METU/SFL Fall 2024

DBE
WHO 5
201 GROUP
ADVANTAGE/DISADVANTAGE PARAGRAPH
(Student’s Copy)
Objectives: Students will have

- practiced the structures and vocabulary items that are frequently used in advantage/disadvantage paragraphs

- gained awareness of how to provide strong supporting details

- practiced the linkers showing addition, re-phrasing, and concession

- analyzed a sample advantage/disadvantage paragraph

- written a paragraph about the advantages/disadvantages of doing something

TASK 1.
Step 1. Do you live in a dormitory? Work with a partner. Discuss the possible advantages and
disadvantages of living in a dormitory on campus. Write your ideas below.
Advantages of living in a Disadvantages of living in a
dormitory on campus dormitory on campus

Step 2. Now, read Text A and Text B below. Which of the ideas you have discussed in Step 1 are
mentioned in the texts?

Text A.
Living in a dormitory on a university campus offers two main ADVANTAGES to students. First of all,
transportation to the departments is easier and faster when students live in a dormitory on campus.
They can walk or cycle to their departments. Alternatively, they can take the ring service to get to
classes, libraries, computer labs, or cafeterias. As a result, they do not waste time getting around the
campus. Secondly, on-campus accommodation* enables students to have an active social life with
friends all around and a lot of fun activities to do. As students spend most of their time on campus, it is
easier for them to meet and socialize with other students from different departments. In addition, they
can have the chance to attend the social and cultural events on campus more easily because they do not
have to worry about catching a bus or spending time in traffic. In short, living in a dormitory on campus
is very advantageous for university students.
*accommodation (n): a place to stay or live

Text B.
Living in a dormitory on a university campus may have two main DISADVANTAGES for students. Firstly,
when students live in on-campus dormitories, they have to obey many rules, and this can sometimes be
annoying. They have to be in their dormitories by a certain hour at night. In other words, they cannot
enter their dorms after closing time, and this is a stressful limitation on them. Moreover, there are
restrictions on the noise level, activities, and visitors. Secondly, students in dormitories on campus have
many distractions around them because of the active social life there with friends all around and plenty
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 of activities to do. As a result of this social life, students may choose to socialize instead of studying.
Consequently, their grades as well as their budget are affected negatively as they constantly hang out
with their friends. To conclude, living in a dormitory on campus may not be the right choice for some
students, especially if they cannot tolerate many rules to obey and distractions.
The paragraphs that you read are examples of advantage/disadvantage paragraph. The purpose of writing
about advantages and disadvantages is to persuade or inform someone about a topic or to make a decision
by analyzing something. When we write about advantages and disadvantages, we critically assess a
concept, action, or event, and make decisions or recommendations based on this assessment.

The questions that you answer with this discourse are:

- What are the advantages/disadvantages of X?
- What are the benefits / harms of X?
- How is X advantageous / disadvantageous / beneficial / harmful?

Step 3. Fill in the chart below.

Text A Text B
What is the topic of each ___________________________ __________________________
paragraph? ___________________________ ________________________

What is the controlling idea? ___________________________ __________________________

___________________________ __________________________

What are the major supporting 1. ________________________ 1. _______________________

ideas? 2. ________________________ 2. _______________________

Is there a concluding sentence? If

yes, underline it.

TASK 2. Think of the topics below. Brainstorm and generate some ideas.
1. Advantages of having a part-time job as a university student

2. Disadvantages of having a part-time job as a university student

3. Advantages of having a car

4. Disadvantages of having a car

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An advantage/disadvantage paragraph generally follows the following pattern:

ADVANTAGES/DISADVANTAGES

Topic Sentence

Major supporting sentence 1 (Advantage/Disadvantage 1)

- Minor supporting sentence 1
- Minor supporting sentence 2
Major supporting sentence 2 (Advantage/Disadvantage 2)
- Minor supporting sentence 1
- Minor supporting sentence 2

Concluding Sentence

A. TOPIC SENTENCE
The topic sentence of an advantage/disadvantage paragraph should include the topic and the
controlling idea, and state that there are several advantages or disadvantages to the topic under
discussion. It is important that the topic sentence should show whether the paragraph is an advantage
or a disadvantage paragraph.

TASK 3. See the examples below. Identify the topic and the controlling idea.

1. There are two main advantages/disadvantages of living on campus.

2. Living on a university campus offers two main advantages/benefits to students.
3. Living on a university campus has two main advantages/benefits for students.
4. Living on a university campus has two main disadvantages/drawbacks for students.

