Collocations for Expressing Opinions in English

Hello English learners, and welcome to another lesson! One of the most useful skills in English is being able to express your opinion clearly and politely. Whether you are sitting a Cambridge exam (B2 First, C1 Advanced), writing an email, or chatting with friends over coffee, having the right expressions at your fingertips makes you sound natural and confident. Collocations for Expressing Opinions in English

But the secret is this: native speakers rarely use single words such as think or believe. They use collocations — natural groups of words such as strongly agree or widely held belief. These little word teams are what make English fluent and rich.

So, let’s dive in and explore collocations that will help you agree, disagree, persuade, and balance your opinions like a pro.

Strong opinions

Sometimes, when you are sure of yourself, you want to leave no doubt about what you think. So, you can use these collocations when you feel that way.

Collocation	Meaning	Example sentence
Firmly believe	to believe with conviction.	I firmly believe that the secret to success is lifelong learning.
Hold the view/opinion	to have a particular opinion.	Our teacher holds the view that art should be accessible to everyone.
Deeply convinced	strongly certain.	She was deeply convinced that hard work and persistence would eventually pay off.
Passionate believer (in something)	someone who strongly supports an idea.	Jeremy is a passionate believer in equal rights for all.

Collocations for Expressing Opinions in English

Tip for exams: When demonstrating certainty in formal essays, try using the phrase “I firmly believe” instead of “I think”.

Mild or balanced opinions

You can use these collocations when you don’t want to sound too strong. Remember that not every opinion needs a hammer. Sometimes a feather can work better.

Collocation	Meaning	Example sentence
It seems to me	used to suggest something gently.	It seems to me that we’re spending too much time on details.
In my opinion / In my view	neutral and polite.	In my view, this policy will benefit young families.
To a certain extent	partly agreeing.	I agree with you to a certain extent, but not entirely.
Broadly agree	mostly agree, but with small reservations.	We broadly agree with the proposal, although we’d like some changes.

Cultural note: British speakers often “soften” their opinions (e.g. It seems to me…, I would argue that…) because being too direct can sound impolite.

Changing or developing opinions

Our views don’t always stay the same. These collocations will help show flexibility.

Collocation	Meaning	Example sentence
Have second thoughts	to reconsider.	I’m having second thoughts about taking that job abroad.
Change your mind	decide differently.	She changed her mind at the last minute.
Come to the conclusion	reach an opinion after reflection.	After much discussion, we came to the conclusion that teamwork matters most.
Shift in opinion	when many people change their views.	There has been a shift in public opinion about electric cars.

Collocations for Expressing Opinions in English

Disagreeing politely

Disagreeing doesn’t mean being impolite. You can use these collocations to sound more respectful.

Collocation	Meaning	Example sentence
Take issue with (something)	strongly but formally disagree.	I take issue with the claim that social media is always harmful.
Differ in opinion	politely note differences.	We differ in opinion on how to approach this project.
Strongly disagree	complete disagreement.	I strongly disagree with the decision to cut arts funding.
Express reservations	show polite doubts.	I must express reservations about the safety of this plan.

Collocations for Expressing Opinions in English

Persuading and influencing others

If you want to make your opinion heard (and maybe adopted by others), these collocations will help.

Collocation	Meaning	Example sentence
Make a compelling case (for something)	present a strong argument.	The lawyer made a compelling case for his client’s innocence.
Put forward an argument	suggest an idea in a debate.	She put forward the argument that remote work saves money.
Convince someone of something	change their mind.	He convinced me of the benefits of daily exercise.
Win someone over	persuade them.	The manager finally won the team over to her way of thinking.

Collocations for Expressing Opinions in English

Popular or shared opinions

Sometimes you’re not alone in your opinion — and that’s powerful.

Collocation	Meaning	Example sentence
General opinion	what most people think.	The general opinion is that the film was a disappointment.
Public opinion	the collective view of society.	Public opinion is shifting towards renewable energy.
Widely held belief	many people think the same.	It is a widely held belief that laughter is good for health.
Consensus of opinion	shared agreement.	There was a consensus of opinion that the new law was necessary.

If you really want to learn English but don’t know how to do it and where to start, don’t hesitate to contact us. Book an online English lesson with one of our certified and experienced English teachers and take a test and consultation! Tap the banner to learn more!

Discover more from My Lingua Academy

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Collocations for Expressing Opinions in English

Published by My Lingua Academy on 3 Sep 20253 Sep 2025