Karamö, le prof virtuelLeçon 18 sur 19
Expressing certainty, uncertainty and opinions
Je sais exprimer en anglais différents degrés de certitude, mon incertitude et mon opinion, et je sais demander l'avis des autres, être d'accord ou non, de façon nuancée et polie.
- 50 min
- 6 exercices corrigés
- 1 schéma
- QCM de 5 questions
À la fin de la leçon, tu sauras :
- Exprimer la certitude et l'incertitude avec des adjectifs, des adverbes et des modaux
- Graduer la probabilité (certainly, probably, perhaps…)
- Donner son opinion avec les bonnes formules
- Demander l'avis de quelqu'un, approuver ou désapprouver poliment
- Construire un paragraphe argumenté
Avant de commencer : Les modaux de probabilité (must, may, might, can't) ; le futur avec will ; les question tags.
1Je découvre
Dans la classe de 12e SE du lycée de Nzérékoré, le professeur d'anglais organise un débat : « Should mobile phones be allowed at school? »
Ibrahima lève la main : « In my opinion, phones should be allowed. I'm sure they can help us to learn. »
Kadiatou n'est pas d'accord : « I don't agree. I think phones distract students. I'm not sure students will use them only for learning. »
Sékou hésite : *« Maybe phones could be allowed only in the library. I'm not certain it's a good idea, but it might be a compromise. »*
Le professeur conclut : « Very good! You all expressed your opinions, and you showed how sure or unsure you were. »
Chaque élève a utilisé des expressions différentes : I'm sure, I think, I'm not sure, maybe, might, In my opinion, I don't agree. Ces expressions permettent de dire ce que l'on pense et à quel point on en est sûr. Elles sont indispensables pour les débats, les discussions de groupe et surtout pour les sujets d'expression écrite du BAC, où l'on te demande souvent : « What do you think? Give your opinion. »
Comment exprimer en anglais la certitude, l'incertitude et une opinion, de façon claire et nuancée ?
2Je comprends
1. Exprimer la certitude
- Adjectifs : *I'm sure (that)… / I'm certain (that)… / I'm convinced (that)… / I'm positive (that)…* : I'm sure (that) Hawa will pass her BAC.
- Structures impersonnelles : *It's certain that… / There's no doubt that… / It's obvious that… / It's clear that…* : There's no doubt that education is important.
- Adverbes : *certainly, definitely, surely, undoubtedly, of course, without doubt* : He will definitely come.
- Verbes : *I know (that)… / I'm sure of it.*
- Modaux : *must* (déduction), *will* (prédiction sûre), *can't* (certitude négative) : She must be at home. It can't be true!
- be bound to / be sure to + base : It's bound to rain in August in Conakry. (c'est sûr qu'il pleuvra)
2. Exprimer la probabilité et l'incertitude
- Adjectifs : *I'm not sure (whether / if)… / I'm not certain… / I doubt (whether / if)… / I wonder if…* : I'm not sure if the bus will come. I doubt that he will agree.
- Structures : *It's possible that… / It's likely that… / It's unlikely that… / There's a chance that…* : It's likely that prices will rise.
- be likely to / be unlikely to + base : Our team is likely to win. (il est probable que notre équipe gagne)
- Adverbes : *probably, possibly, perhaps, maybe* : Maybe she's ill. He will probably be late.
- Modaux : *may, might, could* : It may rain. He might be at the market.
- Réponses courtes : *I think so. / I don't think so. / I hope so. / I hope not. / I'm afraid so. / I'm afraid not. / Probably. / Maybe.*
Place de probably : après *will* mais avant *won't* : He will probably come. He probably won't come.
3. L'échelle de la certitude
- 1Certitude positive : I'm sure / certainly / definitely / must / will.
- 2Forte probabilité : It's likely that / probably / should.
- 3Possibilité : perhaps / maybe / may / might / could / It's possible that.
- 4Faible probabilité : It's unlikely that / I doubt / I don't think so.
- 5Certitude négative : I'm sure… not / certainly not / can't / It's impossible that.
