COMPOSITION-WRITING NOTES

1. LÍNEAS GENERALES DEL ARGUMENTO

1.1 Para presentar el tema
It is often said / It is often asserted / It is often claimed that the youth of today doesn't care for anything but pleasure.	se suele decir que
It would be universally acknowledged that unemployment is the greatest scourge of our days.	todo el mundo reconoce que
It is a truism o It is a commonplace that nothing of value is achieved without dedication.	es un tópico decir que
It is undeniably true that war springs from greed.	es innegable que
It is a well-known fact that children up to the age of three have no concept of extension in time.	es un hecho conocido que
For the great majority of people, literature is a subject that is studied in school but which has no relevance to life as they know it.	para la inmensa mayoría de la gente
It is sometimes forgotten that investment is essential for economic growth.	a veces se olvida que
It would be naive to suppose that all politicians act in the public interest all of the time.	sería ingenuo suponer que
It would hardly be an exaggeration to say that carelessness is the reason for all road accidents.	no seria exagerado decir que
There are several aspects to the problem of understanding Shakespearian comedy.	hay diversas facetas en el problema de
A problem that is often debated nowadays is that of world famine and how to deal with it.	un problema que se discute a menudo hoy dia es el de
The question of whether Hamlet was really mad has occupied critics for generations.	el tema de...
The concept of existentialism is not an easy one to grasp.	no es fácil captar lo que es...
The idea of getting rich without too much effort has universal appeal.	una idea que atrae a todo el mundo es la de
We live in a world in which capitalism seems triumphant.	vivimos en un mundo en el que...
One of the most striking features of this problem / issue / topic / question is the way it arouses strong emotions, /0ne of the most striking aspects of...	una de las características más interesantes del problema (o del asunto o del tema o de la cuestión)
A number of key issues arise from this statement.	... plantea cierto numero de cuestiones fundamentales
History provides numerous instances of misguided national heroes who eventually did more harm than good.	la historia nos presenta numerosos ejemplos de
It is hard to open a newspaper nowadays without being faced / confronted with some new example of mindless violence.	es difícil hoy día abrir un periódico sin encontrar noticias de
What this question boils down to is: was Eliot at heart more of a philosopher than a poet?	esta cuestión se reduce esencialmente a lo siguiente:
What can we make of a somewhat sweeping assertion like this? It would be dangerous to reject it in its entirety without ...	¿Cómo se puede entender una generalización de este tipo?
First of all, let us try to understand what the writer really means.	en primer lugar, tratemos de entender...
It is easy enough to make broad generalisations about the evils of alcohol, but in reality the issue is an extremely complex one.	es relativamente fácil hablar en términos generales de..., pero en realidad este tema es muy complejo
This statement merits closer examination. We might ask ourselves why...	merece ser analizado con cuidado
The public in general tends to believe that all education is a good thing, without regard to the quality of that education.	el público en general se inclina a creer que
What we are mainly concerned with here is the conflict between what the hero says and what he does.	el tema principal que nos ocupa en esta ocasion es el de...
It is often the case that truth is stranger than fiction, and never more so than in this instance.	suele suceder que
By way of introduction, let us give a brief review of the background to this question.	a manera de introducción
We commonly think of people as isolated individuals, but in fact few of us ever spend more than an hour or two of our waking hours alone.	se suele pensar en... en términos de
It is surprising that faith survives at all, far less that it should flourish, in an industrialised society like ours.	en una sociedad industrializada como la nuestra

