Bundled words and how to use them correctly in an essay. Essay Writing in English

on Verbitskaya

The task:

Comment on the following statement:

It’s reported that billions of dollars are spent on space exploration projects every year. Some people believe that this money should be used to solve problems on Earth.
What is your opinion? What problems should humanity solve first of all?

Write 200–250 words.

Show the plan and assessment scheme by criterion K1

Use the following plan:
- make an introduction (state the problem)
- express your personal opinion and give 2-3 reasons for your opinion
- express an opposing opinion and give 1-2 reasons for this opposing
opinion
- explain why you don’t agree with the opposing opinion
- make a conclusion restating your position

Assessment scheme for the criterion "Solution of the communicative problem":
a) the volume of the statement corresponds to the task
b) introduction - statement of the problem;
c) the opinion of the author with 2-3 arguments;
d) the opposite point of view with 1-2 arguments;
e) explanations of why the author does not agree with the opposite point of view (counterarguments);
f) conclusion (conclusion).

Essay text

Our science have changed every year. Nowadays a lot of money is spent on space exploration projects. Many people think that it is not right because this money should be used to solve problems on Earth. Let’s consider both views on this issue.

In my opinion, space exploration is very importand for us because we must know more about universal, planets, stars and meteorits. Scientists haven’t already know all about of them and if they are dangerous for us. Secondly, when scientists studied the sun they discovered new chemestry elements for example gelius. Also when they study the sun they study how our healthe depends from it. Thirdly, we can travel on space and see Earth from space-ship.

People spend a lot of money for this traveling so they give this money for new discovers.

On the other hand, some people who think that space exploration it is a waste of time and money because this money can help people who have very dangerous illnesses. Secondly, goverment can helps spend this money on our education. They can buy new equipmen for school. Thirdly, this money can be used for helping poor countries and people who live in them. This money can help to make their life better.

In conchesion, I would like to say that it’s better to spend money on space exploration because in future people will live in space. (231 words)

Analysis and assessment:

Criterion 1 is a solution to a communicative problem.

The communicative task here is to compare the possible benefits of investing large sums of money in space research or that they will be spent on solving problems on earth. It also raises the question of the relative importance of problems that need to be addressed and how urgent they are. The author did not cope with this task.

1.1. Is there an introduction to the problem statement? - Yes, there is, but practically without paraphrasing. In addition, the problem is posed incorrectly: the author suggests considering “ both points of view on the problem ", Although it cites only one point of view. Therefore, as a problem to consider, “ issue »We are invited to disagree with many people spending on space. The job question is clearly not about that.

1.2. Is the author's opinion on the problem expressed and reasoned? - An opinion has been expressed, but the argument is weak and chaotic. The author claims that space research is important, and leads disparate facts (asteroids may be dangerous; new chemical elements were discovered during space exploration, the sun affects people's health), but does not show how these facts are related to each other and how they confirm his position. The fourth argument is not directly related to the topic of the essay: "profits from space tourism partially cover research costs."

1.3. Is the opposite point of view presented in the essay with 1-2 arguments by its supporters? - The opposite point of view is presented by three arguments.

1.4. Is there an explanation why the author does not agree with this opposite point of view (counterarguments)? - No, the author does not explain why he does not agree with the point of view of the opponents, therefore it is impossible to evaluate his argument.

1.5. Is there a conclusion with a conclusion? - There is a formal conclusion, but the conclusion is not connected with the author’s previous arguments: in the paragraph 2 author talks about the benefits of comic research for practical life on the ground , and in conclusion, connects the costs of space research with the fact that in the future people will live in space .
Also, the author does not compare the benefits of space research with the benefits of investing in solving earthly problems, that is, having partially answered the first question of the task (express his opinion), the author completely ignores the second - a comparison of problems.

the communicative task is partially fulfilled: 1 point.

Criterion K2 - Organization of the text.

2.1. Is there a division into paragraphs and is it implemented correctly? - There is a division into paragraphs, but there is no part devoted to the author’s counterarguments and the refutation of the position of his opponents.

2.2. Is the composition logical and are the means of logical communication used correctly? - The composition is illogical. The author does not show the connection between his arguments and does not use the means of logical communication to contrast his arguments with the arguments of opponents or to develop his thought.

Of two cases of use "Because ”In the first, the logical structure of the argument is violated: what the author submits as an argument“ we must know more about ..."Is essentially not an argument, but is a prefrasing of the author’s position" space exploration is very importand for us". Of the other introductory words, the author uses only those that reflect the order (First, second, and so on). Introductory word “In conclusion” cannot be considered an example of the use of logical communications, since this introduction is formal.

In general, according to this criterion, 1 point will be put.

Criterion K3 - lexical design of speech.

3.1. Does the vocabulary correspond to the communicative task? - Generally consistent.

3.2. Is the vocabulary sufficient, how diverse is it, does it correspond to a high level? - Is the vocabulary sufficient, how diverse is it, does it correspond to a high level? - The essay uses an infinitely scarce vocabulary: of the modal verbs only “can” is used, absent

paraphrasing the topic in the first paragraph, and the phrase "Spaсe exploration" repeated unchanged throughout the text.

3.3. Does the author comply with the rules of word formation and collocations, is it correct words are used in a specific context and do errors (if any) affect the understanding of the content? - A large number of lexical errors - 6

the number of errors exceeds 4: 1 point

Criterion K4 - Grammar.

4.1. Is the choice of using grammar tools appropriate to the purpose of the utterance? - The choice of grammar means is generally appropriate.

4.2. How diverse are the grammatical means and does their complexity correspond to a high level? - The arsenal of used grammatical structures is small, their complexity does not correspond to a high level. Almost all the proposals used the basic design “Subject + Predictable in the active voice”. The only attempt to build a relative

the relative clause is unsuccessful.

