DISCUSSION PARAGRAPH

In this unit, you will learn about:

- How to write about the advantages and disadvantages of a topic.

- Language notes including organizing paragraphs, useful expressions
and liking words / phrases
- Practice exercises to help you write discussion paragraphs

What is a discussion paragraph?

Discussion paragraphs present both sides of an issue, discussing points in

favor of a particular topic as well as those against, or the advantages and
disadvantages of a particular question.  Each point should be supported
by justifications, examples, and / or reasons.  The writer's own opinion
should be presented only in concluding sentence. 

There are different kinds of questions with this kind of paragraphs, but in
this term, we focus on writing about the advantages (positive points) and
disadvantages (negative points) of a topic.

Read this paragraph from a school newspaper. List the supporting points.
Does the paragraph discuss advantages or disadvantages?

Studying abroad and studying in your own country both

have definite benefits for a student.  Living in another country
can be an exciting experience because everything seems new
and different.  The challenge of living in a new environment
can give you courage and self-confidence, too.  If you want to
learn another language, living abroad is a great way to do that
because you can read magazines or newspapers, watch
television programmer, or make friends with people who are
native speakers.  Another good reason to live abroad is to
learn more about another culture.  On the other hand, there
are also advantages to staying in your own country to study. 
 It is cheaper than living abroad, so you can save more
money.  Also, in your home country, everything is familiar. 
You do not need to worry about being taught in a foreign
language, and you can understand the culture and the
expectations of teachers.  Finally, if you stay in your own
country, you can be close to your family and friends.  So, if
you are thinking about where to study, consider all of these
benefits and make a decision that is right for you
There are different ways to organizing the information in the paragraph
as shown below. Read each paragraph and make an outline for it in the
table that follows.

Organization A

1. Topic sentence: Topic +

controlling ideas
2. Supporting sentences: Advantages of
the issue
Or Disadvantages
of the issue
3. Concluding sentence: Summary ( +
writer’s opinion)

You should spend 30 minutes to write a paragraph of about 150 words on

the following topic: Discuss the negative influences/ disadvantages
of T.V. viewing on children.

It can hardly be denied that television has now become a

necessity of life, however, they also have bad influence on society
as a whole and on children in particular. First, watching television
can have adverse effects on children’s health. Children who
spend long hours watching television every day have a higher
rate of becoming obese and are usually less muscular fit, since
they do not move their body much by engaging in activities such
as running and jumping, which burn calories, increase
metabolism, and build muscle. In fact, a study suggests that
even just an hour of TV is associated with childhood obesity.
Moreover, watching T.V can also affect children’s behaviours. Due
to the extended hours of viewing, children are likely to be
exposed to violence, which might result in aggressive behaviours.
More seriously, these children might regard violence as a normal
part of daily life, so they copy criminal techniques from television.
There have been reported cases of young offenders applying
murdering techniques similar to the ones they have seen on T.V.
In conclusion, although T.V contributes to society, its
disadvantages harm people, especially children; therefore, people
should not be ruled by T.V, but they should exploit it as
appropriate.
Topic: ___________________________________________________

Topic it is cheaper and healthier to eat at home

sentenc
e

Support
ing
sentenc
es
 Conclud Although T.V contributes to society, its
ing disadvantages harm people, especially children;
sentenc therefore, people should not be ruled by T.V, but
e they should exploit it as appropriate.

Organization B

1. Topic sentence: Topic + controlling idea

2. Supporting sentences :
Arguments in favour of view 1
Arguments in favour of view 2 / Arguments
against view 2
3. Concluding sentence: Summary ( + writer’s opinion)

You should spend 30 minutes to write a paragraph of about

150 words on the following topic: Advantages of eating at
home over eating in restaurants

Some people like to eat out at food stands or restaurants,

however, it is cheaper and healthier to eat at home. First of
all, while eating in restaurants is fast, the money you spend
can add up. When you have dinner at a restaurant with a
friend, the bill is usually over twenty dollars. You can buy a lot
of groceries with that much money. Even lunch at a fast-food
stand usually costs five or six dollars for one person. That’s
enough to feed the whole family at home. In addition, eating
at home is better for your health. Meals at restaurants are
often high in fat and calories, and they serve big plates of food
– much more food than you need to eat at one meal. If you
cook food at home, you have more control over the
ingredients. You can use margarine instead of butter on your
potatoes, or not put so much cheese on top of your pizza.
Also, at home you can control your portion size. You can serve
yourself as little as you want. In a restaurant, you may eat
fullplate of food because you paid for it. In conclusion, both
eating at restaurant and cooking at home can be satisfying,
but I prefer cooking at home because of the money and health
issues.

Topic: ___________________________________________________
 ______________________________________________
______________________________________________

LANGUAGE NOTES

Useful expressions and liking words / phrases

It is essential for you to ensure coherence and cohesion in your
writing by using appropriate transition signals.  The following are
some expressions for you to use. 
+ To list advantages

- One / Another / A further / An additional (major) advantage /

benefit of.  .  .  is
- The main / greatest / first advantage of.  .  .  is.  .  . 

- The greatest advantage of online courses is that they bring time

flexibility to learners who have a very tight schedule work. 
- Another major advantage of online courses is that they are
more affordable than university based courses. 
+ To list disadvantages

- One / Another / A further / An additional (major) disadvantage/

drawback of..........
- The main / greatest / most serious / first disadvantage / drawback
of.  .  . 
- Another negative aspect of.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  is.  .  .  .  . 
- The first drawback of online courses is that learners are deprived
of face - to - face interaction with teachers and classmates. 
- Another negative aspect of online courses is that there could be
technical problems that may affect learners' performance. 

+ To add more points to the same topic

The following are some useful structures for you to add more points to
the same topic. 

- Furthermore,.  .  .  . 
- Moreover,.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 
- Besides,.  .  .  .  .  .  . 
- Apart from.  .  .  .  .  .  . 
- Not only.  .  .  but also / as well
- There is another side to the issue / arguments of.  .  . 
- Not only can online courses prove to be cheaper, they can also be
more flexible.

- Apart from the fact that online courses are cheaper, they are also
more flexible than university - based courses. 

Exercise 1:

Nouns can be used to express advantages and disadvantages.

Complete the sentences with the right nouns. 

1. Participating in charity work offers enormous

_experience/opportunity/benefits_ to the students involved. 
2. These days, inability to access the Internet is a serious
_handicap/trouble/drawback/problem/obstacle____
3. If people take time to find out about the country they are traveling
to, they will face fewer
__barriers/misunderstandings/difficulties___
4. Visiting other countries gives people a ___chance/opportunity
___to experience cultures first hand. 
5. Being culturally aware is of great
__criterion/importance/benefit___ in business. 

Exercise 2:
 Verbs can also indicate advantages and disadvantages
.Complete the following sentences in your own words. 

1. International arts festival encourage _art preservation/cultural

exchange/ emotional composition of artists/ interest in other
people’s culture____
2. Films and concerts enhance ___human’s spiritual
life/imaginative mind/ the quality of people’s life___
3. To enable children to value their heritage, __we need to show
them how strongly it still influences society today____
4. Ignorance of other people 's traditions can handicap_ cultural
integration/ business partnership/ diplomatic relation___
5. Personal links can benefit ___friendship/ your reputation____