The Russian language contains rules that are not always easy to understand. It can be difficult to formulate a clear scheme that would help in every controversial issue.
It seems to be the case with the phrase “in my opinion”. There is a clear rule that introductory words need to be separated by commas on both sides. But how to determine if the word is introductory? Misunderstandings in this and similar matters lead to many mistakes.
Difficulty in finding a rule
When using introductory constructions in writing, the most common punctuation errors are:
- The introductory word is forgotten to be separated by commas.
- Incorrect determination of whether a phrase belongs to introductory phrases. In this case, commas are superfluous.
- Incorrect use of punctuation marks when writing the introductory part of a sentence.
Most writers make mistakes because they don't know the full list of words thatcan act as introductory sentences.
How to tell if a phrase is introductory
To understand whether it is necessary to separate “in my opinion” with commas, you need to figure out which words or parts of a sentence are called introductory.
The introductory ones are those that are not grammatically related to the main structure. Such phrases will not act as members of the sentence and you cannot pick up a question for them. Even in meaning, introductory constructions are different, because they look like notes or inserts in a sentence. If you remove such a phrase, the meaning of the text will not change in any way.
All introductory words can be divided into main groups by which it will be easy to identify them:
- Expressions showing a negative or positive attitude of the author: fortunately, unfortunately, to be honest, to shame.
- The speaker evaluates the possible reliability: it seems, obviously, maybe, in fact, in fact, right, I suppose.
- Words that allow you to understand the sequence that connects a new thought with the previous one: firstly, by the way, so, moreover, on the other hand.
- Additional words used to shape speech: more precisely, in a word, so to speak, in other words.
- Phrases explaining the source of what is said: in my opinion, they say, in my opinion, according to the message, they say.
- Direct address to the interlocutor: see, believe, understand, listen, agree.
- Words or phrases that help to understand the commonness of information or facts: sometimes, as usual, happened, happened.
- Parts of a sentence that helpevaluate the measure of the information said: at least, in the last resort, at the very least.
- Phrases or words showing the expressiveness of what was said: honestly speaking, apart from jokes, speaking between us, it must be said.
At first it is better to have a description of all the introductory words before your eyes. With a clear outline, it becomes quite easy to determine if a structure needs to be isolated.
Is the introductory phrase “in my opinion”
If you turn to the list of introductory words, then in the fifth group you can see the desired phrase. The phrase “in my opinion” refers to introductory words explaining the source of the information received. In this case, there are two options for using this phrase:
- the author focuses on the fact that the thought belongs to him;
- the speaker is not quite sure of the spoken words, just expresses his thoughts.
If you remove such an insert from a sentence, the meaning will not change, there will only be no clarification. Following the rule, the phrase "in my opinion" is separated by commas on both sides.
There are constructions that only superficially resemble introductory ones, but are not. It's pretty easy to tell them apart. If, when trying to remove a fragment, the meaning of the sentence changes, the word or phrase is not introductory. But such cases are quite rare.
Examples of usage
If the phrase is used in its pure form, commas are placed on both sides:
- This girl, in my opinion, is notas sick as she wants to appear. She's pretending.
- The question is pretty stupid in my opinion. Even an elementary school student knows the answer.
- The situation, in my opinion, is only getting worse from such manipulations.
The version of the phrase may change slightly if the author does not express his opinion, but someone else. In such a situation, the author of the opinion is included in the introductory construction, separated by commas:
- The film was too dramatic, according to critics.
- Next week, according to meteorologists, will be cloudy and rainy.
A comma can be placed before a phrase if the words are the beginning of an introductory phrase:
- The porridge turned out to be thick, in my opinion even hard, and smelled burnt. I think we need to cook another one.
- He acted wisely, prudently and cautiously in my opinion.
If the construction is part of a sentence and it cannot be removed in any way, it is not necessary to separate it with commas. For example:
- Don't judge by my opinion, because I don't know the details of the case. I express my subjective opinion.
- In my opinion, you can understand the point of view of this generation, as we have the same thoughts on this issue.
Remembering the rules for using introductory words, you can avoid many mistakes while writing. When faced with a new phrase, you should try to remove it from the sentence. If this succeeded without losing the meaning, you can safely write the fragment to the introductory, limiting it with commas.
