Would
you accept the phrase: in his point of view? I would prefer
to say: according to his point of view.
Roger
Woodham replies:
in
my view / opinion
I think we would normally drop point of and simply say in
his view (in my view / in their opinion / etc):
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 emphasise 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.
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 emphasise 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 done with
and we can now move forward.
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…
How acceptable is it for wild animals to be kept in zoos?
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.
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.
clarifying
an opinion
It may sometimes be necessary to explain a thought in greater detail.
Useful linking expressions for doing this 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.
If
you would like more practice more please visit our in the You, Meand Us part of our
website.
