Expressing and supporting opinions

- I believe/do not believe that ... (because) ...

- Personally I feel that ... Let me explain why.
- In my opinion, ... Just consider ...
- As I see it, … The reason is ...
- It seems to me that… This is because ...
- I would argue that for the following reasons.
- I feel very strongly that ...
- I am convinced that ...
- I am of the opinion that ...
- I am very much in favour of/against ...
- I am completely opposed to ...
Opening phrases
- People (sometimes) claim that … but I feel that ...
- It is often said/argued that ... However, it seems to me that ...
- It is a fact that ...
- Over the past few months/years, it seems that …
- Recently, we have all become concerned that …
- Nowadays, we are all realising that ...
- In the past, people used to …, but now ...
- These days, it seems that ….
Making statements
- It is clear that ...
- On the whole, it appears/seems that ...
- We must take into account the fact that ....
- It goes without saying that ...
- It is important to remember that ...
Explaining/Expanding ideas and giving examples
- ... This means that ...
- ... This is largely due to ...
- …For example/For instance, ...
- …In other words, ...
- Take, for example, the situation in ...

Listing arguments
- Firstly/In the first place / To begin with, …
- Secondly/A second area to consider is …
- Another point to remember is ...
- Finally, ...
- In conclusion, ..
- Last but not least, ...
Evaluating ideas, Dismissing contrary arguments
- I think it is true that ...
- I totally disagree/agree with the point that…
- It is questionable whether …
- I am sure/I doubt whether …
- It is true that ... On the other hand, ...
- While nobody can deny that ... , I would like to point out that …
- I agree that …However, ...
- Although it is true that , we must remember that ...
- It could be argued that … However, I would like to point out that ...
- Despite all the arguments, I still feel that ...
- Notwithstanding the claim that ... , I would argue that…
- It may be true that ... , but all too often ...
- In no way can I agree that ...
- Surely it is completely unacceptable that ...
Persuading
- I would urge you to consider…
- I am sure you will agree that…
- Surely you must agree that…
- I would urge you very strongly to ...
- When you hear the arguments, I am sure you will agree that ...

Evaluating
- I was extremely impressed by…
- I was rather disappointed by…
- While X has much to commend it, I feel that some aspects could be improved.
- The problem could easily be solved if ...
- I would like to praise the ...
- Another area for complaint is …
- My overall impression was that …
- I am sure that visitors/readers/holidaymakers will thoroughly enjoy ...
- While some people will love ... , others may feel less happy.
- A major problem is that ...
- I was less happy with ...
Making recommendations
- I recommend that we ...
- I propose that we ...
- We should also ...
- I believe that we should ...
- We could ...
- If we were to… , we could ...
- I suggest we… We would then be able to ...
Summarising
- All in all, I think that ...
- To sum up, I believe that ...
- In conclusion, the facts suggest that ...
 Describing
- He tends to be ...
- She can be ...
- He is inclined to be ...
- She appears/seems to be ...
- Hobbies and interests
- He is crazy about ... -ing.
- She loves ... -ing.
- His greatest love is ...
- What she loves most in life is ...
- He spends all his time ... -ing.

RELATED WORDS AND PHRASES

AGREEMENT
- A great number of people share the view that …
- Today there is general / widespread agreement that …
- It is now widely accepted that ….

DISAGREEMENT
- Opinions differ about
- There is considerable disagreement among experts about …
- There has been a great deal of controversy over …

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES

- Despite …. the advantages clearly outweigh its disadvantages.
- The major drawback of this ….
- The downside of …

CAUSE
- lead to
- result in
- be responsible for
- bring about
- give rise to
- trigger
- contribute to
- factor

EFFECT
- impact on
- influence on
- affect
- influence
- implications
EMPHASIZING
- I would like to stress that the …
- It should be noted that …
- It is worth bearing in mind that …
- Factors such as … play a crucial
role in …
- they play a vital part in
- It is essential that the …
- … especially in ….

