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Is there the difference in their meaning? Is the first one is more uncertain than the second?

I'm making good progress, I think.

I think, I'm making good progress.

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  • To express certainty you should say "I know I'm making good progress” OR "I'm pretty certain that I'm making good progress." It is not the position of "I think" that determines certainty.
    – Mari-Lou A
    Jul 28 at 19:52

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The second version shouldn't have a comma:

  1. I'm making good progress, I think.
  2. I think I'm making good progress.

These mean the same thing, although they are structured differently. In (1), the "I think" is a parenthetical, and "make" is the main verb of the sentence. In (2), "think" is the main verb of the sentence, and "I'm making good progress" is its object.

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  • of course, you better know English, but you wrote that in (2), "I'm making good progress" is an object. So, an object has less emphasis than main verb and subject. That's why in theory (1) should show us more confidence. But in practise no one notices that. Is that correct explanation?
    – Sergei
    Jul 28 at 13:27
  • @Sergei An object does not, in fact, always have less emphasis than the main verb or the subject.
    – alphabet
    Jul 28 at 13:29
  • @Sergei "Of course you know English BETTER [than I do], but.... ”
    – Mari-Lou A
    Jul 28 at 19:44
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    @Sergei I understand what you're saying about objects generally having less focus, but the phrase "I think" is different. Although its complement is a direct object grammatically, in terms of how we understand it, it's more similar to a modal verb which simply affects how we understand the main verb. "I'm making good progress" is definitely the main focus of both sentences.
    – gotube ♦
    Jul 28 at 21:06
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I have one answer from another resource. It seems to be true. If there are some mistakes there, please write comments.

"What is thought is that “I’m making good progress”. I think can mean [but] I’m not sure – especially when placed at the end of a statement. But when it precedes the explanation of what is thought, it’s at least as likely, if not more so, to mean “in my opinion” the following is the case."

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  • You need to prove to the community that your reasoning is based on observation and study. It seems to me that your assessment is based on, at best, a sensation. What resource are you obliquely referring to? If placing "I think" at the beginning or at the end *modifies the meaning "I'm proving" please share your research.
    – Mari-Lou A
    Jul 28 at 19:48

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