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Файл:Основы письменной речи английского языка. Учебно-методическое пособие
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Let alone / Not to mention .
In other words… . In any case
Things being as they are…
Introducing additional information
Both … and / not only … but also …
In addition, / additionally, / in addition to this, / What is more, / Furthermore, /Moreover,/
likewise,
If this were not enough, / To make matters worse,
Above all, / On top of all this,
In these circumstances, /
With regard to, / For that matter,
As for….
Another advantage/ disadvantage is
Besides this
Finally,
Expressing an opposite point of view
Although, / However, / At the same time,
After all, /
In spite of + noun phrase/ -ing/ the fact that…
Despite + noun phrase/ -ing/ the fact that…
In contrast,
Expressing balance
Some people… while/whereas others …
On the one hand … on the other hand…
While it is true that… / that maybe so, but, surely…
On the positive side... On the negative side
Expressing opinions
In my view, / In my opinion, / It seems to me that… / As I see it, / To my mind,
I think/feel that … / I can honestly say that…
As far as I am concerned, / As far as I know, / For all I know, / To the best of my knowledge,
It is my firm belief that
I would dispute the claim that
It is probably true to say that
It is true to some extent that
It cannot be denied that
It would be wrong to argue that
There can be no doubt that
It is simply not the case that
It is difficult to accept the idea that
Saying what other people think
It is widely believed that
It is generally agreed that
No one would dispute the fact that
Few people would contest /oppose) (the fact) that
Few people would dispute (the fact) that
Some people feel that
Others argue that
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There are those who argue that
It has been suggested that
It is often claimed that
Opponents/ Supporters/ Proponents (supporters) of (bullfighting) argue that
Referring to sources
All the evidence/research suggests/shows that
A recent survey proved that
Judging by the comments made by
Interviews with (students) have revealed that
reaching conclusions / summing up
In conclusion, / To conclude, / To sum up, / On balance,
All in all, / All things considered,
Taking everything into consideration, there are some good arguments for…
On balance: after considering all the information. E.g. On balance, the company has had a
successful year.
Here are other examples of a discursive essay:
Students, not the state, should pay university tuition fees.
Twenty years ago, if you went to university in the UK, all of your tuition fees were paid for
by the government. Now, however, you have to pay for them yourself. There is currently a lot of
debate about which of these two situations is better. What is more, there are no straightforward
answers. In an ideal world, all education would be free, including tertiary education.
Nevertheless, the fact of the matter is that we do not live in an ideal world and there is not an
unlimited supply of money. In addition to this, the more money the government spends, the more
it taxes its citizens, and the less money they have.
On the other hand, it could be argued that in a modern democratic society, citizens have
some basic rights. For example, many people would agree that universal free healthcare is a
basic right: no one should go without medical attention because they can‘t afford it. Likewise, a
significant number of people also think university fees should be free of charge. After all, they
maintain, if healthcare is free, why shouldn‘t university be free, too?
In my own view, university tuition fees should not be totally free. If they are, many people
will go to university just because they don‘t know what to do after secondary school. Obviously,
this is not the purpose of going to university. At the same time, fees should not be so expensive
that they put off people from poor families from carrying on with their studies. Consequently, the
best solution would be for the government to subsidize tuition fees, but not to pay for them
entirely.
Are electric cars a replacement for those powered by fossil fuels?
Electric cars are currently being developed by many well-known automotive companies.
Many people still question whether electric cars are a feasible replacement for petrol and dieselfuelled vehicles. In this essay, I will explore the opinions for and against the use of electric cars
and their replacement of petrol and diesel-fuelled cars.
On one hand, electric cars are environmentally friendly. Not only are they powered by
renewable energy sources, but they are clean to run and maintain on the road. To support this
opinion, recent studies show that the use of electric cars helps to minimize pollution in urban
and rural areas. Clearly, electric cars are one way to tackle ecological concerns and support a
‗greener‘ environment.
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On the other hand, electric cars are inconvenient to maintain and to dispose of. The driver
of an electric vehicle must recharge his car approximately every 100 kilometres. In addition, the
plutonium battery of an electric car is toxic to the environment and must be safely disposed of
through expensive means. In brief, scientists are still exploring ways to produce these types of
vehicles so that they are easier to manufacture, maintain and use safely.
To sum up, it is evident that there are both pros and cons in the development of electric
vehicles. Despite the expense of development and the inconvenience of recharging electric cars, I
strongly believe that continuing with the research and production of these vehicles is well worth
the investment and that we should remain supportive to the use of electric cars and to their
development in the future.
Exercise 1. Delete the incorrect alternative in each sentence.
1- He pays his own fees. For this reason / However / Consequently, he wants to
complete his degree as
soon as possible.
