IRE: Idea, Reason, Exam-ple

Structuring Your Argument

Step 1:

State your opinion or idea.

Language for Expressing Your Opinion

• Here are some ways to introduce your opin-ion:

I think that . . . I believe that . . . In my opinion/view, . . . If you ask me, . . . I agree that . . . I disagree that . . . I am for/pro/in favor of . . . I am against/anti . . .

Step 2:

State your reason.

Language for Stating Rea-sons

. . . because . . . (clause)

. . . because of (noun)

. . . due to (noun)

. . . so (that) . . . (clause)

. . . (in order) to . . . (verb)

. . . since . . . (clause) The reason is . . .

Step 3:

Give an example.

Language for Giving Exam-ples

For example, . . . For instance, . . . An example of this is . . . . . . illustrates this point

nicely.. . . is a good example.. . . such as . . . . . . includes . . .

Some Examples

• Look at the next 4 examples and see how they use the IRE structure.

Should smoking be banned in pub-lic places?

I think smoking should be banned in public spaces since it has detrimental effects on the health of people who inhale second hand smoke. For ex-ample, it has been linked to lung cancer, heart disease, and skin disease.

Should corporal punishment be al-lowed in schools?

An Argument AgainstI feel that corporal punishment should be prohibited in school because too many teachers abuse this punishment. For instance, some teachers will hit children if they are having a bad day or they are angry.

An Argument ForI believe that corporal punish-ment should be permitted in schools because it is necessary to control students. For example, students will be noisy and disrupt the class if they don’t fear pun-ishment from their teachers.

Should capital punishment be banned?

I agree that capital pun-ishment should be banned since innocent people are sometimes killed for crimes they didn’t commit. For example, there have been numerous cases where someone has been con-victed of murder but later DNA testing proved they were innocent.

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