Have you ever noticed that some students always use the phrase “I think …”? Or maybe you’ve noticed a student who always sounds a little blunt: “I don’t think so,” or “No, I disagree.”

Or maybe you’ve been in those shoes yourself! (I know I have.)

While it’s fine for beginners to use basic expressions, many intermediate and advanced students want to sound intelligent but don’t know how.

So let’s give them a hand by introducing the following expressions!

Expressions for Describing Initial Impressions

Discussions often start with questions about what someone thinks about the information that was just presented. For example, here are some Daily News questions that ask for students’ initial impressions:

• “Does it surprise you that 57% of Swedish students support a smartphone ban?”
• “What are your thoughts on the technology featured in the article?”
• “What are your thoughts on the planned railroad project between South and North Korea?”

When I’m asked these questions in a second language, I often respond with something like, “I think it’s cool” or “It sounds interesting,” and then cringe at my lack of expressive abilities. If you suspect your student is in the same boat, suggest some of these alternatives!

So next time a student says, “I think this is interesting,” you can encourage them to use these expressions by asking, “Do you think it’s surprising? Impressive? Exciting?”

Then, if your student doesn’t follow-up with a reason, make sure to ask, “Why?” If your student says, “It shows that North and South Korea are working together,” you can put the two statements into the chat box like this:

• I think this project is impressive. It shows that North and South Korea are working together.

This will show the student how to organize their thoughts into longer statements. Here are some other examples:

• I don’t find the technology particularly exciting. I read about a similar kind of technology many years ago.
• I think this statistic is surprising. I didn’t expect students would support a smartphone ban. This seems like a very mature choice for people their age.

Expressions for Evaluating Ideas

Some Daily News questions ask students to evaluate an idea. Examples include:

• “In your opinion, should there be any limits on free speech?”
• “Would you support a ban on smartphones in schools?”

If your student struggles to answer, start by encouraging them to use the wording of the question in their answer:

• “In my opinion, there should be limits on free speech.”
• “I would support a ban on smartphones in schools.”

If your student isn't comfortable with the above responses, you might introduce them to these expressions:

Advanced students may be interested in these more nuanced expressions:

• I think limiting free speech is a double-edged sword.
• The pros (of banning smartphones in school) outweigh the cons.
• A smartphone ban is a good idea in theory, but in practice students will find other ways to get distracted in school.
• I’d support these limitations on free speech if the country were in a state of emergency, but I think they’re unwarranted at this moment.

Expressions for Evaluating Outcomes

Lastly, some discussion questions ask students to evaluate the results of an event. For example:

• "Would you describe the meeting as a success?"
• "What are your thoughts on the failed moon landing?"

When responding, students often default to “I think ....” Here are some expressions they can use instead of “I think” to express educated guesses and firm opinions:

For example, if your student says, “I think the meeting was a success,” you can show them another expression like, “I’d say the meeting was a success.”

Or if your student says, “I think the failed moon landing wasn’t a failure,” but you notice that they don’t seem too confident about their answer, you can teach them, “The way I see it, the moon landing wasn’t a total failure.”

👋 That’s it for now!

Hopefully this gives you some ideas for expressions you can introduce to your students — whether during the discussion or as part of your feedback at the end of the lesson (e.g. “One tiny thing I noticed is that you usually say, ‘I think.’ It’s totally OK to say that, but maybe you can try other options, such as ‘I’d say ...’ or ‘I’d argue that ...’ to sound more natural).

Not all students see value in “upgrading” their expressions, but those who do will appreciate you taking the time to help them sound smarter! If you want more of these, see this post on expressions for providing reasons, recommendations, and predictions.

Finally, if you want to copy and paste the expressions, here they are in text format!

Initial Impressions

Intermediate

• I think this project is exciting.
• I think this statistic is surprising.
• I don’t think this project is that impressive.
• I don’t think this statistic is that surprising.

Advanced

• I find the technology intriguing.
• I don’t find the technology particularly intriguing.
• I don’t find the project particularly newsworthy.

Evaluating Ideas

Good Idea

• I’d like to see a ban on smartphones in schools near me.
• I’d welcome a ban like that.
• It’s probably not a bad idea to ban smartphones in school.

Bad Idea

• I wouldn’t want to see limits on free speech.
• I’m not sure it would be a great idea.
• Honestly, I wouldn’t say it’s a great idea.

Instead of “I think”

Weaker Expressions

• Personally, I think ...
• I’d say ...
• I’d argue that ...
• In my opinion, ...
• As far as I can see, ...
• The way I see it, ...
• It seems to me that …
• … but maybe that’s just me.
• … but maybe I’m missing something.
• … but I could be wrong.

Stronger Expressions

• I really think that ...
• I firmly believe that ...
• There’s no doubt that…
• In my honest opinion, …
• To be (brutally) honest, ...

• discussion
• pragmatics