Dear user, this manual familiarizes you with the basic requirements of comment-writing and with various approaches. Moreover it provides several sample answers. In addition to that you will pick up dozens of valuable high-frequency expressions as you go along. High-frequency multi-purpose expressions such as “moreover”, “although” or “such as” can be used as signposts or to connect your ideas. They can easily be recycled in a new context.

The good news is, if you internalize some or most of the high-frequency expressions which appear in bold and use them repeatedly in your papers your word power will increase rapidly, your style will improve fast, and your grades will go up accordingly. If time permits, write one exercise paper a week recycling these expressions and hand it in to your teacher for corrections.

• Preliminaries
• Norming and performing: A few basics
• Strategy I: One line of argumentation
  • A “safety first” approach
  • Safety first strategies: keeping your head above water
  • How to cope with emergency situations
  • One line of argumentation – a more ambitious approach
• Strategy II: More complex task approaches
• Think big! The sky is the limit. – Suggestions for High-Fliers
• Appendix