Arguing and Persuading OG Theory

Arguing and Persuading [Paterson, K. (2013). Oxford Grammar for EAP.
OUP: Oxford]
For clarity, use signposting or sequencing language
first, first of all, in the second part, next, finally, lastly, in conclusion
to start with / begin, to move on to, to follow, to finish, to conclude
Thesis statement
- You need to make your opinion clear
- You can vary the strength. For tentative thesis statement, use hedging. For a more powerful
thesis statement, apply emphatic strategies.
Some examples:
Hedging Emphatic
can It is vital / essential / critical / important /
should crucial
tend to must
to be (un)likely, etc. have to, etc.
The thesis statement usually includes modal verbs, sometimes with connectors expressing cause and
effect or results.
To show that you are aware of counterarguments, you may include a subordinate clause at the
beginning or within the statement (NOT at the end), introduced by a connector expressing contrast.
Presenting and supporting your arguments

You may begin your argument with factual statements.
Ex. There are several dangers of nationalism such as xenophobia, re-writing the history, and social
unrest.
You may also want to signpost your argument with an introductory phrase.
(One of) the main / principal argument for / against … is (that)…
The first point to be considered / made is (that) …
There is no doubt that …
It is obvious that …
You can introduce further arguments with expressions such as secondly, thirdly, finally and connectors
that express additional information (furthermore, as well as, etc.)
To support you points, you can use
- verbs such as show, demonstrate, exemplify, argue, maintain
- the nouns example and case
An example of this is…
A case in point is…
For example,…
- the nouns statistics, research, studies
Statistics indicate that…
Studies have shown that…
Presenting counterarguments
Introducing counterarguments
To bring in the views of others, you can use
o verbs such as argue, claim, point out, state in Present Perfect or Present Simple, believe,
maintain, contend in Present Simple
o phrases that may include view or opinion
In the view / opinion of Clarkfield, …
In Clarkfield’s view / opinion, …
According to Clarkfield, …
Some people believe that…
Commenting on counterarguments
For that, you can use connectors that express contrast and tentative language that is
appropriate for your meaning.
Ex. While it is difficult to disagree that animal-based experiments have advanced our
understanding of medicine, it is also quite clear that we have not explored alternative methods
of research.
Evaluating counterarguments
To evaluate counterarguments, it is often useful
- to explore their effect, using nouns such as result, consequence, and verbs such as cause, lead
to.
Ex. One consequence of following Prinston’s arguments for tightening the measures against
terrorists in the form of surveillance of people’s private life through phone calls and social
media is the establishment of a police state.
- to make comparisons
Ex. Forster’s arguments are similar to Mitchen’s in that they may underestimate the growing
need for low-cost rental accommodation.
Expressing advantages and disadvantages

- sentence patterns
An advantage of / a disadvantage of + noun / -ing form + is (that) …
An advantage of / a disadvantage of + noun / -ing form + noun phrase
- synonyms for
advantage: benefit of, positive aspect of, point in favour of
disadvantage: negative feature of, drawback to / of, objection to, downside of
- collocations
advantage, benefit: obvious, significant, major, minor
disadvantage, drawback, objection: serious, minor
Instead of an advantage / a disadvantage, you can say one / a further / another / a second advantage /
disadvantage.
Conclusions and Recommendations

Introducing conclusions
o fixed expressions
To conclude, …
In conclusion, …
To sum up, …
To summarise, …
In summary, …
As we have seen, …
o phrases ending in that…
Thus, / On the basis of these arguments, we can / may conclude that… / it can be
concluded that…
Making recommendations
o introductory phrases
It is therefore recommended that…
On the basis of this discussion, it would be advisable (for someone / smth.) to + verb … /
for + noun
It follows that there is a need (for someone / smth.) to + verb / for + noun …
o endings using the passive form
… should / must be done / carried out / put in place.
… is (therefore) recommended / needed.
… could / should be considered.

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Arguing and Persuading [Paterson, K. (2013). Oxford Grammar for EAP.

Presenting and supporting your arguments

Expressing advantages and disadvantages

Conclusions and Recommendations

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