You should avoid using the same phrases over and over. You can achieve this by using a variety of
expressions in your writing.

TASK 4. Which words/phrases in the box below are alternative ways of referring to advantages and
disadvantages?

a drawback (of) the downside (of) a good point (of) a limitation (of)
a benefit (of) a negative aspect (of) a positive aspect (of)

ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES
__________________________ __________________________
__________________________ __________________________
__________________________ __________________________
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 __________________________ __________________________

Explanation of Advantages/Disadvantages
After writing the topic sentence, you need to develop the advantages/disadvantages by giving explanations
or examples or describing results. It is a good idea to balance your explanation of ideas. Furthermore, list
your ideas according to a logical order. Use listing signals when you are moving from one major idea to the
next. Some of the patterns that you may use are the following:

The first

The second
advantage (of …) noun.
One
disadvantage (of …) is noun phrase.
Another
noun clause.

First, / Firstly, / First of all,

Second, / Secondly, S + V.

B. CONCLUSION
In the conclusion of an advantage/disadvantage paragraph, the writer can make an assessment and give
advice/a recommendation based on the major ideas or summarize the main points.
e.g., In conclusion, / To conclude, while deciding about accommodation, students should take these
advantages/benefits/drawbacks/downsides into consideration.

C. SUPPORTING DETAILS
Think of supporting details as helpers for the topic sentence: They describe, explain, clarify, or give
examples of the topic sentence. Supporting ideas support and explain the topic. They answer questions
such as Who?, What?, When?, Where?, Why?, and How? They explain the topic sentence in greater detail
and give the reader more information.

Each text that you write must have enough supporting details to make the main idea clear to the reader.
Also, each supporting idea must be related to the topic and its controlling idea. Now, study the following
examples:

1. Topic Sentence: Many elderly people enjoy playing golf.

Supporting detail: Golf gives them an opportunity to exercise and socialize at the same time.

2. Topic Sentence: Emergency roadside assistance services are great when your car breaks down.
Supporting detail: They offer quick fixing solutions.

3. Topic Sentence: Parents decide to buy a cell phone for their children for various reasons.
Supporting detail: Cell phones allow parents to stay in better contact with their children.

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Supporting details can be major or minor details. The minor supporting sentences explain, describe, give
reasons, give general facts, or examples for the reader to better understand the topic (main idea) and
major ideas. Study the example below:

Topic Sentence: Learners should acquire several skills to get good grades at university.

Major supporting sentence: Notetaking is one of the most important study skills to learn.

Minor supporting details: Reviewing good notes before a test will help university students become more
familiar with the information. (giving reasons)

You can use the following linkers of addition and rephrasing while you are writing supporting details:

ADDITION
* You can use MOREOVER, FURTHERMORE, IN ADDITION and BESIDES as transitions of addition.
e.g.,
The campsite is very clean ; moreover, its location is perfect.
; in addition,

The campsite is very clean . Moreover, its location is perfect.

. In addition,
. Besides,
* BESIDES can also be used with nouns. Be careful with punctuation.
e.g.,
Besides its cleanliness, the location of the camp site is perfect.

REPHRASING

There are several ways to elaborate the supporting ideas:

You may clarify your explanations using THAT IS or IN OTHER WORDS. This will help you explain what you
mean with the idea in your major supporting sentence.

Tom is bilingual. That is, he speaks two languages.

Tom is bilingual; that is, he speaks two languages.

There are two reasons for global warming. The first one is deforestation. In other words, cutting down
trees may increase Earth’s temperatures.
There are two reasons for global warming. The first one is deforestation; in other words, cutting down
trees may increase Earth’s temperatures.

CONCESSION

You can use concession when writing about the advantages and disadvantages of something to show that
you recognize both sides.

e.g., Although/(Even) though living in a dormitory has inconveniences like shared spaces, it offers valuable
benefits like building lifelong friendships.

Living in the dormitory offers valuable benefits like building lifelong friendships although/(even) though it
has inconveniences like shared spaces.

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 WRITING TIPS

1- Balance between two major supporting ideas: Make sure that the amount of
information you give for each of your majors is almost the same. Avoid expanding
one major too much and keeping the second major too short.

2- “Hedging”: In some cases, we cannot be 100% sure that the facts we are
mentioning are always true for all situations. We may make sentences which cover all the people, but it
may sound too sure. In order to avoid over-certainty and sound more “true,” we can use the following
words or structures: can, may, many, most, sometimes, usually, tend to, be likely to, etc.
Examples:
 Using too much plastic can cause plastic pollution.
 Plastic waste may put wildlife in danger.
 Plastic bags tend to/are likely to/usually end up in landfills or oceans, which is bad for the
environment.
 Many factories and businesses dump their waste in the water, which causes water pollution.

