Advantage / Disadvantage Paragraph

In this part, we are going to learn how to write an advantage or a

disadvantage paragraph. Most topics and issues have advantages and
disadvantages. Writing a paragraph about the advantages and
disadvantages of an issue requires an organized outline. When you write a
paragraph about advantages and disadvantages, remember that you are
not persuading the audience but simply giving information.

LEARNING ACTIVITY: Read this paragraph from a school

newspaper. Does the paragraph discuss advantages or
disadvantages? How many topics does this paragraph have?
Both studying abroad and studying in your own country have definite
benefits for a student. First of all, living in another country can be an
exciting experience because everything seems new and different. The
challenge of living in a new environment can give you courage and selfconfidence, too. If you want to learn another language, living abroad is a
great way to do that because you can read magazines or newspapers,
watch television programs, or make friends with people who are native
speakers. Another good reason to live abroad is to learn more about
another culture. On the other hand, there are also advantages of staying in
your own country to study. To begin with, it is cheaper than living abroad,
so you can save more money. Also, in your home country, everything is
familiar. You dont need to worry about taking classes in a foreign
language, and you can understand the culture and the expectations of
teachers. Finally, if you stay in your own country, you can be close to your
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family and friends. So, if you are thinking about where to study, consider
all of these benefits and make a decision that is right for you.

EXERCISE 1: Read the paragraph again. List the supporting points

for each topic.
Studying abroad

Studying in your own

country

EXERCISE 2: Separate these ideas into advantages (A) and

disadvantages (D).
Studying English
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
i.
j.

______ takes a lot of time

______ classes are fun
______ grammar is difficult.
______ useful for talking to people from other countries.
______ good for using the Internet.
______ lots of vocabulary to learn.
______ too many tests to take
______ helps to understand English- language movies
______ my friends like English
______ pronunciation is difficult

EXERCISE 3: Try to find some supporting ideas for the topics given
below.

Advantages of Internet
Intenet

Disadvantages of

makes life easier

e - commerce

bad for children

viruses

EXERCISE 4:
Read the list of ideas below. Separate these ideas in two categories;
ideas related to the City Life (CI) and ideas related to the Country
Life (CO). Then put the ideas in the correct spaces in the diagram.

____ modern books and

computers
____ many clubs and
restaurants
____ boring
____ not much crime
____ sleep at 9 pm
____ lots of opportunities for
education
____can walk alone at night
____fun
cannot be alone at night

____ city is active all day

and night
____ safe
____ many universities
____ a lot of crime
____ old books and not
enough computers
____ few opportunities for
education
____ no university
____not many clubs or
restaurants
____theft

C ity L ife

Lots of
opportunities for
education

Fun

A lot of crime

Country
Life

Boring

Few
opportunities
for education

Safe

! USEFUL PHRASES AND LINKING WORDS !

A) To list points:
Firstly, First of all, In the first
place, To begin/start with,
Secondly, Thirdly, Finally
To list advantages:
One / Another / A further / An
additional (major) advantage of
is ..
The main/ greatest / first
advantage of is
To list disadvantages:

One / Another / A further / An

additional (major) disadvantage/
drawback of .. is
The main/ greatest / most
serious / first disadvantage/
drawback of . Is
Another negative aspect of .. is

B) To add more points to the

same topic:
What is more / Furthermore /
Also / In addition to this /
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Moreover/ Besides / Apart from

this
To introduce example:

In particular .
To conclude:
To sum up / All in all /

For example / For instance

Especially

All things considered / In

conclusion

Such as

Taking everything into account

EXERCISE 1: Fill in the gaps using words from the table A.

1. One major _______________________ of using public transport is that it
can get very crowded during busy periods.
2. Another negative ____________________ of keeping pets is that
veterinary bills can be extremely expensive.
3. A ____________________ advantage of owning a mobile phone is that
one can contact people all around the world.
4. Another _________________ aspect of begin famous is that it is really
difficult for famous people to make friends.
5. For many people, living in the country can be an enjoyable and
rewarding experience, but the truth is very different. There are many
___________________ of living in the country. ___________________, you
cant get a job because there is no economic activity except for
agriculture. _______________________, living in the country is boring
because there is nothing to do in the country. There is no cinema,
theatre, disco, pub, etc. Thirdly, there are not many shops where
you can buy everything you want. _________________, it is very
difficult to find schools at every level; even if you manage to find a
school, the quality of education is generally lower than the level in
cities.
EXERCISE 2: Fill in the blanks with the transition signals below.
such as

to begin with

moreover

in addition

to sum up
.

an example

for instance

There are some advantages of living in Istanbul. _______________ , you can

never get bored in this city. _________________, there are a lot of places for
entertainment such as night clubs, discos or theatres. ___________ ,
Istanbul provides very high quality education. _________________ is Bogazici
University, which is one of the best in the continent and it is recognized
worldwide. ________________, living in Istanbul helps people expand their
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knowledge about history and culture. There are a lot of historical places
that belong to different civilizations, cultures or historical periods,
______________ Dolmabahce, St Sophia, Topkap Palace. ______________ ,
living in Istanbul is a privilege.
EXERCISE 3: Rewrite the paragraphs using some of the transitions
given in the box.
to sum up

first of all

because

finally

another advantage

for example
E- mail has several advantages over phones and regular mails. It takes
very little time to send and receive messages. From your computer, you
can contact people far away or in the next office and within seconds, they
have your message. If they are at their computer, you can even get a
response immediately. E-mail is a very cheap means of communication.
Without paying even a cent, you can send a message to someone in
another part of the world. E-mail is very convenient. E-mail allows you to
send a single message to many people at the same time. People prefer email to other means of communication due to its advantages.
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EXERCISE 4: Put these sentences in the correct order to form a
well - organized paragraph.
a. In addition, the accommodation may be cheaper because it has
been booked in advance.
b. To sum up, it is a good idea to consult a travel agent when you want
to go on a trip.
c. A complicated tour organized by a travel agent has some
advantages.
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d. First of all, you have a program, which gives you definite departure
and arrival.
e. Finally, you spend less time worrying about where you are going to
stay.
EXERCISE 5: Write a paragraph about Blake College with the
information provided.
Topic Sentence: There are three main advantages of studying at Blake
College.
1. Beautiful campus
a. building: (location, modern classroom, technology, computer lab.)
b. green environment: (trees, grass)
2. Social activities
a. festivals, organizations (films, concerts, dance)
b. student clubs (photography, music, theatre, job)
3. Good education
a. interesting classes
b. experienced professors
Concluding Sentence: Every year more and more students are attending
Blake College.
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EXERCISE 6: Choose one of the topics below. Think carefully and
organize your ideas for your topic before you start writing.

The advantages / disadvantages of being famous

The advantages / disadvantages of Internet
The advantages of learning English.
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A) List your supporting ideas.

TOPIC: _____________________________

B) Write a paragraph.

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