FOM expressions

38 PHRASES FOR EXPRESSING OPINIONS

25 PHRASES FOR EXPRESSING AGREEMENT

25 PHRASES FOR EXPRESSING INTERRUPTION

English Explanation Phrases

 

38 PHRASES FOR EXPRESSING OPINIONS
I think….
I feel….
I guess….
In my view….
In my eyes….
From my perspective….
From my view point….
Personally, I think….
What I mean is….
Some people say that….
It is generally accepted that….
It goes without saying that….
I’m of the opinion that….
I believe….
I suppose….
According to me….
In my opinion….
It seems to me that….
From my point of view….
As far as I’m concerned….
I’d like to point out that….
Generally, it is thought that….
Well, it is considered that….
My impression is that….
I hold the view that….

I personally believe
If you ask me …
Another thing is that …
That’s not the point.
The point I’m trying to make is that …
To tell you the truth …
I suppose the problem is that …
As far as I’m concerned …
Anyway, as I was saying …
If you want my opinion …
As I understand it …
But the main point is that …
What really worries me is that …

Expressing your opinion is important, especially with friends and colleagues. To do so easily, check out this list of functional phrases:

In my opinion…
From my perspective…
Personally, I believe…
I feel that…
It seems to me that…
I am of the view that…
As far as I’m concerned…
I’m inclined to think that…
If you ask me…
I hold the opinion that…
It’s my belief that…

This phrase is slightly formal and is used more in writing or debating.

I have a strong feeling that…
It’s clear to me that…
In my experience…
It’s my contention that…

This is formal and is usually reserved for professional settings.

I am convinced that…

This phrase is good for expressing a very long held belief.

I think that…
My take on this is…
In my eyes…
I’m of the mind that…
I think…
I feel like…

This is a good casual phrase to use with friends and family.

I believe that…

This phrase can be used for larger opinions, say, your feelings on marriage or some other big issue.

What I mean is…

This is a good phrase to use to clarify your opinion further.
Making your statement stronger

You can make your opinion statement stronger by adding adverbs such as: really, truly, strongly, absolutely, completely, utterly, totally, unquestionably, certainly, fully, unarguably and decidedly.

Here are a couple of examples:

I truly believe that the American Dream is at risk.
I feel strongly that all men deserve universal healthcare.
I really like this movie.

Phrases For Agreeing With Someone’s Opinion

Sometimes, two or more people have the same opinion. In such cases, this is how you express your agreement with them.

Yes, definitely!
I feel the same way.
I agree with you.
That’s a very valid point.
I think what you said is true.
You’re right!

Phrases for Disagreeing With Someone’s Opinion

There may be situations when you disagree with someone on certain topics.

That’s when you have to politely express your disagreement while avoiding an argument or fight.

You have to make the listener realize that while you heard and understood what they said, you don’t agree and have a different opinion.

I understand.
I see your point.
That makes sense.
I couldn’t agree more.
You’ve got a good point there.
I’m on the same page as you.
Let’s agree to disagree, shall we?

This last funny phrase means that you feel that you and the person you’re talking to are never going to agree on this issue, so you decide to move on to another subject. You’re agreeing that you disagree on the issue. It’s a good phrase to use to avoid an argument.
Phrases for Explaining Your Opinion

In several situations, such as in meetings and group discussions, we’re asked to explain our opinions. There are many ways of doing this.

My reasons are…
Firstly… secondly… thirdly…

We can simply state or list our reasons (firstly, secondly, thirdly) in a certain way, like in this example:

Firstly, horror movies are scary. Secondly, I don’t believe in ghosts. Thirdly, I can’t sleep after watching scary movies!

Moreover…
In addition to…
Most importantly…
Another example is…
Mostly because…

You can also use conjunctions (such as because) or other connecting words and phrases to explain thoughts in a logical manner.
Phrases for Concluding Your Opinion

After you’ve stated an opinion, you may want to conclude the topic.

You can do that using these phrases:

In conclusion…
From this, we can conclude…
To sum up…
This proves that…
What do you think?

Asking a question is a great way to wrap up your own argument.

That is why…
Can you suggest an alternative?

Asking for Someone’s Opinion

It’s important to ask others’ opinions, too.

You can use these handy phrases to easily do that:

What do you think about…?
How do you feel about…?
What is your opinion on…?
In your view, is…?
What are your thoughts on…?
Could you share your perspective on…?
Do you have any views on…?
What is your take on…?
Would you mind telling me your opinion about…?
What is your stance on…?
Can you give me your impression of…?
What do you believe about…?
Are you of the opinion that…?
Do you think that…?
How would you evaluate…?

 

25 PHRASES FOR EXPRESSING AGREEMENT

I agree….
Definitely….
Absolutely….
I see your point….
I’d go along with that view to a point…
I have to side with you on this one….
I think so too….
That’s a good point….
You’re right, that’s a good point….
That’s true….
You have my full agreement….
Ok, that’s convincing….
You took the words right out of my mouth…
I totally agree….
I couldn’t agree more….
Precisely….
I see what you are getting at….
Sure, that’s one way of looking at it….
I suppose so….
I’d go along with that….
I see exactly what you mean….
Actually, I think you’re right….
Well, I agree with you here….
I second that….
I take your word on it….

25 PHRASES FOR EXPRESSING DISAGREEMENT
I see your point, but….
That’s one way of looking at it, however….
Well, I see things rather differently….
I’m not sure I go along with that view….
I agree up to a point, but….
I wouldn’t quite put it that way myself….
I can’t/ couldn’t go along with that….
You’ve got to be kidding….
I find that very difficult to accept….
Not necessarily….
There is no way I could agree with that….
No, I’m not sure about that because….
We don’t seem to be in complete agreement….
I see what you are getting at, but….
I completely disagree….
Umm, I’m not sure about that….
I don’t really agree with that idea….
You could say that, however….
I still have my doubts….
That’s out of the question….
Well, I don’t quite agree with you….
We don’t seem to agree here….
That’s not always true….
I don’t think so….
I’m afraid, I disagree….

25 PHRASES FOR EXPRESSING INTERRUPTION
Sorry to interrupt, but….
Is it ok if I jump in for a moment….
If I may interrupt….
Do you mind if I add something….
Excuse me but in my opinion….
Excuse me for a second, but….
Let me finish what I have to say first….
Excuse me for interrupting, but….
Well, that reminds me that….
I don’t mean to intrude, but….
Sorry, but can you let me finish….
Before you go on, I’d like to say something….
Before you move on, I’d like to say something….
Just a moment, I like to add something here….
Can I add something here….
If I might add something….
Can I throw my two cents in….
Umm, well not really….
Are you telling that….
Sorry, but I’m not done yet….
May I say something here….
Sorry to cut you off, but….
So, you’re telling me….
Well, if that is the case….
Wait a minute….

 

English Explanation Phrases
The main reason for doing this is to ...
Taking into account ...,
it was clear that ...
The most important point seems to me that ...
It seems obvious that ...
It is important that ...
... because I am sure that ...

Explaining a process

1. To start off (with)...
2. First, next, then ... OR Firstly, secondly,...
3. Once you've done that, do ...
4. Lastly or Finally ...

Clarifying your thoughts

1. What I mean is...
2. What I meant was...
3. Let me put it this way...
4. The thing is ...
5. Well, you see ...
6. In other words...