I love you because I love you

Posted by Pak Guru on June 8th, 2016 | 0 comments | argument, IELTS, opinion, speaking, thinking, writing

Yes, I like my job because it matches my education.

In IELTS you will often be required to express opinions about topics that you may not have thought about very deeply or discussed in daily conversation with friends. Not only do you have to give opinions, you also have to give reasoned support for these opinions.
The opening statement can be expressed:

Claim: I like my job.
Support: My job matches my education.

Fine. But let’s say you studied chemistry at university and you now work as a chemist. Then you could say:

• I like working as a chemist because I studied chemistry at university.

OR

• I studied chemistry at university because I wanted to work as a chemist.

But then it is possible to say:

• I enjoy working as a chemist because I studied chemistry at university because I wanted to be a chemist because I was studying chemistry because I wanted to be a chemist.

This is known as a circular argument. You say you like your job, and since you chose to study chemistry, we assume that you like that, too. So we still don’t know why you like chemistry (your job)! You might as well say “I like it because I like it!”

There are much better reasons why a person might like their job:

• the job pays a good salary
• the job involves travelling (which you enjoy)
• the job involves meeting interesting people
• the job presents opportunities for career development
• the workplace is situated conveniently close to your home
• (other reasons here)

So, when you’re preparing for IELTS, think – more deeply than usual – about the things you like (or don’t like). And then think about why you like (or don’t like) them.
Let’s practice right now. Here is a list of things people either like or don’t like. Choose one item and add a comment below, saying why you either like or don’t like the item. Try to give two reasons, and avoid those circular arguments!

• travelling
• shopping
• reading
• listening to music
• preparing for IELTS