On the one hand, ….

on the other hand, …

Useful Phrases for Writing Essays If on the one hand it can be said that... the same is not true for...
The first argument suggests that... whilst the second suggests that...
This list is not exhaustive, but has been designed to give you the There are at least xxx points to highlight.
basic phrases that you can use to structure your essays coherently.
Do not overuse these phrases, and make sure that your essays have Adding elements
plenty of interesting and relevant content. Furthermore, one should not forget that...
In addition to...
A. General Essay Phrases Moreover...
It is important to add that…
Developing the argument
The first aspect to point out is that... Accepting other points of view
Let us start by considering the facts. Nevertheless, one should accept that...
The novel portrays, deals with, revolves around… However, we also agree that...
Central to the novel is…
The character of xxx embodies/ epitomizes… Personal opinion
We/I personally believe that...
Our/My own point of view is that...
The other side of the argument It is my contention that…
It would also be interesting to see... I am convinced that …
One should, nevertheless, consider the problem from another angle. My own opinion is …
Equally relevant to the issue are the questions of...
Others' opinions
Conclusion According to some critics...
The arguments we have presented... suggest that.../ prove that.../ Critics believe that
would indicate that... say that
From these arguments one must.../ could.../ might... conclude that... suggest that
All of this points to the conclusion that... are convinced that
To conclude, … point out that
emphasise that
Ordering elements contend that
Firstly,.../ Secondly,.../ Finally,... (note the comma after all these go as far as to say that
introductory words.) argue for this
As a final point, …

1
Introducing examples Moderating, agreeing, disagreeing
For example, … By and large...
For instance, … Perhaps we should also point out the fact that...
To illustrate this point... It would be unfair not to mention that fact that...
One must admit that...
Introducing facts We cannot ignore the fact that...
It is... true that.../ clear that.../ noticeable that... One cannot possibly accept the fact that...
One should note here that...
Consequences
Saying what you think is true From these facts, one may conclude that...
This leads us to believe that... That is why, in our opinion, ...
It is very possible that... Which seems to confirm the idea that...
In view of these facts, it is quite likely that... Thus,.../ Therefore,...

Certainty Comparison
Doubtless,... Some critics suggest..., whereas others...
One cannot deny that... Compared to...
It is (very) clear from these observations that... On the one hand there is the firm belief that... On the other hand,
many people are convinced that...
Doubt
All the same, it is possible that...
It is difficult to believe that... B. Phrases For Balanced Arguments

Accepting other points to certain degree Introduction

One can agree up to a certain point with... It is often said that...
Certainly,... However,... It is undeniable that...
It cannot be denied that... It is a well-known fact that...
One of the most striking features of this text is...
Emphasising particular points
Thesis
The last example highlights that fact that...
Not only... but also... The first thing that needs to be said is...
We would even go so far as to say that... First of all, let us try to analyse...
One argument in support of...
We must distinguish carefully between...
The second reason for...
2
An important aspect of the text is... was thrown by him" (passive voice). As you can see, passive
It is worth stating at this point that... voice is wordier and less direct.

Antithesis Sentence variety

On the other hand, we can observe that... Make sure there's some variety in the length and types of
The other side of the coin is, however, that... your sentences. Work at occasionally opening a sentence with
Another way of looking at this question is to... something other than the subject. Student writers often tend to write
strings of short, simple sentences. This makes the paper choppy and
Conclusion makes the ideas sound simpleminded. If choppy sentences are a
What conclusions can be drawn from all this? problem, combine some of them into longer and more complex
The most satisfactory conclusion that we can come to is... sentences.
To sum up... we are convinced that.../ ...we believe that.../ ...we
have to accept that...

C. Remarks
Verbs
The quickest way to improve your writing is by paying
attention to verbs.

 English is a language rich in verbs, so the use of vague verbs or

long verb phrases is unnecessary. Simply converting "takes a
look at" to "examines," "talks about in detail" to "analyzes," etc.
will make a difference in your prose.
 Weak action verbs (such as do, get, have, go, make, say, etc.)
can often be replaced by stronger ones ("has," for example, can
be replaced by words like "displays," "exemplifies,"
"demonstrates," etc.).
 Weak action verbs paired with an adverb can usually be treated
similarly ("talk heatedly," for instance, becomes "argue"), as
can those paired with a noun ("make an argument" becomes
"argue," "give an explanation" becomes "explain," etc.).
 And as much as possible, make sure your verbs are in the active
voice: "He threw the ball" (active voice) rather than "The ball