Virtuous English AcademyOpinions & Arguments — B1 English Vocabulary
This B1 vocabulary list gathers 40 intermediate English words about opinions & arguments — stating views, agreeing and disagreeing. Every word comes with a simple definition, its British-English pronunciation and a natural example sentence, so you learn each one in real context. When you are ready, open the flashcards to practise and remember them for good.
- #B1
- #Academic
- #Flashcards
- #Definitions
- #Examples
- #Pronunciation
Using opinions & arguments words in English
This is the vocabulary of essays and discussions, and it is the point at which precision starts to be marked. Convince and persuade are not synonyms, argument carries two meanings that pull in opposite directions, and three verbs on this list — admit, deny and claim — take structures that learners routinely swap. The phrases for introducing an opinion are also fixed, and getting them slightly wrong is one of the most visible marks of a translated sentence.
What to watch out for
Convince changes a mind; persuade causes an action
I convinced her that I was right — she now believes it. I persuaded her to come — she now does it. Convince naturally takes that or of; persuade naturally takes to and a verb. You will hear convince someone to do in modern speech, and it is now widely accepted, but keeping the two apart is still the safer choice in exam writing.
Admit and deny take -ing; claim takes to
Say He admitted taking the money and She denied knowing him — both need an -ing form, never an infinitive. Claim is the opposite: He claimed to be a doctor, or with a clause, He claimed that he was a doctor. Note too that deny is not the same as refuse: you deny a fact, but you refuse a request.
In my opinion, and according to is never me
The fixed phrase is in my opinion — not to my opinion or by my opinion. According to reports what somebody else said, so it cannot introduce your own view: according to the report is correct, according to me is not. Other reliable openers are I would argue that, It seems to me that and From my point of view.
Words learners mix up
Three tables: four linking words and the punctuation each one demands, four verbs for what you do to somebody else’s idea, and the essay nouns whose countability decides whether the sentence works.
Four linking words, and where each may stand
| Word | What it actually means | In a sentence |
|---|---|---|
| however | An adverb, not a joining word. It needs a full stop or a semicolon before it and a comma after. | The plan is cheap. However, it is slow. |
| although | A conjunction. It joins two clauses inside one sentence and never takes a comma directly after it. | Although it is cheap, it is slow. |
| therefore | An adverb of result, and formal. It usually sits between commas or after a semicolon. | Costs have risen and demand has fallen; therefore, we must adjust. |
| furthermore | Adds a further point of the same kind. It opens a sentence and takes a comma after it. | Furthermore, the deadline has moved. |
The single most common punctuation error in essays at this level is writing The plan is cheap, however it is slow. However cannot glue two sentences together the way but can, so either split the sentence or use a semicolon. Although is the opposite: it joins clauses and cannot stand alone at the start of a sentence with a full stop after its clause.
Four verbs for what you do to somebody else’s idea
| Word | What it actually means | In a sentence |
|---|---|---|
| object | Takes to, always, and an -ing form after it. Stress moves to the second syllable as a verb. | Several members objected to the wording. |
| reject | Takes a direct object with no preposition. Stronger and more final than disagreeing. | The committee rejected the proposal. |
| defend | Takes a direct object, and the attacker takes against: defend the plan against criticism. | She defended her decision at length. |
| justify | To give reasons that make something acceptable. It takes a noun or an -ing form, never to. | Nothing can justify spending that much. |
Object is the trap, because it looks transitive and is not: I object the plan is impossible and I object to the plan is correct. The noun objection keeps the same preposition. Justify is the second one to watch, since the natural translation in many languages uses an infinitive and English insists on the -ing form.
Four essay nouns, and how each counts
| Word | What it actually means | In a sentence |
|---|---|---|
| discussion | Countable for one particular exchange and uncountable in the fixed phrase under discussion. | We had a long discussion about it. |
| conclusion | Countable. You reach or come to a conclusion, never make one, and in conclusion takes no article. | The report reaches an uncomfortable conclusion. |
| perspective | Countable, and it takes on: a fresh perspective on the problem. | It gives you a different perspective. |
| doubt | Uncountable in no doubt and in doubt, countable when you list them: I have my doubts. | There is little doubt about the cause. |
The verb before conclusion is what separates a fluent essay from a translated one: English reaches, draws or comes to a conclusion. Doubt shifts grammar with its meaning, and the fixed phrases are worth memorising whole, because without a doubt and no doubt both exist and neither can be reshaped.
