Deciding whether to believe it B1
Chatting over a rumour or a review and working out if it actually holds up.
Casting doubt
seriously doubt B2 — not believeA: Do you think Sarah will come to the party?
B: I seriously doubt it. She’s been so busy lately.
go by B2 — be guided byA: How do you decide which route to take?
B: I just go by the GPS.
live up to B2 — meet expectationsA: How was your new job? Did it live up to your expectations?
B: Honestly, not really. It’s a lot more stressful than I thought.
Generalising and reflecting
broadly speaking C1 — generalisingA: Do you think most students enjoy online classes?
B: Broadly speaking, yes, but there are definitely some who prefer traditional classrooms.
by and large C1 — generalisingA: Do you like working from home?
B: By and large, yes. It gives me more flexibility, even though there are some distractions.
in hindsight C1 — reflecting on the pastA: Do you regret moving to the city?
B: Not really, but in hindsight, I might have chosen a different neighbourhood.
Don't believe the hype
Naomi: Loads of glowing reviews — but did the film live up to the hype for you?
Will: Not really. And I seriously doubt half those reviews are even genuine.
Naomi: I wouldn't go by the star rating, honestly. It's all over the place.
Will: Broadly speaking, the cheap-and-cheerful ones are usually the safer bet.
Was it worth it?
Carl: Did the fancy gym membership live up to what they promised?
Beth: By and large, yeah — though I seriously doubt I'll keep going past summer.
Carl: Looking at the price, in hindsight I should've just gone running.
Beth: Don't go by the sign-up offer — they get you on the renewal.