Task Two: Linking Phrases
One of the areas on which the examiner will mark your essay is 'Coherence and Cohesion'. This means that your essay must flow smoothly. There must be a connection/a link between your sentences and between your paragraphs.
Here are some phrases you can use to join your ideas and paragraphs. They are like 'signposts' - they show the reader what is coming next. In each area, I have given a sentence to illustrate the use. All the examples relate to the following question: 'Living in a big city is stressful and brings only disadvantages.'
Referring to a topic
- As far as ...... is/are concerned,
- In terms of ....,
- Regarding ....,
Example sentence: 'In terms of education, only a big city can offer enough opportunities for you to be able to compete in the job market.'
Adding another point on the same side of the argument
- Moreover,
- In addition,
- What is more,
Example sentence: 'The quality of the air is terrible in cities. Factories are constantly giving out huge amounts of pollution. Moreover, the exhaust fumes from cars and other vehicles lead to a deterioration in air quality.
Changing from one side of the argument to the other
- On the other hand,
- However,
- Conversely,
Example sentence: 'In a large urban centre, you are able to access a much wider variety of products, including many products from abroad. On the other hand, those same products are usually much more expensive because they are aimed at the wealthiest section of the city.
Giving an opinion
- In my opinion,
- In my view,
- From my experience,
Example sentence: 'In my view, the quality of life in a city could be greatly improved by making many areas pedestrianised.
Concluding
- To sum up,
- In conclusion,
- All in all,
Example sentence: 'To sum up, while there are many problems involved in living in a city, the wealth of job and education opportunities means that people will continue to flock to cities for many years to come.
*Notice that these phrases come at the beginning of the sentence and are always followed by a comma.
There are more linking phrases in Supporting Arguments.
TASK
You should do this task after you have done the tasks in Introductions and Making a Plan.
Below are some topics. You have already made a plan and written an introduction on the same topics. Now write the body of the essay making sure you use the right linking phrases. Do not worry about writing much in the paragraphs for this task - we will look at filling in the paragraphs in Supporting Arguments.
|