E10 Merkle

ARGUMENTATIVE WRITING
The aim of argumentative writing is to demonstrate that you are able to
present your opinion on a certain topic in a coherent form.

Before you start writing, you should

1. look closely at the given topic:
argumentative (“Discuss…”) linear (“Comment on…”)
• one argument for your • three arguments for your
“cons” side opinion
OR
• two arguments for your or
“pros” side • two arguments and a
refuted counterclaim
2. think of ideas concerning the topic and write down keywords for your position

Structure
Headline • should catch the reader’s attention
• you can play with well-known quotes
Introduction • make the reader interested in your essay
• you can use
o personal experience
o current events
o (alarming) statistics
o quotes by famous people
• clearly refer to the given topic in some way
o formulate it as a question
o make it a statement (absolutely NO “In the following
essay I will …)
• provide a link to the body paragraphs
Body Paragraphs • arrange your arguments in a climactic order (weakest to
strongest)
• each argument has its own paragraph consisting of
o introductory sentence (claim)
o it’s explanation
o some examples / details / consequences that
support the argument
• use suitable connectors / phrases to create a coherent text
Conclusion • draw your own personal conclusion
• hint at possible developments in the future
• initiate a compromise (when possible)
• NO new arguments

Style
• use a formal tone
• be objective
• but you don’t have to be boring

Skills 1/4
 E10 Merkle

Transition and Linking Words

Transitions and linking words perform an important function in writing. They

signal to the reader the direction the writer is taking. They do this by connecting
or linking ideas within a paragraph and providing a bridge between paragraphs.

to show addition: to show comparison: to show contrast: to conclude:

• additionally • also • although • accordingly
• again • as • but • consequently
• also • like • conversely • finally
• another • likewise • however • hence
• besides • meanwhile • nevertheless • so
• finally • similarly • nonetheless • therefore
• first, second, etc. • simultaneously • notwithstanding • thus
• further(more) • after all • otherwise • as a result
• incidentally • at the same time • still • in brief
• lastly • by and large • true • in conclusion
• likewise • in comparison • yet • in short
• moreover • in the same way • although this is • in summary
• next • in the same • and yet • on the whole
• nor manner • even though • to conclude
• too • in the same way • for all that
• along with • in contrast
• as well • on the contrary
• equally important • on the other hand
• for example • while this is true
• for instance
• in addition
• what’s more

to clarify: to introduce a result: to emphasize: to summarize:

• words put another • accordingly • again • by and large
way • consequently • obviously • in brief
• that is • so • truly • in conclusion
• to give examples: • therefore • undoubtedly • in summary
• namely • thus • as a matter of fact • on the whole
• specifically • as a result • for this reason • summing up
• as an illustration • due to this • in fact • to conclude
• for example • to emphasize
• for instance • to repeat
• to demonstrate
• to illustrate

Skills 2/4
E10 Merkle

Useful phrases for writing a comment

Introduction
• It is often claimed that …
• It is a commonplace that …
• … So the question arises whether …
• It is a well-known fact that …
• It would hardly be an exaggeration to say that …
• o According to the latest statistics …
Body Paragraphs
Structuring • Firstly, ... secondly, ... finally, ...
arguments • First of all, / To begin with, I would like to ...
• In addition, / Moreover, / Besides, / Furthermore, ...
• Another significant advantage is ...
• This brings us to the question whether ...
• But above all one must not forget that ...
Personal • In my opinion / To my mind you can say that ...
opinion • It seems to me that this is not the solution to ...
• The way I see it / In my view we should keep in mind that …
• I am (absolutely) convinced that ...
• I maintain that ...
Personal • Obviously / Doubtless it is wrong to say that ...
attitude • Funnily enough / Strangely a lot of people think that ...
• Fortunately, / Luckily, this is not the only argument against ...
• Unfortunately, / Regrettably, he fails to acknowledge that ...
• Frankly, / Generally speaking, his proposals are ...
Comparison • Compared with the situation ten years ago …
• In comparison with the US …
• There is a fundamental difference between … and …
• On the one hand, ... on the other hand, …
Expressing • We must not forget, however, that ...
contrast • All the same / Nevertheless, it is wrong to say that ...
• In spite of / Despite all those arguments ...
• Contrary to / In contrast to / Unlike the writer I think ...
• It is true that ... but it is definitely wrong to say that ...
Giving an • Let us consider, for instance, …
example • … is a striking example of …
• This incident serves to illustrate …
Expressing • It is doubtful / questionable whether …
doubt • It remains to be seen whether …
• It is by no means certain that …
Disagreeing • I find it hard to believe that …
• … lacks credibility.
• I remain unconvinced by ...
• It is completely / totally / absolutely wrong to believe that ...
• … is thoroughly / entirely wrong when ...

Skills 3/4
E10 Merkle

• … is terribly / greatly mistaken when he/she says …

• This theory is totally inaccurate.
Logical • So, / Therefore, / That is why we cannot simply assume ...
consequence • From all this it follows that ...
• The logical conclusion from all this is that …
Conclusion
• To conclude, / In conclusion, you can safely say that ...
• All in all, I therefore reject / support the view that ...
• To sum up, I am seriously opposed to ...
• Weighing the pros and cons, one comes to the conclusion ...

Skills 4/4