能说出你怎么想,是 B1 水平。能说出为什么,并且对别人的观点作出回应,才算得上是真正的对话。
表达观点
从中性到强烈:
- I think it's a good idea.
- In my opinion, the plan needs work.(稍微正式一点)
- I'd say it's worth trying.(更委婉、更口语化)
- I'm convinced this is the right approach.(语气强烈)
不要每句话都用「I think」开头——要有变化。
更委婉与更肯定
| 谨慎 | 中性 | 肯定 |
|---|---|---|
| I suppose… | I think… | I'm certain… |
| It seems to me… | I'd say… | There's no doubt… |
| I'm inclined to think… | As far as I'm concerned… | I'm convinced… |
personally 一词把观点标记为纯粹属于你个人:Personally, I'd wait. 当你的看法和大家不一样时,这个词很好用。
给出理由
正是理由让一个观点变得有说服力。
- I think we should wait because the data isn't ready.
- It's a good idea, since it saves time.
- The main reason is that costs are rising.
- That's why I'd prefer to postpone.
Because 连接两个分句。Because of 放在名词前面:because of the rain(不是「because the rain」)。
用例子来支撑
有理由的观点已经不错;有例子的观点更好。
- For instance, last year's version had the same problem.
- Take the Berlin office , for example.
- Research shows that most users never change the default.
- In my experience, it takes twice as long as people expect.
如何组织一段完整的论述
要点不止一个的时候,给它们做好标记——考官和同事都很看重这一点:
- Firstly, … Secondly, …
- On the one hand, … on the other hand, …
- What's more, …(加上一个更有力的论点)
- That said, …(让步)
- Overall, … / All things considered, …(总结)
表示赞同
- I agree.
- Exactly. / That's true.
- Good point.
- I couldn't agree more.(强烈赞同——注意虽然形式上是否定句,意思却是肯定的)
礼貌地反对
英语会把意见分歧说得委婉一些。直接说「You're wrong」听起来很有攻击性。
- I see what you mean, but I think...
- I'm not sure I agree.
- That's a fair point, however...
标准的套路是先肯定,再反驳:先说出对方观点里对的部分,然后再说哪里不对。省略前半部分,会让反对显得比措辞本身粗鲁得多。
万一确实需要强硬表态:I'm afraid I have to disagree. · I really can't accept that. 这些说法要留着备用——在普通对话中,它们会很快让气氛变得紧张。
部分赞同
一个非常常用、也非常好用的句式:
- I agree up to a point, but...
- Yes and no.
- That's true in some cases.
询问对方的看法
- What do you think?
- How do you feel about it?
- Do you agree?
- Where do you stand on this?(更正式)
理由比观点本身更重要。 I don't like it 会终结一段对话;I don't like it because it doubles the work for the support team 则会开启一段对话。考试里的分数,给的正是这一点;在会议上,区分一个会被认真讨论的反对意见和一个会被敷衍过去的反对意见的,也正是这一点。
争论而不吵架
A: I think we should delay the launch — the testing isn't finished.
B: I see what you mean, but the deadline's fixed. What's actually left?
A: Two of the payment flows. Personally I'd rather ship late than ship broken.
B: That's a fair point. Could we launch without payments for now?
观点、理由、反驳前先肯定、推动对话继续的问题、还有妥协——整套模式浓缩在四句对话里。
自测一下
下面的测验围绕自然的赞同表达和礼貌的反对表达展开。