Linking devices and personal pronouns
Posted: Mon Apr 07, 2014 12:57 pm
Hi,
I would like to kindly ask two questions:
1- I've been told that I should avoid using linking words such as "First", "Second", "Firstly", as they are a little bit overused, and therefore I am better off using, so to speak, more sophisticated forms like "The first thing to be considered" or "The main reason...".
I personally don't understand what's the harm in using "cliché" forms if they are concise and express a clear meaning. However, I am not sure if all examiners think the way I do.
What do you guys think? Are longer forms safer?
2- I sometimes don't know when to use personal pronouns. For example, I've seen some of Ryan's template essays on which the question was "Do you agree or disagree?", and he used the passive form.
In this case, is there any relevant difference between using "I agree that..." and "It is argued that..."?
I look forward to hearing from you!
Gabriel
I would like to kindly ask two questions:
1- I've been told that I should avoid using linking words such as "First", "Second", "Firstly", as they are a little bit overused, and therefore I am better off using, so to speak, more sophisticated forms like "The first thing to be considered" or "The main reason...".
I personally don't understand what's the harm in using "cliché" forms if they are concise and express a clear meaning. However, I am not sure if all examiners think the way I do.
What do you guys think? Are longer forms safer?
2- I sometimes don't know when to use personal pronouns. For example, I've seen some of Ryan's template essays on which the question was "Do you agree or disagree?", and he used the passive form.
In this case, is there any relevant difference between using "I agree that..." and "It is argued that..."?
I look forward to hearing from you!
Gabriel