sites that offer the most recent updates of the lead stories. That way, I’m taking advantage of the best aspects of all the news media, and I stay current locally and internationally.

References

1. ETS (2007). The Official Guide to The New TOEFL iBT. London:McGrawHill.
2. Sharpe, Pamela J. (2007). Barron’s TOEFL iBT (Internet-Based Test) 12th ed. Jakarta: Binarupa Aksara