When asking someone about their opinion, we may use a number of approaches.
This week, we are concentrating on two approaches, namely:
- Yes/No questions.
- OR questions.
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Yes/No questions
The answer to this question may start with Yes or No. For example:
Q: Do you think everyone should learn Greek?
A: (Yes,) I do, … / (No,) I don’t, …
Some good ways to start a Yes/No Question are as follows:
- Do you think (that) …
- Do you believe …
- Have you ever considered/thought/imagined/attempted…
- Would you consider …
One potential weakness that a Yes/Now Question may have is that the answer to it may be very brief.
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OR Questions
In these questions, you give the other person two or more alternatives to choose from. For example:
Q: Would you rather prefer to be educated privately or by the state?
A: I would rather attend a public school. …
Some good ways to start an OR Question are as follows:
- Are you for or against … ?
- Would you prefer … or … ?
- Would you rather … or … ?
- Which should … or … ?
Another way to ask about other opinions is to ask WH Questions. This type of questions usually starts with what, when, where, who, whom, which, whose, why or how.
Some good ways to start a WH Question are as follows:
- What do you think (of/about) … ?
- What do you think is … ?
- How do you … ?
- In your opinion, which is … ?
- Who do you side with: … or …?
The last technique of asking about other opinions we will consider is using Negative Yes/No Questions. This type of questions helps us to confirm if something is true or not.
Some good ways to ask a Negative Yes/No Question are as follows:
- Don’t you …
- Isn’t it …
- Wouldn’t you …
- Why don’t they …
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A Negative Yes/No Question is usually a reaction to what someone else said.
E.g. 1.
Speaker A: All Ukrainian women are tall and blonde. They can be fashion models and make a lot of money.
Speaker B: Yes, but isn’t it a bit too general? I am from Ukraine, and I am short, and my hair is brown. ……
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Often, there is another statement/phrase before the Negative Yes/No Question. That statement/phrase links the Question to something that the previous speaker said.
E.g. 2.
Speaker A: All Ukrainian women are tall and blonde. They can be fashion models and make a lot of money.
Speaker B: You said/suggested/mentioned that all Ukrainian women are tall and blonde, and can be fashion models and make lots of money. Don’t you think there are short women in Ukraine whose hair is of a different color? ………
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Sometimes, the Negative Yes/No Question comes after a question of another kind.
E.g. 3.
Speaker A:I love winter in Nagano!
Speaker B: How about Morioka? Isn’t winter great here too? ……