4.3. How correctly and accurately used grammatical means? -Numerous mistakes in using grammar tools: “science have changed every year”, “haven't already know”, “about of them” “spend a lot of money for” “give this money for” “ome people who think that space exploration it is a waste of time and money because this money can help people who have ”,“ can helps spend this money ”“ help to make ”“ depends from it ”,“ travel on space ”,“ space exploration it is a waste of time "," for school. "," this money can be used for helping ".

a large number of errors: 1 point.

Criterion K5 - spelling and punctuation.

Spelling errors - 6. Syntax errors - 3.

a large number of errors: 0 points.

Overall rating for this work: 4 points.

Source of the essay text - Methodological materials for chairpersons
and members of regional subject commissions for verifying the completion of tasks with a detailed answer to the exam papers of the exam (Verbitskaya, Makhmuryan)

HOW TO IMPROVE AN ESSAY ON

Unified State Exam-2018 UP TO 14 SCORES

Warm up - Correct spelling and lexical errors from this essay.

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How to build a clear argument in an essay in English

We have seen that the mark for solving a communicative problem is also set by the quality of the argument (Methodological recommendations to the organizers and experts of the exam, Verbitskaya, Makhmuryan). That is, firstly, there should be no extra arguments off-topic, and secondly, they should be consistent and convincing. That is, you can completely solve the communicative problem in the essay on the USE 2018 if you choose the right arguments and examples. In this article, for an example of a real essay I will show

how to do it, but for now a little theory.

How to argue correctly?

Imagine the argument as a simple mathematical fraction. There is a numerator (above)is the denominator (at the bottom). The argument is always based on the fact that two concepts are compared or contrasted with the “common denominator”. The “common denominator” is some characteristic that will be common to all concepts, but the “numerators” will be different - this is how this characteristic is expressed.

example 1

Swimming and running are both beneficial, but swimming develops all the muscles, and running only legs and ligaments ( benefit - “denominator” develops all muscles / only legs and ligaments - “numerators”).
Football and tennis are both sports, but one is team and the other is individual.

In our text, we compare the benefits of investing in space research with the benefit of spending them on solving problems on earth.

The “denominator” will be such characteristics as “Time”, “quantity” / “size”, “probability”, “distance”.

time: now / then, now / earlier
quantity: many / few
size, scale: person / humanity, large / small
probability: accurate / inaccurate
distance: close / far

Example 2

The results of space research will only possibly be useful in the future, but then immediately to all people who inhabit the Earth or to those who will move to other planets.

Distance - long away
Time - later
Confidence - inaccurate (negative characteristics)
Scale - all of humanity (positive characteristic)

2. Spending money on earthly needs means helping specific patients, and doing it right here and now. Or here and now to organize education in poor countries.

Time - now
Distance - here,
Confidence - exactly (positive characteristics)
Scale - single person (negative characteristic)

These are the first thoughts that automatically come to mind. Those who “believe that money should be spent” on solving earthly problems are guided by the positive characteristics “ here» « now"And" for sure«.

We can solve the communicative problem of an essay in two ways: to defend space research or to agree with their opponents. Depending on this, we will build argumentation.

Termination of research

Just accept the arguments of their opponents and give examples of how cash flow redirection will make everyone happy
In the third paragraph, say about the benefits of research so that it is clear that this is all frivolous.

In the step-by-step instruction for improving the essay from the example, we will defend the studies and use both methods of argumentation.

The task contrasts the distant benefit from research with related problems, that is, by the “denominator” distance (close against long away), time (now against later) and probability (for sure against perhaps).
Let's bring space closer to us: " discoveries are already used in medicine". Strengthen the connection with the person: cosmic rays + gene mutations.Add scale: the survival of all mankind against one patient.

It’s bad that already 230 words. That is practically the upper limit, and we still have to write counterarguments. Oh yes, you still have to rephrase in the first paragraph. And to remove too much about “Our science have changed every year” - there is no question about changes and time in the task. In this phrase, the “denominator” is change, it was against has become. But this is not the issue.
Along the way, we diversify the grammar and vocabulary, as well as improve the logic of the text.

SEE RESULT

In my opinion, space exploration is extremely important for us and humanity should carry on with it. First of all, it allows us to know more about the universe, planets, cosmic rays and asteroids. Distant planets should be studied as the potential home for humanity in the future, and asteroids may be dangerous for the Earth now. Consequently, life of all humanity may depend on how much we know about these. What is more, while studying space objects, scientists already make discoveries which change life on Earth right now. For example, new chemical elements like helium can be found during such research. Also, information about the influence of the space and the stars on humans ’health can be obtained as a result of space studies, like the role of cosmic rays in gene mutations and the evolution itself.

On the other hand, space exploration is often claimed a waste of time and money. Those who think so believe that this money should be spent on finding cure for dangerous deseases and saviung people on earth right now. They also encourage governments to invest more in education saying that thousands of schools, especially in poor countries, may be equipped with this money.

However, they forget that new materials and technologies obtained in space experiments are already being used in modern medicine, in particular - in artificial organs, or arms and legs. Moreover, the issue of inequality in living conditions between countries had been around long before the first man in space, so it is unreasonable to try to solve this issue at the expence of science.

All in all, I believe that current and possible benefits that space exploration can give us are so great and important that it definitely should continue.

(339 words)

Almost everything worked out, now there are five paragraphs, clear and related arguments, only almost a hundred more words. At the next stage, we will try to cope with this, and now we will analyze what we just did:

Shorten the words in our essay.