1.2 Para comenzar el desarrollo de los argumentos o presentar una tesis
The first thing that needs to be said is that the author is presenting a one-sided, even bigoted view.	lo primero que hace falta decir es que
What should be established at the very outset is that we are dealing here with a practical rather than a philosophical issue.	debe quedar bien sentado desde el principio que
First of all, let us consider the advantages of urban life.	en primer lugar, consideremos
Let us begin with / I propose to consider first the social aspects of this question.	comencemos por// voy a considerar en primer lugar
Let us see if there is any real substance in this claim / assertion / statement.	veamos si hay fundamento en esta afirmación
Was Othello a naive man or not? This is a question at which we must take a careful / close look, before we ...	... que debemos examinar con atención
An argument in support of this approach is that it does in fact produce practical results.	en apoyo de este enfoque se puede decir que
We are often faced in daily life with the choice between our sense of duty and our own personal inclinations.	en la vida real nos vernos muchas voces ante la necesidad de escoger entre
Even the most superficial look at this issue raises fundamental questions about the nature and purpose of human existence.	incluso una primera consideración del tema suscita ya cuestiones fundamentales acerca de
We must distinguish carefully between the two possible interpretations of this statement.	debemos distinguir cuidadosamente entre
This brings us to the question of whether the language used is appropriate to the task the author sets himself.	esto nos lleva a la consideración de si
It is interesting to consider how far this is true of other nations.	es interesante considerar
One might mention, in support of the above thesis, the striking speech of Frederick in Act III.	en apoyo de la tesis ya mencionada
The second reason for advocating this course of action is that it benefits the community at large.	la segunda razón a favor de
Another telling argument in support of this viewpoint is that it makes sense economically.	otro argumento de peso es el de que
An important aspect of Milton's imagery is the play of light and shade.	un aspecto importante de...es...
It would be reasonable to assume that the writer is sincere in his praise of such behaviour.	seria razonable suponer que
The fundamental reason for believing this assumption to be true is that subsequent events seem to prove it.	la razón fundamental por la que se debe pensar que esta tesis es correcta es que
We need not concern ourselves here with the author's intentions in disclosing these facts so early in the book.	no es necesario que, al tratar este tema, nos preocupemos por
It is now time to discuss the character of Sir James, and how this develops during the course of the first act.	pasemos ahora a ocuparnos de
When we speak of culture, we have in mind the development of the human spirit and its expression in various ways.	cuando hablamos de... pensamos en ...
I will confine myself to a brief outline of the problem, looking more particularly at how it affects the poorer countries of Africa.	me conformare con presentar esquemáticamente
I am not here concerned with the undoubted difficulties and pitfalls inherent in the introduction of a new form of examination in secondary education.	no entra en mi propósito examinar ahora
It is worth slating at this point that the position is exactly the same in most other countries.	al llegar a este punto se hace necesario afirmar que
Finally, there is the related problem of how to explain the concept original sin.	finalmente, debemos menciona rel problema, que está relacionado con el anterior, de

1.3 Para presentar un punto de vista diferente, o una antítesis
On the other hand, it is observable that people do not normally behave like this in practice.	por otra parte, se puede observar que
It may be asserted, however, that this is a superficial point of view.	se puede afirmar, sin embargo, que
The other side of the coin is, however, that free enterprise may create economic chaos in certain circumstances.	la otra cara de la moneda, no obstante, es que
Another way of looking at this question is to consider its social implications.	otra manera de enfocar el tema seria
The snag about this argument is that it undermines the principles of free speech.	el problema que plantea este argumento es que
The author says it is style that matters. The very opposite may be true.	es posible que la verdad sea totalmente diferente. ...
The claim she makes has much to recommend it, but it goes too far.	... tiene su valor, pero
It is difficult to share the writer's belief / view / opinion that with a little goodwill everything comes right in the end.	es dificil compartir la opinión del autor de que
To say that Parker's death was fortuitous is, however, a totally unjustified assumption.	... constituye un supuesto que está totalmente sin justificar
In actual fact it would be more accurate to say that the fault lies in the monetary system itself.	en realidad seria más exacto decir que
All this may well be true enough, but we should not forget the victim herself.	es muy posible que todo esto sea cierto, pero
If you consider the author's real intentions, this argument is an extremely weak one.	... este argumento carece de solidez
Hackneyed arguments of this kind are scarcely convincing even in the popular press, far less in a work which claims to have been seriously researched.	los argumentos manidos, como éste,
Paradoxical though it may seem, we must look for good in evil itself, for without that evil, how may good be identified?	aunque resulte paradójico
It will be objected that punctuality, or at least a semblance of it, is necessary for civilised life.	se objetará que
The difficulty about supporting this statement is that the facts appear to contradict it.	es difícil... porque...

