Signal words and phrases
Expressing an opinion
Argumentative Essay
It is probably true to say that …
Argument a position
Hints
The purpose of an argumentative essay is
to state a position on an issue and give
several reasons, supported by evidence,
for agreeing with that position.
As you read through information on this
issue, you should be narrowing your topic
to be a single statement which gives a
specific position that you hold.
You should make a selection of arguments
and include the most relevant ones for the
purpose of supporting your thesis. Don’t
try to cover all aspects of the topic, as you
have a limited number of words to write.
Research questions
•What is my stance regarding the topic?
•What are the most relevant reasons to
hold my view?
•What kind of evidence supports this
view?
•Are there any counterarguments worth
evaluating?
Research questions specifically related to
the topic of choice.
!! !
Prfa. Marta Peinado
Structure
There can be no doubt that …
It is simply not the case that … / This is not,
however, the case with …
Set the context of the topic and state
Despite this, it would be wrong to argue that …
your opinion in the introductory
Commonly held views
paragraph
It is widely believed that …
Try to keep a logical progression of
No one would dispute (the fact) that …
thoughts through the use of
It is generally agreed that …
It is widely acknowledged that …
transitions. Transitions should briefly
gather the idea from the previous
Saying what other people think
section and introduce the idea that
There are those who argue that … / Some may
is to follow in the next section.
argue that …
Each paragraph should discuss only
Although some people argue that …, in my view …
one idea in order to allow for
It has been suggested that …
clarity and direction throughout the
It is often claimed that …
essay.
Opponents/Supporters/Proponents of ….argue that
... The ideas contained in the
Referring to sources paragraphs must be logically
Evidence suggests/seems to suggest that … connected to the thesis statement in
the opening paragraph. In this sense
A recent survey found/proved that …
you must make explicit why and
Result
how the evidence supports the
Therefore
thesis.
Consequently
Some paragraphs in the essay
Thus
should be dedicated to discuss
As a result
counter arguments and explain their
Hence
weak points.
In consequence
The thesis statement must be
So
Transition
supported by evidence (examples,
statistics, facts).
By and by
Do not introduce new information
Incidentally
in the conclusion paragraph but
By the way
restate you opinion and synthesize
Now
the previous argumentation.
Meanwhile
Sample structure
Recapitulation
In sum

1. Thesis statement:
2.  PRO idea 1
To conclude All in all

In conclusion 3.  PRO idea 2
Overall
 4. CON(s) + Refutation(s)
To conclude 5. Conclusion
To summarize
To sum up