Linking devices

To make contrasting points	although, yet, however, nevertheless, in spite of, but, while, despite, even if, even though, at the same time	Killing endangered species is illegal. However, people will not stop hunting them.
To list points	firstly, in the first place, first of all, to start with, secondly, thirdly, finally	First of all, the government must revise the out-of-date environmental laws, which were written twenty years ago.
To add more points on a topic	what is more, furthermore, also, apart from this/that, in addition to, moreover, besides, too, not to mention the fact that	Furthermore, the city should conduct inspections of zoos.
To list advantages/ disadvantages	one/another/one other/a further/the main /the first/the greatest advantage/ disadvantage of...	The greatest advantage of regular exercise is that it leads to a healthier lifestyle.
To express personal opinion	in my opinion/view, to my mind/way of thinking, personally I believe, it strikes me that, I feel very strongly that, I am inclined to believe that, it seems to me that, as far as I am concerned	In my opinion/view department stores offer a greater selection of clothes than small boutiques.
To refer to other sources	according to, with reference to	According to this report, that brand of sun cream causes irritation to sensitive skin.
To conclude	finally, lastly, above all, all in all, taking everything into account, on the whole, all things considered, in conclusion, as I have said, as was previously stated, to sum up	On the whole, the university offers a wide range of courses and provides modern facilities.
To express cause	because of, owing to, due to, for this reason	Due to the harsh winter, many crops were destroyed.
To express effect	therefore, thus, as a result, consequently, so, as a consequence	As a result many people have lost their jobs.
To emphasise what you say	clearly, obviously, of course, needless to say, in particular	Needless to say, research has proved that eating healthy foods and exercising regularly reduce the risk of heart disease.
To express reality	in fact, actually, as a matter of fact, in practice, the fact of the matter is that	In fact, the report states that most college graduates are interested in pursuing a Master's degree in the future.
To express difference between appearance and reality	on the face of it, at first sight, apparently	At first sight, the building looked safe but after a detailed inspection it was reported to be in need of major structural repairs.
To state an argument against your opinion	it is popularly believed that, people often claim that, contrary to popular belief, it is a fact that, it is often alleged that, people argue that	Contrary to popular belief, the teaching profession is in need of qualified educators.
To state other people's opinions	many people are in favour of/against, some people argue that, a lot of people think/believe	Many people are in favour of/against the mayor's proposal to raise local taxes.
To introduce the other side of the argument	opponents of this view say, however there are people/those who oppose... claim that	Opponents of this view say that increasing the school year will only overwork students.
To express balance	while, on the one hand, on the other hand, whereas	While working for a large company is prestigious, it can be very stressful.
To give examples	for example, for instance	For instance, in the past six months, retailers have reported a 25% drop in sales of electronic equipment.
To refer to what actually happens	in practice, in effect	In practice, consumers spend more money on luxury items.
To make general statements	as a rule, generally, in general, as a general rule, on the whole	As a rule, girls get better exam results than boys.
To make partly correct statements	up to a point, to a certain extent, to some extent, in a way, in a sense	Some companies have tried to create more positions to some extent, considering the high rate of unemployment.
To express limit of knowledge	to the best of my knowledge, for all I know, as far as I know	As far as I know, residents were opposed to the city's plan to build a nuclear power plant in their area.
To rephrase	that is to say, in other words	In other words, they disagree with the manager's decision.
To bring up other points or aspects	as far as ... is concerned, regarding, with regard to, as for	As far as the community is concerned, the area is in need of a new elementary school.
To imply that nothing else needs to be said	anyway, at any rate, in any case	At any rate, a new community centre will greatly benefit the people of the town.
Accepting the situation	as it is, under the circumstances, things being as they are	Under the circumstances, the situation cannot be improved.

Useful Tips for Argumentatives

• use formal style - do not include colloquial English

• do not use short forms

• write well developed paragraphs

• avoid strong feelings (don't say: nobody does this, or it is impossible to disagree with me)

• use generalisations (e.g. people say/believe/consider) but do not use overgeneralisation (e.g. everybody believes that...)

• Do not use strong personal expressions (e.g. I think) -use milder language (e.g. In my opinion, I believe etc)

• use linking words (e.g. therefore, although, however etc)

• use sequencing (e.g. firstly, secondly, lastly)

 

• make reference to other sources (e.g. The government claims that...)

• give examples - not personal thoughts (e.g.products such as aerosols can destroy the environment)

• do not refer blindly to statistics unless you are certain of a source (don't say: Statistics have recently shown that I am right. Which statistics?)

• abandon cliched introductions. Write something more original (don't write: This topic has been important since ancient times. When? Too vague)

• use quotations or paraphrasing of quotations

• use an advanced level of vocabulary