1.4 Para sugerir la solución o presentar una síntesis

The fact of the matter is surely that / The truth of the matter is surely that television presentation does influence voting patterns. We have now established certain principles, but when all is said and done it must be acknowledged that a purely theoretical approach to social issues is sterile. How can we reconcile these two apparently contradictory viewpoints? Of all these attempts to explain the playwright's intentions, the last seems to offer the most convincing explanation. There is much to be said on both sides of this question. On balance / On reflection, however, the arguments for the local rather than the national approach have most to recommend them. If one weighs the pros and cons (of the case), the argument for freedom of speech in these circumstances is hard to sustain. One might be tempted to think that better technology is the solution, but in actual fact human attitudes are the vital element. It is easy to believe that this could never happen in a civilized society, but the truth is that it happens everywhere, and it happens more and more often. From all this it follows that these claims are false. The key to this whole problem must surely be the development of heavy industries in that part of the country. The social and economic consequences of the facts we have mentioned above are too important to ignore. These two points of view, while distinct, are not mutually exclusive. In the final analysis, the themes of the novel are confused. To recap o To sum up, the cost of raw materials is falling faster than was ever expected in the early 1980s.

lo cierto, sin duda alguna, es que hay que reconocer que cómo se pueden reconciliar ... este ultimo parece ofrecer la explicaci6n m6s convincente los dos lados de la cuestión cuentan con puntos a favor. Sin embargo, en tiltima instancia parece que... presentan m6s puntos positivos que negatives si se sopesan los pros y los contras ... en realidad... ... pero la verdad es que de todo lo cual se sigue que la clave del problema está sin duda en las consecuencias... de los hechos que hemos mencionado anteriormente ... aunque son diferentes, no se excluyen el uno al otro en ultima instancia para resumir: ...

1.5 La conclusión
What conclusions can be drawn from all this?	que conclusiones se pueden sacar de
The most sensible (o satisfactory o convincing) conclusion we can come to is that the author has not succeeded in putting his message across.	la conclusion mas satis factorIa a que se puede llegar es decir que
All this goes to show that it is unwise to make generalisations about human beings.	todo lo cual sirve para demostrar que
Surely the lesson to be learned from what has happened in Europe is that minorities should be respected.	sin duda, la consecuencia que se puede sacar de
The inescapable conclusion which emerges from what I have said is that health is too important to leave to the doctors.	la conclusion inevitable que se deduce de todo lo dicho es que
The problem we have considered clearly does not admit of an easy solution, but it is to be hoped that governments will take steps to ameliorate its worst effects.	esta claro que el problema que hemos analizado no tiene facil solucion, pero...
This brief account of the origin of the play is necessarily limited in scope.	esta breve exposicion de
The relations between the hero and heroine appear complex, but to put the whole matter in a nutshell, they are both more interested in power than in love.	... para decirlo en una palabra
Ultimately, then, these two approaches are impossible to reconcile.	en ultima instancia, pues, ...
All in all, we must acknowledge that the main interest of the book lies in its treatment of jealousy.	en conjunto
The play no doubt has an important message: nevertheless, at the end of the day, it must be acknowledged that it is a very bad play.	... aI final hay que reconocer que
The best way of summing up the arguments I have put forward for equality of opportunity is that human rights have precedence over social inhibitions.	la meior forma de resumir
It would appear, then, that in a sane society nobody would be a social outcast.	segun parece, pues, ...
I have demonstrated that Cox's claims are based on a false assumption.	segun he demostrado,
To sum up, I believe that urgent action is needed.	en resumen

