Advanced Vocabulary for English Essays
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Note – It’s important to read plenty of examples of each of these words so that you understand the correct grammar to use with them very clearly.
Some words & phrases may change their grammar depending on where you put them in the sentence.
Check out sentencedict.com for more examples of these words being used.
Phrases to Start
Here, we will start the first body paragraph of an essay where we argue that oil is still important for the world. You can imagine that the plan would look like this:
Question – With the rise of renewable energy, is oil now a useless commodity?
Introduction – Oil still useful for money and reliability.
Body Paragraph 1: Oil still brings in revenue
Body Paragraph 2: Renewable energy not as reliable as oil
Conclusion
By the way, remember that these are just examples – I actually think renewable energy is great! But as you learned in the course… our real opinion isn’t important in an exam essay!
Important – note that in some cases, it is necessary to add ‘that’ to connect the main idea (oil is still an important revenue source for many energy companies) to the introduction sentence.
Vocabulary
[First,] oil is still an important revenue source for many energy companies.
[Firstly,] oil is still an important revenue source for many energy companies.
[A clear starting point is] that oil is still an important revenue source for many energy companies.
[An initial point of concern is] oil is still an important revenue source for many energy companies.
[In order to] understand the importance of oil, we must consider that oil is still an important revenue source for many energy companies.
[The first focus would be] that oil is still an important revenue source for many energy companies.
[The first point to establish is] that oil is still an important revenue source for many energy companies.
[To begin with], oil is still an important revenue source for many energy companies.
[What is immediately clear is] that oil is still an important revenue source for many energy companies.
From the Course
[To begin with], young criminals will face lifelong stigma if they are sent to jail.
[An initial point of concern is] the alarming increase in living costs for the middle and lower economic classes.
[The first focus should be] the use of fossil fuels, which is a key contributor to climate change.
[In order to] understand what is causing global price increases, one must consider the impact of global supply chain disruptions.
[To begin with], fuel shortages are a significant contributor to inflation.
Making Connections
Here, we will introduce a second idea connected to oil and energy (renewable energy sources are still not totally reliable). This will open our second body paragraph.
Notice the different grammar structures in certain sentences, e.g. ‘Coupled with…’. Also notice where I have added ‘the fact that’ to connect the phrase to the idea.
Vocabulary
[A parallel concern is] that renewable energy sources are still not totally reliable.
[A related issue might be] that renewable energy sources are still not totally reliable.
[Another connected issue is] that renewable energy sources are still not totally reliable.
[Correspondingly], renewable energy sources are still not totally reliable.
[Coupled with oil’s financial importance is the issue of] the reliability of renewable energy sources.
[Coupled with this is] the fact that renewable energy sources are still not totally reliable.
[Equally important is] the fact that renewable energy sources are still not totally reliable.
[In a similar way], oil is still far more reliable than renewable energy sources.
[In the same way], oil is still far more reliable than renewable energy sources. (Note – because we use ‘in a similar/the same way, we need to say something positive about oil, not just the negative aspect of renewables).
[In view of / In light of oil’s financial importance], the reliability of renewable energy is a source of concern.
[Likewise], renewable energy sources are still not totally reliable.
[Linked to the issue of oil’s financial importance is] the poor reliability of renewable energy sources at present.
[Related to this is] the fact that renewable energy sources are still not totally reliable.
[Similarly], renewable energy sources are still not totally reliable.
[What also becomes apparent from this is] that renewable energy sources are still not totally reliable.
From the Course
[Coupled with this is] the issue of the cost of jails.
[Some related issues are] socioeconomic factors and demographic trends. [Coupled with] unsustainable government spending, and a reduction in household savings, is an ageing population that will stress the entire social security system in Western Europe.
[In light of such serious issues,] collaboration and long-term planning is needed across the Union to prevent a severe disruption to the economy. [Likewise,] changes in household consumption are needed to ensure the longevity of the social security system.
Logical Conclusion
Here, we will make the logical conclusion of oil still being important as a source of revenue for energy companies. This would be used at the end of our first body paragraph.
Notice that certain sentences require extra details e.g. ‘As evidenced by… + noun’
Vocabulary
[All things considered,] oil still has an important financial role to play for energy companies in the modern world.
[All this goes to show] that oil still has an important financial role to play for energy companies in the modern world.
[As evidenced by] the revenue it still brings in, oil still has an important financial role to play for energy companies in the modern world.
[As illustrated,] oil still has an important financial role to play for energy companies in the modern world.
[As shown by] the revenue it still brings in, oil still has an important financial role to play for energy companies in the modern world.
[Clearly,] oil still has an important financial role to play for energy companies in the modern world.
[Evidently,] oil still has an important financial role to play for energy companies in the modern world.
[In other words,] oil still has an important financial role to play for energy companies in the modern world.
[In short,] oil still has an important financial role to play for energy companies in the modern world.
[On the whole,] oil still has an important financial role to play for energy companies in the modern world.
[Put another way,] oil still has an important financial role to play for energy companies in the modern world.
[Put simply,] oil still has an important financial role to play for energy companies in the modern world.
[This all goes to demonstrate] that oil still has an important financial role to play for energy companies in the modern world.
[To reiterate,] oil still has an important financial role to play for energy companies in the modern world.
[Ultimately,] oil still has an important financial role to play for energy companies in the modern world.
[What this all leads to is] the fact that oil still has an important financial role to play for energy companies in the modern world.
