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" 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
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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.
faults, flaws, weaknesses and drawbacks
Could you help me to work out the differences in use between the following words:
faults, flaws, weaknesses and drawbacks? Are they interchangeable when talking
about someone s character?
Of these four synonyms, or expressions with similar meanings, fault is probably the
most widely term used.
Faults
Fault is not so much used to talk about someone s character, Helen. Instead we talk
about electrical, mechanical or technical faults:
There was a fault in the wiring and I had no idea how to correct it.
There was a delay in the broadcast of the programme and this was due to a technical
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fault.
A mechanical fault caused the train to come off the rails.
A fault then describes a weakness in something, primarily. But sometimes it is used
to describe a weakness in someone s character:
She has her faults, but, on the whole, she s a nice person.
We all have our own faults, I suppose.
We also have the frequently used expression: It s (not) my/your/his/etc fault.
This is a more idiomatic way of saying: I am (not) to blame or I am (not)
responsible (for this unfortunate situation).
It s not my fault he s late. Don t blame me.
I m sorry. It s my fault. I forgot to pass on the message.
If you don t get enough sleep, it s entirely your own fault.
It was partly the teacher s fault for giving them too much homework.
Flaws
We use flaw mainly to talk about a minor fault or weakness in something which
make it less effective or valuable. We talk about flawed arguments for example.
Note also a flawless complexion:
There s a flaw in your argument. I agree with you up to a point, but the last part
doesn t make complete sense to me.
There was a tiny flaw in the necklace and it certainly wasn t worth all the money we
had paid for it.
She attributed her flawless complexion to the moisturising creams she used.
However, we can also talk about serious or major flaws:
There are major flaws in the way we train teachers in this country.
There were serious flaws in the construction of the pedestrian bridge.
And, yes, we can also use flaw to describe a fault in someone s character:
The only flaw in his character was his short temper  he tended to fly off the handle
at the slightest provocation.
Weaknesses
Weaknesses generally describe the state or condition of being weak and of lacking
strength or resilience.
The main weakness of this government is that it keeps changing direction on key
policy issues.
He showed great weakness in not owning up to his part in the bad behaviour.
Weaknesses can also refer to faults or problems that make something less
attractive or effective:
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They were keen to know how well it would sell in Russia so they listed all the
strengths and weaknesses of their product for this market.
The only weakness in her character that I could spot was that she seemed to be
over-dependent on others.
Note that if you have a weakness for something, you are very fond of it:
I have a great weakness for chocolate. I can never refuse it.
Drawbacks
We use drawback to refer to a feature of something which makes it less useful or
acceptable than it could be. Drawback is often synonymous with disadvantage,
but note that drawforward does not exist as an alternative to advantage!
The only drawback / disadvantage with this accommodation is that it s a fifteen-
minute walk to the bus-stop.
The main drawback of this examination is that it takes two months before the results
are released.
So, Helen, from the shades of meaning inherent in all four of these terms, note that
we can refer to faults, flaws and weaknesses in someone s character, but we are less
likely to talk about drawbacks in someone s character.
"to fire in anger"
Could you, please, explain the meaning of the phrase "to fire or shoot (something or
someone) in anger", and provide a paraphrase. I realise it doesn't actually mean to
fire or shoot because one is angry. But I'm also unsure whether the phrase "to fire in
anger" is used specifically in a war context or also applies to non-military conflicts.
Rachel Wicaksono answers:
Hello Pierre, and thanks for sending in such a challenging question!
Well, none of the dictionaries I consulted (including a dictionary of military terms)
had information about 'fire in anger', so I was a bit worried that I wouldn't be able
to answer your question, Pierre! Luckily, two of my colleagues at York St John [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]