USEFUL PHRASES FOR COMPOSITIONS

1. INTRODUCTION: This is not an easy question. There is not a clear answer. We must look at both sides of the question. First of all I would like to point out that To begin with, At first sight, It is clear that As everybody knows, As far as I know, Nobody will deny that As a matter of fact, It is a fact that There is no doubt that It is a widely held belief that It is generally accepted that ... is by no means uncommon. can be found anywhere. is a usual phenomenon. .. is widespread.

Setting the time: Nowadays, These days, In our times, In modern times, Recently (+Present Perfect) In our society,

2. PROBLEMS: Presenting the problem: Most people are concerned by the fact that The main problem lies in the fact that A variety of dark-side effects can result from .(+ noun phrase) can cause many problems. is the source of serious problems. can lead to a wide range of significant problems. can be blamed for a set of difficulties.

Giving solutions: In order to solve this problem, We can deal with this problem by ..ING. The measures we should take to solve this problem are: . We can eradicate this problem by ..ING. This problem is not unsolvable and we should

3.

EXPRESSING PEOPLES OPINION: Some people commonly say that A wide range of people think that An ever increasing number of people think that A greater and greater percentage of the population think that A growing number of people think that

4.

Others, believe that ... PRESENTING DIFFERENT POINTS OF VIEW ... however, ...

(CONTRAST)

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... nevertheless, ... Although ... Even though ... In spite of (the fact that) ... Despite (the fact that) ... On the one hand, ........ On the other hand ....... In contrast, ... .......... instead. On the contrary, ... Whereas ... Yet, ...

ADDING INFORMATION: and In addition, Furthermore, Moreover, Besides, ..also. as well. too. What is more, . Both . and . Neither nor .. Either . or .. Not only .. but also . *(inversion)

6.

GIVING REASONS TO SUPPORT YOUR ARGUMENT: because Since ... As ... Because of (the fact that) ... Owing to (the fact that) ... Due to (the fact that) ... This is why ... The main reason is (that) .... Another reason is (that) ...

7.

SPEAKING ABOUT CONSEQUENCES: Therefore, ... So, ... so ... that ... such .... that ... As a result, ... As a consequence, ... Consequently, ... For that reason, ... The effects are clear, ...

8.

GIVING EXAMPLES: - ... , for example, ... - ..., for instance, ... - such as ... (+ noun) - like ... (+ noun) - This is highlighted by the fact that ... - An example of this is ... EXPRESING PROS AND CONS:

9.

. has its advantages and disadvantages. can be advantageous, but it is not always a bed of roses. The advantages are: The disadvantages are: ..

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Among the advantages, I would mention . (+ noun) /// ..(the fact that + sentence) Among the disadvantages, I would mention . (+ noun) /// ..(the fact that + sentence) While admitting that . one should not forget that ..

GIVING YOUR OPINION: From my personal point of view, I am absolutely convinced that As I see it, It seems to me that It is my belief that I think / believe that Personally, In my opinion, I I I I I I am for (+ noun or ING) am against (+ noun or ING) agree with .. (+ noun or ING) disagree with .. (+ noun or ING) agree with the fact that ...... (+ sentence) disagree with the fact that ... (+ sentence)

11.

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION: In short, ... On the whole, ... To sum up, ... In brief, ... All in all, ... To summarize, ... Summing up, I would like to say that ... In conclusion we can say that ... Last but not least, ... From that we can conclude that ... The obvious conclusion is that ... Taking everything into account, ... On balance, To conclude, ...

12.

OTHER USEFUL EXPRESSIONS: To make your point clearer: In other words, ... That is to say that... To put it more simply, ... I mean ...

To speak about young people: - Youngsters - Young people - Teenagers - Under-eighteens - Minors - Modern youth (+ singular verb) To speak about adult people: Grownups Middle-aged people Citizens

To speak about old people: The elderly

Retired people The over-sixties People in their twilight years

To speak about the time when an action happens: Before After when While During Until As soon as By the time Since So far, ... Up to now, ...

ING optional when there is a coincidence of subjects.

To sequence a narrative: Firstly, Secondly, Then, After that, Afterwards, Next, Finally, Eventually, In the end, At last,

SAMPLE COMPOSITION TO TRANSLATE: Es una creencia generalizada que la situacin econmica en la actualidad no es buena. Es ms, algunos piensan que nos estamos enfrentando a la peor crisis de los ltimos siglos. Sin embargo, es un fenmeno relativamente comn que puede desembocar en una larga serie de problemas y para solucionarlos debemos actuar inmediatamente. La causa principal de una crisis econmica es difcil de definir. El modelo econmico, las polticas desacertadas de los gobiernos, son algunos ejemplos que podran explicar el problema. Por otro lado, los efectos son claros: los ciudadanos sufren las consecuencias y como no hay dinero, no hay empleo y al no haber empleo no hay crecimiento. En otras palabras, es un crculo vicioso. Aunque admitamos que los mercados internacionales y los gobiernos sean los culpables, no deberamos olvidar que cada persona, jvenes, adultos y ancianos tienen una parte de responsabilidad en los hechos. Teniendo en cuenta todo lo anterior, y para concluir, es obvio que la situacin de la economa actual no es un lecho de rosas pero estoy absolutamente convencido de que debemos mostrarnos optimistas.