C1 Stage 3: Short paragraph
Explain an abstract idea clearly
Explaining abstract ideas clearly in writing
You can explain an abstract idea: say what you mean by a key word, show how it differs from a similar idea, and link it to a real case.
This guide is for B2 writers moving to C1. It is a stage 3 skill: write one short paragraph (80-130 words).
When to use abstract ideas
When your topic is a big word like fairness, success, privacy or trust, and your reader might understand it differently from you. It helps in any argument that depends on one key word.
Abstract ideas: how to do it
Big words like fairness, success or privacy mean different things to different people, so say what you mean. First, say it in your own words, not like a dictionary: 'By independence, I mean the ability to make decisions and accept their results.' Next, separate it from a word people mix it up with, and say why they differ: 'Freedom is permission, while independence is responsibility.' Then give one case a reader can picture, and say what the case shows. Use exact nouns (responsibility, trust, privacy), not 'things' or 'aspects'.
Useful language for abstract ideas
- By ..., I mean ...
- ... is not the same as ...
- ... is best understood as ...
- In other words, ...
- Take, for example, ...
- This shows that ...
Example of abstract ideas
By independence, I mean the ability to make decisions and accept their results, not simply being left alone. A teenager who may go out every night is free, but not necessarily independent, because freedom is permission, while independence is responsibility. Consider a student who plans her own revision timetable, finds it too ambitious in the first week and has to rework it: she learns to judge her limits and to own her choices. Independence, then, grows from choosing and correcting, not from being unsupervised.
Topic: Independence for teenagers
How the BetterWrite coach checks abstract ideas
The BetterWrite coach checks 4 points for this skill, plus accuracy and staying on topic, and quotes your own words when one is not there yet.
Try it
Write a short paragraph (80-130 words) on this idea: fairness at work. Say exactly what the key word means, show how it differs from a similar idea, and use one case a reader can picture.
Write 80-130 words (one short paragraph).