#191: Talking about Pros & Cons in English

Oct 21, 2020 | Advanced Vocabulary, Business Professional English, English Conversation

Over the past several weeks, I’ve shared lessons on how to offer suggestions, which is perfect for brainstorming and throwing ideas out there. I also shared a lesson on how to show support for someone else’s idea.

But at some point, when you’re considering options, you or your team have to make a decision. And for that, we need to talk about the pros and cons.

There’s a fantastic collocation we use when we want to discuss the pros and cons: to weigh the pros and cons.

When a decision is needed, someone may suggest: Let’s weigh the pros and cons.

Such a conversation is particularly helpful when there isn’t a clear winner or when you feel there are no good options.

Similarly, you may talk about the pros and cons when you want to weigh an issue. 

I recently shared a lesson on political vocabulary. Today’s lesson on the pros and cons in English can also be useful when considering the advantages and disadvantages of a political policy or candidate.

In today’s Confident English lesson, you’ll learn a variety of new words you can use PLUS common sentence starters to use.

In the video below, I also mention the following lessons that may be helpful to you:

Talking about the Pros and Cons in English

Synonyms for Pros

The following words and phrases are often used when discussing the pros of an issue.

  • One/A Benefit
  • One/An Upside
  • One/An Advantage
  • One/A Positive
  • One/A Good side 
  • One/a Plus
  • One point in favor of/in support of
  • An argument in favor of
  • To be in favor of
  • One reason to be in favor of/in support of (note difference between this and the next)
  • One reason I’m in favor of/ in support of

 

Synonyms for Cons

The following words and phrases are often used when discussing the cons of an issue.

  • One/A Drawback
  • One/A Downside
  • One/A Disadvantage
  • One/A Negative
  • One/A Bad side
  • One/ A Minus
  • One criticism I have is…
  • An argument against this is…
  • To be against 
  • One reason to not be in favor of/in support of (note difference between this and the next)
  • One reason I’m not in favor of/ in support of

When You Understand or Want to Consider Both Pros and Cons

  • I can see both sides of the issue.
  • I can see all sides of the issue.

 

Example Sentences for Talking about the Pros and Cons

  • I’m in favor of increasing the spending limits on the ad campaign.
  • One upside to delaying our launch is we can eliminate this bug in the software before any other customers encounter this problem.
  • Certainly, one reason in favor of delaying the wedding is so you can have all your family and friends present to celebrate with you. Unfortunately, we just don’t know how long you may need to delay.
  • One disadvantage of this medication is its potential for strong side effects, including nausea and headaches.
  • One argument against delaying our product launch is the reality that our entire customer base expects us to launch on November 22 as promised.
  • I don’t support Candidate B because I’m not in support of her tax policy.

    Now it’s time for you to practice.

    Are you in the process of weighing the pros and cons to make a decision? Try sharing an example sentence of your own to express your thoughts. 

    Also, if you loved my lesson on vocabulary for politics and elections, share an example sentence that highlights the pro or the con of a political issue. 

    As always, you can share your examples with me in the comments below. Plus, you can learn from others in the Confident English Community by reviewing their examples as well.

     

    ~Annemarie

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