ACADEMIC LANGUAGE FRAMES FOR WRITING AND SPEAKING

PRESENT AN IDEA

BUILD ON AN IDEA

I think ___.
In my opinion, ___.
I noticed that ___.
I didnt realize that ___.
One idea / suggestion / way to look at it is ___.
I found it interesting that ___.
One thing / Something to considered is ___.
It occurred to me that ___.
One thing / Something that caught my attention was ___.
I was struck by / surprised by ___.

I agree that ___ because ___.

I also think that ___.
That makes me think / reminds me of ___.
I like where youre going. I would add / It brings to mind
___.
Your idea / comment reinforces / is related to ___.
Youre on to something. A similar idea / example / reason
is ___.
Based on your idea / comment, I think ___.
To take it one step further, ___.
Along those lines, / Similarly, ___.
So if we already know ___, we can predict / infer ___.

CHALLENGE AN IDEA

SUPPORT YOUR THINKING

I disagree with / I dont think that ___ because ___.

How do you know ___?
Another opinion / idea / solution is ___.
Have you ever considered / thought about ___?
Thats not how I see it. In my opinion, / From my
perspective, ___.
But the author / data / text also suggest(s) that ___.
On the other hand, ___.
Another way of looking at it / approaching it / solving it is
___.
Isnt it possible that ___? Couldnt you say that ___?
An opposing / alternate viewpoint might be ___.
Further analysis / reflection shows that ___.

The article / author states that ___.

___ is / was an example of ___.
___ is / was one reason for ___.
The text / information suggests / proves / shows that ___.
According to the author / text / data, it is clear that ___.
___ is evidence that / proof of ___.
___ validates / confirms / reinforces ___.
A close reading of ___ suggest / clarifies / reveals ___.
Based on the data / information from ___, we can assume
that ___.
From ___ and ___, we can infer that ___.

POSE A QUESTION
Do you think that ___? Why?
Can you explain ___?
I wonder about / if / why ___.
Would it work to / What would happen if ___?
What do you mean by ___?
Can you give me an example of / a reason for ___?
What do you think? What makes sense to you?
How does ___ relate to ___?

Cause and Effect

Use the language of cause and effect when you are asked to:
-

predict an outcome
analyze how an event or phenomenon occurred
identify what led to an action or decision

Words and phrases to create transitions and link ideas:

Academic Language Frames for Speaking and Writing, page 1

found

effect

influenced

produced

found that

revealed

outcome

since

resulted in

brought about

led

factors

due/due to

led to

which in turn

result

discovered

because

had an impact on

it follows that

Use the following frames when you draft a paper or prepare to speak:

To open
__________ had a significant impact on __________.
The major cases of __________ can be traced to __________.
The critical factors which led to __________ were __________.

To discuss cause and effects

Due to __________, __________.
__________ contributed to __________ because of __________.
__________ happens when __________.

To support your ideas

One cause was __________.
A reason for __________ was __________.

To close
The ending result was __________.
The findings suggest that __________.

Compare and Contrast

Use the language of cause and effect when you are asked to:
-

discuss similarities and differences

choose the best options
identify common characteristics

Words and phrases to create transitions and link ideas:

Academic Language Frames for Speaking and Writing, page 2

but

like

same

produced

as opposed to

in contrast

however

similarly

both

although

share the same

compared to

yet

whereas

share

in common

just like

each

unlike

contrary

a distinction
between

on the other
hand

Use the following frames when you draft a paper or prepare to speak:

To open
The similarities between __________ and __________ indicate __________.
By comparing __________ to __________, it becomes clear that __________.
A comparison of __________ to __________ reveals __________.

To compare or contrast
Although __________ and __________ are __________, __________ is __________.
__________ is __________, whereas __________ is __________.
The most obvious difference between __________ and __________ is __________.

To support your ideas

One similarity/difference is __________.
Their common characteristics include: __________, __________, and __________.

To close
By comparing __________ to __________, we learn __________.
The differences between __________ and __________ are important because __________.

Explain and Describe

Use the language of description and elaboration when you are asked to:
-

analyze character traits

define complex ideas or events
discuss your understanding of a theme or concept

Words and phrases to create transitions and link ideas:

includes

displays

contains

for example

associated with

explain

illustrates

consists/exhibits

such as

defined by

Academic Language Frames for Speaking and Writing, page 3

describe

refers

indicates

is known for

considered to be

discuss

belongs

defines

understood as

is also called

Use the following frames when you draft a paper or prepare to speak:

To open
__________ is best described as __________.
To define __________, it is necessary to understand __________.
__________ is known for __________ and is important because __________.

To explain or describe
__________ is an illustration of __________.
__________ is frequently referred to __________.

To support your ideas

Critical attributes of __________ include __________ and __________.
A defining characteristic is __________.
The key components are __________ and __________.

To close
An explanation of __________ provides insight into __________.
A complete definition of __________ allows us to __________.