Nowadays scientists conduct multi-billion research in space, which provokes strong opposition from those who believe that there are more immediate and more important problems on Earth which this money may help to solve. Let’s consider whether or not space research should be abandoned in favor of issues on our planet. (50 words)

Nowadays scientists conduct multi-billion research in space, which some oppose claiming that there are urgent problems on Earth which require attention. Let’s consider whether space research should be abandoned in favor of more apparent issues. (35 words)

In my opinion, space exploration is extremely important for us and humanity should carry on with it. First of all, it allows us to know more about the universe, planets, cosmic rays and asteroids. Distant planets should be studied as the potential home for humanity in the future, while asteroids may be dangerous for the Earth now. Consequently, life of all humanity may depend on how much we know about these. What is more, while studying space objects, scientists already make discoveries which change life on the Earth right now. For example, new chemical elements like helium can be found during such research. Also, information about the influence of space and the stars on humans ’health can be obtained as a result of space studies, like the role of cosmic rays in gene mutations and the evolution itself. (138 words)

Are you waiting for an exam soon? Then you are probably curious to learn how to write an essay in English perfectly. We will tell you about the types and the correct structure of the essay, give tips that will teach you how to write such works in English quickly and competently.

What is an essay in English? This is a short essay with a specific structure in which you reason on a specific topic and express your point of view on a given topic.

Essay structure in English

How many words should be in an essay in English? On each exam, the optimal amount of written work is set. Typically, a task involves writing an essay from 180 to 320 words in length, depending on the exam. If you are going to take the test in English, we recommend that you clarify the required amount of written work in advance and train to write text of appropriate length.

The structure of the essay in English is universal for all exams. Written work consists of the following parts:

Title - The title of the essay, reflecting the theme of the story.
Introduction - 2-4 short sentences covering the topic of an essay.
The main part is 2-3 paragraphs describing the essence of the composition. In them you need to fully and competently disclose the topic, bring arguments and argue them.
Conclusion - 2-4 sentences summarizing what was written. In this part, you draw a general conclusion on the topic of an essay.

Each of the paragraphs in the main body of the essay begins with an introductory sentence (Topic Sentence), this is an “introduction” to the paragraph. The following suggestions further and confirm the point expressed in Topic Sentence.

To learn how to write essays strictly according to plan and clearly structure your thoughts, use theeasyessay.com or. On this resource, you can plan a perfect essay, guided by simple instructions. Practice writing works on such a plan, and in the exam it will be easier for you to write a good reasoned essay.

Types of essays in English and their features

The type of essay in English that you need to write depends on the topic and is sometimes indicated in the task. According to an authoritative source - the book Successful Writing by Virginia Evans - it is customary to distinguish three main types of essays:

1. Pros and cons. For and against essays

The name speaks for itself: you give arguments for and against a phenomenon. The outline of the essay in English is as follows:

Introduction In it, you lead the reader to the topic of discussion.
Main part. You give arguments for and against a certain action or phenomenon. In this case, you do not need to express your point of view, adhere to neutrality.
Conclusion Only here you express your attitude to the topic and draw a conclusion.

An example of such an essay (all examples are from the Successful Writing tutorial by Virginia Evans, Intermediate level):

2. Essay opinion. Opinion essays

You express your thoughts on a given topic. It would seem that any composition is an expression of one’s own thoughts. What is the salt of this type of essay? In Opinion Essays, you need to not only reflect your point of view, but also look at the proposed topic from different angles. Consider all aspects of the issue, write your opinion and be sure to confirm it with confident arguments.

English essay opinion plan:

Introduction You indicate the topic of reasoning.
Main part. You express your opinion and confidently argue it. Here it is advisable to consider the opinion opposite to yours and explain to the reader why you do not share this point of view.
Conclusion You summarize, finally formulating your point of view on the proposed topic.

An example of such an essay:

3. Proposal for solving the problem. Suggesting solutions to problem essays

In this type of writing, you will be asked to consider a global problem or problems. Your task is to propose solutions.

The outline of this type of essay is as follows:

Introduction You indicate the problem and its causes or consequences.
Main part. You suggest ways to solve problems and the possible consequences of such actions. Clearly explain why certain measures should be taken and what this entails.
Conclusion Summarize your reasoning.

An example of such an essay:

Rules for Writing a Great Essay in English

Before you write an essay in English, familiarize yourself with some of the rules for writing it. These simple guidelines will help you get the job done.

1. Stick to essay structure

Once you have received the assignment, determine the type of essay and the plan by which you will write it. After that, go straight to the points: heading - introduction - a few paragraphs of the main part - conclusion. Be sure to follow this strict essay structure, otherwise your work will not be appreciated.

2. Use a draft

Since there is little time available for writing an essay in English, you should use the draft wisely. If time is running out, we advise immediately after receiving the assignment and getting acquainted with the topic to sketch out your thoughts and arguments to them in the form of short abstracts. This will allow you not to forget important thoughts while writing a purebred.

3. Get ready for any topic.

An essay in English shows not only your level of knowledge of the language, but also erudition. Therefore, before preparing for the exam, read texts on various topics. This will help you broaden your horizons and remember new words, phrases and cliches that you can use in your written work on the exam.

4. Leave time to check

Arrange the time so that at the end of the exam you have at least 5 minutes left to check the essay. As a rule, the score is not reduced for accurate corrections, so this is a real chance to “save” your work by correcting the errors found.

5. Determine the appropriate style.

6. Be concise

An essay in English is a short written work. Some students think that the principle “the more the better” works, and they write huge opuses. Alas, the examiners will not only not increase, but also lower the score because you did not meet the required amount.

7. Reason your case

Each written thought should not sound unfounded. Support it with arguments, a striking example, statistics, etc. Your written work should show the inspector that you know what you are writing about and are confident that you are right.

8. Use string words

Introductory words for an essay are important links that connect sentences with each other, forming a logical chain of your thoughts. They will help to combine sentences or to show contrast, to indicate the sequence of actions, etc. We recommend that you study such useful constructions in the article “Linking Words in English”.

9. Use a variety of vocabulary and grammar

Avoid repetition of words, use synonyms and complex grammatical constructions - show the examiner that you are fluent in English. Instead of being bored with everything good, use, depending on the context, remarkable, gorgeous, fascinating. Use complex designs and different times to express your thoughts. Text in which all sentences are written in Present Simple will get a low mark.

