Collocations for Expressing Opinions in English | B2–C1

Hello English learners, and welcome to another lesson. Today, we are going to look at useful collocations for expressing opinions in English.

Being able to express your opinion clearly is one of the most important communication skills in English. You need it in everyday conversations, emails, meetings, debates, Cambridge exams, essays and speaking tasks.

Many learners rely on simple phrases such as:

• I think…
• I agree…
• I don’t agree…

These are correct, of course. However, if you want to sound more natural and more advanced, you need collocations.

A collocation is a natural combination of words. For example, we say:

• strongly agree

not usually

• powerfully agree

We say:

• a widely held belief

not

• a widely kept belief

These word partnerships are what make your English sound fluent, natural and confident.

In this lesson, you will learn collocations for expressing strong opinions, balanced opinions, disagreement, persuasion and shared opinions.

What are opinion collocations?

Opinion collocations are natural word combinations that help you express what you think.

They can include:

• verb + noun: hold an opinion
• adverb + verb: strongly agree
• adjective + noun: a strong belief
• verb + preposition: take issue with
• phrase + noun: a shift in opinion

For example:

• I strongly agree with your point.
• She holds the view that education should be free.
• There has been a shift in public opinion.

These expressions are especially useful for B2 and C1 learners because they help you avoid repeating the same basic words.

Why learn collocations for expressing opinions?

Learning collocations helps you sound more natural because native speakers often use ready-made word combinations.

Instead of saying:

• I very much think this is true.

you can say:

• I firmly believe this is true.

Instead of saying:

• Many people think this.

you can say:

• This is a widely held belief.

Good collocations are like good shoes: they help your English walk properly.

Quick overview: useful collocations for opinions

Strong opinion	firmly believe, deeply convinced, strongly agree	I firmly believe that education changes lives.
Balanced opinion	broadly agree, agree to a certain extent, have some reservations	I broadly agree with the proposal, although it needs more detail.
Changing opinion	change your mind, have second thoughts, come to the conclusion	After reading the report, I came to the conclusion that the plan was risky.
Disagreement	strongly disagree, take issue with, express reservations	I take issue with the claim that exams are useless.
Persuasion	make a compelling case, put forward an argument, win someone over	She made a compelling case for flexible working hours.
Shared opinion	public opinion, general opinion, widely held belief	Public opinion has changed over the last decade.

Now let’s look at these collocations in more detail.

Strong opinions

Use these collocations when you feel certain about your opinion.

Collocation	Meaning	Example sentence
firmly believe	believe something strongly	I firmly believe that children should spend more time reading.
strongly agree	agree completely	I strongly agree with the idea that schools should teach practical skills.
deeply convinced	completely sure about something	She was deeply convinced that hard work would eventually pay off.
hold the view that	have a particular opinion	Many teachers hold the view that reading improves writing.
a passionate believer in	someone who strongly supports an idea	He is a passionate believer in lifelong learning.
a strong belief	a firm opinion or conviction	She has a strong belief in the importance of education.

Exam tip

In formal essays, I firmly believe is stronger and more natural than simply repeating I think.

Compare:

Basic:

• I think education is important.

Better:

• I firmly believe that education is one of the most powerful tools for personal development.

Mild or balanced opinions

Not every opinion needs to sound strong. Sometimes you want to sound careful, polite or balanced.

These collocations are useful when you partly agree, but not completely.

Collocation	Meaning	Example sentence
broadly agree	mostly agree, but not completely	I broadly agree with the proposal, although I have some concerns.
agree to a certain extent	partly agree	I agree with you to a certain extent, but the issue is more complicated.
have some reservations	have doubts or concerns	I have some reservations about introducing the new system too quickly.
a balanced view	an opinion that considers both sides	The article offers a balanced view of online learning.
a cautious opinion	a careful opinion	She gave a cautious opinion because the evidence was limited.
open to debate	not completely certain or agreed	Whether exams are the best form of assessment is open to debate.

Cultural note

In British English, people often soften their opinions. Instead of saying something too directly, they may use phrases such as:

• I broadly agree, but…
• I have some reservations about…
• I agree to a certain extent…

This can make your English sound more polite and thoughtful.

Changing or developing opinions

Our opinions do not always stay the same. Sometimes we reconsider, change our mind or reach a conclusion after thinking carefully.

Collocation	Meaning	Example sentence
change your mind	decide differently	I changed my mind after hearing both sides of the argument.
have second thoughts	start to doubt a decision or opinion	She is having second thoughts about accepting the job.
come to the conclusion that	reach an opinion after thinking	We came to the conclusion that the plan was too expensive.
reach a decision	make a decision after discussion	The committee reached a decision after a long debate.
a shift in opinion	a change in the way people think	There has been a shift in public opinion about remote work.
change your attitude towards	start thinking differently about something	He changed his attitude towards exercise after becoming ill.

Agreeing with someone

When you agree with someone, you can use more natural collocations than simply I agree.

Collocation	Meaning	Example sentence
strongly agree with	agree completely	I strongly agree with your point about education.
fully support	completely support an idea	I fully support the decision to improve public transport.
share someone’s view	have the same opinion	I share your view that children need more creative subjects.
be in agreement with	agree with someone or something	I am in agreement with the main points of the report.
support the idea that	agree with or approve of an idea	I support the idea that students should learn practical skills.

Disagreeing politely

Disagreeing does not mean being rude. In English, especially in formal situations, it is important to disagree politely.

These collocations help you sound respectful but clear.

