STATING OPINION, AGREEMENT, DISAGREEMENT

SESSION 14, SEM 1- 2018/2019

1. STATING OPINION
a. In my view / opinion
 In my view, birds should not be kept in cages.
 How important is it, in your view, that the twins should stay together? ~ In my opinion, it's very important.
If we want to use point of view, I think we would more often say from my point of view rather
than according to my point of view. Both these expressions emphasize the position or angle you are
judging the situation from:
 From my point of view it makes no difference whether you return on Saturday night or Sunday morning.
 From a political point of view, the agreement of the UN is extremely important.
 From the point of view of safety, always wear a helmet when you are on the building site.
b. To my mind / etc
In my view, from my point of view, in my opinion are all fairly formal ways of expressing your opinion
characteristic of written English. Less formal equivalents more characteristic of spoken English, include the
following:
to my mind: to emphasize that this is your opinion
reckon: usually to express an opinion about what Is likely to happen
feel: to express a strong personal opinion
if you ask me: to express an opinion that may be critical
to be honest (with you): to express a critical opinion without seeming rude
as far as I'm concerned: to express an opinion that may be different from others'
 To my mind the quality of their football is just not good enough.
 I reckon it'll rain later today. Let's go tomorrow.
 I feel she shouldn't be getting married so young.
 If you ask me, it's unreasonable to pay for something which should be free.
 To be honest (with you), I'm surprised you got into university with such low grades.
 As far as I'm concerned, the matter is over and we can now move forward.
c. Academic writing and expressing opinions
If you are required to write an academic essay in which you are asked to express an opinion (see below),
useful alternatives to in my view include:
I think that… ; It seems to me that… ; I would argue that… ; I do not believe that… ; I am unconvinced
that…; I do not agree that…
I believe that it is quite unacceptable for animals to be kept in zoos. It seems to me that when they are confined to a cage they
never have enough room to move around. I would argue that it is kinder to allow a rare animal to die naturally in the wilds
rather than to prolong its life artificially in a zoo

d. Making concessions

To achieve balance in any essay, it may be useful to incorporate opinions that are different from your own.
Useful linking words and expressions include:

Of course, many/some people argue..; It is sometimes argued…; Admittedly…; While..

It is sometimes argued that it is possible for conditions in the zoo to replicate the wild animal's natural habitat. While this
may be feasible for smaller reptiles, it will never be possible, in my view, for the larger mammals which needs acres of
space to roam around in.

e. Clarifying an opinion
It may sometimes be necessary to explain a thought in greater detail. Useful linking expressions include:

By this I mean…; Here I'm referring to…; To be more precise…; That is to say…
By spending money on confining wild animals to zoos, we are wasting resources. By this I mean there are
more urgent economic problems to deal with: hospitals and schools should be our first priority

http://www.bbc.co.uk
2. AGREEMENT & DISAGREEMENT

Asking for an opinon  What's your idea?

 What are your thoughts on all of this?
 How do you feel about that?
 Do you have anything to say about this?
 What do you think?
 Do you agree?
 Wouldn't you say?

Expressing agreement  I agree with you 100 percent.

 I couldn't agree with you more.
 That's so true.
 That's for sure.
 (slang) Tell me about it!
 You're absolutely right.
 Absolutely.
 That's exactly how I feel.
 Exactly.
 I'm afraid I agree with James.
 I have to side with Dad on this one.
 No doubt about it.
 (agree with negative statement) Me neither.
 (weak) I suppose so./I guess so.
 You have a point there.
 I was just going to say that.

Expressing  I don't think so.

disagreement  (strong) No way.
 I'm afraid I disagree.
 (strong) I totally disagree.
 I beg to differ.
 (strong) I'd say the exact opposite.
 Not necessarily.
 That's not always true.
 That's not always the case.
 No, I'm not so sure about that.

Interruptions  Can I add something here?

 Is it okay if I jump in for a second?
 If I might add something...
 Can I throw my two cents in?
 Sorry to interrupt, but...
 (after accidentally interrupting someone) Sorry, go ahead. OR Sorry, you
were saying...
 (after being interrupted) You didn't let me finish.

Settling an argument  Let's just move on, shall we?

 Let's drop it.
 I think we're going to have to agree to disagree.
 (sarcastic) Whatever you say./If you say so.

http://www.englishclub.com