10. Express your thoughts correctly

An essay is a written expression of your thoughts on a specific topic. And here it is important not to forget about elementary delicacy. If possible, do not touch politics, religion and other “slippery” topics. If the task involves the consideration of some "painful" topic, state your point of view tolerantly and politely. In this case, it is better to adhere to a formal tone and avoid violent manifestations of emotions.

11. Write softly

Although you should write your thoughts on this issue, however, try not to often use structures of the following form: “I am sure that ...”, “I know that ...”, etc. Write softer, for example , "It seems to me ...", "In my opinion ..." - this will sound more formal and correct in relation to the opinion of other people.

For those who want to learn how to write better, we recommend watching the following video:

Now you know how to write an essay in English perfectly. So that this theoretical knowledge will bring you practical benefits in the form of a high mark on the exam, actively use them. Practice writing essays on various topics - this will be the best preparation for the exam.

And if you need to quickly and accurately prepare for the English exam and get a high mark on it, we offer you to enroll in English at our school.

Without special embellishment, we can say that in the exam of the exam in English, essays are the most difficult task. How can one correctly express one’s thought, give it logical arguments, back it up with examples and explanations, and at the same time correctly and without errors draw up the text, and still not go beyond the limit in the number of words? In this article we will try to analyze the structure of the essay and give tips on improving the quality of your essay.

Let's start from the end. Your essay will be evaluated by the following criteria:

The maximum number of points you can get for an essay is 14 points.

Before thinking about the correct fulfillment of each criterion, first let us make our essay in English suitable for verification. The most important thing here is volume.

Formally, your essay on the English language should meet 200-250 words. This should not be taken literally and panic if you have written 198 words. However, keep in mind that the essay will not be checked if the number of words in it is less than 180. If you get more than 275 words, the examiner will count 250 words from the beginning of the essay, draw the rest and check everything to hell. That is, in the first scenario, you lose all the essays; in the second, most likely, you will lose the conclusion, which is also important.

First of all, your essay on the English language should highlight ALL aspects outlined in the assignment, and should also be written in the appropriate style (neutral). It should be logically divided into paragraphs and correspond to the plan proposed in the task.

In order not to get confused in the process of writing your essay, you need to spend 5-7 minutes thinking about the plan and preparing all the arguments. Traditionally, we will divide the essay into five paragraphs.

Paragraph 1. Introduction

There should be a statement of the problem. Since the problem statement is already stated in the task, your task is to correctly retell it. It is REPEAT, not rephrase.

Tip: Do not re-read the task 10 times until the wording is rummaged in your head. Then writing an introduction in your own words will be very, very difficult. Read the situation given in the task once or twice, make sure that you understand it correctly. Close the prepared situation and try to retell it in English exactly as you understood it, as if you were talking about it to a friend who did not understand what was being discussed there. ATTENTION: after you have done this, be sure to open the situation and make sure that your retelling essentially coincides with the situation given to you. Now you can go further.

Instead of banal “ Some people think, ... Others think, ..." can be used:

Some people claim that ..., while others argue that ...

After you have described the essence of the problem, you can directly ask a question that you will answer in your essay. For example: “What is better: ... or ...?”, “What should we do: ... or ...?” etc. In 2018, a clarification came out that attributed rhetorical questions to stylistic errors. Therefore, we do not use them.

With the last sentence of the opening paragraph, you should set the goal of your essay. This can be done, for example, like this:

In this essay I will try to look upon this issue.
In this essay I will try to express my opinion on this issue.
In this essay I would like to express my point of view on this issue.
In this essay I will try to answer this question. (This is the easiest option, if the previous two will be difficult for you to remember, remember it)

Paragraph 2. Your opinion

It is most logical to start this paragraph with the statement of your position regarding this issue. Useful phrases (be sure to follow this punctuation!):

In my opinion, ...
From my point of view, ...
To my mind, ...
Personally, I think that ...
I am certain that ... (Please note! We are not cutting back: we write I am ...)
As far as I am concerned, ...

Next, you need to give 2-3 arguments confirming your point of view. Arguments can be any, if you correctly interpret them. That is, such that it was difficult to argue with them (within reasonable limits, of course).

Tip: It is better to give 2 arguments and justify them in detail and give examples in their support than 3 short and incompletely disclosed ones. Remember that the number of words in an essay is limited.

Here we must not forget about the means of logical connection of sentences. The first argument is good to start with:

Firstly, ...
To start with, ...
To begin with, ...
First of all, ...

After you have formulated the first argument, you need to confirm it and / or give an example in confirmation. Here are the simplest models on how to do this:

<аргумент>, because ...
<аргумент>. That is why ...
<аргумент>. For example, ...

If you started with a word “Firstly, ...”, then the second argument should start with Secondly, ...

If the first argument came with the phrases “To start with, ...”, “To begin with, ...”, then the second argument can be started with the following words:

Moreover, ...
Furthermore, ...
Besides, ...
In addition, ...

The second argument must also be supported by an example or proof.

Paragraph 3. Opposite Opinion

You will begin the paragraph with the statement of the opposite opinion on the proposed topic or issue. You can do it this way:

Others believe that ...
Some people argue that ...
However, some people think that ...

This is followed by 1-2 arguments confirming the opposite opinion. I advise you to think about two initially. And how much to write in the end: 1 or 2 - decide in the process, based on the resulting size of your essay.

Tip: You then have to challenge the opposing arguments, therefore, thinking up them initially, think over how you will challenge them. If you have nothing to object to the argument you have made, it is better to immediately replace it with another, so as not to do this while writing an essay. It is also limited!

Tip: When contesting the arguments, you should not repeat anything written in the second paragraph. Therefore, if you are unable to come up with a counterargument without repeating yourself, try to come up with something else. Alternatively, you can come up with other pros for the essay before it is written. In any case, it’s better to think it over initially, while you are writing an essay plan, rather than writing it!