Collocations that sound natural
Six words that appear in almost every discussion essay. Each has a verb or a preposition attached that cannot be worked out from the meaning alone.
point
make a pointa good pointthe point is thatmiss the point
The verb is make, and you have a point concedes that somebody is partly right. Miss the point means to respond to the wrong thing entirely, and it is a mild criticism rather than a rude one.
reason
the main reasonfor that reasonthe reason forthere is no reason to
The preposition splits: the reason for a thing but the reason why before a clause. Careful writers avoid the reason is because, preferring the reason is that, and examiners notice the difference.
debate
a heated debateopen to debatedebate about the costspark a debate
Countable for one particular argument and uncountable in open to debate. The topic takes about or over. As a verb it takes a direct object, so we debated the issue needs no preposition.
praise
praise somebody forhigh praisereceive praisepraise from critics
Uncountable as a noun, so a praise is impossible and high praise takes no article. As a verb the reason takes for, which mirrors criticise somebody for exactly, so the two are worth learning as a pair.
comment
make a commentno commentcomment on the reportwithout comment
The verb takes on and the noun takes make. No comment is the fixed refusal to answer a journalist, and it appears with no article at all, as does without comment.
consider
consider carefullyconsider doing somethingtake into considerationall things considered
It takes an -ing form and never an infinitive, so I am considering moving is right and considering to move is not. All things considered is a fixed phrase meaning taking everything into account.
Where each word belongs
Seven words carrying a level of formality, a spelling difference or a tone that is easy to misjudge. Argument writing is where an over-strong word does the most damage.
- viewpointWriting · one wordWritten as a single word and slightly more formal than point of view, which is the everyday phrase and takes from: from my point of view. Standpoint is a third option, commoner in academic writing than in conversation.
- validFormal · two quite different sensesAbout an argument it means well reasoned and worth taking seriously — a valid point. About a document it means still officially usable, as in a valid passport. The noun validity belongs almost entirely to the first sense.
- obviousCareful · it can sound rudeSaying something is obvious can imply the reader should already have known it, so obviously at the start of a sentence sounds impatient in British English. In writing, clearly is softer, and stating the evidence is safer than asserting that it is obvious.
- emphasiseBritish spelling · formalTo give something special importance, and it takes a direct object with no preposition. Britain writes -ise and America -ize. The noun emphasis has an irregular plural, emphases, and the phrase is place emphasis on.
- stateFormal · a neutral reporting verbTo say something clearly and officially: the report states that. It is deliberately neutral, unlike claim, which signals doubt. It is also an ordinary noun meaning a country or a condition, which is a completely separate word family.
- criticiseBritish spelling · stronger than reviewingTo say what is wrong with something, and the reason takes for. It is negative by default in English, unlike its relative critique, which is a balanced formal analysis. A film reviewer is not criticising in this sense.
- concludeTwo senses · argument and endingTo decide after considering the evidence, taking a that clause, but also simply to bring something to an end: the meeting concluded at four. Only the first sense has the noun conclusion in its argument meaning.
Sentences to try
Four frames from a written argument. Put a topic you actually have a view on into each one.
- In my opinion, the argument is not convincing.
- She persuaded the committee to consider a second option.
- He denied knowing anything about the decision.
- The main point is that we cannot simply assume it will work.
Questions about opinions & arguments vocabulary
What is the difference between convince and persuade?
Convince works on belief: you convince somebody that something is true, or of its truth. Persuade works on behaviour: you persuade somebody to do something. So you might convince a friend that the film is good and still fail to persuade them to come. In everyday modern English convince someone to do something has become very common and is not treated as an error, but examiners still reward the clean distinction, and it makes your writing more precise.
Do I say "he admitted to steal" or "he admitted stealing"?
He admitted stealing it, or the fuller He admitted that he had stolen it. Admit takes an -ing form, never a bare infinitive. The version with to also exists — He admitted to stealing it — because admit to is a valid phrasal pattern, but the to is a preposition there and is still followed by -ing. Deny works exactly the same way: She denied taking it.
Can I write "according to me"?
No. According to attributes information to a source other than yourself: according to the survey, according to the government, according to my teacher. Using it about your own view sounds odd in English, even though the equivalent is normal in several other languages. For your own opinion use in my opinion, I think, I would argue that, to my mind or from my point of view. Note also that it is in my opinion, not to or at.