2- Jane‘s family have a lot of money. However / Thus / Nevertheless, they don‘t
give her much.
3- Everybody failed the exam. Evidently / In addition to this / Obviously, it was too
difficult.
4- Healthcare is very expensive in the United States. On the contrary / For this
reason / Hence, it‘s a
good idea to have health insurance.
5- She lives a long way from the university. Furthermore / Consequently / What‘s
more, public transport
in the area is very poor.
6- His sister studied Maths at university. Thus / However / In contrast, he studied
French.
Key
1However
2Thus
3In addition to this
4On the contrary
5Consequently
6 Thus
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Exercise 2. Choose one of these options:
1. It has been said that childhood is the happiest time of one‘s life. Do you agree?
2. What do you think of the idea, expressed in some countries that women should be paid a
wage for the work they do in the home?
3. ‗The most important quality in a partner is a sense of humour‘. Do you agree?
5) Argumentative essay
It is similar to the discursive essay but has a different structure:
1.Introduction
2. Expressing your argument
3.Covering Opponents‘ arguments
4.Conclusion
Tips for writing the argumentative essay:
Read the instruction carefully and make sure you understand what you need to write.
Write the title of your essay.
Make a general statement to introduce the topic.
Write about the advantages and disadvantages or the arguments for and against in
separate paragraphs.
Use a new paragraph to introduce each new topic.
Support your main ideas with arguments.
Use linking words and discourse markers.
Summarise your arguments at the end of your essay.
You should include your own opinion, but don‘t use informal expressions.
Check that you have written the required number of words.
Here is an example of a good argumentative essay:
Some people think that cars should be banned from the centres of big cities.
There is no doubt that the invention of the car completely changed the way people
thought about travelling causing the development of many other means of transport.
However, the drawbacks of cars make people think that we should stop using them.
In my opinion, cars are necessary in today‘s world. To begin with, they help us
transport goods to places that cannot be reached by other means of transport. In
addition, cars are the main way of transportation for people who live far from their
workplaces, especially when public transport is frequently lacking. It is even more
difficult to use to use public transport if you have children with you or heavy goods to
carry. Finally, cars are the best way of travelling because you need not buy tickets and
you can stop wherever you like.
Nevertheless, cars are often criticized because they cause air pollution. Another
argument against using cars is that people are turning into legless creatures and
inactivity leads to serious diseases. I cannot agree with these views because nowadays all
cars are to be equipped with special control systems to reduce their exhaust fumes and
new environmentally friendly cars are being developed. Moreover, with cars, people have
better opportunities to reach sports facilities and therefore spend more time doing sports.
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To sum up, I would argue that although cars have certain disadvantages, people would not
be able to survive without them. However, I believe that we should improve cars to lower
their harmful influence on people‘s health.
Argument essay in steps.
Issue: Some people prefer to eat at food stands or restaurants. Others prefer to prepare to
prepare and eat food at home. Which do you prefer? (Need for a personal opinion, specific
opinion – is a trait of an argument essay. We must use specific information, examples and
reasons ).
Structure of an argument essay:
Introduction paragraph
1) Background sentence
2) Detailed background sentence
3) Thesis (an answer to the question, the main idea)
4) Outline sentence (which outlines what we are going to say in the 1st and 2nd
supporting paragraphs)
e.g.
1) Opinions on food vary tremendously as does an individual‘s culinary skill
2) Thus, some people enjoy eating out while others prefer to stay at home and cook
for themselves.
3) For me, I prefer to go to food stands or restaurants as opposed to preparing food
at home. (It responds directly the essay question)
4) Eating in this manner is both more convenient and tastier and I will analyze these
areas in my essay. (We summarize what going on further).
1st supporting paragraph
1) Topic sentence
2) Examples
3) Discussion sentence (a link between example and topic sentence)
4) Conclusion
e.g.
Firstly, attending a restaurant is much more convenient than eating at home. For
example, when I finish a long day of work, I often don‘t have enough time to prepare a
meal for myself at home. Further, many international restaurants lining the street is a
much more convenient option for me. This is therefore one of the main reasons I prefer
going to restaurants to cooking at home.
2nd supporting paragraph (the same structure)
e.g.
A second reason is that restaurant food always tastes better than the food I cook. I
am not a talented chef by any stretch and the foods I cook never turn out the way I plan.
For example, I often overcook foods to the point that they are uneatable. For this reason,
restaurant food is consistently a tastier option and is therefore another reason why I prefer
buying my meals to preparing them at home.
Conclusion (3 sentences)
1) Summary – of the 1st supporting paragraph and the 2nd supporting paragraph,
retelling the 2nd paragraph briefly.
