COMMENTARY
OF THE ARTICLE
I.
Introduction
a) factual information
about the article
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The article I am going to
comment on is
The article I would like to
comment on is
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called…
entitled…
written by…
based on…
presented by…
taken from…
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b) the message of the
article (Formulate the gist of the article. It should be one-two sentences).
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The article
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is devoted to..
is intended to…
gives an account of…
focuses on…
comments on…
highlights…
reports on…
is about…
outlines…
deals with…
describes…(how…)
points out the advantages and
disadvantages…
looks into the problem of…
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As the title suggests…
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To start with the article maintains/ stresses/ claims…
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The issue brought up in the article concerns…
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The message of the article is…
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II.
Main body
Formulate the main ideas presented in the
article;
identify the key words relating to them;
make a plan to organize the
main ideas in a logical order. (The order of presenting the main ideas
may be different from the order in which they appear in the article.)
E.g. cause & effect
advantages&
disadvantages
Arrange your notes in the
following way:
Linking words and phrases to be used:
- to list
points
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To start with…
To begin with…
In the first place…
First of all…
Secondly…
Thirdly…
Finally…
One major advantage/disadvantage of…
One point of view in favour of…
According to the article…
As the author puts it…
Another point (problem, idea, issue, factor)
raised in the article is…
Another point is that…
The author goes on to say…
It is illustrated by the fact…
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- to add more
point to the same topic
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What is more…
Furthermore
Also
In addition to that
Besides
To some extent…
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- to make
contrasting points
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On the one hand/ on the other hand
It cuts both ways
However
In spite of
although
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III.
Conclusion
Interpretation
i.e. what you think about the facts – your
opinion, attitude, assessment, additional information, practical suggestions as
to what should be done to solve the problem.
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In conclusion;
on the whole;
eventually;
finally;
last of all;
to sum up;
taking into account;
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Reporting your observation (commentary: assessment, opinion, additional
information)
a) author’s opinion
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In conclusion;
on the whole;
the author comes to the conclusion;
eventually;
finally;
last of all;
to sum up;
taking into account;
All in all…
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b) personal opinion on
the problem
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in my opinion;
in my view;
to my mind;
as far as I am concerned
My opinion is that…
As far as I’m concerned, I believe that…
I’m convinced that…
It appears to me that…
To my way of thinking…
It seems that…
I agree…
I disagree…
There is some point in this assumption…
This assumption could be argued…
It is a vivid illustration of something…
I’d like to add that…
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c) assessment of the
article:
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I find the article
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interesting
educational
instructive
informative
thought-provoking
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It’s true to say/obvious/ clear/apparent
There is some point in this assumption…
This assumption could be argued…
It is a vivid illustration of something…
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