Paragraph 4. Your counterarguments

The essence of this paragraph is to explain why you do not agree with the opposite opinion. You can start a paragraph, for example, with a sentence:

I cannot agree with this opinion because ...
I am afraid I cannot agree with this idea because ...
“I am afraid” sounds a bit strange, but not “I” I'm afraid, but it’s better not to shorten it, because you can pay with precious points for this.

ATTENTION: if you gave two arguments in the previous paragraph, then you must refute both of them. You can distinguish them with the following phrases:

As for ...,
Speaking about ...,
As far as ... is concerned,

Tip: When refuting opposing arguments, it is best to propose ways to solve them, rather than prove their incapacity. For example, if someone believes that pets are dangerous, then it is not necessary to say that they are, in fact, harmless. It is better to turn this drawback into dignity, saying that they are excellent guards in country houses.

Paragraph 5. Conclusion

The most common mistake of many students: in conclusion, they simply express their opinion. This is not enough. After all, the conclusion applies to the whole essay, and not just to the second paragraph.

Thus, in conclusion, we must summarize everything that was mentioned in the essay and express our point of view. You can also give your recommendations on the existing problem. Most importantly: there should not be any new information in the conclusion.

In conclusion, ...
To sum up, ...
To conclude, ...

Further, we let the reader understand that there are two points of view on this problem, and despite the opposite point of view, we still adhere to our own. For example, you can do this according to the following scheme:

Despite the fact that ..., I am convinced that ...
Taking into consideration different opinions on this issue, I believe that ...

Essay language design

After you have written an exam in English, be sure to review it again for possible errors. From my experience of the most common mistakes, I advise you to pay attention to the following things.

Writing an essay in English is a standard exam test. It is for this work that the most points are awarded, because the task itself is not easy. Even in their native language, not everyone will be able to correctly and consistently express their thoughts on a particular topic. What can I say, if you have to do it in English.

So what is an essay? An essay is a small essay, the purpose of which is to convey individual impressions and thoughts on a specific issue. It is such a creative task as writing an essay that makes it possible to characterize you as a person, to show your worldview, your knowledge, your potential.

As you already understood, writing a essay in English requires a fairly high level of proficiency in the language. this task can be called creative, you must learn to express your point of view and develop a given thought. This art can be mastered, especially if you follow the plan, which we discuss below. I will give you a couple of very useful tips for writing an essay in English that will help you more than once.

An essay in English should include three semantic parts: introduction, main body and conclusion.

Introduction

In the introduction, you should clearly indicate the key topic-problem, which you will discuss further. That is, to begin with, you must tell the topic of the essay, paraphrasing it with the help of synonyms for keywords. You must show that you understand and comprehend the topic.

It is also necessary to indicate that there are opposing opinions on this problem, and to indicate which position you take. It is best to use impersonal designs to emphasize objectivity.

The introduction may contain some commentary on the topic. This may be the definition of a key concept or your explanation of how you understand the topic. You can list exactly which aspects of the topic you will consider and why.

So, a correctly composed introduction should give a clear idea of \u200b\u200bwhat the main part will be discussed. To formulate it beautifully and correctly, use the following phrases that indicate the direction of your thoughts:

Now I would like to express my point of view on the problem of ... - Now, I would like to express my opinion on ...
This essay deals with ... - This essay reviews ...
This essay will examine ... - This essay explores ...
This essay will analyse ... - This essay will analyze ...
Many people think ... but others do not agree - Many people think that ... but others disagree.
Let us consider what the advantages and disadvantages of ... are - Consider what are the advantages and disadvantages ...
Let’s consider some pros and cons of it - Let's look at some of the pros and cons of (this)
Let us start by considering the facts - Let's start by considering the facts
Let us start by considering pros and cons of it - Let's start by considering the pros and cons (of this)
It is generally agreed today that ... - Today it is generally accepted that ...

You can also use expressions that define your work plan:

The essay is divided into three main sections - The essay is divided into three main parts
The third part compares ... - The third part compares ...
Finally, some conclusions will be drawn as to ... - In conclusion, certain conclusions will be made about ...

Main part

In the main part, you should also give several opposing opinions that diverge from your personal opinion, and tell you why you do not agree with them. Everything should be reasoned and supported by examples.

All information in the main part should be logically separated (i.e. the text is divided into paragraphs). You must think carefully about the design of your essay and correctly conclude the main part.

The following phrases can be used in the main part when reflecting on a problem and arguing your point of view:

To begin with ... - Let's start with the fact that ...
You can ... - You can ...
Firstly, ... / Secondly, ... / Finally, ... - First, ... / Second, ... / Finally, ...
The first thing that needs to be said is ... - First of all, it should be said that ...
One argument in support of ... - One of the arguments in support ...
One should note here that ... - It should be noted here that ...
First and foremost ... - First of all ...
It is often said that ... - It is often said that ...
It is true that ... / clear that ... / noticeable that ... - It is true that ... / It is clear that ... / It is noteworthy that ...
The second reason for ... - The second reason ...
Another good thing about ... is that ... - Another positive point ... is that ...
For the great majority of people ... - For the vast majority of people ...
We live in a world in which ... - We live in a world in which ...
It is a well-known fact that ... - It is well known that ...
It is undeniable that ... - There is no denying that ...
A number of key issues arise from the statement. For instance, ... - This statement raises a number of key issues. For example, …
First of all, let us try to understand ... - First of all, let's try to understand ...
One of the most striking features of this problem is ... - One of the most striking aspects of this problem ...
What is more, ... - Moreover, ...
The public in general tend to believe that ... - The general public is inclined to believe that ...
Besides, ... because it is ... - Besides, ... because ...
Doubtless, ... - Undoubtedly, ...
It is (very) clear from these observations that ... - From these observations (absolutely) it is clear that ...
One cannot deny that ... - There is no denying that ...
Another way of looking at this question is to ... - To look at this problem from a different perspective, one must ...
On the other hand, we can observe that ... - On the other hand, we can observe that ...
If on the one hand it can be said that ... the same is not true for ... - And if, on the one hand, we can say that ..., the same cannot be said about ...
The other side of the coin is, however, that ... - However, on the other hand, ...
One should, however, not forget that ... - Nevertheless, we should not forget that ...
One should, nevertheless, consider the problem from another angle - However, you should look at this problem from a different angle.
On the other hand, ... - On the other hand, ...
Although ... - Although ...
Besides, ... - Besides, ...
Moreover, ... - Moreover, ...
Nevertheless, one should accept that ... - Nevertheless, it should be recognized that ...
Furthermore, one should not forget that ... - In addition, we should not forget that ...
In addition to ... - Besides that ...
However, we also agree that ... - However, we also agree that ...

