BOOST YOUR ENGLISH FLUENCY | B2/C1 Expressions for Confident Speaking and Writing

Hi there, this is Harry and welcome back to my advanced English lessons with Harry.

And if you really, really enjoy the lessons, then please like the video and subscribe to

my channel because it really, really helps.

Okay, so what have we got for you in this lesson?

Well, in this lesson, we're focusing again on collocations.

They're really, really popular with our students and our listeners and viewers.

So we thought we'd do a few more of these, and we're focusing on the collocations and

particular topics.

And in this particular topic, it's collocations for opinions, so an opinion when you have

a view on something so collocations, for opinions, and I'll go down through them give you the

list, and then go back through them individually.

And give you some examples of those.

And for those of you don't really understand collocations, it's just a complicated way

of saying two or more words together that fit together and are used together quite frequently.

So they're very useful in the English language, because it's better than just learning individual

words that have no purpose.

And these collocations you can drop them into sentences, use them as phrases, and it's a

much better chance for you to understand English and also for you to be understood.

Okay, so as I said, advanced English, and these are collocations for opinion.

So here we go.

I've got a list this time, I've got 10 Okay, I will go through them one by one and let

you work out for yourself.

Okay, so here we go.

Stark reality.

Stark reality.

To be perfectly honest.

To take someone's point about something, okay.

A sneaking suspicion, a sneaking suspicion.

To make accusations.

I strongly suspect that, I strongly suspect that.

A matter of opinion, matter of opinion.

To be highly suspicious of.

To be highly suspicious of.

To miss the point.

And then finally, to hazard a guess about something, to hazard a guess.

Okay, so we're going to go through them one by one, give you some examples, and hopefully,

then you'll be able to understand them better and practice them and try to use even just

one or two or three.

Okay, so first stark reality.

Well, something that is stark is very clear.

Okay, we have an expression "stark naked" means somebody without any clothes on.

Stark.

So very, it's very clear and obvious that they have no clothes on.

So stark reality means the real reality, the clear reality.

The stark reality is that we are entering into a phase of rising inflation.

That's the reality, it's stark, it's very evident every time you go to the supermarket,

how much more you have to pay for your food.

So the stark reality, the real reality hit you in the face something very stark, is that

we are entering a period of rising or rampant inflation.

And we can use stark reality in any way.

The stark reality is that you don't understand what I'm talking about.

You know, that's the real reality.

So if you want to be very, very honest with somebody or very frank and direct, then you

can use the expression the stark reality is the real reality is you don't understand me,

or you don't want to understand or you will never understand the stark reality.

Okay, number two, simple one here, to be perfectly honest, to be perfectly honest.

And you hear this expression a lot in English.

People, even when they not being honest, we'll use it.

To be perfectly honest, I think that we should just scrap this particular holiday, it's going

to be too expensive.

Why don't we just have a staycation and stay at home?

Yeah.

To be perfectly honest, I have no, no interest in doing yoga.

I really can't see any value in me sitting around.

I like to be moving.

To be perfectly honest, that movie is absolute rubbish.

Yeah.

So when we are using the expression to be perfectly honest, then it behoves us afterwards

to be absolutely honest, to make sure we let people know that we are being perfectly honest.

To be perfectly honest, I haven't a clue what you're talking about.

I really don't understand it.

And so that's been brutally honest, perfectly honest.

So this is about giving your opinion.

Next, to take someone's point.

Well, when we use this expression to take someone's point, that's exactly what we do.

Yeah.

So we're having a discussion or an argument, and somebody is making some really valid points

they're making some really important points.

So you voice your opinion.

Well, yeah, I take your point I understand it.

Yeah.

And in fact, I probably agree with it.

And then, but yeah, and the point is that you might go a little bit further, or you

might not do it at this time.

Okay.

So if you're having a round table meeting in work, and one of your colleagues says that

they feel that the marketing should be done in a slightly different way that we should

be a little bit more aggressive, we should do more advertising.

And you said, Yeah, I take your point, I understand.

And we will consider it, but not at the moment.

Okay.

So when you take someone's point, you accept it, and you agree with them, and therefore

your opinion, is very similar to their opinion.

Next, a sneaking suspicion.

So a suspicion is not absolutely certain, you're not absolutely certain that something

is happening, but you believe it might.

So you have a suspicion.

And a sneaking suspicion is we use it in the sense of, I have a sneaking suspicion, someone

is planning a surprise party for me for my birthday.

I'm not quite sure how do I know it.

But the guys have been very strange in the last couple of weeks, they keep asking me

what I'm doing on a certain day and, you know, have a thought about this.

And that's not the way they usually behave.

So my antenna went up immediately with this, and I have a sneaking suspicion that they

are planning something.

You have a hint that something is going to happen.

You don't know why you're there.

Nobody has said anything to you straight out, but you have a sneaking suspicion that something

is going to happen.

To make accusations.

Well, an accusation is when you accuse somebody of doing something, okay.

Usually it's pretty bad.

We use the word accusation.

Yeah.

So to make accusations, that's how we put them together.

Somebody made an accusation that somebody had taken their wallet from their locker,

okay.

Or somebody made the accusation that somebody has stolen their mobile phone, they left it

on the desk when they came back into their office.

Few hours later, it wasn't there.

And they had a search of the office, and they couldn't find it.

So they're making wild accusations.

Perhaps it's when the cleaners or somebody else but they have no proof and there's no

video evidence.

