❖ Unit 1 ❖ Youth: Potential and Challenges ❖ Functions ❖

Expressing Opinions, Agreeing & Disagreeing

The Functions section trains you to react appropriately in conversations. For Unit 1, you learn how to ask for someone's opinion, give your own opinion, and agree or disagree politely. These functions appear in the exam in dialogue completion and match-the-function exercises.

Asking for an opinion

To start a conversation about an idea or a topic, use one of these question structures:

What's your opinion about …?
What's your point of view about …?
What do you think of …?
What's your attitude towards …?
What's your say about …?
How do you feel about …?
Do you think / believe that …?

Examples in context

What's your opinion about the youths of this generation?

Do you think that social media has changed the way we communicate?

Giving your own opinion

To start a sentence with your opinion, choose one of the following opening phrases:

In my opinion, …
In my point of view, …
I think / guess / believe that …
For me / To me, …
As far as I'm concerned, …
As I see it, …
It seems to me that …
If you ask me, …
To be honest, …
Personally speaking, …
To my mind, …

Examples in context

As far as I'm concerned, some youths are careless about their education.

To my mind, children need more support and guidance from their parents.

It seems to me that parents give children too much freedom.

Agreeing

When you agree with someone, you can use a simple expression or add a justifying idea:

I agree.
I share the same view.
I think so / I believe so.
That's exactly how I see it.
That's exactly what I was thinking myself.
I couldn't agree more.
That's right / You're right.
I'm for it.
Yes, of course.

Examples in context

That's exactly how I see it. Teenagers are usually stubborn.

I couldn't agree more. We have to help them build their personalities.

Disagreeing

To disagree politely, use a soft phrase that doesn't sound aggressive:

I disagree.
I don't agree.
I don't share the same view.
Sorry to say it, but you're wrong.
I'm not sure I agree with you.
I'm against it.
I don't think so.
I see what you mean, but… (more polite)
That's true, but… (more polite)

Examples in context

Sorry to say it, but you're wrong. Our parents are more experienced.

I'm not sure I agree with you. Living with the elderly is really hard.

I disagree with you. Children should learn how to depend on themselves.

Practice 1 — Identify the function

Match each sentence to its function (A, B, C or D)

A) Asking for opinion · B) Expressing opinion · C) Agreeing · D) Disagreeing

Sentence	Function
As far as I'm concerned, some youths are careless about their education.	B — Expressing opinion
Sorry to say it, but you're wrong. Our parents are more experienced.	D — Disagreeing
What do you think about the relationship between parents and their children?	A — Asking for opinion
It seems to me that parents give children too much freedom.	B — Expressing opinion
That's exactly how I see it. Teenagers are usually stubborn.	C — Agreeing
I'm not sure I agree with you. Living with the elderly is really hard.	D — Disagreeing
What's your opinion about generation gap?	A — Asking for opinion
To my mind, children need more support and guidance from their parents.	B — Expressing opinion
I couldn't agree more. We have to help them build their personalities.	C — Agreeing
I disagree with you. Children should learn how to depend on themselves.	D — Disagreeing

Practice 2 — Reformulate

Express the same idea in a different way

If you ask me, teenagers should be more careful with the excessive use of the mobile.
→ In my opinion, teenagers should be more careful with the excessive use of the mobile. (or: As far as I'm concerned…)
What's your point of view about the utility of Facebook?
→ What do you think of the utility of Facebook? (or: How do you feel about Facebook?)
I'm afraid you aren't right in saying that Arabs' Got Talent is a boring show.
→ I disagree with you about Arabs' Got Talent being a boring show. (or: I don't think so…)
I certainly agree with that.
→ I couldn't agree more. (or: That's exactly how I see it.)

Practice 3 — Complete the conversation

Sample completed dialogue

A: What's your opinion about youths and the new fashion?

B: In my opinion, youths follow new fashion to express their personality and feel part of a group.

A: Youths don't listen to adults' advice.

B: I couldn't agree more. They think they know better.

C: I see what you mean, but I disagree. Some young people are very respectful and listen to their parents.

A: What's your point of view about dropping out of school?

B: For me, dropping out of school is a serious problem that affects youths negatively.

C: That's exactly what I was thinking myself. It limits their future opportunities.

A: Youths waste too much time chatting.

B: Sorry to say it, but you're wrong. Many youths use the internet for studying and learning.

❖ Key Takeaways ❖

① Four functional families

Asking for opinion · Giving opinion · Agreeing · Disagreeing. Each comes with at least 5 ready-made phrases — memorise three from each family.

② Politeness matters

When disagreeing, avoid "You're wrong" directly. Soften with "I see what you mean, but…" or "That's true, but…". The exam often awards points for tone.

③ Always justify with a reason

A complete answer follows the pattern: function + opinion + reason. Example: "I disagree. Reading books is much better than watching TV because…".

❖ Exam tip

In the Language section, the exam typically asks: "Complete the following exchange" with instructions like (express your opinion) or (agree with reason). Always use a full sentence with a function phrase + your idea + a justification. A one-word answer like "yes" loses points.