Personal Expression Phrases:

In my opinion this subject is very controversial - In my opinion, this issue is controversial
In my view ... - In my opinion, ...
To my mind ... - In my opinion, ...
To my way of thinking ... - In my opinion, ...
Personally I believe that ... - Personally, I believe that ...
I feel strongly that ... - I strongly believe that ...
It seems to me that ... - It seems to me that ...
As far as I am concerned ... - As for me, ...

You can reinforce your opinion with the opinion of some experts:

Experts believe that ... - Experts believe that ...
... say that ... - ... they say that ...
... suggest that ... - ... suggest that ...
... are convinced that ... - ... are convinced that ...
... point out that ... - ... note that ...
... emphasize that ... - ... emphasize that ...
Perhaps we should also point out the fact that ... - Perhaps we should also note the fact that ...
According to some experts ... - According to some experts, ...
One must admit that ... - I must admit that ...
It would be unfair not to mention that fact that ... - It would be unfair not to mention the fact that ...
Which seems to confirm the idea that ... - Which, apparently, confirms the idea (that) that ...
We cannot ignore the fact that ... - We cannot ignore the fact that ...
From these facts, one may conclude that ... - From these facts, we can conclude (about) that ...
One cannot possibly accept the fact that ... - It's hard to come to terms with the fact that ...
The most common argument against this is that ... - The most common argument against this is that ...
Thus, ... / Therefore, ... - Thus, ... / Therefore ...

Conclusion

Conclusion is the final part of your essay. In conclusion, you must summarize the considerations expressed, that is, draw a conclusion and confirm your point of view. Depending on the topic of the essay, it may be appropriate to give a solid or streamlined answer to the question posed by the topic. Or, you can clarify the prospects and consequences of a given problem.

In conclusion, you should express your opinion, which is supported by the arguments discussed earlier. In conclusion, it is usually appropriate to list the main ideas of the essay. In this case, you need to turn to the introduction and draw parallels. But do not repeat word for word, use a different wording.

In conclusion, there may be a question leading to further reflection, a quote, a striking, spectacular image (of course, if appropriate). Alternatively, in conclusion, you can offer a solution to the problem under discussion, make a forecast of the results or consequences, call for action.

Conclusion is the most important part of the essay. After all, it is in the conclusion that all the value of your work is concluded, where you summarize your reasoning. In it, you demonstrate how seriously you have come to consider a given topic and how much you are generally able to reason and draw conclusions on your own.

Special phrases will help you, which will help you to consistently state your thoughts:

In conclusion ... - In conclusion ...
On the whole ... - In general ...
To conclude ... - In conclusion ...
To sum up ... - That way ...
All in all ... - In general ...
All things considered ... - Given all the circumstances ...
Finally ... - Ultimately ... (In conclusion ...)
Lastly ... - In conclusion ...
In conclusion, I can say that although ... - In conclusion, I can say that, although ...
Taking everything into consideration ... - Taking everything into account ...
Taking everything into account ... - Taking everything into account ...
So it’s up to everybody to decide whether ... or not - So everyone must decide for themselves ... whether ... or not
The arguments we have presented ... suggest that ... / prove that ... / would indicate that ... - The arguments we have presented ... suggest that ... / prove that ... / indicate that ...
To draw the conclusion, one can say that ... - To summarize, we can say that ...
From these arguments one must ... / could ... / might ... conclude that ... - Based on these arguments, it is necessary ... / you can ... / you could ... come to the conclusion that ...

If you have already written the main part of the essay, then drawing up a conclusion should not be difficult. At the same time, I would like to list the most gross errors that simply cannot be allowed in the conclusion of the essay:

1. In conclusion, completely new ideas cannot be put forward. This is simply not logical. If they are really important, they should be included in the main body.

2. Never use an exonerative tone. You must be confident in your statements. Do not use phrases like:

I may not be an expert - I may not be an expert
At least this is my opinion - At least I think so

3. Do not focus on too small and insignificant details. Your task is to take stock and draw conclusions.

4. In no case can not refute the significance of the previous arguments from the main part.

Volume of sections

The volume of each section may vary depending on the task and the topic of the essay. In any case, at least half of your essay should be the main part. The following relationship can serve as a general idea of \u200b\u200bthe volume of each section:

Introduction - 10 - 25% of the total
The main part - 50 - 80% of the total
Conclusion - 10 - 25% of the total

