97- Writing Skills Flashcards
The great advantage of digital cameras is that there is no film to process
The great advantage of….. is that….
The advantage of… is that….
One of the big advantages of …. Is that….
The university has the advantage of being one of the oldest and best respected in the country
… has the advantage of ….
The movement of the sea is predictable. This gives wave power a distinct advantage over wind power
… gives …. A distinct advantage over….
An obvious advantage compared to wind power
Despite a few problems with design, the car’s advantages clearly outweigh its disadvantages
… advantages outweigh its disadvantages
= the problems are not enough to stop it being a good car
Regular exercise has many benefits, including reducing the risk of heart disease
… has benefits, (including )…
…. Has benefits.
Modern technology has brought great benefits to mankind.
… bring great benefits…
There has been a great deal of research into the potential benefits of using genetically modified crops.
… potential benefits of….
Thesaurus =
Advantage
Benefit
Merit
Good point …
THESAURUS – Meaning 2: a good or useful feature that something has
advantage a good feature that something has, which makes it better, more useful etc than other things
The great advantage of digital cameras is that there is no film to process.
benefit a feature of something that has a good effect on people’s lives
Regular exercise has many benefits, including reducing the risk of heart disease.
merit a good feature that something has, which you consider when you are deciding whether it is the best choice
The committee will consider the merits of the proposals.
The merits and demerits of (=the good and bad features of)alternative funding systems were widely discussed in the newspapers.
The chairman saw no great merit in this suggestion (=he did not think that it was a good idea).
virtue an advantage that makes you believe that something is a good thing
They believed in the virtues of culture, civilization, and reason.
He’s always extolling the virtues of hard work (=saying that hard work is a good thing).
the good/great/best thing about something especially spoken used when mentioning a good feature of something. This phrase is rather informal and you should not use it in formal essays
The good thing about cycling is that you don’t have to worry about getting stuck in a traffic jam.
the beauty of something is that used when you want to emphasize that something has a very good or useful feature
The beauty of the plan is that it is so simple.
…The merit of…
… the relative merits of …. (Comparing the features)
The merits and demerits of…. (the good and bad features of)
… saw no great merit in … (he did not think that it was a good idea)
merit of
The film has the merit of being short.
The merit of the report is its realistic assessment of the changes required.
The great merit of the project is its flexibility and low cost.
Each of these approaches to teaching has its merits.
Tonight’s meeting will weigh up the relative merits of the two candidates.
/ˈmerɪt/ ●●○ noun
1 [countable] an advantage or good feature of something
merit of
The film has the merit of being short.
The merit of the report is its realistic assessment of the changes required.
The great merit of the project is its flexibility and low cost.
Each of these approaches to teaching has its merits.
Tonight’s meeting will weigh up the relative merits of the two candidates.
► see thesaurus at advantage
Register
Merit is used especially in formal contexts. In everyday English, people usually talk about the good points of something:
The book does have its good points.
2 [uncountable] formal a good quality that makes someone or something deserve praise
There is never any merit in being second best.
have (some) merit/be of merit (=be good)
The suggestion has some merit.
on merit
Students are selected solely on merit (=because they are good).
artistic/literary merit
a film lacking any artistic merit
3 → judge/consider etc something on its (own) merits
COLLOCATIONS – Meanings 1 & 2
VERBS
have merit
Both suggestions had some merit.
discuss/debate the merits of something (=discuss whether or not something is a good idea)
They were discussing the merits of sending soldiers to the area.
consider/judge the merits of something (=think about whether or not something is a good idea)
The committee is considering the merits of the proposal.
assess/evaluate the merits of something (=to decide what is good about something using careful methods)
Has any study assessed the merits of the two schools?
question the merits of something (=not be sure if something is a good idea)
People began to question the merits of nuclear energy.
see little/no merit in something (=think that something is not a good idea)
I can see no merit in violence.
have its merits (=have some good qualities)
Each idea has its merits.
ADJECTIVES
artistic merit (=the qualities that make something good as a piece of art)
What are the artistic merits of this statue?
literary merit (=the qualities that make something good as a book, play, or poem)
There was no literary merit in his poems.
great merit
It seems to me that the idea has great merit.
outstanding merit (=very great merit)
The prize is given to students of outstanding merit.
considerable merit (=a lot of merit)
There is considerable merit in using this kind of approach.
the relative/comparative merits of something (=the good qualities of something as compared to something else)
She is an expert in the relative merits of spa waters.
Good point
=Plus point
One of the good points about…
Each system has its good and bad points.
Plus point
The small but powerful battery is another of the cameras many plus points.
The estate’s leaflet said a major plus point was the recently modernized kitchen
The good/great/best thing about
Used when mentioning a good feature of something (informal)
The beauty of something
Used when you want to emphasize that something has a very good or useful feature
The beauty of design is that it is so simple
The main disadvantage of this book is its price
a big/great/major disadvantage
a serious/severe disadvantage
dis‧ad‧van‧tage1 /ˌdɪsədˈvɑːntɪdʒ $ -ˈvæn-/ ●●● W2 noun [countable, uncountable]
something that causes problems, or that makes someone or something less likely to be successful or effective OPP advantage
disadvantage of
The disadvantage of the material is that it fades in strong sunlight.
disadvantage to
There are some big disadvantages to marriage – you do lose a lot of your freedom.
Criminal behaviour can be linked to economic disadvantage.
COLLOCATIONS
ADJECTIVES
the main disadvantage
The main disadvantage of iron as a material is its weight.
a big/great/major disadvantage
This method has one major disadvantage: its cost.
a serious/severe disadvantage
Public transport is very bad here, which is a serious disadvantage.
a slight/minor disadvantage
Children who are young in their school year sometimes have a slight disadvantage.
a further/additional/added disadvantage
It’s a very small garden and it has the further disadvantage of facing north.
social/economic/educational disadvantage
Unemployment often leads to social disadvantage.
VERBS
have a disadvantage
Cheap air travel has considerable environmental disadvantages.
suffer (from) a disadvantage formal
Working-class boys suffer disadvantages in the educational system.
overcome a disadvantage (=succeed in spite of a disadvantage)
She was able to overcome the disadvantages of race and poverty.
PHRASES
somebody is at a disadvantage (=someone has a disadvantage)
The company was at a disadvantage compared with its competitors.
put/place somebody at a disadvantage (=make someone less likely to be successful than others)
Not speaking English might put you at a disadvantage.
be/work to the disadvantage of somebody (=make someone unlikely to be successful)
This system works to the disadvantage of women.
advantages and disadvantages (=the good and bad features of something)
Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of working from home.
the advantages outweigh the disadvantages (=there are more advantages than disadvantages)
The advantages of building the new road would outweigh the disadvantages.
Drawback
Major drawback
Main drawback
The only drawback
a disadvantage of a situation, plan, product etc
It’s a great city – the only drawback is the weather.
drawback of/to (doing) something
The main drawback to these products is that they tend to be too salty.
