Presenting two sides of an argument

A useful reason to write is to present two sides of an argument. This is called a discussion. To be proficient in this form of writing, you may need to relate more than one different point of view in a sensible and balanced way. At the end of a discussion there may be a recommendation or conclusion. As a reader you need to be able to recognise this. Read the following example and answer the questions.

Using mobile phones - good or bad?

The majority of people in Hong Kong carry a mobile phone. All over Kowloon, Hong Kong Island and the New Territories, individuals of all ages can be seen using these portable communication devices either to speak to friends or send text messages.

Supporters claim that being able to contact them wherever they are is very convenient. Not only that, they can get in touch with anybody they choose even if they are travelling underground on the MTR or across the harbour on the Star Ferry.

And they are fun. The most expensive phones nowadays can take photographs that can be sent to another phone and some even play music and games. Sending text messages is now an increasingly popular alternative to speaking and uses abbreviations to save time and space. These shortened words now form almost a new language.

In addition, handsets can become fashion items worn like a piece of jewellery.

But not everybody is happy. Some scientists worry that radiation from mobile phones can be harmful to health. Others maintain that it could cause impotence in men. Using mobile devices is more expensive than phoning from a landline and the obsession with them in a place like Hong Kong, where individual calls from fixed lines are free, surprises some observers.