Collocation	Meaning	Example sentence
strongly disagree	disagree completely	I strongly disagree with the decision to cut music lessons.
take issue with	disagree with a particular point	I take issue with the claim that technology always improves learning.
differ in opinion	have different opinions	We differ in opinion on how serious the problem is.
express reservations	show polite doubts	I must express reservations about the safety of this proposal.
challenge the idea that	question or disagree with an idea	Many experts challenge the idea that exams measure true ability.
reject the argument that	refuse to accept an argument	I reject the argument that young people are lazy.

Polite disagreement pattern

A useful pattern is:

I understand the argument, but I take issue with…

Example:

• I understand the argument, but I take issue with the idea that online learning is suitable for every student.

This sounds much better than:

• You are wrong.

That may be honest, but it lands like a brick through a window.

Persuading and influencing others

Sometimes you want to express your opinion in a way that persuades other people.

These collocations are useful in essays, debates, presentations and discussions.

Collocation	Meaning	Example sentence
make a compelling case for	present a strong argument for something	The writer makes a compelling case for reducing school pressure.
put forward an argument	present an argument	She put forward the argument that public transport should be free.
convince someone of	make someone believe something	He convinced me of the benefits of regular exercise.
win someone over	persuade someone to support your view	The speaker won the audience over with clear examples.
support your argument	give reasons or evidence	You need examples to support your argument.
strengthen your case	make your argument stronger	Statistics can strengthen your case in a formal essay.

Popular or shared opinions

Sometimes you need to talk about what many people think, not just your own opinion.

These collocations are very useful in essays and formal discussions.

Collocation	Meaning	Example sentence
public opinion	what society generally thinks	Public opinion is changing towards renewable energy.
general opinion	what most people think	The general opinion was that the event was a success.
popular belief	something many people believe	Contrary to popular belief, learning grammar can be enjoyable.
widely held belief	an opinion many people have	It is a widely held belief that practice is the key to success.
consensus of opinion	general agreement	There was a consensus of opinion that the law needed to change.
common misconception	a wrong idea many people have	It is a common misconception that older learners cannot become fluent.

Useful phrase for essays

It is a widely held belief that…

Example:

• It is a widely held belief that technology has made education more accessible.

This is a useful phrase when introducing a general opinion before discussing your own view.

Collocations for opinions in Cambridge writing

Here are some useful collocations for B2 First and C1 Advanced writing.

Exam task	Useful collocations	Example
Essay	firmly believe, broadly agree, take issue with	I firmly believe that schools should teach practical life skills.
Article	popular belief, strong opinion, change your mind	Contrary to popular belief, teenagers do enjoy reading when books are interesting.
Report	general opinion, express reservations, consensus of opinion	The general opinion was that the course was useful, although some students expressed reservations.
Proposal	make a compelling case, fully support, support the idea	This proposal makes a compelling case for creating a student reading club.
Speaking exam	strongly agree, share your view, agree to a certain extent	I agree to a certain extent, but I think there are other factors to consider.

Common mistakes with opinion collocations

1. Using unnatural word combinations

Incorrect:

• I powerfully agree with you.

Correct:

• I strongly agree with you.

2. Saying “according to me”

Many learners say:

Incorrect:

• According to me, this is a good idea.

This does not sound natural when giving your own opinion.

Correct:

• In my opinion, this is a good idea.

Use according to when referring to another source.

Correct:

• According to the report, many students prefer online learning.

3. Confusing “opinion” and “argument”

An opinion is what you think.

An argument is your opinion plus reasons and examples.

Opinion:

• I believe homework is useful.

Argument:

• I believe homework is useful because it helps students revise what they have learnt. For example, short homework tasks can help learners remember new vocabulary.

4. Overusing strong collocations

Do not use strong expressions for every idea.

Too strong:

• I firmly believe tea is better than coffee.

This is possible, of course, but unless you are defending tea in court, it may sound a little dramatic.

More natural:

• Personally, I prefer tea to coffee.

Use strong collocations when the topic is important or serious.

5. Forgetting the correct preposition

Be careful with prepositions.

Correct collocations:

• agree with someone
• agree on a topic
• take issue with a claim
• convince someone of something
• make a case for something
• have reservations about something
• come to the conclusion

Examples:

• I agree with your opinion.
• We agree on the main issue.
• I take issue with that argument.
• She convinced me of the benefits.
• They made a strong case for change.

Collocations for expressing opinions: mini practice

Complete the sentences with the correct word.

1. I firmly ______ that education should be available to everyone.
2. I strongly ______ with the decision to close the library.
3. She came to the ______ that the plan was unrealistic.
4. Many people have ______ reservations about the new policy.
5. The writer makes a compelling ______ for reducing screen time.
6. There has been a shift in public ______.
7. I take issue ______ the claim that exams are unnecessary.
8. Contrary to popular ______, grammar can be interesting.
9. I agree with you to a certain ______, but not completely.
10. The speaker won the audience ______ with a powerful argument.

Answer key: 1. believe, 2. disagree, 3. conclusion, 4. some, 5. case, 6. opinion, 7. with, 8. belief, 9. extent, 10. over

Final thoughts on collocations for expressing opinions

Learning collocations for expressing opinions in English will help you sound more natural, fluent and confident.

Instead of relying only on I think, try using expressions such as:

• I firmly believe…
• I broadly agree…
• I take issue with…
• There has been a shift in public opinion…
• The writer makes a compelling case for…

These collocations are especially useful for B2 and C1 learners because they help you express opinions with more precision and style.

Remember: advanced English is not always about using long words. Very often, it is about putting the right words together.

And that is a widely held belief I am quite happy to support.

Related posts

30 Ways to Express Your Opinion in English

Linking Words for Opinion Essays: B2 First and C1 Advanced

Expressing Opinions and Building Arguments in English

Discussion and Agreement Expressions

Vocabulary for Debates and Discussions

How to Write an Essay for B2 First

How to Write an Essay for C1 Advanced

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