Episode 107 Learners, Don't Make This Common Mistake When Voicing Your Opinion In English!

Being able to express your opinion is a really important skill if you're going to be working with Western Native Speakers. I've noticed a lot of my Korean and Japanese students struggle to express their opinions simply this isn't a skill that's appreciated in their own culture. But if you can't express your opinion in English you're going to struggle in every business meeting, every meeting with your boss, even when deciding where to go with friends, they'll expect you to have an opinion. In this episode I'll teach you some nice easy phrases to use when you need to express your opinion. I'll also talk about some common mistakes. For example, recently, I was having a conversation with a Turkish student and discovered that a phrase I had been hearing for a while wasn't a little mistake but was, in fact, a direct translation from Turkish: 'According to me' or 'According to my opinion'. Unfortunately this translation doesn't work in English. But don't worry, I'll teach you some phrases that do. Remember, if you want to express your opinion you can say: In my opinion... My opinion is... From my perspective... I think... Now, the next step is figuring out what your opinion actually is!! 😨And feeling brave enough to speak out! 😱 Good luck!😎 Vocabulary 'trying to get someone's opinion out of them was really hard work' - when we 'try to get something out of someone' then we try to get them to tell us something. In this phrase I also said it was 'really hard work' I could have used the idiom 'was like pulling teeth' this has the same meaning and can be used in the same way. higher position of authority - this is one way to say someone is considered more important than you. Perhaps at work, at home or generally in the world or in your community. to put something on a pedestal - is an idiom we might use to express this idea of a higher position of authority. If we put someone or something on a pedestal then we make them very important in our eyes. This idiom is often used when romantic partners have imagined a more perfect version of their partner, 'you always put her on a pedestal', but this might not be the truth about that person. keep the peace - to try and maintain a peaceful atmosphere or vibe causing an upset - to cause an argument or disagreement or perhaps cause someone to cry. to hold in high esteem - similar to putting someone on a pedestal we are thinking the best of someone. paraphrase - to say the same thing but in a different way clout - power or influence, used literally it can also mean punching someone elevated position - similar to position of authority and putting on a pedestal this means someone literally or figuratively higher than you