I think that it is easy for me to begin a sentence with “I think that,” but I wonder if the phrase is unnecessary because nobody cannot take my place when I think.
I you were to write “Steve is a fool”, people would understand that this is a universally accepted fact. If you say " I think that Steve is a fool", it softens it a bit.
I think I am a fool. “nobody cannot take” should read “nobody can take.”
YutakaM, the only way to not making mistakes is doing nothing, so don’t be so hard about yourself!
Thank you, OscarP.
According to an article, you can begin a sentence with “It is this writer’s view that …” instead of “I think that…” in formal written English. The article says that “I think” is the usual way of talking about your opinions in everyday English.
It is this writer’s view that posting messages on this forum is very useful for practicing writing in English.
Probably more in spoken language, you can also use “I believe that”, “In my opinion”, etc…
If you’re in Australia, you can definitely use “I reckon” or “I reckon that”… They go down well with the locals. lol
e.g. I reckon posting messages on this forum is very useful for practicing writing in English.
I reckon your comment is very helpful.
AS I understand the British libel laws, it is at least legal to say “Steve is a fool” because it is a matter of personal opinion and therefore not being presented as fact. If I were to write “Steve wears Barbie pyjamas” then Steve could sue me for character defamation, or slander or libel or something. The statement “I think that Steve wears Barbie pyjamas” would be legal, as it allows for the possibility that my statement is incorrect. The word “allegedly” is a useful one, as in “Steve wears Barbie pyjamas - allegedly”.
I know little about Canadian libel law however, and I am going into hiding for the next year just in case.
I will not sue you Helen, as long as you are active at LingQ, but should you start to slacken off…
are only plus members allowed to say those kind of statements without getting a lawsuit??
It is this writer’s view that LingQ is allegedly a commercial site. I suggest that every member should upgrade to PREMIUM to get extra services that I am enjoying.
At your own risk.
It is this writer’s view that LingQ’s turnaround ups the corporate stakes in the E-learning industry, and also raises tensions between traditional language schools and the Internet community.
(The sentence above is not supposed to say anything. I changed some words in a sentence I saw in another thread. Don’t try to understand the meaning! )
I’m not sure if the original question was answered. “I think that …” indicates that the rest of the statement is personal opinion, rather than fact. It is a valid and useful phrase and there is no reason to avoid it.
Thank you, Pjatkinson.
I think you are interested in the Japanese language.
Yutaka-san is one of our most prolific commentators and is a person who likes to think outside the box, somewhat like Helen, who also lives on an island だと思います．
Valgame Dios! Oscar, if you start insulting me your status at LingQ will not protect you. We have our means.