[Without question], oil still has an important financial role to play for energy companies in the modern world.
From the Course
[Ultimately,] young criminals are still children, and should be treated as children, not as adults.
[All things considered,] simply banning single use plastics worldwide is likely to cause major headaches for suppliers. [As shown by] Lindberg (2021) in his paper, Phasing Out Plastic: An Evidence-Based Review of Intervention Strategies, plastic is widely used because of its low cost and high durability. Yet, feasible alternatives do exist, and sometimes it is better to endure some pain now instead of severe pain later.
[In other words,] businesses might be better off switching sooner rather than later, as they will have more time to adjust their production methods. [On the whole,] though, the environmental benefits outweigh the economic costs.
Giving Examples
In this section, we will give a hypothetical example to show the continued lack of reliability of renewable energy. You can imagine that this would appear in the second body paragraph.
Notice that certain sentence structures would use a sentence, whereas others would ask a question. What’s more, others would need more words adding.
Vocabulary
[For example,] what would happen to solar and wind energy on a cloudy, windless day? Clearly, little to no renewable energy would be produced on such a day.
[For instance,] what would happen to solar and wind energy on a cloudy, windless day? Clearly, little to no renewable energy would be produced on such a day.
We must also consider that important renewable energy sources, [namely] wind and solar energy, are reliant on weather conditions. What would happen to solar and wind energy on a cloudy, windless day? Clearly, little to no renewable energy would be produced on such a day.
[To illustrate] this issue, imagine what would happen to solar and wind energy on a cloudy, windless day. Clearly, little to no renewable energy would be produced on such a day.
[To highlight] this lack of reliability, imagine what would happen to solar and wind energy on a cloudy, windless day. Clearly, little to no renewable energy would be produced on such a day.
[To demonstrate] this lack of reliability, imagine what would happen to solar and wind energy on a cloudy, windless day. Clearly, little to no renewable energy would be produced on such a day.
[That is to say], what would happen to solar and wind energy on a cloudy, windless day? Clearly, little to no renewable energy would be produced on such a day.
[In particular,] what would happen to solar and wind energy on a cloudy, windless day? Clearly, little to no renewable energy would be produced on such a day.
[In this way,] we must consider what would happen to solar and wind energy on a cloudy, windless day. Clearly, little to no renewable energy would be produced on such a day.
[In this manner,] we must consider what would happen to solar and wind energy on a cloudy, windless day. Clearly, little to no renewable energy would be produced on such a day.
[In this case,] we must consider what would happen to solar and wind energy on a cloudy, windless day. Clearly, little to no renewable energy would be produced on such a day.
[In another case,] how much solar energy is produced at night or during the short days of winter? (Note – this is for when we give a second example in the same paragraph).
From the Course
[In particular,] the families of murder victims can gain some sense of justice through a severe punishment.
The study found that lobbying by multinational companies leads to laws and policies which are favourable to companies, at the expense of households. [In particular,] the study demonstrated a strong correlation between corporate lobbying and corporate tax cuts.
[For example,] for every dollar spent by a lobbyist, more than $700 are returned in the form tax cuts and government subsidies.
[In this case,] lobbyists receive a 700% return on their investment.
Showing a Result
This is quite similar to the logical conclusion. We will give a result for the 2nd body paragraph, about the poor reliability of renewable energy.
Notice that certain words (e.g. therefore) need an ‘as’ adding before our result.
Other words (e.g. hence) have the feeling of ‘because’, meaning that we delete ‘so’ from the second clause.
Vocabulary
[Accordingly,] renewable energy is not yet in a position to meet all the world’s energy demands, and so oil will still play an important role in the medium-term future.
[As a result,] renewable energy is not yet in a position to meet all the world’s energy demands, and so oil will still play an important role in the medium-term future.
[As such,] renewable energy is not yet in a position to meet all the world’s energy demands, and so oil will still play an important role in the medium-term future.
[Because] renewable energy is not yet in a position to meet all the world’s energy demands, oil will still play an important role in the medium-term future.
Renewable energy is not yet in a position to meet all the world’s energy demands, and [consequently] oil will still play an important role in the medium-term future.
[For this reason,] renewable energy is not yet in a position to meet all the world’s energy demands, and so oil will still play an important role in the medium-term future.
[For that reason,] renewable energy is not yet in a position to meet all the world’s energy demands, and so oil will still play an important role in the medium-term future.
[Hence,] renewable energy is not yet in a position to meet all the world’s energy demands, and so oil will still play an important role in the medium-term future.
[Since] renewable energy is not yet in a position to meet all the world’s energy demands, oil will still play an important role in the medium-term future.
[Then,] as renewable energy is not yet in a position to meet all the world’s energy demands, oil will still play an important role in the medium-term future.
[Therefore,] as renewable energy is not yet in a position to meet all the world’s energy demands, oil will still play an important role in the medium-term future.
[Thus,] as renewable energy is not yet in a position to meet all the world’s energy demands, oil will still play an important role in the medium-term future.
From the Course
[Thus,] it is clear that sending a young child to an adult prison would be a deeply dangerous decision.
[Since] the invention of the internet, global cooperation and trade has reached unprecedented heights.
[As a result,] people have better access to products, healthcare, jobs and other services. Many of these are basic human rights, so, it makes sense not to privatise the internet and turn it into a profit-driven business.
[Since] the internet provides such a valuable service to humanity, it should remain free and accessible to all.
[Then], it can continue to provide free and fair access to people across the globe.
