I honestly think we can win the match tonight. (NOT I strongly think]

I’m not sure if I want to invest in your business or not, but I’ll give it some thought.

Bear in mind that there are often delays to flights during bad weather, [remember]

It’s common knowledge that Jane is looking for a new job. [everyone knows)

My teenage son hasn’t yet grasped the importance of revising for exams, [understood how important something is)

I take the view that we are all responsible for our own actions, [believe)

It’s a foregone conclusion that Jaime will win the race, [absolutely certain]

I’m not quite sure what I’m going to do but I’ve got a rough idea, [general idea].

I don’t subscribe to the theory that nature and nurture are of equal significance but it is now a widespread belief, [hold that opinion); [generally held view]

Opinions are divided as to whether mothers of young children should go out to work or not, but it is my firm conviction that different things suit different families, [people hold different views); [I am totally convinced]

Metaphors of thinking

We can talk about thinking laterally [approaching a problem in an imaginative and original way rather than using a traditional approach). We can say someone has a fertile imagination [one that produces lots of original and interesting ideas). We can wrestle with a problem [struggle to find a solution) and we can have a nagging doubt [an unpleasant feeling of doubt that will not go away). Wc can also talk about something fuelling speculation [encouraging people to consider that something may be true), and sometimes people jump to conclusions [guess the facts about a situation without having enough information).