Wouldn't it be great? to know how to write a proper pros and cons essay? Well, if you stay in this video I'm going to show you exactly how to write properly this advantages and disadvantages essay.
So don't go anywhere! Okay, so as you know pros and cons is one of the most popular essays in writing but are we ready to know how to develop the ideas and how to properly write this type of essay? Today I want to show you the different parts that this essay has and of course show you an example on exactly how to write one. So let me just jump right in my computer so I can show you exactly how to do it. Alright so we are ready to begin our pros and cons essay and the first thing we must do is write a list of advantages and disadvantages.
So basically take a piece of paper and a pen and just brainstorm some ideas and some possible pros and cons about the topic given. So let's say for example that the topic is the topic of social media. What you need to do is write two lists and think about possible positive sides. For instance, about social media we can say, well, the possibility of connecting with others, also we have access to information, and finally the factor of creativity.
Now it's time for our disadvantages, so do the same thing. We can think of, for example, the aspect of cyber bullying, perhaps the problem with addiction, and finally privacy. concerns. Right, so now that we have our list of advantages and disadvantages, we need to move on and decide if we are for or against this topic.
It's absolutely crucial that we determine and decide if we are in favor or against the topic. Okay, and we cannot forget, of course, the connectors that we're going to use in this essay to join and connect our ideas. In this video, I'm going to show you right now. a list of possible connectors depending on the aspect or depending on the meaning that you want to express.
So here are some connectors, some useful connectors that you can use in your pros and cons essays. So I really recommend that you take a snapshot and you keep this screenshot for later. So now that we have seen some connectors to use throughout the essay, let me show you some connectors that you can use in the final and conclusion paragraph.
So for instance, you can use some connectors... factors on the left combined with some expressions on the right. For example, you can say, well, on balance, it is my belief that blah, blah, blah.
Or perhaps in the second category, you could say, taking everything into account, I firmly believe that blah, blah, blah. Or maybe you could say, well, all in all, I am inclined to believe that, etc. Again, on the screen, you are able to see different possibilities and different options to be used. in your final conclusion paragraph. So now let's talk about the general structure of our essay.
How many parts does it need to have? Mainly it has three parts, the introduction paragraph, the main body paragraph or paragraphs and the final paragraph which is the conclusion. Let's see each one bit by bit.
Let's begin with the introduction. What we need to do in the introduction paragraph is state the topic, mention the topic without giving our own opinion. I cannot stress this enough.
It's super important not to give our opinion in the first paragraph. We must wait until the end to reveal that, okay? And also try to make a balanced introduction mentioning some positive and negative sides of the topic.
Let me show you what I mean. Here is an example of a first paragraph as an introduction. Let's read it out loud. Social media has become an integral part of our daily routine in this digital era.
Facebook, Twitter and Instagram allow us to easily exchange information with people worldwide. While it offers undeniable benefits, social media also has its drawbacks. What we have done here is mention the topic and give a general introduction, which is the first paragraph or the first two sentences, and also we have included some positive and negative aspects.
which is the last sentence where it says while it offers undeniable benefits social media also has its drawbacks so here we are mentioning good and bad points for this contrast the connector while or where is is a beautiful connector because it establishes very very clearly the contrast between two concepts okay so try to use while or where is to establish this contrast next let's talk about the main body of our our essay, the core of this writing and here is the main body. What we need to do is in the first paragraph, well it's actually the second paragraph because the first paragraph is the introduction, in this second paragraph we are going to list arguments for or arguments in favor of the main topic. Ideally we're going to introduce two arguments and if possible and if we can we could also provide examples or explain the reasons. However, word of caution, it's not always possible because you have a word limit and a time limit and unfortunately sometimes we cannot really develop two arguments in favor plus some examples or reasons, okay? This is totally optional.
What you must do indeed is mention the two arguments in favor. So remember, these were the advantages that you wrote down on your piece of paper while you were doing the brainstorming. session okay you thought about the option of connecting with others also the access of information and finally the factor of creativity so let's take a look because obviously here you have three points and three arguments and perhaps we only need two so you need to choose which of the three arguments are the best ones an example of the main argument paragraph would be firstly connecting with others is one major advantage of social media It enables people to communicate with friends and family across long distances, making communication more accessible than ever before. Furthermore, social media provides access to a plethora of information that would otherwise be challenging to obtain, especially for people living in remote areas. So what we have done here is basically introduce two arguments in favour of social media and we have explained what we mean.
However, we haven't had much time to develop reasons or to give examples that's totally fine all right so the main thing two arguments in favor okay so what is next now is the next paragraph which is still in the main body which is a paragraph to develop our arguments against the topic all right here is exactly the same as the previous one you must mention two arguments against the topic right if possible if you can you can also provide reasons and examples but as I said before is not compulsory. Do you remember the disadvantages you thought before? Okay we thought about cyber bullying, also addiction to screen and finally privacy concerns. So again you have three arguments against so perhaps we need to choose only two.
So let me show you an example of this last paragraph. While there are undeniable benefits to social media there are also significant drawbacks to be considered. One of the most convincing arguments against social media is cyberbullying, since anonymity allows bullies to engage in behavior that they might not otherwise engage in face-to-face interactions, with devastating consequences for victims. Additionally, excessive use of social media can lead to addiction, not only negatively affecting our productivity, but also our mental health. What we have done here, again, is mentioning two arguments against social media.
against social media. We haven't had much time to develop reasons or to give examples but the ideas or the two arguments are clearly explained. So now we are reaching the end and now it's time for our conclusion, the last paragraph of the essay and in a conclusion we must do two things.
We must summarize what we have previously said and finally, and this is the most important moment, we must give our own opinion clearly. This is the moment Remember, not in the first paragraph in the introduction, but instead right now in the conclusion. Let me give you another example.
All in all, while social media has its downsides, the benefits it provides cannot be overlooked. On balance, I firmly believe that this powerful tool has become an essential part of our lives and needless to say that it will continue to play a significant role in our society for years to come. What we have done here is basically summarize everything we have said before and we have openly given our opinion and as you can see the sentence that begins on balance I firmly believe that that is the sentence that shows that this is your personal opinion that you haven't given before.
Now let's recap very very quickly the three parts of our essay. Remember at the beginning we begin with the introduction where we're going to state the topic without giving a person opinion and also if possible we must or we should mention something positive and negative about the main topic. Then we move on to the main body of the essay which has two parts the arguments for and the arguments against ideally two in each category.
Finally we reach the conclusion and in the conclusion we must summarize what we have previously said and give our own personal opinion openly. So now some useful general general tips for every time we write a pros and cons essay. Do not use contractions.
Why? Because contractions are very, very informal and an advantage. And a pros and cons essay is quite formal.
So we don't want contractions of any type. Everything with no contraction. Another thing we mustn't do is use phrasal verbs for the same reason. Phrasal verbs are considered quite informal verbs. So that's why we need to use the equivalent version of these verbs the next tip is do not use emotional words emotional words or strong words such as hate or love okay words that express a lot of feelings and a lot of emotions it makes your essay a little bit too personal and it's just not the right style and also trying to avoid empty words words that do not mean anything words for example such as stuff all right let's try to avoid the those.
And the last tip is because a pros and cons essay is quite formal, we're going to avoid colloquial words as well. Informal words are avoided in this type of text too. Now, if you want to find out more about pros and cons, there is another video in my channel.
I'm going to link it somewhere on the screen where you can get some more ideas and have a look at more examples. So now, if you want to be an expert in writing, make sure you watch my next video where I'm going to show you how to write a proper... opinion essay.
Keep writing and keep excelling. See you soon!