410 2010

Essays on Advantages and Disadvantages

I. Topic Sentences
Exercise 1 Read the Iollowing essay about living abroad and Iill in the topic sentences given
below:
a) One of the main advantages of living in a foreign country is that people can enoy
!etter financial opportunities.
!) To sum up" even though living in a strange place may !e hard at first" in time one can
adust to it.
c) On the other hand" it may !e difficult for people to adapt to their ne# surroundings.
d) As #e $no#" today there are a!out six !illion people in the #orld.
Advantages and disadvantages of living a!road
1 All oI them live in diIIerent countries and have diverse
cultures. Some countries have become well developed, while others haven`t as yet. For this
reason, some people want to go to well-developed Ioreign countries to live more comIortably
and earn more money. Living in a Ioreign country has many advantages, but it also has some
disadvantages.
2 For example, they may get a good job and a high salary so
they can buy what they want and have a better liIestyle. For example, they may beneIit Irom
well-developed education and health systems. Moreover, one is given the chance to learn and
become Iluent in another language through everyday use. For instance, people can participate
in lots oI social activities thus improving their communicative skills. Finally, they become
more independent by having to deal with diIIicult situations on their own.
3. II they live alone, they miss their Iamilies and countries.
Sometimes they may Ieel isolated, Irustrated, and lonely. In addition, iI someone can`t speak
the language yet, he or she may Iace communication problems. What is more, there is
discrimination in some countries. Foreigners aren`t easily accepted in these places.
4. In my opinion, iI a person has an opportunity to go to a well-
developed Ioreign country, he or she should beneIit Irom this opportunity Ior his or her Iuture.
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Exercise % Look at the outline oI the essay you have just read. The arguments in the two
paragraphs have been messed up. Put them in the right order.
Introduction people choose where to live; living abroad has advantages and disadvantages
&ody
'aragraph I ( Advantages
Argument 1 - better Iinancial opportunities; example jobs, education and health care
Argument 2 - Ioreign language problems; example diIIicult to communicate
Argument 3 discrimination; example - Ioreigners not easily accepted
'aragraph II ( Disadvantages
Argument 1 getting used to the new country; example living alone
Argument 2 learning a Ioreign language; example social liIe; communication
Argument 3 - becoming independent; example coping with diIIicult situations
)onclusion Summing up and expressing a personal opinion
Exercise * Write down the linking words and phrases used in the sample essay.
II. Supporting statements
The sentences which Iollow the topic sentence are called supporting statements. They are
used to support the topic sentence by giving additional inIormation. There must be a strong
link between the topic sentence and the supporting statement.
Exercise + Parts oI the Iollowing text have been removed Irom the article. As you read the
article, choose which extract (1-4) Iits each gap.
,irtually no life at all
The Internet was born to almost universal acclaim, but it has a dark side, too.
A
We are in danger oI creating a generation oI Internet introverts, who can only interact with
others when they are sitting behind a computer screen.
B
Parents need to take a positive action to stop the growth oI this new social phenomenon.
C
The Internet is an artiIicial world.
D
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Extracts
1) They do everything on-line: they write on-line, they order books and pizzas on-line, they
view the world Irom on-line.
2) It is a world without touch, which ignores years oI social evolution. We need to ensure that
it is not the only world that our children grow up in. Otherwise, our children may end up
preIerring it to the real, more loving but more Irightening world outside.
3) This concerns the eIIect on people who spend twelve hours on-line, isolated Irom other
people, Irom social Iunctions, Irom the breeze oI a spring day, or the touch oI someone`s
hand.
4) They should set limits on the amount oI time they allow their children to play on
computers. They should Iind time to spend with their children doing other real activities.
Exercise -
.oo$ at the follo#ing points. /ive examples to support the advantages and
disadvantages of traveling !y !icycle.
e.g. Traveling by bicycle is environmentally Iriendly because you do not have to use petrol
and a bicycle does not produce pollution.
Advantages
Environmentally Iriendly
Good exercise
Quick in heavy traIIic
Disadvantages
Dangerous
Does not protect Irom weather
Not good Ior long trips
III. )onsolidation
Tas$ 1
0ill in the !lan$s #ith one of the follo#ing #ords and phrases. Do not use the same
expression t#ice.
First oI all/Firstly/Second/Secondly/Third/Thirdly/Finally
In addition/Moreover/Furthermore/What is more
So/As a result/ThereIore
However/On the other hand/In contrast
In conclusion/To sum up/On the whole
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Advantages and Disadvantages of .iving in the )ountry
Living in the country is oIten the secret dream oI certain city-dwellers. .....(1), in reality
it has its advantages and disadvantages.
There are many advantages to living in the country. ......(2), one is much closer to
nature and can enjoy more peace and quiet. .....(3), liIe in the country is much slower
and people tend to be more open and Iriendly. A Iurther advantage is that there is much less
traIIic, and as a result it is a much saIer place to bring up children.
.......(4), there are certain drawbacks to liIe outside the city. .......(5),
because there are Iewer people, one has a smaller number oI Iriends. ......(6),
entertainment, particularly in the evening, is diIIicult to Iind. Furthermore, the Iact that there
are Iewer shops and services oIten means that there are Iewer employment opportunities.
.....(7), one may have to travel long distances to work elsewhere, and this can be
extremely expensive.
....(8), it can be seen that the country is more suitable Ior some than others. ...(9),
it is oIten the best place Ior those who are retired or who have young children. .....(10),
young, single people who are Iollowing a career and who want some excitement are better
provided Ior by liIe in the city.
Tas$ %1 )omment on the essay" ans#ering the 2uestions !elo#. )ompare your ans#ers
#ith the ans#ers of your colleagues.
1. Does the essay include all the points asked Ior in the question?
2. Does each paragraph have one clear topic?
3. Does each paragraph have a clear topic sentence (TS)?
4. Does the writer use linking words and phrases to make the meaning clear?
5. Does the introduction give the reader an overall idea oI the essay?
6. Does the conclusion summarise the whole essay and make a personal comment?
Tas$ *1 3rite a !rief summary of each paragraph in the spaces !elo#1
Introduction:
Paragraph I: Topic Sentence:
1.
2.
3.
Paragraph II: Topic Sentence:
1.
2.
3.
Conclusion:
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Tas$ +1 4sing the ideas !elo# #rite an outline of an essay titled.
Advantages and Disadvantages of 3atching Television
Ideas1 good compamy5 !ad for the eyes5 can !e educational5 stops people from tal$ing to
each other5 cheap5 ma$es reading less attractive5 good for old people living alone5 !ad
for the sports industry
Advantages
1. Example1
%. Example1
*. Example1
Disadvantages
1. Example1
%. Example1
*. Example1
Tas$ -1 3rite your essay on advantages and disadvantages of #atching television
6a$e sure that it has an introduction" a paragraph on advantages" a paragraph on
disadvantages and a conclusion.
7aving #ritten your essay" please use the follo#ing chec$list1
8es 9o
1. The essay consists oI 4 paragraphs
2. The introduction states clearly what the essay will be about
3. There is a Topic Sentence introducing Paragraph 1 oI the Body
4. There are three advantages in the paragraph on advantages
5. There is an example Ior each advantage
6. There is a Topic Sentence introducing Paragraph 2 oI the Body
7. There are three disadvantages in the paragraph on the disadvantages
8. There is an example Ior each disadvantage
9. The conclusion summarises the main points and makes a personal comment
10. There are linking words/phrases
11. Each sentence has the Iollowing word order: Subject Verb Object
Tas$ :1 ;ead at least t#o essays on the same topic #ritten !y your colleagues and
comment on them" using the chec$list a!ove.