2. LA ESTRUCTURA DEL PÁRRAFO

2.1 Secuencia de ideas dentro del párrafo
This brings us to the question of whether we can believe in a benevolent deity.	esto nos lleva a enfrentarnos con el tema de si
On the one hand, wealth corrupts: on the other, it can achieve great things.	por una parte...; por otra...
As for the theory of value, it counts for nothing in this connection.	en cuanto a
Compared with the heroine, Alison is an insipid character.	en comparación con
In the first / second / third etc. place, let us consider the style of the novel.	en primer (etc.) lugar
First of all, I will outline the benefits of the system: next, I propose to examine its disadvantages: finally, we will consider the views of the recipients.	comenzaré por...; luego, ...; y finalmente,...
The arguments in favour of this theory fall into two groups: first, those which rely on statistics, and secondly, those based on principle.	pertenecen a dos categorías diferentes: primero...,' y segundo,...
Incidentally, we must not forget the contribution of Horatio to this scene.	por cierto que no debemos olvidar
As far as the character of Tyson is concerned, we can only admire his persistence.	en lo que se refiere a
Over and above all these considerations, there is the question of whether the country can afford such luxuries.	por encima de todas estas consideraciones está
Added to that, there is his remarkable sense of detail.	por añadidura,
Similarly, a good historian will never be obsessed with dates.	de forma parecida
There is a fundamental difference between people who act from the heart and those who act from the head.	hay una diferencia fundamental entre
There are important differences between these two approaches —differences which we ignore at our peril.	existen diferencias importantes entre
In the field of education it is clear that we have not learned by our mistakes.	en el campo de la pedagogía,
From the earliest days of nuclear development, it was plain that the potential danger of the process was perhaps the most important single aspect.	desde los albores de
Once, many decades ago, a foreign observer commented that English people were incapable of discussing principles.	... hace decenas de años
The alternative is to accept the world as it is, and concentrate one's efforts on one's own spiritual development.	la alternativa es
A further complication is that the characters on stage at this point include the music master himself.	una complicación adicional es que
He considers the effect of this on the lives of the people, as well as on the economy of the country.	... además de
Also, there is the question of how this may be validated.	además, está
The book has considerable depth: equally, it has style.	... en igual medida
As regards / As for the habits of foreigners, one may observe that they are very like our own.	en cuanto a... se observa que
In order to clear the ground, I will give a brief account of Mason's theory.	para despejar el terreno
The problem is how to explain why people behave as they do.	el problema está en explicar

2.2 Para presentar un punto de vista personal
My own view of this is that the writer is quite wrong in this assertion.	lo que pienso sobre el tema es que
That is the popular viewpoint, but speaking personally I cannot see its logic.	desde mi punto de vista personal,...
Jennings is, it seems to me, over-optimistic in his claim that no one is ever hurt by such wheeling and dealing.	a mf me parece que
My personal opinion of this argument is that it lacks depth.	mi opinión personal sobre... es que
The author argues for patriotism, but I feel strongly that this is a delusion.	estoy firmemente convencido de que
In my opinion, nearly everybody overestimates the size of the problem.	en mi opinión
For my part, I cannot discount what their spokesman said.	por mi parte
I maintain that no one has the right to deprive these people of their home.	yo soy partidario de la tesis de que

2.3 Para presentar el punto de vista de otra persona
The writer asserts (o claims o maintains o states) that intelligence is conditioned by upbringing.	el autor afirma que
They would have us believe that the market is fair.	desean convencemos de que
The official view is that this cannot affect the population adversely.	el punto de vista oficial es que
The author gives us to understand that his main aim is merely to please.	el autor nos da a entender que
The position was put, with commendable clarity, by James Armitage, in a classic essay on this subject some years ago.	el tema quedo explicado con toda claridad por
When one considers the man's achievements, the portrait of him painted in this volume amounts to little more than a calumny.	la imagen de él que se presenta en este libro
The writer puts the case for restrictions on the freedom of speech very persuasively.	presenta los argumentos a favor de
The House of Commons, it has been said, is like an elephant's trunk: it can fell an oak or pick up a pin.	según se ha dicho
This line of thinking leads the author into the dangerous territory of feminist polemics.	esta manera de pensar
The animals are perhaps more attractive — which brings us to another side of the question: can the human race survive?	lo cual nos lleva a otro aspecto del tema:
The writer here is clearly concerned to convey her conviction that life is seldom worth living, and never worth living to the full.	está claro que lo que desea es
The author draws our attention to the fact that nowhere in the world is the soil so poor.	trata de dirigir nuestra atención al hecho de que
What this character is really saying is that he disagrees with the foundations of religious belief.	lo que dice en realidad... es que
According to the writer, these figures are inaccurate.	según el autor
The speaker is claiming, if I understand her rightly, that people do not really care about politics.	si no me equivoco en la interpretación

