Ch 52 路 Lesson 9

Signposting: en primer lugar, por otro lado, en resumen

The markers that show the shape of an argument: ordering points, balancing two sides, saying it again and closing. And why it is , never .

The short version

opens, closes

, .

Firstly, the climate is mild.
Why?

Signposts show the shape of an argument: , and order the points, and two sides, says it again, and close. Write , never : drops its -o before a masculine noun.

Signposting: telling the reader where they are

Discourse markers show the shape of an argument before the reader has to work it out. The ordering ones run from the first point to the last:

OpeningClosing
  1. En primer lugar
  2. En segundo lugar
  3. Por 煤ltimo
  4. En resumen
JobMarkers
ordering points , ,
two sides , ,
highlighting ,
saying it again , ,
closing , ,

One example of each job:

  • , ; , . - Firstly, the climate is mild; secondly, the food is excellent.
  • ; , . - On the one hand it's cheap; on the other, it's a long way away.
  • . - It is worth pointing out that nobody protested.
  • , , Madrid. - He/she lives in the capital of Spain, that is, in Madrid.
  • ; , . - The plan is expensive; all in all, it isn't worth it.

The connectors inside an argument ( , , ) have their own pages: contrast and cause and consequence.

Going further: Cohesion at a glance and the rest of the guide, when you want them. This lesson does not need them.

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One question at a time, mixed across the exercises in this lesson. Miss one and it comes back round before the end.

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Lesson 9 of 33 in this chapter

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