WRITING 4: ESSAY

ESSAY

Definition:

A  short  literary  composition  on  a  single  subject,  usually  presenting  the  personal  point of view  of the author.

USEFUL LANGUAGE

Supporting one point of view:
In the first place…

Furthermore…

In addition…

Moreover…

A final point…

Explaining why: Because of this…

For this reason…

As a result…

Therefore…

Due to…

Expressing contrast:

On the other hand…

In contrast…

However,…

Nevertheless,…

Although…

While…

Explaining someone else’s opinion:

According to…

It is said that…

Some people say that…

Many people feel…
Others think that…

Giving your opinion:

I agree that…

I think /believe that…

In my opinion…

I am in favour of…

It seems to me that…

Concluding:

Overall,…

To sum up…

On the whole…

In conclusion,…

TIPS

•         Remember to stay on the topic of the essay; don’t include irrelevant arguments.
•         Plan your answer and what to include in each paragraph.
•         It is better to have fewer points and expand each point than to list a lot of different points.
• ·       Use a variety of words and expressions to link or show contrast.

PLAN

Paragraph 1

a.      Introduce the topic .

Paragraph 2

b.      Give the arguments for.

c.       Give reasons for your answer.

Paragraph 3

d.      Give the arguments against or additional arguments.

e.      Build your answer with examples.

Paragraph 4

f.       Summarize your arguments.

EXAMPLE

Nowadays pollution is such a big problem for everybody that people say we should all be doing something to help the situation and not just expect the government to sort out the problems. 

Many people think that the government should deal with pollution.  In the first place, it is a huge problem, affecting whole countries. In addition, factories cause a lot of problems, such as when they put poisonous chemicals into the rivers.  Therefore, special laws are the only way to control this.

On the other hand, we each contribute to pollution in some way.  For example, we use plastic bags or make too much rubbish.  We can all do something about as individuals and, if everybody did something, it would make a difference.

Overall, I agree with the statement because I think it is very easy for us to change small things in our lives.  If we managed to make these changes then pollution levels would decrease and our  environment would be better.

Revising

	YES	NO
Did I follow the plan?
Did I introduce my opinions with a set phrase?
Did I stay on the topic?
Did I expand on each of the topics?
Did I use a variety of phrases to link or show contrast?
Did I end with a clear summary of the arguments?

Proofreading

	YES	NO
Did I check spelling using a dictionary?
Did I include Wh-questions?
Did I include prepositional verbs?
Did I include phrasal verbs?
Did I include linking verbs?
Did I include verbs + infinitive or –ing?
Did I use at least three new vocabulary words?