PROBLEMS
- issue
- address
- challenge
- difficulty
- trouble
- setback
- obstacle
- dilemma
- vicious circle
- complication
 -
INCREASE SURPRISED
- increase by (percent) - amazed
- go up - Astonished
- grow - Speechless
- expand - be taken aback by
- double/triple/quadruple
- growth EXCITING (Avoid using “colourful”
vocabulary in formal writing!)
DECREASE - Thrilling
- decrease by (percent) - Gripping
- go down - Exhilarating
- fall - action-packed
- drop
- decline BORING
- Dull
ADMIRE - Tedious
- respect - Monotonous
- look up to - uninspiring
- think highly of
- have a high opinion of BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE (Avoid using
- highly regarded/respected “colourful” vocabulary in formal writing!)
- Attractive
ADVANCED - good-looking
- sophisticated - gorgeous
- high-tech (equipment) - striking
- state-of-the-art (technology) - stunning

SURPRISING (Avoid using “colourful” BEAUTIFUL PLACES (Avoid using

vocabulary in formal writing!) “colourful” vocabulary in formal writing!)
- amazing - Breathtaking
- unbelievable - Stunning
- incredible - awe-inspiring
- astonishing - striking
- staggering - spectacular
- come as a surprise - spotless
- come as a shock
- amaze
- astonish
UGLY PLACES / PEOPLE NOT REASONABLE / NECESSARY
- Unattractive - Unjustified
- Unpleasant - Unreasonable
- Unsightly - without good reason
- hideous (=extremely ugly)
- filthy RELAX
- unwind / wind down
IN BAD CONDITION (PLACES) - make someone feel at ease
- in bad condition - relaxed
- dilapidated - feel at ease
- run-down - laid-back

NEW NERVOUS
- latest - Tense
- brand-new - Uneasy
- innovative (idea or system) - Anxious
- be under stress
OLD
- old-fashioned PUBLIC SERVICES
- outdated - facilities
- obsolete - amenities

VERY
- Absolutely
- Extremely
- Highly
- Incredibly
- remarkably

GOOD PERFORMANCE / PIECE OF

WORK
- Excellent
- Outstanding
- Impressive
- exceptional

GOOD FOR A PARTICULAR JOB,

PURPOSE, ETC
- Suitable
- Right
- Proper
- Appropriate
- be suited to

WRONG INFORMATION / NUMBERS

- Incorrect
- Inaccurate
- misleading
COMPARISONS
- a great deal / far / much + comparative (cheaper / more economical than)
- a bit / slightly / barely + comparative (cheaper / more economical than)
- by far / easily the + superlative (This is easily the best solution we can think of)

VERY MUCH / NOT VERY MUCH

- Dramatically
- Significantly
- slightly

AND
- As well (as)
- in addition to
- In addition
- Furthermore
- Moreover
- All the more

IF
- as long as
- on condition that
- provided that

OR
- alternatively
- on THE one hand ... on the other
(hand)

BECAUSE
- As / since
- thanks to
- DUE TO/OWING TO + NOUN
- DUE TO/OWING TO + THE FACT THAT + subject + verb

BUT/ALTHOUGH
- While
- Whereas
- by contrast
- However
- Nevertheles
- IN SPITE OF/DESPITE + NOUN
- IN SPITE OF/DESPITE + verb + ING
- IN SPITE OF/DESPITE + THE FACT THAT + subject + verb
- Cristal clear
- Paramaunt concern.
- Nonetheless
- It is upon us
- Vast differences
- It should be noted that …
- It is worth bearing in mind that …
- Factors such as … play a crucial role in …
- There is no denying
- It goes without saying
- Undoubtedly
- Nonetheless
- A great number of people share the view that …
- Today there is general / widespread agreement that …
- It is now widely accepted that ….
- Opinions differ about
- While X has much to commend it, I feel that some aspects could be improved.
- It is clear that ...