4. Donner son opinion
| Formules neutres | Formules plus fortes | Formules prudentes |
|---|---|---|
| I think (that)… | I strongly believe that… | It seems to me that… |
| In my opinion,… | I'm convinced that… | I tend to think that… |
| In my view,… | I firmly believe that… | As far as I know,… |
| Personally, I think… | I really feel that… | If you ask me,… |
| As far as I'm concerned,… | I'm inclined to think that… | |
| From my point of view,… |
Attention : on dit *In my opinion* (sans according to). On ne dit pas ~~According to me~~ : according to s'utilise pour l'opinion des autres : According to the doctor, I need rest.
Pour une opinion négative, on met la négation sur think : *I don't think* it's a good idea (plutôt que ~~I think it isn't…~~).
5. Demander l'avis des autres
*What do you think (about / of)…? / What's your opinion on…? / How do you feel about…? / Do you agree? / What's your view?* / Don't you think that…?
6. Approuver, désapprouver, nuancer
| Accord | Accord partiel | Désaccord (poli) |
|---|---|---|
| I agree (with you). | I partly agree. | I don't agree. / I disagree. |
| You're right. | That's true, but… | I'm afraid I don't agree. |
| Exactly! / Absolutely! | I see your point, but… | I see what you mean, but… |
| That's a good point. | You may be right, but… | I'm not so sure about that. |
Grammaire : agree with + personne / idée, agree to + proposition / action (accepter), agree on + point commun : I agree with you. They agreed to help us. We agreed on the date. On dit *I agree* et jamais ~~I am agree~~ (agree est un verbe).
Méthode
Pour écrire un paragraphe d'opinion au BAC :
- J'annonce clairement ma position : In my opinion, / I strongly believe that…
- Je donne un premier argument avec un exemple concret (de Guinée si possible) : First, … For example, …
- Je donne un deuxième argument : Moreover, / Furthermore, …
- Je reconnais l'avis opposé et je nuance : Of course, some people think that… However, …
- Je conclus en rappelant mon opinion : To sum up, / In conclusion, I am convinced that…
- Je varie les expressions de certitude et d'incertitude (probably, it is likely that, there is no doubt that).
Exemple
Rewrite each sentence to express the degree of certainty given.
« Mariama will win the competition. »
- certain → I'm sure Mariama will win the competition. / Mariama will definitely win.
- probable → Mariama will probably win. / Mariama is likely to win.
- possible → Mariama might win. / Perhaps Mariama will win.
- improbable → I doubt that Mariama will win. / Mariama is unlikely to win.
- impossible → Mariama can't win: she didn't take part!
Exemple
Answer the question with an opinion paragraph: « Should every village in Guinea have a secondary school? »
In my opinion, every large village should have a secondary school. First, many pupils have to walk several kilometres every day, and some of them give up school. Moreover, a school close to home is safer, especially for girls. Of course, some people think that it would cost too much money. However, I am convinced that education is the best investment for the future of our country. To sum up, I strongly believe that bringing schools closer to pupils is necessary.
3Je retiens
Je retiens
Certitude : I'm sure / certain / convinced that…, There's no doubt that…, certainly, definitely, must, will, be bound to.
Probabilité : It's likely that…, be likely to, probably, should.
Incertitude : I'm not sure if…, I doubt…, perhaps, maybe, may, might, could, It's unlikely that…
Opinion : I think…, In my opinion…, In my view…, As far as I'm concerned…, I strongly believe…
According to + autre personne (jamais according to me). I don't think… plutôt que I think… not.
Accord : I agree with you, You're right, Exactly. Désaccord : I don't agree, I'm afraid I disagree, I see your point, but…
I agree (verbe) : jamais « I am agree ».
4Erreurs fréquentes
- Dire « I am agree » : on dit « I agree » ou « I don't agree ».
- Dire « According to me » : on dit « In my opinion » ou « I think ».
- Mal placer probably avec la négation : « He probably won't come », pas « He won't probably come ».