2) Restatement of thesis – saying the thesis in different words
3) A prediction or recommendation
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e.g. In conclusion, restaurant food is more convenient and tastier than my own
cooking. Thus, I choose to eat the majority of my meals outside my home. I strongly
prefer this to cooking for myself. I believe I will continue this lifestyle as long as I am a
working person. (Thesis is repeated in the conclusion, but not rephrased. The concluding
paragraph doesn‘t a anything new.)
Exercise 1 Here are 6 essays on the topic of accepting refugees in Europe. Analyse
them from the point of view of their structure, word choice, grammar,
argumentation. Choose the best essay and prove your point.
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Essay 1
Should universities accept anyone who wants to study there? Should they accept
refugees? Or should universities places be reserved for citizens only?
I think that universities should accept anyone who wants to study there, but on an equal
footing. No matter if you're a refugee or a citizen, you have the equal rights.
I don't like governments flaunting there generosity. While a citizen prepares a few years
for exams, overcomes distance of several thousand kilometers, rents a flat for not so little money,
tries to enter a University and successfully does it and then every year his parents pay thousand
for studying of his child, a refugee leaves his mother country, looks for the most beneficial
country, arrives there, gets a residence, free education, food and many other benefits. This is
unfair indeed. Such a country is like a mother who forgets about her child and loves other
people's one.
The way of accepting refugees should be the same or at least alike with the way of
citizens. Refugees should pass compulsory exams, such as mathematics, native language, history
of the country. The Universities train future staff, people, who would be ready to work for the
prosperity of their country. A person, who doesn't know the culture and the true mentality of the
nation of the country where he arrived, is not able to do anything, except cleaning streets and
complaining about the lack of support.
Foreigners in a University are always interesting. We have them in our University, but
they're not refugees. They came here with the purpose to get knowledge, they pay for their
studies and all of them are going back home after finishing. Refugees are the same foreigners,
but with another purpose of arriving. They're waiting for helping them. But giving higher
education for free for everybody, who wants, is too much.
In conclusion, refugees are as welcome in another country's universities, as any citizen
there, with the same rights and duties.
Essay 2
Should governments provide birth control to refugees?
The war in Syria has caused the largest migration crisis in Europe since the Second World
War. For only one year 2015 more than 430 000 refugees have already made the perilous journey
across the Mediterranean Sea, creating enormous pressure on the European economy. Imagine, if
these refugees will give birth to relatively the same number of children… And the only solution
for such a problem, in my opinion, is providing birth control to refugees by governments.
Speaking about age and sex of refugees, statistics shows us that 80 % of them are young
men, who don‘t want to fight for any side, but live freely and peacefully. Moreover they want to
marry a European woman and become a citizen. So it could jeopardize the country's national
identity.
Since Muslim fertility is 2-3 times higher than the fertility of Europeans, their number will
double in 20-30 years, which is extremely exacerbate ethno-demographic problems. In fact, in
Europe there is already a deep ethno-cultural restructuring, leading to an extreme aggravation of
social conflicts and ethnic problems.
If we look at the situation from an economic point of view, the social benefits will have to
pay not only for grow-up unemployed refugees, but also their children. Where should
governments take so much money? Raise citizens' taxes?
However, in recent years, the relative drop in the demographic weight of Europe in the
world began to turn in the absolute. The region stopped reproduction its population due to the
extremely low birth rate. Its average value is now 1.5, whereas for the saving the current
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population requires a minimum level of 2.1. As pointed out by demographers, it is not just a zero
population growth, is already zero population.
In conclusion, I do not suggest prohibiting refugees to have children. It is necessary to
apply the ―one-child policy", approved in China, that means imposing a tax on the second and
subsequent children.
Essay 3
Should governments close their borders to refugees?
The refugee crisis has quickly become one of the most pressing issues of our time. The fact
that so few are willing to say "Refugees welcome!" is a collective indictment of us all and Russia
is not an exception. Russia has an opportunity to be proactive on the refugee crisis. I am
not sure that Russia is ready to open its boundaries to refugees.
Firstly, I agree with Vladimir Putin when he says: ―Russian authorities must step up efforts
aimed at preventing crimes perpetrated by migrants, voicing concern with high crime rates
among them, as well as the corresponding increase in xenophobia and nationalist sentiment their
actions result in and all possible holes and gaps must be securely shut.‖ From his words we can
conclude that refugees present some risks for us.
Secondly, we have seen a growing backlash regarding the refugees displaced in the war in
Syria. There is widespread fear that terrorists are streaming into Europe or America alongside
frightened refugees. These consequences can be serious and global for us all.
Another worry is the thought that the refugees might not be genuine. Also, the fact that the
country they flee to is culturally different from their own makes the citizens of these
developed nations feel that their culture is being stolen from them.
In addition, criminal activity seems to be a growing concern. People worry those
asylum seekers who arrive penniless and without any documents might be criminals or involved
in acts of terrorism.
