Lesson 4

Language

1. Match to make words and phrases from a persuasive essay with the reasons for using them.

1. to begin with, c. to introduce the topic
2. due to, f. to give a reason for something
3. whilst, b. to give contrasting information
4. personally, d. to give an opinion
5. consequently, e. to introduce the result of something
6. to conclude, a. to introduce a summary of the main points

Reading

2. Put the paragraphs of this essay about guidebooks in the correct order.

We still need guidebooks because we cannot rely on the opinion of people online.

a 4 Lastly, we need to remember that guidebook writers are usually experts. You can trust them for accurate information and a balanced point of view.
They also know who is using their books, so if the book is intended to be for young people, they will recommend places that young people will like.

b 3 Secondly, who are the people writing the reviews? It is difficult to know this information. If they are 50-year-old Europeans, will they have the same opinion as you? It is very hard to know if you are going to like the same places that they like.

c 1 With today’s social media, it is possible to find online reviews of everything from a local park or café to a famous restaurant or museum. Before you book a holiday, you can read what other people think of a hotel or car hire company and what they recommend you do when you get there. Although this means you can get information very easily, in my view, this is not as useful information as you can get from a guidebook.

d 5 To conclude, online reviews are useful, but it’s important to remember that they are just people’s opinions. If you want to know what experts think, personally I think you should buy a guidebook.

e 2 To begin with, we need to ask ourselves why people write reviews online. Whilst it is sometimes because people like writing their opinions, at other times they have a reason for writing it. Perhaps they know the owners of the café, or perhaps they are the owners of the café! That is why they give it a good review.

3. Read the article again and answer the questions in your notebook.

1. Which two opinions are there in the introduction?

You can get online reviews easily and quickly. However, the information from a guidebook is more trustful and more accurate.

2. Which three reasons are given to support the writer’s opinion?

We don’t know why people are writing online reviews, we don’t know who they are writing the reviews for. On the other hand, guidebooks use expert writers with a balanced point of view.​​​​​​​

3. What solution or action is suggested in the conclusion?

The writer suggests buying guidebooks because they use experts.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​