Approaches to Develop Your

Ideas In An Essay

REFUTATION
 In this part, you are going to

• analyze different body paragraphs refuting the opposite idea or

ideas.
• analyze different strategies to refute an idea.
• learn some relevant vocabulary items for a coherent and cohesive
text.
 WHAT IS REFUTATION PARAGRAPH?

In the refutation paragraph, the writer:

• mentions the opponent’s ideas and tries to argue against the

opposing point of view.

• can use concrete details such as examples, quotations and

statistics to support his/ her idea.
EXERCISE A: Read the sample essay on pages 49-50 and answer
the questions below.
1. What does the author discuss?
• Answers may vary.

2. Can you identify the thesis in this essay?

• Thesis Statement: « I believe that people should get

life sentences for murder, not death penalty. »
3. Which reasons does the author give to support his
argument?
• Death is not the worst punishment
• People may change

4. How does the author organize his points? Do you

think it is a coherent text?

• Answers may vary.

5. Which of the following methods does the author use
to connect his points in the body paragraphs?
Underline the examples in the essay.

•  Repeating a key word

•  Rephrasing the key word
•  Referring to the key word with a pronoun or possessive
•  Adding transition expressions or sentences
6. Look at the third body paragraph of the essay. How
is it organized? What information is given in that
paragraph?

• Answer may vary / opposite view is given

7. Why do you think the author mentions the
opposing views?

• Answer may vary / opposite view is given

• EXERCISE B: Read the third body paragraph and
analyze it in detail.
Some people may disagree with this idea as it is too expensive to keep murderers in jail, and
it is cheaper to execute them. However, capital punishment can also be very expensive. The
courts are very careful before they execute people, so there are many good hearings before
they decide to execute them. Sometimes the hearings will continue for years. The
government has to pay for the court hearings, the criminal’s lawyer, and many other
expenses. In California, for example, it costs more than $250 million for each execution. It is
clear that capital punishment is not always cheaper than life in prison.
1. Underline the opponent’s idea.
2. Underline the author’s idea.
3. Underline the sentence connecting the two opposite views.
4. Underline the author’s evidence to prove the opposite view is wrong.
• WRITER’S TIP
In the refutation paragraph, the four steps below are usually followed.

1. Counterargument: Introduce the counterargument by identifying the general

opposition or a specific opponent of your main claim. Use these sentence
starters. Then, state what they think.

• Opponents/critics of this idea maintain/claim that …

• Those who disagree assert that...
• Some people may disagree with this idea and claim that…
• (Specific person) disagrees that______ by stating that…
• The proponents of …. claim/maintain that…
• WRITER’S TIP
In the refutation paragraph, the four steps below are usually followed.

2. Refutation: Refute the idea by stating why they might be incorrect. Use
the following sentence starters.

• However…
• On the other hand,…
• On the contrary,…
• Meanwhile,…
• WRITER’S TIP
When refuting the opposing idea, we may use the following strategies:
• compromise, but prove that their argument is not powerful enough:
They have a point in thinking like that. However, …
To a certain extent they are right. Still, ...

• completely disagree:
After seeing this evidence, there is no way we can agree with what they say.

• say that their argument is irrelevant to the topic:

However, what we are discussing here is not what they are trying to prove.
However, their argument is irrelevant.
• WRITER’S TIP
In the refutation paragraph, the four steps below are usually followed.

3. Evidence: Use evidence to support your refutation. Then, conclude

with a brief explanation.
• According to (specific person),…
• In fact, (specific person) states…

4. Explanation: Conclude with a brief explanation.

• Therefore,…
• It is obvious that…
EXERCISE C: See the sample essay on page 52. The refutation
and concluding paragraphs are missing. Read the essay carefully,
and write a well-developed and coherent refutation and concluding
paragraph accordingly.
 HOMEWORK: Choose one of the topics below
and write a well-developed essay with a
refutation paragraph.
• “When people succeed, it is because of hard work. Luck has nothing to do with success.” Do
you agree or disagree with the quotation above? Use specific reasons and examples to explain
your position.
 
• Some people believe that the Earth is being harmed by human activity. Others feel that human
activity makes the Earth a better place to live. What is your opinion? Use specific reasons and
examples to support your answer.
 
• Some people think security cameras are invasion of privacy. What are your opinions on
security cameras? Use specific reasons and examples to explain your position.
REMEMBER YOUR ASSIGNMENT !