B2 · Upper-intermediateReading 40 minutes

Reading: writer's attitude and opinion

Oxu: müəllifin münasibəti və fikri

After this lesson you can

Can identify a writer's attitude, opinion and tone in an opinion article
Can distinguish between facts, the writer's opinions and the opinions of others reported in a text
Can recognise language that signals stance, such as evaluative adjectives, adverbs and irony

Explanation

Writers rarely state their attitude directly, so look for signals:

evaluative adjectives (promising, misguided, alarming)
attitude adverbs (surprisingly, unfortunately, admittedly)
modals (should = strong view; might = cautious)
reporting verbs: claim often shows doubt, show shows agreement.

Distinguish facts (can be checked), the **writer's opinion **, and other people's opinions (Critics argue...), which the writer may not share.

Tone can be optimistic, critical, sceptical (so-called, it remains to be seen), ironic or balanced. Read the title and final paragraph carefully, and pay attention to what follows but or however.

Azərbaycan dilində ətraflı izah

Niyə vacibdir?

B2 imtahanlarında tez-tez What is the writer's attitude towards...? və ya What does the writer suggest...? kimi suallar olur. Cavab mətndə birbaşa yazılmır, onu dil vasitələrindən çıxarmaq lazımdır.

1. Münasibəti göstərən siqnallar

Qiymətləndirici sifətlər: a promising idea, a misguided policy, an alarming trend.
**Münasibət zərfləri : *** Surprisingly, ...*, Unfortunately, ..., Admittedly, ... (etiraf), Clearly, ....
Modal feillər: This should be stopped (güclü fikir); This might help (ehtiyat).
Feil seçimi: claim (müəllif şübhə ilə yanaşır) və show (müəllif razıdır) fərqlidir. Supporters claim that... = müəllif buna inanmaya bilər.

2. Fakt, rəy və başqalarının fikri

Fakt: yoxlanıla bilər, The scheme started in 2020.
Müəllifin rəyi: I believe, In my view, qiymətləndirici dil.
Başqalarının fikri: Critics argue that..., Some people say..., bu, müəllifin fikri olmaya bilər! İmtahanda ən çox səhv buradadır.

3. Ton

Ton	Siqnallar
optimistic	promising, encouraging, a step forward
critical	fails to, misguided, problematic
sceptical	so-called, claim, it remains to be seen
ironic	gözlənilməz müsbət söz mənfi kontekstdə: What a brilliant* idea – closing the only library!*
balanced	on the one hand... on the other hand, admittedly... however

4. Strategiya

Başlığa və son abzasa xüsusi diqqət yetirin, müəlliflər fikirlərini çox vaxt sonda yekunlaşdırır.
but, however, yet sözlərindən sonra gələn hissə adətən müəllifin əsl fikridir.
Suallarda verilən variantları sözbəsöz deyil, məna üzrə müqayisə edin.

Examples

The so-called 'smart' parking system has made life harder for drivers.
Sözdə 'ağıllı' parkinq sistemi sürücülərin həyatını daha da çətinləşdirib.
so-called, skeptisizm
Admittedly, the new law has some benefits. However, its costs are far too high.
Etiraf etmək lazımdır ki, yeni qanunun bəzi faydaları var. Lakin onun xərcləri həddən artıq yüksəkdir.
Supporters claim that the project will create jobs.
Tərəfdarlar iddia edirlər ki, layihə iş yerləri yaradacaq.
claim, müəllif əmin olmaya bilər
It remains to be seen whether the plan will actually work.
Planın həqiqətən işləyib-işləməyəcəyi hələ bəlli deyil.
Surprisingly, very few people have complained.
Təəccüblüdür ki, çox az adam şikayət edib.
This is an encouraging step towards cleaner cities.
Bu, daha təmiz şəhərlərə doğru ümidverici bir addımdır.

Reading text: Car-free streets: a gift to the city or a headache?

Last spring, the city council closed three central streets to cars as part of a six-month trial. Since then, the debate has hardly stopped. Supporters claim that the scheme has transformed the area, while shop owners insist it is driving customers away. Having walked these streets almost every day for the past year, I would like to offer a slightly different view. Let us start with the facts. According to the council's own figures, air pollution in the area has fallen by 18 per cent, and footfall has risen by around a quarter. These are not small changes. On a sunny afternoon, the streets are full of families, street musicians and people sitting at café tables that used to be parking spaces. Admittedly, it is easy to fall in love with a place on a sunny afternoon. The real test comes in winter. The shop owners' complaints deserve to be taken seriously. Deliveries now have to be made before ten in the morning, and some elderly customers say they can no longer reach their favourite shops. However, the claim that the scheme is 'killing business' is not supported by the evidence. Two of the shops that closed this year had been struggling long before the trial began, and several new cafés have opened. What worries me more is the way the decision was made. Residents were given just two weeks to comment, and the so-called public consultation consisted of a single online form. A good idea introduced badly can easily fail. So, is the scheme a success? Not yet, but it is a promising start. If the council listens to local businesses, improves access for older people and extends the trial through the winter, it could become something genuinely worth keeping.

Common mistakes

The writer thinks the plan is good because the text says 'Critics argue it is good'.
Critics think the plan is good; the writer's own view may be different.
Başqalarının fikrini müəllifin fikri ilə qarışdırmayın.
The word 'brilliant' always shows a positive attitude.
In 'What a brilliant idea – closing the only library!', 'brilliant' is ironic.
Kontekst ironiyanı göstərə bilər; sözün mənası həmişə hərfi deyil.
Choosing an answer because it contains the same words as the text.
Choosing an answer because it has the same meaning as the text.
İmtahan variantları çox vaxt mətndəki sözləri tələ kimi istifadə edir; mənaya baxın.

Vocabulary

admittedly adverb: used to admit that something is trueetiraf etmək lazımdır ki“Admittedly, the task was harder than we expected.”
footfall noun: the number of people visiting a shop or area(mağazaya) gələn insan axını“Footfall in the city centre has increased.”
misguided adjective: based on wrong ideas or judgementyanlış düşünülmüş“The writer calls the policy misguided.”
pedestrian noun: a person who is walking, not in a vehiclepiyada“The street is now open only to pedestrians.”
promising adjective: showing signs of future successümidverici“The first results are promising.”
sceptical adjective: having doubts that something is true or usefulskeptik, şübhə ilə yanaşan“Many experts remain sceptical about the new treatment.”