Expression of asking and giving opinion
1. Giving Opinions:
As far as I’m concerned …
In my opinion … In my view …
From my point of view …
The way I see it is (that) …
To my mind …
Well, I reckon (that) …
I (strongly) believe (that) …
I (honestly) think (that) …
I (really) feel (that) …
Personally speaking, I believe …
As for me, I reckon …
In my opinion/In my humble opinion
I reckon/suppose
I know
May I?
If you ask me
If I were you
To be honest
I could be wrong, but
I’m no expert, but
Personally
2. Asking Opinions:
What do you think/reckon?
do you see what I’m getting at?
Do you know/see what I mean?
Do you agree with me?
Would you go along with that?
Would you agree with me that … ?
What are your thoughts on that?
Don’t you think (that) … ?
3. Agreeing:
I (totally) agree with you / that.
I couldn’t agree more.
I’d go along with that.
I feel the same.
You’re absolutely right.
Absolutely / Definitely / Exactly.
No doubt about it.
That’s a good point. / I see your point.
I see where you’re coming from.
4. Disagreeing:
I’m afraid I disagree.
I don’t agree with you / that.
I’d be inclined to disagree.
That’s not the way I see it.
I don’t think so. / I don’t feel the same.
5. Partly agreeing:
I see your point but …
I kind of agree with you / that.
I agree with you to an extent, however, …
You make a good point, but …
Asking for and expressing opinions is something we frequently do in every day English. We will need to ask and give opinions in formal situations such as in business, in writing, both academic and informal texts, and in informal speaking.
Example:
It seems to me that the government should reduce trade tariffs. (Formal)
What do you reckon to these shoes? (Informal)
Giving opinions can be weak or strong:
Weak
I think….
I don’t think…
I’m fairly certain that….
I’m quite certain that….
I would have thought that….
Medium
I believe….
I don’t doubt that….
I feel certain that…
My impression is that….
As I see it..
It seems to me that…
It strikes me that…..
Strong
I’m absolutely certain that….
I’m convinced that….
I strongly believe that…
Examples:
I think it’s a good movie
I don’t doubt that smoking is bad for you
I’m convinced that it’s the best decision we could make for the company
Asking for an opinion:
What do you think about this brand, Tom?
What do you reckon to these shoes, Pam?
Mum, how do you feel about buying me a new smart phone?
What do you think about this?
Do you have any strong feelings on this, John?
Any comments, anybody?
What are your views on nuclear power?
Giving reasons:
Sometimes when we give opinions we may want to give a reason.
Firstly…
Secondly….
One reason is….
Another is….
To start with….
Added to that….
For one thing….
Example:
It seems to me that weak gun laws lead to more crime. For one thing, it’s too easy to get a weapon these days.
Interrupting:
Sometimes, if we are exchanging opinions with other people we may want to interrupt them politely.
Excuse me. Can I just say….?
Could I come in here…?
Sorry to interrupt but….
Yes, but….
Stopping someone from interrupting you:
If you’d let me finish…
Just a minute…
Hang on…(informal)
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