Lesson 08 drill — Opinion phrases + softeners
English opinion has three layers. (1) OPENER: 'I reckon…' (very informal), 'In my view…' (neutral), 'It seems to me that…' (thoughtful), 'If you ask me…' (personal). (2) SOFTENER inside the sentence: 'kind of', 'a bit', 'tend to', 'might', 'I'd say' — these protect you when you disagree. (3) INVITE: 'What do you reckon?', 'Wouldn't you say?' to pull the other person in.
Most informal opener:
Softener that protects your opinion:
Which phrase INVITES the other person?
Which is most diplomatic?
Which sentence is most diplomatic in a meeting?
____ my view, the rules need updating.
I ____ it's worth a try.
It ____ to me that people are working too hard.
I'd say it's a ____ overrated.
It's a great idea, ____ you say?