Proposition and Support

Use the language of proposition and support when you are asked to:
-

state a position
recommend a solution
present an interpretation

Words and phrases to create transitions and link ideas:

position

agree

opinion

prove

in fact

propose

view

disagree

state

validate

as stated by

believe

Academic Language Frames for Speaking and Writing, page 4

assert

convince

argue

according to

argues against

strongly
supports

makes the claim supports the

position

asserts that

persuade

argues in favor
of

Use the following frames when you draft a paper or prepare to speak:

To open
In regards to __________, I believe __________.
My opinion on the issue of __________ is __________.
__________ presents the position that __________.

To state a position
__________ proves that __________.
My views are based on __________.

To support your ideas

Many experts claim that __________.
According to __________, __________.
Further evidence can be found in __________.

To close
There is little doubt that __________.
__________ urges us to __________.

Sequence
Use the language of description and elaboration when you are asked to:
-

summarize a story
recount steps in a process
provide directions

Words and phrases to create transitions and link ideas:

before / after

during

meanwhile

within

at present

for the past

first / then

following

now

throughout

long before

currently

later

yet

today

prior to

soon thereafter

initially

Academic Language Frames for Speaking and Writing, page 5

eventually

it wasnt long
before

in the final
scene

over time

the next

Use the following frames when you draft a paper or prepare to speak:

To open
__________ began when __________.
During the __________, __________.
For the past __________(years, months, days), __________.

To sequence
Several (years, decades, days) later, __________.
The next step (phase, stage) was __________.

To support your ideas

As __________ continued __________.
Yet over time, __________.
The following (year, step, stage), __________.

To close
By the end, __________.
__________ finally __________.

Academic Language Frames for Speaking and Writing, page 6

Expository Writing - Genre Drafting Template

The Prompt

Technological advances change the way we

live. Consider how our world has changed as
a result of the automobile, the telephone,
the television, or the computer.
Write an essay in which you explain how one
particular technological invention has
changed the world and how we live.
Remember to include specific examples that
clearly illustrate your thinking.
The
Introduction
Which of the
following
moves will you
make to open
your paper?

Identify
topic

Clarify
purpose

Include
background
information

Show
cause and
effect
relationships

The Language of
Introduction

Essential
Structural
Elements

Key Content

Who is the
audience?

What kind of essay

is required?

What is my purpose?

What are the key

ideas I must
address?

What specific
components do I
need to include?

Drafting an Introduction

_______ is significant
because
_________________.
________ is an important
topic.
To
understand___________, it
is necessary to take a
closer look at __
________________.
A discussion of
_______________
must include
______________.
This paper will examine
_________.
The purpose of this
paper is to ____.
An examination of
_______ will reveal that
______________.
The impact of
______________ can be

Dutro & Levy

2008/E.L.Achieve

Constructing Meaning: Explicit Language for Content Instruction

www.elachieve.org

seen in____________.
The main reason for this
is _______.

The Initial
Explanation
Which of the
following
moves will you
make to explain
your purpose?

State
reasons

Elaborate
with
examples

Analyze
information

Compare
information

Show a
cause and
effect
relationship

The Language of
Explanation

Drafting an Explanation

An analysis of ___
suggests that ___.
For example,
____________.
A key reason for this is
________.
_____ is an example of
________.
Another example can be
found in
This example explains
__________.
It is widely recognized
that _______.
Take into
consideration_________.
This is true because
____________.
This illustrates the
importance of
______________________.

Dutro & Levy

2008/E.L.Achieve

Constructing Meaning: Explicit Language for Content Instruction

www.elachieve.org

However,
_________________.
Similarly, _______________.
As a result of
_______________

Dutro & Levy

2008/E.L.Achieve

Constructing Meaning: Explicit Language for Content Instruction

www.elachieve.org

Continued
Explanation
Which of the
following
moves will
you make to
further explain
your purpose?

State
reasons
Elaborate
with
examples

Analyze
information
Compare
information

Show a
cause and
effect
relationshi
p
Clarify
information

The Language of
Explanation
Another example
of________ can be seen
in ___________.

Drafting an Explanation

For instance,
____________.
A key reason for this is
________.
_____ is an example of
how______.
Other explanations
include ______.
This example points to
__________.
On the other hand,
____________.
In contrast to _________,
_________ is
_______________.
This suggests that
____________.
This illustrates the
importance of
__________________.
Yet another reason may
be _____.
However,
_________________.
Similarly,
_______________.
Consequently,
As a result of
____________, it became
clear that ____________.

The Conclusion
Which of the
following
Dutro
moves
& Levy
will
you make to
2008/E.L.Achieve
close your
explanation
clearly and
concisely?

The Language of
Drafting a Conclusion
Conclusion
To summarize,
Constructing Meaning: Explicit Language for Content Instruction
___________.
www.elachieve.org

In closing,
_________________.

Dutro & Levy

2008/E.L.Achieve

Constructing Meaning: Explicit Language for Content Instruction

www.elachieve.org