- Confondre maybe (adverbe, en un mot, en début de phrase) et may be (modal + be) : « Maybe he is ill » = « He may be ill ».
5Je m’exerce
1Exercice 1
Classify these expressions: certainty, probability, uncertainty.
I'm convinced, perhaps, it's likely, definitely, I doubt, probably, there's no doubt, might, I'm not sure, must.
Voir le corrigéCacher le corrigé
Certainty: I'm convinced, definitely, there's no doubt, must.
Probability: it's likely, probably.
Uncertainty: perhaps, I doubt, might, I'm not sure.
2Exercice 2
Rewrite using the words in brackets.
a) Perhaps it will rain tomorrow. (may)
b) I'm sure he is at home: his motorbike is here. (must)
c) It's probable that the price of rice will go up. (likely)
d) I'm sure it isn't Fanta: she's in Kankan. (can't)
e) Maybe Alpha has forgotten. (might)
Voir le corrigéCacher le corrigé
a) It may rain tomorrow.
b) He must be at home.
c) The price of rice is likely to go up. (ou It's likely that the price of rice will go up.)
d) It can't be Fanta.
e) Alpha might have forgotten.
3Exercice 3
Correct the mistakes.
a) I am agree with you.
b) According to me, football is the best sport.
c) He won't probably come.
d) May be the shop is closed.
e) I think it isn't a good idea. (make it more natural)
Voir le corrigéCacher le corrigé
a) I agree with you.
b) In my opinion, football is the best sport.
c) He probably won't come.
d) Maybe the shop is closed. (ou The shop may be closed.)
e) I don't think it's a good idea.
4Exercice 4
Respond to each statement: agree, partly agree or disagree, and give a reason.
a) Girls should study science as much as boys.
b) Young people spend too much time on their phones.
c) Life in the countryside is better than life in town.
Voir le corrigéCacher le corrigé
Example answers:
a) I agree. There's no doubt that girls are as clever as boys, and Guinea needs more women doctors and engineers.
b) I partly agree. That's true for some of them, but phones can also help students to learn.
c) *I'm afraid I don't agree. Life in the countryside is peaceful, but in town there are more schools and hospitals.*
5Exercice 5
(Type BAC, reading) Read the dialogue and answer.
Lansana: "Do you think Guinea will develop its tourism?"
*Aïssatou: "I'm sure it will. We have beautiful places: the Fouta-Djallon, the waterfalls, the islands near Conakry."*
Lansana: "Maybe, but I doubt that many tourists will come soon. The roads are not good enough."
*Aïssatou: "I see your point, but things are likely to improve. In my view, tourism could create a lot of jobs."*
a) Who is more optimistic? Justify with two expressions from the text.
b) Pick out an expression of uncertainty.
c) Pick out an expression used to disagree politely.
d) What does "things are likely to improve" mean?
Voir le corrigéCacher le corrigé
a) Aïssatou is more optimistic: I'm sure it will, things are likely to improve, tourism could create a lot of jobs.
b) Maybe ou I doubt that many tourists will come soon.
c) I see your point, but…
d) It means that things will probably get better.
6Exercice 6
(Type BAC, writing) « Should students wear a uniform at school? » Give your opinion in about 100 words. Use at least three expressions of opinion and two expressions of certainty or uncertainty.
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Example answer:
*In my opinion, students should wear a uniform at school. First, I strongly believe that a uniform creates equality: rich and poor students look the same, so nobody feels ashamed. Moreover, it is cheaper for parents, who do not have to buy many clothes. Of course, some people think that uniforms stop students from expressing their personality, and they may be right. However, I am convinced that school is a place for learning, not for fashion. To sum up, there is no doubt that uniforms are useful, and I think they will probably remain in Guinean schools.*
Cherche d’abord seul, sur ton cahier, puis ouvre le corrigé pour comparer.
6Je vérifie
Choisis une réponse pour chaque question : la correction s’affiche aussitôt.
Crée ton compte élève gratuit pour cocher les leçons terminées, suivre ta progression et gagner des points au QCM.