So people are a little bit worried as to why they're making such accusations.

And you often see it in the news reels, obviously, on the internet, when you're watching news

programmes that one country accuses the other country of violating, for example, their airspace.

So they make accusations.

Next, strongly suspect that...

So often we say I or you, somebody strongly suspects that something is happening.

I strongly suspect that the management will make that announcement next week.

So it's not something that you just have a little feeling about you strongly suspect.

So you really believe that something is going to happen.

I strongly suspect that Mike and Kate are going to split up.

They've been arguing a lot recently.

And when I met Mike last week, in the bar, he was really depressed, but wouldn't talk

about it.

But just a few little things.

He said he was asking about apartments and things, I've got the general impression that

perhaps he's looking to move out.

So I strongly suspect that we'll probably hear some bad news.

So you get the vibes or you get some certain little hints that have been dropped, and therefore

you can strongly suspect that something is going to happen.

It's a matter of opinion.

Okay, so this, we're talking about opinions.

So it's a matter of opinion.

And when we use this expression, matter of opinion, it usually means that your opinion,

isn't the only opinion.

Yeah, and you don't actually have to agree with it.

So you could be having a discussion on politics, you could have be having a discussion on religion,

you could be discussing your something about university, and somebody will say, well, it's

it's a matter of opinion, meaning you have your opinion, I have my opinion, you might

not believe that my opinion is important.

But it doesn't mean that your opinion is the only opinion.

So it's a matter of opinion.

In most cases, people live side by side, even though they have different religions, it doesn't

mean that we have to like it but we should respect it.

So yeah, that's it's an opinion, but not everybody will share the same opinion.

So it's a matter of opinion, it's a choice, that you have.

To be highly suspicious of.

Well, we had before, we were talking about a sneaking suspicion and to have to strongly

suspect something, so now we're talking about suspicions again, and this is to be highly

suspicious of.

So when we're highly suspicious of something, we're very suspicious of somebody's motives

for doing something.

Yeah.

So somebody comes along and offers to help you to cut your grass to do your garden to

do lots of work for you.

And you're highly suspicious of their motives because they've never offered before.

You know, one of the kids is all mum, and cut the grass today and perhaps tidy up the

garden.

And you're sort of looking at him thinking, what does he really want?

And you're waiting for the little question to drop it?

Could I borrow the car that weekend?

Or could you lend me 50 Euro?

Or would you buy me those tickets for the concert?

Yep.

So yeah, that's the motivation behind the little offer of help.

And it's something you would be highly suspicious of their motives for those sorts of things.

To miss the point, well, of course, when we miss the point means we just don't understand

something.

So somebody explains X, Y, and Zed to us.

And you know, we nod in agreement, and then we start talking about something completely

different.

And the person comes back and said, well, actually, I think you've missed the point,

what I was trying to say is, whatever, yeah, okay.

So, you know, I wasn't saying that we should cancel this arrangement, what I've seen is

we need to change this, I think you've missed the point.

So to miss the point means not to have understood what somebody said, even though you are not

in an agreement, and you go off on a tangent or you do something else.

And therefore you you don't understand it at all.

So to miss the point.

And then finally, to hazard a guess at or about something.

When we say hazard a guess it means you make a sort of a wild guess.

But it's sometimes based on on some facts.

So you're sitting at home with your partner enjoying a glass of wine, you just have dinner,

and you're looking at the watch and thinking when is the son David going to come home?

And you look at your partner say, Well, I'd hazard a guess that he's gone to meet his

friends.

It's Friday.

And he hasn't sent a text, so I'm guessing that's where he is.

So we hazard a guess, we make a guess based on perhaps past experiences.

I'd hazard a guess that the city tomorrow evening is going to be packed.

I don't think it's going to be a good idea for us to go.

For me, let's go on Sunday instead.

So to hazard a guess as to make a guess.

Generally feeling that you've you're quite accurate with the guests that you're making

to hazard a guess.

Okay, so there are 10 collocations, for opinions, okay, and they're really advanced English,

but you can use them, you can drop them into your conversations you need yet just add something

to the front of them.

For example, the stark reality is okay, that's how you might use it.

To be perfectly honest, I believe this.

Yeah, I take your point.

Yes, I'm listening, and I take your point but...

I have a sneaking suspicion that...

Sneaking suspicion, I have a sneaking suspicion that but you shouldn't make accusations and

you certainly shouldn't make wild accusations.

So to make accusations accuse somebody of something I strongly suspect that strongly

suspect I strongly suspect that he won't appear to see me and I'm sure he's gone off with

his friends for a few beers.

It's a matter of opinion.

Of course, your opinion is important.

My opinion is important, but it is a matter of opinion.

Some people like it, some people don't.

So it's up to each individual person to have their own opinion.

It's a matter of opinion.

I am highly suspicious of their motives highly suspicious of why they want to do it highly

suspicious of why they've decided to introduce it now they could have done this six months

or 12 months ago.

To miss the point.

Well, I think you've actually missed the point.

What I was trying to say is and to hazard a guess well, I'd hazard a guess that this

is what they're trying to do.

I'd hazard a guess that this is not the last we've heard of this new road that's been planned.

Okay, so that's our collocations and collocations of opinions.

Try to use them try to practice them if you've got any problems.

Send me a note www.englishlessonviaskype.com.

I really appreciate you listening to them.

I really appreciate you listening to me if you have any comments, happy to receive them.

And this is Harry saying goodbye for now and join me again soon.