2.4 Para poner un ejemplo o aducir una cita
We should consider, for example o for instance, the problems faced by tourists in a strange land.	por ejemplo
Take the case of Heathcote in 'Lost Masters'.	consideremos el caso de
To illustrate the truth of this, one has only to mention the tragic death of Ophelia.	para ilustrar esto
A single, but striking, example of this tendency is the way people dress for parties.	uno de los ejemplos, interesante por cierto, de
One instance is enough to show how powerful a device this is.	basta citar un solo ejemplo para mostrar
As Chesterton remarked, there is a purpose to everything.	como hizo notar...
A recent newspaper article claimed that inflation was now beaten.	según aseguraba recientemente un articulo periodístico
Wordsworth observed with much truth that daffodils are impressive in large numbers.	observó, y no le faltaba razón, que
According to the Prime Minister, our foreign policy is benevolent.	según
The writer makes this point graphically, by instancing the plight of those whose beliefs clash with the society they belong to.	ilustra gráficamente este punto
Writing in 1932, Professor Armour-Jenkins said that unemployment had destroyed the minds of one generation, and the bodies of the next.	en 1932 escribía... que
This passage serves to illustrate the way in which the writer, more than any other Irish writer of his time, looks sympathetically at the problems of the English middle classes.	sirve para ilustrar
Take another example: many thousands of people have been and still are condemned to a life of sickness and pain because the hospital service cannot cope with the demand for its services.	pongamos otro ejemplo:...

3. DESARROLLO DE LA ARGUMENTACIÓN

3.1 Para apoyar un argumento
It is obvious to everyone that Freud is right.	es evidente para todos que
What is quite certain is that justice will triumph.	no hay ninguna duda de que
The writer clearly does not understand the issue.	esta claro que
The fact of the matter is that nuclear waste is and always will be harmful.	lo cierto es que
It is easy to concentrate on this aspect of the problem, but the real question at issue is different.	en realidad aquí se trata de
The facts speak for themselves: James is guilty.	los hechos hablan por si mismos:...
Politicians make much of educational aims, but what we are concerned with here is the financial resources to achieve these.	lo que nos preocupa ahora es
It should be stressed that this is only a preliminary assumption.	hace falta insistir en que
It would be ridiculous to assert that any one political doctrine holds the answer to our quest for Utopia.	seria ridículo pretender que
Few will dispute the claim that the microchip has changed our lives, although many will wish to take issue with the statement that it has changed them for the better.	pocas personas negarían que
It is undoubtedly true that time is money.	sin lugar a dudas, ...

3.2 Para atenuar un argumento
The new law could have far-reaching implications for patterns of crime.	... podría tener consecuencias importantes en cuanto a
There might well be an explanation which we have overlooked.	es posible que haya
Such a response suggests that / might be taken to mean that the group lacked enthusiasm for the project.	... sugiere que
Let us assume {o suppose o conjecture) that Mary does love Worthington.	vamos a suponer que
There is a strong possibility that / There is strong probability that Worthington loves Mary.	es muy probable que
One might reasonably suppose / One might justifiably assume that such behaviour would be frowned upon in any civilised society.	no faltaría razón para suponer que