3- Good examples: Examples we give should clearly explain the idea. They should be generalizable, and not
too specific or personal.
Study the example:

Recycling helps reduce waste and conserve resources. For example, everyone must be aware of the
importance of recycling.

Problem: Unfortunately, this example does not provide a specific example related to recycling practices or
benefits. This is a poor example. A better alternative:
Recycling helps reduce waste and conserve resources. For example, recycling paper and plastic can
save trees and reduce the need for new materials. Everyone must be aware of the importance of
recycling to make a positive impact on the environment.

4- Consistency in pronoun use: Use the same pronoun in your paragraph to refer to people in general. A
common mistake is to use “people,” “you,” “he” and “she” in one paragraph.
Study the example:

People help protect our planet by saving natural places and animals. A person works to reduce pollution
and fight climate change. He or she often organizes local clean-up events and teaches people about the
environment. His or her work is important for keeping our world healthy for the future.

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To avoid changing the subject, you can use a specific noun. Use the plural form. For example, instead of
“people,” use “environmentalists” if the topic is about environmentalists. It is better to use general and
non-binary pronouns, such as “they” instead of “he or she”, and “their” instead of “his or her.”

A better alternative:

Environmentalists help protect our planet by saving natural places and animals. They work to reduce
pollution and fight climate change. They often organize local clean-up events and teach people about the
environment. Their work is important for keeping our world healthy for the future.

WRITING TASK
In about 150 words, write a paragraph in response to the following:
What are the advantages of using renewable energy sources?

In your paragraph, make sure:

· you have a topic sentence, supporting sentences that give additional details, and a concluding sentence,
· all your ideas are relevant to the topic,
· you use linkers and transition words where necessary (and, or, so, but, because, moreover, etc.).

Pay attention to:

· the content,
· the organization,
· the vocabulary and
· the accuracy of the language.
STEP 1: Read the writing task carefully, and make sure you understand what is required.

STEP 2 Brainstorming: In groups, brainstorm ideas.

STEP 3 Outlining:
HOW TO MAKE AN OUTLINE:
1. Go over each item in the brainstorming notes.
2. Decide which ones you can easily support with examples and explanations.
3. Organize the selected items into main points and subpoints.

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4. Write a brief description or bullet points for each main idea and its supporting details. (AT THAT STAGE
DON’T WRITE FULL SENTENCES. WRITE PHRASES OR KEY WORDS)

Choose the best ideas and make an outline below:

OUTLINE TEMPLATE FOR AN ADVANTAGE-DISADVANTAGE PARAGRAPH

Topic sentence:

_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________

Major 1 (Advantage OR Disadvantage 1)

_________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

Supporting Ideas / Details / Examples / Explanations, etc.

___________________________________

___________________________________

___________________________________

Major 2: (Advantage OR Disadvantage 2)

_________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

Supporting Ideas / Details / Examples / Explanations, etc.

___________________________________

___________________________________

___________________________________

CONCLUSION:

_______________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________

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 STEP 4 Write your paragraph here:
______________________________________________________________________________________
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______________________________________________________________________________________
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______________________________________________________________________________________
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______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________

STEP 5 Editing:
After you write your text, check your paper yourself using the self-checklist below. Put a tick in the relevant
box.
● The writing answers the question. □
● The writing has a clear topic sentence. □
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 ● All the ideas are relevant to the topic. □
● The language doesn’t contain any errors (run-on sentences, □
fragments, subject-verb disagreement, etc.)
● All the sentences have a subject and a verb. □
● The connectors are used correctly. □

STEP 6 Submission:
Now, submit your paragraph to your instructor on ODTÜClass.

STEP 7 Instructor Feedback: Your instructor will check your work and give you feedback. Make necessary
corrections. Rewrite and submit your final draft to your instructor on ODTÜClass.

EXTRA-OPTIONAL WRITING TASK:

In about 150 words, write a paragraph in response to the following:
What are the disadvantages of using electric cars?
In your paragraph, make sure:
· you have a topic sentence, supporting sentences that give additional details, and a concluding sentence,
· all your ideas are relevant to the topic,
· you use linkers and transition words where necessary (and, or, so, but, because, moreover, etc.).

Pay attention to:

· the content,
· the organization,
· the vocabulary and
· the accuracy of the language.

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