Speakers often mention what other people think before saying what they think themselves. An ESL listening question may ask about only one of those views, so you need to keep track of who holds which opinion. This lesson belongs to the listening for viewpoint module.
How do you separate whose opinion it is?
- Underline the person in the question. Is it asking about the speaker, a friend, a teacher or a group?
- Listen for reporting phrases. My brother says, some people think, everyone told me and the article claimed introduce reported views.
- Listen for ownership phrases. Personally, for me, I think and in my experience introduce the speaker’s own view.
- Check the reaction. After a reported view, the speaker may agree (“and he is right”) or disagree (“but I see it differently”).
- Write a two-column note. One column for “speaker”, one for “others”, and fill it while listening.
Worked example
Interviewer: How do you find the new library?
Speaker: My brother says it is too noisy, and my friends complain that there are not enough desks. Personally, I find it the best place to study, because the quiet rooms upstairs are almost always empty.
Question 1: What does the speaker think of the library?
Question 2: What does the speaker’s brother think of the library?
- Reporting phrases: “My brother says” and “my friends complain” mark two reported views (too noisy; too few desks).
- Ownership phrase: “Personally, I find it the best place to study” is the speaker’s own view.
- Reason: the quiet rooms upstairs are almost empty, which also answers the noise complaint.
Answer 1: the speaker likes it and finds it good for studying. Answer 2: the brother thinks it is too noisy.
The same recording gives different correct answers depending on whose view is asked. That is why the first step is to underline the person in the question.
The mistake to watch for
A common slip is to choose the most strongly worded opinion.
Mistaken answer (Question 1): “The speaker thinks the library is too noisy.”
The word noisy was clear and loud, so the student chose it. It belongs to the brother.
The correction is to ask “who said this?” before choosing. If a reporting phrase comes first, the opinion is reported. Then listen for the speaker’s reaction, which often starts with but, personally or actually.
Check yourself
1. “The teacher thinks we should read aloud every day, and I agree. It really helps my pronunciation.” Who holds the opinion about reading aloud?
Show answer
Both. The teacher’s view is reported, and the speaker says “I agree” and gives a personal benefit. The speaker and the teacher share the same opinion.
2. “People say the night market is overpriced. I do not know, I bought dinner for less than at the mall.” What does the speaker think?
Show answer
The speaker doubts it: “I do not know” and the price example suggest the night market is not overpriced. “People say” is the reported view.
3. “My cousin loves the new phone, but I find the screen too small.” Which phone opinion belongs to the speaker?
Show answer
The speaker finds the screen too small. The cousin’s love for the phone is the reported opinion. But and I find mark the change to the speaker’s own view.
Where this leads next
Some speakers do not just contrast views, they change their own. Go on to track a change of mind. The original listening practice player lets you mark the speaker’s view in your own notes.
Some students hear every word but lose track of whose opinion is whose. A teacher can build the note-taking habit that fixes this in online one-to-one English as a Second Language tuition.