On the other hand, we live on the same planet as one family. And we should in
any situation remain human beings and help each other. Besides those most rich or developed
countries‘ economies rely on these refugees as they are the ones who are often more than willing
to do the kind of work that no one else would even think of. Furthermore, the migrants tend to be
very hardworking and highly motivated at their jobs and are the backbone of agricultural labour.
Finally, I came to the conclusion that we can accept refugees, but only in limited quantities
and strict conditions of the acceptance in order to avoid negative and dangerous consequences.
Essay 4
Should governments close their borders to refugees?
In today‘s world one of the most difficult problem are refugees. Many governments close
their borders for different reasons. European migratory crisis in 2015 is the largest since the
Second World War. Now we are faced with the problem of excessive immigration, and the
inability to accept all comers in European countries. And I think that government should close
their borders to refugees for a peaceful life within countries.
Firstly, governments should close their borders, because refugees are uncontrollable. They
enjoy the kindness and hospitality of governments which assist them. Incidents of violence and
extremism were marked in Germany.
Secondary, refugees are competitors in work. Because their work is low-paid, therefore the
local population can suffer from a lack of jobs.
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Thirdly, this is a very big financial burden on the country. Not every country is able for
such support.
However, refugees can‘t stay in their governments and they are forced to leave their home.
And someone should help them. If all governments united, they could help all those in need.
To conclude, I would like to say that countries should close their borders. A country can
accept the refugees, if the one is sure that it is able to withstand the flow of refugees. But we
should not forget that we are all people and every one of us may need help.
Essay 5
Should they allow large numbers of refugees to become citizens?
Wars, famines and other problems have caused many people to leave their houses and
migrate to other areas, which are equipped with enough better facilities. But should we let them
to enter the country? From my point of view, we should seal the borders.
The immigrants only make life more difficult for us. For instance, the population is
becoming larger. But economic crises continue to haunt the country and so it is difficult to get a
job. Accordingly, unemployment rate in the country is growing.
Furthermore, the immigrants have a lot of privileges. They are provided with food,
accommodation and education for free while most people live in poverty and need financial
support.
Moreover, some immigrants are rather aggressive. For example, they can afford to fight,
commit murders or acts of terrorism. Consequently, we have to live in constant fear of our lives.
On the other hand, we should help in solving the problems of immigrants as well as teach
each and every human to mutually respect and cooperate with one another. To be precise, it
means to be tolerant. Besides, everyone can be in such situation.
To sum up, if we want to protect ourselves from violence and poverty, governments should
forbid immigrants to enter the country.
Essay 6
Should governments close their borders to refugees?
Nowadays there is one billion refugees in the world, it means 1/7 of universe. It is
connected with the decline of living conditions and war efforts. Some countries go on to help
them, giving subsidies, housing, food and clothes. Others close their borders out of hand or
getting tired of continual influx of refugees.
I think, governments do correct, closing their borders to refugees.
First of all, the government must be concerned about the citizenry. Refugees denude job
from aboriginals.
Secondly, some countries give subsidies to refugees, while citizenries
suffer. Most of refugees make use of this situation. They don‘t want to find a job and work.
They live on this money only.
Finally, some refugees don‘t want follow the laws and they disturb order. Therefore
criminality goes up generally.
On the order hand, we should help to down-and-outs. We must not forget about humanism
and tolerance. Not all refugees are shameless, I think. There are may be good people and
innocent children.
It will be better if governments work out the legislation, which allows good
refugees to cross the border. But it is not easy. So, they can close our borders only and take care
of their own nation.
Exercise 2 Write your own essay on the topic suggested on page 120.
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Topics for essay writing
1. Health service in Great Britain and in our country (expository).
2. Theatres in our town (expository).
3. The problem of the unemployed in the USA and in our country (expository).
4. The event that made me change my habits (narrative).
5. One unforgettable day in the country (narrative).
6. The travel I will never forget (narrative).
7. Home, sweet home (descriptive).
8. England as I see it (descriptive).
9. An ideal woman (man) (descriptive).
10. Internet – the center of our lives? (discursive)
11. Are our parents the closest people in the world? (discursive)
12. Is food pleasure or fuel? (discursive)
13. Lots of teenagers want to work part-time to earn their pocket money. However,
their parents are often against it (argumentative).
14. Lots of people enjoy different sports. However, there are people who think that
sport is not really useful (argumentative).
15. Many people watch soap operas because they find them enjoyable and realistic
(argumentative).
16. Today some scientists claim that cloning experiments should not be subject to
government scrutiny (argumentative).
17. Some people are sure that sending to prison is the only way to punish criminals.
However, a lot of people believe there are far more effective punishments for criminals than
prison (argumentative).
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