Useful expressions: Writing essays

1 Introduction:

It is often claimed / said / asserted / stated…

Today we are often confronted with the problem of…

One must ask oneself whether / why / how…

This assertion raises a fundamental question / issue…

We must examine the truth of this…

2 Developing arguments:

a) First(ly)… second(ly)… third(ly)…

On the one hand… on the other hand…

However,…

b) Furthermore,…

In addition,…

Likewise,…

Similarly,…

Moreover,…

It must also be said that…

c) For example…

Take for example…

…, for instance, …

To illustrate this,…

…illustrates this point perfectly.

d) As X said / wrote / claimed…

In the words of X…

To quote X,…

e) It is certainly true / correct…

…as everyone knows.It is difficult to believe…

…seems (un)likely / probable / (im)possible…

f) It is vital / essential to realize / acknowledge / accept…

g) However,… we must not forget that… / there are other issues to consider.

Let us now turn to…

h) On the contrary…

This completely contradicts…

It must be admitted that…

3 Ending the essay

All in all,…

All of these facts lead me to the conclusion…

Summing up, I…

Having outlined the main arguments…

To conclude…

As a result,…