BUILDING AN ARGUMENT

1. FIRST, STATE THE ISSUE!

2. THEN, GIVE YOUR OPINION! In my opinion, to my mind, in my view, from my point
of view, to my knowledge, as far as I’m concerned/know, I, for one, think ….

1. THEN, GIVE EVIDENCE FOR YOUR OPINION! 

1. NEXT, GIVE A COUNTER ARGUMENT! ( e.g. HOWEVER/
NEVERTHELESS/YET)
1.  THEN, GIVE EVIDENCE FOR YOUR ARGUMENT!
USEFUL EXPRESSIONS
It could be argued that... 
To start with.........MOREOVER, BESIDES, FURTHERMORE
It is true to say......
In terms of........ 
Research has shown that ……
It should be clear that.......
From the point of view of....... 
On the grounds that.....
In the sense that......
In this sort of situation......
On the one hand......
On the other hand......., HOWEVER, YET, NEVERTHELESS
That's the reason why........
Increasingly, we find that......
So, it should be clear that........
To some extent…. 
In conclusion, To conclude, To sum up, All in all, finally…

 Presenting an argument
1.Read the text below, in which somebody is trying to decide whether to go straight to
university from school, or spend a year travelling around the world. Put their argument into
the correct order, using the key words and expressions in italics to help you. The first one and
last one have been done for you. 
A(1) I'm really in two minds about what to do when I leave school. Should I go straight to
university or should I spend a year travelling around the world? A GAP YEAR

B. It is often said that knowledge is the key to power, and I cannot disagree with this. 
C. On the one hand, I would experience lots of different cultures.
D. Unfortunately, another point is that if I spend a year travelling I would need a lot of
money.
C. And I'm not alone in this opinion. Many consider a sound career and a good salary to be an
important goal. 
F. However, it could be argued that I would also meet lots of interesting people while I was
travelling.
G. Secondly, if I go straight to university, I'll learn so many things that will help me in my
future life. 
H. First of all, there are so many benefits of going straight to university.
I. But I believe that it would be easy to make a bit while I was travelling, giving English
lessons or working in hotels and shops.
J. Moreover, I'll be able to take part in the social activities that the university offers, and meet
lots of new friends who share the same interests.
K. The most important point is that the sooner I get my qualifications, the quicker I'll get a job
and start earning.
L. Nevertheless, these inconveniences would be an inevitable part of travelling and would be
greatly outweighed by the other advantages
M. In my opinion, starting work and making money is one of the most important things in
life.
N. On the other hand, I could end up suffering from culture shock, homesickness and some
strange tropical diseases.
O. Furthermore, if I spent a year travelling, I would learn more about the world.
P. (16) All right, I've made my mind up. Now, where's my nearest travel agency?

In the last year of high school, many students begin to wonder what to do with their
lives. Some students are lucky enough to find their passion when they are young, so they
know where their lives are going. However, the others, or certainly some of them, ask
themselves the question "Should I go to college or take a gap year?".
 From my point of view, taking a gap year can be an amazing experience. Those who
take a gap year do not want to stop learning. They want to continue learning, but in other
ways. During this gap year, students figure out what they really want to do with their lives,
meet a lot of new people, make a lot of friends, get to know themselves much better, get to
volunteer of teach, while charging with the energy necessary to cope with the difficulties of
the university. Research has shown that 97% of gap year alumni respondents felt their gap
year improved their maturity, since gap years activities such as teaching or volunteering
abroad are known for pushing students outside of their comfort zone. 

However, taking a gap year can also be a wrong decision, because of the fact that the
students may never get back to school. After they figure out how to live on their own without
having to worry about school, it may be hard to go back. Moreover, the family, friends or
acquaintances of the students may not support them and may consider that they do not want to
go to school because they are lazy, failing to see the benefits that a gap year could have. Also,
the sooner they finish college, the sooner students find a job where they earn money, so those
who want to live without their parents' financial help should probably think twice before
making the decision to take a gap year.

In conclusion, taking a gap year is not for everyone. The students should not take this
decision just because they are sick of deadlines, assignments or studying for tests and exams.
They should take their time and take the decision that they consider the best in the long run.

2.  Using the key words and expressions in italic from the last exercise, present an argument
for one of the following issues: |
1. A government's main priority is to provide education for its people.
2. Satisfaction in your job is more important than the money you earn. 
3.Physical exercise  is beneficial for the mind.
4.It is our responsibility to help or look after those less fortunate than ourselves (for example,
the homeless, the mentally ill, PSYSICALLY CHALLENGED PEOPLE)

Physical exercise is not only good for the body. Although physical exercise improves
the physical health, adds years to people’s lives, these aren’t the reasons that actually
motivates people to have an active life.
 Training your body is as great for your mind as it is for the body. First of all, those
who exercise more sleep better, they are more energetic, more productive and stress-free.
Studies on mice and on human beings show that exercise boost brainpower in a lot of ways:
cardiovascular exercise, for example, creates new brain cells and improves the brain
performance. It also strengthens the hippocampus, hence it prevents memory loss and
cognitive decline.
Secondly, studies reported benefits of physical exercise on reductions in depression
and anxiety. Exercise can treat mild depression as effectively as antidepressant medication.
For example, a study done by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health showed that
running for 15 minutes or walking for an hour daily reduces the risk of major depression by
26%. How? When training the body, it realeases endorphins, which are the chemicals in the
brain that trigger a positive feeling in the body, similar to that of morphine. Also, wroking out
can serve as a distraction from the negative thoughts that increases depression. Moreover, the
neuropsychologist Aaron Bonner-Jackson states that physical exercise is beneficial for
maintaining brain health even in people who are at risk of developing dementia or
Alzheimer’s disease.
In conclusion, staying physically active has great benefits for the mind. Not only do
physical exercises make you lose weight and look the way you want to, they have so many
mental benefits. Even those who do not have time to go to the gym, can run for 15 minutes or
exercise at home and will still notice the benefits of physical effort. A healthy body is a
healthy mind.

1. LANGUAGE IN USE: CONNECTORS OF CONTRAST, ADDITION,

REASON AND PURPOSE
In order to build up a strong argumentative discourse you need to use appropriate connectors.
 1.Put the words and expressions in the box under the correct heading below.
although so on account of and
despite (the fact due to (the fact in order to because
that) that)
provided (that) as well as but (and) yet
though unless in order that whereas
if as long as even so since
in case besides while owing to
so as to even though to in spite of
however in addition to because of
 reason contrast purpose addition conditional
because but to and if
due to (the fact while in order to in addition to unless
that) whereas in order that as well as as long as
on account of although so provided (that)
since even though since in case
owing to despite (the fact because
because of that) however
besides owing to
even so so as to
(and) yet
in spite of
though

1. Circle the correct alternative in italics. 

1. The city is unhealthy because of the pollution in the air. 
2. In spite of these problems, would you still like to invite me next month? 
3. Unless you live in a big town, there are no traffic jams.
4. Please do not hesitate to contact me in case you need more detailed information. 
5. I think that people should use their bicycles so as to reduce traffic. 
6. I hope you will stay at our house in order that you can visit our country. 
7. The green hills and valleys need protecting because many people are building modern
houses. 
8. The other staff patiently explained the job to me even though they were very busy
themselves. 
9. Since I love swimming and your club seems to be suitable, I would like to join it.
10. There are many ways of getting to school if you study far away from your
neighbourhood.