FOR AND AGAINST ESSAY

For and Against Essay

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For and against essay / Pros and cons essay / Argumentative essay / Advantages and disadvantages essay, they all mean the same. This type of essay is not the same as an Opinion essay. As you can see, in this PAU exam from 2021, you have both options.

The first thing to do when you know the topic you will talk about is to make a list of the pros and cons of this topic.

From this list you can later choose 2-3 arguments for each side that are more relevant to you, to include them in your essay.

Structure

Opening

Body

Closing

This is an example of a for and against essay. Although it is not recommended to include your opinion in the Introduction or the Body of the essay, this example does that by saying "Firstly, I think that there is a lot of variety in reality TV". You should try to avoid saying I think/I believe/I feel, In my opinion, As far as I'm concerned, As I see it, Personally speaking, ...., except for the Conclusion, where it is possible to specify your own opinion after the summary of the for and against arguments.

don't use contractions!

Connectors, Phrases and Linking words

List points

First/Firstly/In the first place/To start/begin with …; Second/Secondly; Thirdly; Finally/Last/Lastly; Last but not least; etc.

List disadvantages

List advantages

The first/main/most important advantage of…;One/Another/An additional advantage of /regarding/concerning …; One point of view in favour of…; One (very convincing) point/argument in favour of...; Another positive aspect is ...; Another major advantage (regarding/concerning...) is…; One further benefit is…; It is widely/generally/often claimed/suggested/argued/believed/said that…; It could be argued that...; Some/Many people/experts/scientists suggest/claim/think/believe/agree/support/feel/argue/say that…;Some/Many people are of the opinion that/in favour of/are convinced that....; Another reason why ... is beneficial/good for...; A further common advantage of ...;

The main/greatest/most important/most serious/first disadvantage/drawback/downside of ...; One/Another/A further/An additional (major) disadvantage/ drawback/downside of ...; One point/argument against...;One (very convincing) point/argument against ...; Another negative aspect of ...; Some/Many people/experts/scientists/critics/sceptics are against... / disagree/ are opposed to.../of the opinion that/convinced that...; Opponents of ... argue/believe/claim that ... A further common criticism of ...; It could be argued that ...; (*) You can use some of the previous ones for disadvantages too.

Add points

In addition, Furthermore, Moreover, Besides, Apart from (V-ing), What is more, On top of that, as well as, Not to mention (the fact) that, also, Not only ... but also, also, both … and, There is another side to the issue/question/argument that..., etc.

Contrast points

On the one hand ... On the other hand, However, Nevertheless, Nonetheless, Although, Though, Even though, Even so, Despite/In spite of (the fact that), Regardless of (the fact that), still, yet, but, while/whilst/whereas, In contrast / Contrary to..., etc.

Introduce examples

For example, For instance, like, such as, in particular / particularly, specially, specifically, in this case, This is clearly illustrated / shown by (the fact that)...,

Make general statements

In general, Generally, As a (general) rule, On the whole, Overall, In most cases, For the most part, etc.

Emphasise

It is clear/obvious that, Clearly, Obviously, Naturally, Needless to say, Of course, Indeed, etc.

Express reality

In fact, the fact (of the matter) is, actually, in practice, it is a fact that

Make partially correct statements

to a certain extent / to some extent / to a limited extent, in a way/sense, this is partly true (but), there is some truth in (this), in some cases

Explain/clarify a point

In other words, that is to say, which means that...

Express cause

Because (of), Due to (the fact that), Owing to, Given that, As, Since

Express result/consequence

Therefore, Thus, So, As a result/consequence, For this reason, If ... were to happen ... the effect/result would be ...

Express intention or purpose

To, So as to, In order to, So that, With the intention of (V-ing)

Conclude

In conclusion, To conclude, To sum up, Overall, All in all, All things considered, On the whole, Taking everything into account/into consideration, as was previously stated, On balance, etc.

Express your opinion

In my opinion..., As far as I'm concerned..., As I see it..., From my point of view..., If you ask me..., Personally speaking / Personally, I think/believe that..., I strongly believe that..., It is clear to me that..., I feel that..., I agree with.../I completely disagree with..., It seems to me that ..., I am sure that..., etc.

Info

In the following slides you will see several examples on how to write for and against essays on different topics.

p.153 Student's Book

p.74 Student's Book

The advantages and disadvanteges of computer games Introduction (states the issue/topic) If you ask teenagers about the negative effects of computer games, most will deny there's a problem. However, many psicologists say that teenager's behaviour is influenced by the long hours they spend playing computer games. Body (presents arguments for and against, giving reasons, examples, facts, etc.; in this example it starts with the disadvantages and then continues with the advantages) Although not all computer games are violent, about 85% of all of them are. Many educators believe that teenagers who spend their time playing computer games find it difficult to distinguish between fantasy and reality. In addition, they don't know how to react in social situations because they spend little time with friends or they don't have real friends as a result of this addictive hobby. On the other hand, teenagers claim that computer games help them relax after a long day at school. They say that these games are exciting and are cheap and entertaining. In fact, some games are educational and teach players to focus, concentrate and even solve problems. Conclusion (summarises the topic or/and states the writer's opinion, in this case only the opinion is described) From my point of view, computer games are a problem for the mental health of young people. Therefore, if I were a parent, I would limit the amount of time my children played these games and I would always supervise what kind of games they play.

Animal testing discussion