Useful Introductory Phrases

Moreover ... - Moreover ...
Most of all ... - Most of all ...
It is important to note that ... - It is important to note that ...
It is important to remember that ... - It is important to remember that ...
An important point is that ... - The important thing is that ...
At the moment, ... - At the moment, ...
In conclusion, ... - In conclusion, ...
After all, ... - In the end, ...
In any case, ... / Anyway, ... / Either way, ... - In any case, ...
Actually, ... - Actually, ...
Firstly, ... - Firstly, ...
Instead of ... - Instead of ...
In the first place, ... - First of all, ...
From time to time, ... - From time to time, ...
As a result of ... - As a result ...
Indeed, ... - Indeed, ...
In order to ... - In order to ...
I must admit, ... - I must admit ...
In other words, ... - In other words, ...
It makes sense (to) ... - It makes sense ...
It seems that ... - It seems (what) ...
In short, ... / In a nutshell, ... - In short, ... / In short, ...
Besides, ... - Besides, ...
Luckily, ... / Fortunately, ... - Fortunately ...
Unfortunately, ... - Unfortunately, ...
In addition, ... - Besides, ...
By the way, ... - By the way, ... / By the way, ...
I should ... / I had better ... - I should ...
It may seem that ... - It may seem that ...
Finally, ... - Finally, ...
In fact, ... / Actually, ... - Actually, ...
As far as I know, ... - As far as I know ...
As far as I can judge, ... - As far as I can judge, ...
It doesn’t matter that ... - No matter what ...
It is not surprising that ... / It is no great surprise that ... - No wonder that ...
But other than that, ... - But other than that ...
However, ... - However, ... / Nevertheless, ...
It turned out that ... - It turned out that ...
Frankly speaking, ... / To tell the truth, ... - Frankly, ... / Honestly, ...
In my opinion, ... - In my opinion, ...
To tell the truth, ... - In truth, ...
As a matter of fact, ... - Essentially, ...
First of all, ... / Above all, ... - First of all, ...
It is self-evident that ... - It goes without saying that ...
It goes without saying that ... - It goes without saying that ...
It should be noted that ... - It should be noted that ...
I advise you (to) ... - I advise you ...
On the one hand, ..., on the other hand, ... - On the one hand, ..., on the other hand, ...
Also, ... - Also ...
As well as ... - As well as ...
Meanwhile, ... / Meantime, ... - Meanwhile, ...
It is well known that ... - It is well known that ...
As for ... / Concerning ... - As for ...
It can mean, that ... - It could mean that ...
I would rather ... - I would rather ...
I would like to ... - I would like to ...
I think, ... / I believe, ... / I guess, ... - I think ... / I suppose ... / I believe ...

In order not to worry about the clarity of your essay, you must have a clear plan and a deep understanding of the material. Try to use simple phrases, without abstruse expressions. So you can avoid a lot of mistakes in English. Without abusing complex expressions, you should also avoid abbreviations or slang.

Remember the difference between writing and speaking. Use as many adjectives and adverbs as possible to make your essay colorful and expressive. In general, you should clearly and clearly state the main ideas and problems of your essay so that the reader can follow the course of your thoughts without being distracted by unnecessary reasoning.

Ideally, you should strive for a complete absence of grammar and spelling errors. General structure, paragraphing, punctuation - everything must be done correctly in order to help the reader to penetrate your reasoning. Here are some tips for writing an essay:

1. Use an academic writing style

Avoid very categorical judgments and generalizations.
If possible, avoid personal pronouns.
Prove what you have said with quotes and source data.
Maintain gender equality: when it comes to abstract personality, use person instead of man. It is also better to use the pronoun they instead of he or she.
Try to use phrases that are based on a noun rather than a verb. For example, instead of “Crime was increasing rapidly and the police were becoming concerned”, write “The rapid increase in crime was causing concern among the police”.

2. Do not use conversational elements

Instead of abbreviations don’t, they’re, it’s etc. always use the full form
Eliminate slang and colloquial expressions. For example: kid, a lot of / lots of, cool.
Do not deviate from the topic.
Instead of phrasal verbs (get away with, get off, put in) use single-word synonyms.
Avoid too general words (all, get, thing). Express yourself precisely and concretely.
Do not abuse exclamation marks, brackets, avoid direct questions.

3. Strive to give the text objectivity

The use of impersonal constructions is welcomed (It is believed that., It can be argued that ...).
Use a passive voice if you do not need to specify an executor (Experiment had been conducted).
Use non-categorical verbs (suggest, claim, suppose).
To avoid personal judgments, but to show their attitude to the issue, you can use adverbs: apparently, ideally, arguably, unexpectedly, strangely.
To soften categorization, use the modal verbs could, would, may, might.
To avoid generalizations, use qualifying adverbs: some, a minority of, several, many, a few.

4. Text connectivity

That your essay would be pleasantly read, except that the thoughts in it should be expressed consistently, the transition from one thought to another should be smooth, one should flow from the other. You must keep the text connected and guide the reader. The introductory and related phrases discussed above will help you with this. they can perform various functions. For example:

contrast: but, however, on the contrary, on the other hand, yet
example: for example, that is
reason: therefore, so, as a result, consequently, this results in, this leads to
addition: similarly, as well as, furthermore, moreover, in addition
listing: then, next, after that, finally, ultimately
conclusion: therefore, thus, consequently, as a result

When writing an essay in English, do not “pour more water” for the volume. A lot of unnecessary information will be a big drawback of your essay.

Hello my dear readers.

If you are sure to write great essays - forget about it!

Okay, it’s somehow rude. But in reality it turns out to be true. All of us - Russian-speaking people - write essays in Russian well, but if it comes to an essay in English for the USE, then we have problems (to put it mildly). The thing is that we do not follow their rules and structure, but we should ...

Therefore, today we will learn how to write an essay correctly, what requirements to obey, and I will also give you ready-made essays so that you can clearly see how they should look.

For high-quality preparation for the exam you need to use fitness equipmentthat bring you as close as possible to the exam situation. You can use a similar simulator here . Train and score 100 points!

What is an essay and its types

Let's start with the main question. It is probably already obvious that an essay is a kind of essay on a certain topic. But it’s not so simple. The first thing you need to clearly understand is the difference between the two types of essays. These include works personal opinion, as well as compositions of the pros and cons. And here you must know the difference between them by heart.

Essay Requirements

The main requirement for this task in 2017 is the volume of words. Alas, you are limited to 180-275 words. In addition, your essay should be grammatically correct, and vocabulary, of course, should correspond to the level of the language. I do not recommend using words from the Elementary level when you are trying to pass the exam.

Also, a very important element in assessing the quality of a written work is its style. Yes, usually we are not very attentive to this aspect. In our country, the richer and more informal the language you use, the better. But the British love a clear structure, so I’m not just advising you, but even forbid anything other than a formal writing style!

