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ESSAY WRITING

By learning to use common phrases and set expressions, you can add variety and interest to your writing. You will also be able to write more quickly and effectively during exams, when time is limited. Of course, you won't need to use all of the expressions. Ideally, you should be comfortable using at least three or four expressions from each group below, so they come to mind easily at the right time.

Useful expressions to write an essay


Introduction first of all to begin with in order to decide whether.... or not to outline the main points firstly, secondly, thirdly, finally / eventually Enumerating arguments in addition to / additionally besides / moreover / furthermore above all Weighing up arguments on the one hand..... on the other hand to consider the advantages and disadvantages arguments for and against to discuss the pros and cons in theory ... in reality both... and.... not only ... but also anyway / at any rate / in any case in fact / actually / as a matter of fact up to a point so to speak by no means / not at all Comparisons compared to / in comparison with to draw / make a comparison between ...and similarly as well as Restrictions however / though nevertheless

whereas although / though / even though in spite of / despite unlike in contrast to / with sth. on the contrary sth is contrary to sth Refering to with reference to regarding as regards as far as ... is concerned according to (according to is used to introduce
someone else's opinion. Don't say "according to me")

Emphasizing Id like to point out that Id like to emphasize Generalizing on the whole in general / generally speaking as a rule to some extent to a large extent / to what extent ? in many ways in all respects in most / many cases basically Giving examples for example / for instance such as / including in particular / particularly to give you an example of what I mean to illustrate this point what I mean is et cetera / and so on / and so forth that is to say / i.e Making exeptions apart from except with the exception of

Giving reasons because as / since because of the reason for this is the reason why for some reasons or another I have every reason to believe that Consequences therefore consequently / as a result for this reason / all these reasons Personal point of view I think that in my opinion/ in my view / to my mind this is a matter of opinion in my experience as far as I know as far as I am concerned to be aware / unaware of a problem to tell the truth the fact is that I am convinced that I firmly believe that I feel sth should be done about that Agreeing I entirely / absolutely agree with thats exactly my own view Im of exactly the same opinion thats perfectly true Id like to support this view Disagreeing I partly disagree with I dont entirely agree with I agree in principle, but Thats not the way I see it I see things rather differently myself Im not at all convinced that Im not absolutely sure Interest, Plans, Intentions to be interested in sth / in doing sth

It interests me a lot My main / particular interest is I have the intention of doing I am prepared to do sth I am determined to do sth Im planning to do sth Im very keen on doing sth Lack of interest I find rather uninteresting / boring I dont take any interest in Its all the same to me whether It means nothing to me Summarizing and drawing conclusions finally last of all last but not least in conclusion / to conclude we can draw the conclusion to sum up / to summarize we can say all in all in short / in brief / briefly all things considered the subject under discussion I find it difficult to reach a conclusion but Im tempted to say Modifying adverbs totally / entirely / completely mostly / mainly / chiefly partly comparatively / relatively extremely / incredibly

Another approach could be:


Stating Your Opinion

In my opinion, In my view, From my point of view,

According to me, To me, I think

It seems to me that From my perspective It appears that I realize I imagine


Giving Examples

I believe To my way of thinking I suppose I understand I feel

For example, such as as that is To illustrate


Comparing

For instance, In other words, like namely To paraphrase

Similar to in common Either...or Neither...nor Just as


Contrasting

As...as also In the same way, At the same time resemble

However, On the contrary, Differ from Although Otherwise Alternatively,

But On the other hand, Nevertheless Though Instead Even though

Generalizing

Generally, Overall, In general, It seems to me that All in all, Essentially, All things considered
Expressing Certainty

Generally speaking, On the whole, By and large, I believe Basically, As a rule, For the most part

Certainly, Doubtless, Definitely,


Expressing Partial Agreement

Undoubtedly, No doubt, Of course,

More or less, Up to a point, In a way,

To some extent, Almost, So to speak,

Transition words and phrases are vital to the success of any essay. They are the bread and butter of writing. They are the glue that holds all essays together. Think of bricks building a house without mortar. Lack of mortar would cause the house to fall apart without it. Transitions hold the same importance. We need these words and phrases to join sentences and thoughts together in a coherent fashion. Here are a few tips on how and when to use transition words and phrases: Always use a transition phrase at the beginning of a new body paragraph Always use a transition word in between thoughts within a paragraph Never use a transition word to begin an essay

Never use a transition word to begin a paragraph (but you can sometimes use a transition phrase at the start of a new body paragraph)

Here are some commonly used transition words and phrases:


Consequently Therefore Because of As a result Rather Nonetheless Nevertheless Notwithstanding Furthermore In addition to Also

Transitions bring ideas together. They are leaving one thought and entering a new one. If you think of these words as ending the old and opening the new, it will help you organize your thoughts and your essays. As another little tip from the inside, transition words are excellent cues on standardized tests. They often tell you what will be coming next (either positive or negative), and indicate a change. As they are necessary to the continuity (and coherence) of an essay, they will demonstrate a firm grasp of a topic. If you use these words, then you know you have structured a strong essay, as you are building on an issue or are comparing two different issues well. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO MAKE USE OF ALL THESE EXPRESSIONS IN YOUR ESSAYS. DO NOT IGNORE THE DEADLINE BE SELECTVE GOOD LUCK

Prof. Gabriela Serbanoiu

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