925English – Lesson 10: How to Agree with Ideas

Hi, Tim here with another 925 English Lesson! In today’s lesson, we’re going to
learn how to agree with ideas.

Every day, in life and work, we have to decide whether we agree or disagree with
other people’s ideas. It might be in a serious discussion about who to hire or how to
cut costs, or in a simple conversation about where to go for lunch.

And when you hear an idea that you like, you want to show your support for it,
right? So you say something to agree with the idea, to give it your support. And
one good way to do that is to use that word “support.” I mean, you can say
something like “I can support that.”

There are other ways to say the same thing. For example, you can say something
“makes a lot of sense,” which means it is a good idea. Or you could say that an idea
“could work.” And by saying something makes sense or could work, you’re not just
saying you agree, but that you agree because it’s a good idea.

How about practicing these expressions for agreeing? We’re going to present some
examples. After each example, try repeating it yourself. Ready? Let’s get started.

§ Yes, I think that could work.

§ I can support that.
§ You’ve brought up a really important point there.
§ That makes a lot of sense to me too.

So, we’ve just practiced some simple ways of showing that you agree with an idea.
But what if you think an idea is more than just good? I mean, what if you think it’s
a fantastic idea?

Well, in that case, you want to agree strongly with the idea, and show that you
really love it. In English we’ve got some great expressions for this situation. For
example, you can say “I couldn’t have said it better myself,” which means the
person explained it perfectly. Similarly, you can say “I couldn’t agree with you
more,” which means you totally agree.

These expressions beginning with “I” are used show you strongly agree. But you
can start with “that,” meaning the idea, and say how great it is. For example, you
could say “That’s brilliant!” or “That’s the best idea I’ve heard all day.”

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Let’s practice these expressions for agreeing strongly with ideas. Remember to
repeat each example after you hear it.

§ I couldn’t have said it better myself.

§ I couldn’t agree with you more.
§ That’s brilliant!
§ That’s the best idea I’ve heard all day.

Now, we’ve been focusing on how to show you agree with an idea. But sometimes
you hear an idea and you’re not sure if you agree. I mean, you don’t really think it’s
a good or a bad idea. In this situation, you can say that you feel neutral about it.

So how can you express that feeling? Well, for one, you can say that you are “not
exactly sure” about it. That tells people that you might agree or you might
disagree, but you don’t know yet.

Another way to express that you are neutral about an idea is to say you “could go
either way” or that there are “pros and cons to both options.” These are useful
expressions when you’re not sure what you think, or when you don’t want to
support one side or the other too quickly.

And if you really think that two sides of an idea or two choices are perfectly equal,
you can say it’s a “toss-up.” This expression comes from “tossing a coin,” which is a
way of choosing between two sides.

Now it’s your turn to practice using these expressions. Once again, you can repeat
the examples after you hear them.

§ Well, I’m not exactly sure about that yet.

§ I could go either way on this.
§ I think there are pros and cons to both options.
§ To me, it’s a toss-up.

So we’ve worked through some great expressions for agreeing and showing that
you feel neutral about an idea. But how does this sound in conversation? Let’s listen
to a short dialog between two co-workers, John and Lucas. John is discussing some
ideas for the business, and Lucas agrees with him.

A: So, I think we need to focus on new customers.

B: Yes, that makes a lot of sense to me too.
A: And maybe we need a fresh ad campaign.
B: I couldn’t agree with you more.

Can you hear how Lucas showed his agreement with John’s ideas? He said that the
idea of focusing on new customers “makes a lot of sense.” That expression shows
basic agreement. Then he agreed strongly with the idea of a fresh ad campaign,
saying he “couldn’t agree more.”

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Now it’s your turn to practice. We’ll repeat the dialog, but this time we’re going to
beep out the second speaker’s words. You will have to say those parts yourself.
Remember to start by saying that the first idea “makes a lot of sense.” Then you’ll
say that you couldn’t agree more. Here we go:

A: So, I think we need to focus on new customers.

B: Yes, that makes a lot of sense to me too.
A: And maybe we need a fresh ad campaign.
B: I couldn’t agree with you more.

All right, so we’ve learned some great ways to agree with other people’s ideas, and
we’ve looked at how to show you are neutral about an idea. In our next lesson,
we’ll look at how to disagree with an idea.

Until then, so long and happy learning!

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Language Review

A. Matching

Match the start of the sentence with the correct ending. The first one is done for you.

A. That makes…
B. I couldn’t agree…
C. That’s…
D. I’m not…
E. I could…
F. I think…

1) I think… (F)
…there are pros and cons.

2) …a lot of sense to me.

3) …exactly sure about that.

4) ..go either way on this.

5) …with you more.

6) …the best idea I’ve heard all day.

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B. Review Quiz

1. Which of the following shows the strongest agreement?

a) I couldn’t agree with you more.

b) I think that could work.
c) That makes a lot of sense to me.
d) You’ve brought up a good point there.

2. Complete the following expression:

I ___________ said it ___________ myself.

a) might have… like that…

b) couldn’t have… better…
c) wouldn’t have… for…
d) wish I’d… more…

3. Which of the following are correct ways of showing that you are neutral about
an idea? [choose 2]

a) For me, that’s really not an issue.

b) To me, it’s a toss-up.
c) I’m not exactly sure about that yet.
d) That makes a lot of sense to me.

4. Complete the following dialog:

A: I think that Henry has great leadership skills.

B: You’ve ____________ a really important point there.

a) tossed up
b) come out
c) brought up
d) taken off

5. If someone suggests an idea for the company that you strongly agree with,
what might you say in response?

a) I could go either way on this.

b) That’s brilliant.
c) I can support that.
d) That certainly might work.

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Language Review Answers

A. Matching

1. F; 2. A; 3. D; 4. E; 5. B; 6. C

B. Review Quiz

1. a; 2. b; 3. b, c; 4. c; 5. b

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