3.3 Para expresar dudas
It is questionable whether the author intended this.	no es seguro que
The government's present attitude raises the whole question of whether local government can survive in its present form.	... plantea el tema de
This line of reasoning sets a serious question mark against the future of education.	... suscita graves dudas sobre
It remains to be seen (however) whether new techniques can be found in time.	está por ver (sin embargo) si
It is to be doubted whether the book is intended to convey a real message.	se debe dudar que
It may well be that Johnson is serious in this, but his motives are certainly questionable.	es posible que..., pero caben muchas dudas sobre. -.
Few people would deny the benefits of such a scheme. But, it may be urged, few people would identify the need for it in the first place.	pero se podría contestar que
It is certainly true that moral factors are important in this area, but I wonder whether the economic background is not more crucial.	sin duda es cierto que..., pero yo pienso que quizás
We can believe the author up to a point, but it is hard to be sure that he is right all the time.	... hasta cierto punto, pero
In spite of the known facts, there must be serious doubts about the validity of this approach.	a pesar de la información que tenemos, cabe dudar de...
It is certainly possible that o It cannot be ruled out that the author wished us to believe this.	bien puede que
It may be conceded that in this play Hector is a type rather than a person.	se puede admitir que
Of course, one could reduce the number of accidents by such a method, but we must ask ourselves whether the price is not too high.	desde luego..., pero
Undoubtedly this has improved life for a large section of our society, but we must consider carefully the implications of this fact.	indudablemente..., pero
It cannot be denied that the buildings are unusual, but whether they are beautiful is quite another matter.	no se puede negar que..., pero

3.4 Para expresar acuerdo
Nothing could be more true than this portrayal of the pangs of youthful love.	nada podría ser más cierto que
We must acknowledge the validity of the point made by Bevin.	debemos reconocer
In a minor sense, however, one is forced to admit that these criticisms have some validity.	hay algo de raz6n en estas criticas
It is, as he writer says, a totally unexpected event.	como dice el autor
Their opponents are to be congratulated on the accuracy of their predictions.	hay que felicitar... por
He says, rightly in my view, that there is no meaning in this statement.	en mi opinión con toda la razón
In Act I, the hero makes an extremely perspicacious remark about John's intentions.	una observación muy perspicaz

3.5 Para expresar desacuerdo
It is hard to agree with the popular view that religious belief is out-of-date.	es difícil estar de acuerdo con
This statement is totally inaccurate / is very far from the truth in many aspects.	es absolutamente fa/so
Unfortunately, there is not the slightest evidence to justify such a claim.	esta afirmación carece totalmente de justificación
This argument offers no solution to the problems which have beset the artist from time immemorial.	... no presenta ninguna solución para
This is clearly a false view of the poet's intentions.	es evidente que se trata de una deformación de
The pessimistic view of life should not go unchallenged.	debemos tratar de rebatir...
This simplistic notion of Shakespeare's aim is quite unconvincing.	esta interpretación simplista de... no puede convencer a nadie
I find it impossible to accept the philosophical argument for this.	me parece imposible aceptar

3.6 Para recalcar algún punto concreto
Let us be clear that the essential question is not one of money.	hay que dejar bien claro que
It should never be forgotten that the writer belongs to his own times	no se debe olvidar nunca que
It is hard to overemphasize the importance of keeping an open mind	no se puede insistir demasiado en la importancia de
This disaster underlines the importance of good safety measures.	... demuestra la importancia de
Most important of all, we must understand the feelings of the victims.	lo que importa más que nada es que
The reasoning behind this conclusion deserves especial consideration,	... merece consideración especial
Not only does this passage enlighten us, but it also inspires us.	no sólo... sino que también...
It is well worth noting the background to this argument.	merece la pena fijarse en
It is essential to realise that the problem will not be solved by more spending.	es esencial que nos demos cuenta de que
This scene is a difficult one, especially in view of the unlikely background events.	sobre todo si se tiene en cuenta
Next I wish to focus our attention on the use of dramatic irony.	deseo concentrarme en...
What is more, the argument lacks conviction.	lo que es más
It s no coincidence that law comes before order in the popular mind.	no es simple coincidencia que
Another argument supports this thesis: without the contribution which the working married woman makes to the economy, taxes would rise immediately.	hay otro argumento que podría servir para reforzar la tesis:
The chief feature of this scheme is its emphasis on equality of opportunity rather than material goods.	la característica principal
Let us remember that any chain is only as strong as its weakest Iink.	recordemos que
Moreover, it was significant that the Conference rejected the call for peace at any price.	es más, lo significativo fue que
Virginia Woolf's attitude to this, as to many things, is particularly interesting in that it reflects the artist’s isolation.	... lo que tiene especial interés es que