Plan essay

Plans for different types of essays are also different.

Essay Plan Pros and Cons

For pros-versus essays, the following structure is usually used:

Introduction

Start with a clear expression of the existing problem, as well as a sentence that expresses duality.

Arguments for".

Decide on the pros. Express them clearly and, most importantly, do not forget that they are still related to the problem.

Arguments against".

Decide on the arguments against. You can even combine them with the previous paragraph. The main thing is that your thoughts are clearly defined and reasoned.

Conclusion

In conclusion, clearly and concisely summarize what has been said, but nevertheless repeat the conflicting topic again, expressing some hope for its solution.

What I usually recommend to my students is to plan your essay before you write it. The worst mistake is to write at random. Then you will find many errors, as well as a complete discord in thoughts.

Essay Plan Personal Opinion

If you need to express your opinion, the structure of the text will be completely different:

Introduction

In this type of composition, the beginning is identical to the previous one: you just need to identify an exciting question.

Expression of opinion.

Here you express your point of view and give several arguments why you consider it true. Do not waste all your arguments on this part. One or two will come in handy in the future. Here you can give 2-3 arguments.

Expressing an opinion opposite to yours.

Any point of view has opposing arguments. So imagine them here. Less than two is undesirable to write.

Your counterarguments.

And here already use those couple of arguments that I advised you to save. In this case, 1-2 will be quite enough.

Conclusion

The wordsassistants

The rules of writing an essay are an important stage, but it is equally important to use introductory constructions and expressions that will show your level of language proficiency, as well as dilute boring formal text with neutral phrases. Let's see some translation examples:

People say ... / It is thought ... - They say ...

Firstly ... / Secondly ... - First / second ...

To begin with ... - Starting with ...

In addition to ... - In addition ...

Besides ... - Besides ...

Despite ... - Despite ...

As a result ... - As a result ...

On the one hand ... on the other hand ... - On the one hand ... / On the other hand ...

The problem is / might be / seems to be ... - The problem is / may be / it seems ...

While ... - At that time ...

What is more ... - Moreover ...

Summing up ... - To summarize ...

In conclusion ... - In conclusion ...

Examples

Of course, I could not leave you with anything, and not even give a template or sample how to cope with this task. Read and analyze.

Have domestic appliances improved the quality of our lives?

Nowadays, many people have a great variety of devices at home that are thought to make our life easier. However, they also have some disadvantages. (Remember that you need to start with a clear installation of the problem)

On the one hand (do not forget to use introductory words ) , they definitely reduced the amount of time we spend on doing household chores. Cleaning, for example, has become much easier due to the invention of vacuum cleaner. What is more, washing clothes does not seem to be a big problem anymore. Women do it far more quickly than they used to. In addition, the process of cooking for a big family has become much easier. You can have a microwave as long as multi-cooker to prepare food in an hour insteadof spending the whole evening in the kitchen. (In this type of composition, it’s important to have a clear structure: just write about the advantages, and then just go on to the disadvantages. Or vice versa. But never mix).

However, even though all this equipment was made to save our time, it also encourages people to work more, or spend their free time in front of television or computer. And that does not necessarily makes people happier. They become lazier and in case something happens- they will no longer be able to survive without all these appliances.

Summing up, it must be said that although technology has made the life easier it should not define the quality of our lives. (Do not forget to conclude at the end, but thereby emphasize your point of view).

The structure of the essay, as I said, differs depending on the type. Therefore, I will give you an example with a variety of cliches and the second type.

Is it better to go on holiday with family or friends?

It is usually thought that going on holidays with friends is much better than spending free time with your family. I completely disagree with it. (Similar to the previous comment - do not forget to fix the problem and mention it).

First of all, it is much more economical as parents usually pay for their children so you do not have to spend much of your money. Secondly, it may seem that going on holidays with your parents may be boring, but the reality shows that you can have as much fun with your relatives as you could have with your friends. (We express 2-3 arguments in support of your opinion).

There is also an opinion, that spending time with your friend or without your parents makes you more responsible and confident. It is thought that you learn to live on your own. (Do not forget that it is also necessary to indicate someone else’s opinion opposite to yours).

I cannot agree with this point of view as the adolescence is the process that cannot be fulfilled during your holidays. And sharing time with you family, on the other hand, strengthens your relationship and encourages you to develop core human values. (We contrast the new arguments against the counterarguments that you received).

So whether there is a question who to spend your vacation with, make sure that it will be spent with those who love you most- your family. (And, in the end, do not forget to make the right conclusion, affirming your opinion).

Common mistakes

Of course, no mistakes anywhere. But there are errors typical for almost 50% of students who pass the exam. Therefore, I want to highlight those for which I will be ashamed:

Forget about the structure. Use informal words, phrasal verbs or simply inappropriate vocabulary in style and format.
Write abbreviations don’t, haven’t, etc.
Do not use introductory constructions.
Write less or more than the prescribed word limit.
Do not disclose the topic of an essay or “leave” it, hoping that you will be appreciated for writing at least something.
Stupid mistakes in grammar. Better 10 times to check and fix.

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Rather sign up for a free introductory lesson at EnglishDom Online School. There will determine your level language proficiency weaknesseswill pick up most suitable for you a teacher, and you can individually engage through convenient online platform at the best time for you and for a moderate fee.

Well, my good ones, I’m sure that your composition is not worse, and maybe even better. I hope that after today's lesson it will become much easier for you to write, and the word “composition” will move from the category “oh, what a horror” to the category “well, it's wonderful.”))

And in order to improve not only your writing skills, but also all the rest that you will need when submitting a terrifying three-letter look that scares everyone - subscribe to my blog newsletter. There I regularly share useful materials, tips and tricks based on personal experience.

In the meantime, I say goodbye to you.

Until we meet again.

P.S. If you are interested in learning about my experience in passing entrance exams and just reading my thoughts on this topic, then go to my article ""