Complete the article with it and the correct passive form of the verbs in brackets. PRACTICE 1 Match the sentence beginnings (1–8) with the endings (a–h) to make phrases for agreeing, disagreeing or partially agreeing. 1 I couldn’t agree 2 In my 3 I agree with you up 4 That’s a fair point, although 5 I see your 6 As far as I’m 7 I completely 8 True, but on the other a disagree with you. b concerned, you’re right. c opinion, he’s correct. d to a point, but  e it could be argued that the opposite is true. f hand, they could be right. g point. h more. 2 Complete each conversation with the words in the box. There are two extra words in each box. disagree opinion perspective point sense suppose Conversation 1 A: In my 1    , to coach a team you need to know everything about the sport. B: I completely 2    with you. Your relationship with the players is more important. A: I take your 3    , but you need to know the game. B: I 4    so, but it’s not the most important thing. agree ask fair hand perspective point Conversation 2 A: If you 5    me, it’s important to have a new challenge in your life. B: That’s a 6    , point, although it’s good to take it easy, too A: True, but on the other 7    , life is about expanding your horizons. B: I couldn’t 8    more, as long as it’s not too much ef ort 3 Complete the second sentence so it has the same meaning as the fi rst. Ðse the word in brackets. 1 I think it’s good to be active. In     , it’s good to be active. ‘opinion’ 2 The opposite view is that running is bad for your knees.     , running is bad for your knees. ‘hand’ 3 I agree with that. That     . (sense) 4 You’re 100 percent correct!     more! (couldn’t) 5 My point of view is that sport should be free to watch.     , sport should be free to watch. ‘perspective’ 6 You might be right. Ôes, I     . (suppose) 7 I partly agree with you. I agree with you up     . (point) 8 In my view, , it’s easy to get motivated to exercise. As     , it’s easy to get motivated to exercise. ‘concerned’ REFERENCE page 51 Giving opinions We can use a range of phrases for expressing personal opinions, and for expressing agreement and disagreement. Expressing personal opinions Personally, I think/feel/believe that … In my opinion/view, … From my perspective/my point of view, … As far as I’m concerned/aware, … If you ask me, … Expressing agreement and disagreement. We use these phrases for expressing agreement and disagreement. Agreeing I couldn’t agree more. That’s a good/fair point. I take/see your point. That makes sense. Disagreeing I’m not sure. But on the other hand, … I completely disagree with you. Concession Sometimes you may agree with part of what someone says, but not all of it. A: People should be responsible for their own health. It’s not up to the government to tell them what to do. B: I agree with you up to a point, but the government also has a duty to look af er its people – and health is part of that. You might also want to show that you acknowledge or understand someone’s argument, even if you don’t agree with it. This is called concession. A: Yoga is fun, but it doesn’t help you with cardio. B: I understand what you’re saying, but it does help you with strength and IJ eíi×ility. We use these phrases to express concession, or to partially agree with someone. Partially agreeing I agree (with you) up to a point, but ... I agree to some extent, but ... I suppose so, but ... I understand what you’re saying, but ... That’s a fair point, although it could also be argued that ... Sleep habits from around the world Siestas 1    (think) that the Spanish tradition of having a sleep in the af ernoon dates back thousands of years. Än the past, 2    (believe) that a siesta was necessary to give farmers time to rest and restore their energy in the hot climate. Nowadays, 3    still     (expect) that many people will go home and enjoy a long lunch and rest with their family. Late bedtimes for kids 4    (report) recently that parents in countries like New Zealand and Australia put their young children to bed by about 7 p.m., whereas in countries like Spain and Argentina it’s common to see young children staying up until late in the evening, af er !! p.m. 5    (think) that children in Asian countries sleep less on average that children who live in the USA, Canada and New Zealand. Alfresco naps In a recent study, 6    (report) that in Scandinavian countries including Éorway and Îweden, parents of en leave their babies outside to sleep, even in the middle of winter. In these countries, 7    (believe) that the fresh air is good for children’s health and being outside helps to prevent them from getting sick. Napping in public The Japanese practice of inemuri, or ‘sleeping while present’, allows people to multitask. In many Japanese companies, 8    (expect) that people will work long hours and might be tired. As a result, 9    (considered) quite normal that workers might fall asleep on a park bench or a commuter train, at a dinner party or even during a work meeting