Sergio Colmena González.

Aprendizaje del Inglés.

ARGUMENTATIVE WRITING
NO CONTRACTIONS or INFORMAL EXPRESSIONS.

Structure
PARA 1: INTRODUCTION.
State the topic clearly, give a brief outline of the issue, saying why it is
important or why people have different opinions about it.
• Nowadays/Currently, …
• It is often said/asserted/claimed that...
• It is universally acknowledged that...
• It is a well-known fact that...
• For the great majority of people...
• A problem that is often debated nowadays is that of...
• One of the most striking features/aspects of this problem/
issue/topic/question...
• A number of key issues arises from...
• By way of introduction...
• What we are mainly concerned with here is...
• First of all, I would like to say that...
• The first point I would like to make is...
• I would like to begin by...
• Many/Most/A lot of/Some people think/say/claim that…
• Did you know…?
• What do you think about…?

PARA 2: ARGUMENTS FOR & REASONS/EXAMPLES.

• In the first/second/third place...
• First, …/ Firstly, …/ Secondly, …/ Thirdly, … Because…
• To begin/start with, … As…
Since…
• First of all, …
For…
• Furthermore, …/ Moreover, … Because of…
• In addition, … For this reason…
• What is more, … In this way…
• There are a number of advantages/benefits… Due to (the fact
• There are arguments in favour of… that) …
 • The main advantage is that...
• Another advantage is that...

PARA 3: ARGUMENTS AGAINST & REASONS/EXAMPLES.

• On the other hand, there are also (some) disadvantages…
• However, there are a number of arguments against…
• In comparison with / Compared with…
For example, …
• By comparison... For instance, …
• Whereas / Whilst Such as…
• In contrast to… / On the contrary… Like…
• As opposed to... / Unlike... This means that…
• In spite of… / Despite… In particular….

• Although… / (Even) though…

• However,… / Nevertheless,… / Still… / Yet… / Even so…

PARA 4: CONCLUSION.
Summarise arguments & state your opinion.
• In conclusion, …
• To sum up, ….
• Personally, ….
• I think/believe that…
• All things considered, …
• All in all, …
• It is clear that…
• My own view of this is that...
• A lot of people claim that...
• I feel strongly that...
• As far as I am concerned, ...
• On balance, I tend to believe that...
• The world would surely be a better place to live in if...
• If people stopped ....ing, we would have/we could…
EXAMPLE 1
Your teacher has asked you to write a composition, giving your opinions
on the following statement: Some people live without a TV. What do you
think about it? Write your answer in 100- 130 words in an appropriate
style, with the pros and cons of that topic.

ANSWER:
EXAMPLE 2
You've had a class discussion about using robots. Now your teacher has
asked you to write an essay discussing the pros and cons of using robots.
Write your essay justifying your ideas (120-160 words).

ANSWER:

Did you know that there are over 8.5 million robots in the
world? Robots are being used more and more in our factories, fields
and even in our homes, to carry out difficult or repetitive tasks.
However, people do not always agree on whether using robots is a
good thing.

There are a number of benefits to using robots. To begin with,

the use of robots increases efficiency and improves safety in
factories. This means that people do not have to do dangerous jobs
and we are able to produce goods faster and easier. Moreover, the
number of employees needed to do a task is reduced. As a result,
profits increase for the company.

On the other hand, the use of robots has its drawbacks. For
one thing, robots tend to be quite expensive to buy and maintain.
As a result, large financial investments are required. In addition to
this, using robots means that there are fewer jobs for people. This
means that there can be higher unemployment and more social
problems.

All things considered, although there are disadvantages to

using robots, I believe that the benefits far outweigh them.
Technology is an important part of our world today and if we use it
wisely, our daily lives will be easier and less stressful.
EXAMPLE 3
You have recently had a class project on animal welfare and
vegetarianism. Now your teacher has asked you to write a composition,
giving your opinions on the following statement: Some people believe that
humans should not eat meat. Do you agree? Write your answer in 100-
130 words in an appropriate style, with the pros and cons of that topic.

ANSWER: