WRITING AN ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAY

Advanced English(Taken from Brent Davis, 2009)

What is it for?It is an essay in which the writer tries to convice the reader(s) that his/her opinion in a controversial issue is the correct one.

How you do itThe writer presents one side of the issue and presents his/her opinions with arguments backed up by statistics, examples, facts, and expert opinions. In short essays (500 words),five paragraphs is the standard format.

To write an essay

• Introductory paragraphBegin with a topic sentence that is interesting enough to catch the reader’s attention.

For example

1)Quotations: The Pope said: “Gay marriages will never be accepted by the catholic church”

2)Denifinitions: “Euthanasia”: The act of killing someone to relieve pain and suffering

3)Facts: “John F. Keneddy was killed on November 22, 1963 in Dallas”

Introductory paragraphThe introduction ends with a thesis statement, an affirmative sentence that expresses the writer’s opinion about the topic of the essay.

Gay marriage should not be banned.

Body paragraphsThe second, third, and fourth paragraphs make up the body of the essay.IMPORTANT:Each of the paragraphs must begin with a transition term (First, second, to continue, in conclusion, etc) followed by an argument that supports the thesis statement. The topic sentence must be supported with evidence.

There are 3 types of evidence1)StatisticsFacts: “John F. Keneddy was killed on November 22, 1963 in Dallas”Figures: However, polls conducted from 1966 to 2004 found that as many as 80 percent of Americans have suspected that there was a plot or cover-up

2) Expert opinion: Quote: Abraham Lincoln said: “The government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from earth”

Paraphrase: Abraham Lincoln said the government where the people participate would never dissapear

There are 3 types of evidence

3) Example:The assasination of John F. Kennedy demonstrates that the United States security system has fail before the 9-11 attacks

There are 3 types of evidence

Ideally, at least two types of evidence are used in the body essay

IMPORTANT

ConclusionThis is the fifth paragraph, it begins with a transition term (to summarize, to conclude, in summary, in conclusion, etc) and a summary in which the thesis and three arguments are re stated

The essay ends with a “clincher” – a technique used to encourage the reader to think about the essay.

3 Types of clincher techniques

1) Connecting with the introductionAn example would be (see slide 6)

People have the freedom to chose what to do with their lives and the government should respect that.

2) Asking a rethorical question

Should gay marriage be banned? Absolutely not!

3 Types of clincher techniques

3) Offering a suggestion

Who we marry should not be a decision that is made by the state, the choices that change our lives should only be made by us.

3 Types of clincher techniques

Persuasive strategies

There 4 basic strategies to use when writing a argumentative essay. They are:

1

Do not use any first or second person pronouns (I, you, we, my, our,etc)

By only using the third person singular or plural (he, she, it, they, etc), the essay appears impersonal and there for rational

2Do not use any contractions (he’s, she’s, don’t, musn’t, can’t, etc). Remember that when we write an academic paper or other formal paper we cannot use contractions except to indicate possession (the pope’s opinion)

Being formal will give credibility to your essay

3Place the weakest argument in the second paragraph of the body (paragraph 3).

By placing the weakest argument in the middle of the two paragraphs, the strength of the two arguments hides the weakness of the second one. In other words, you begin and end strong.

4In the introduction, present the opposing viewpoint first, and then refute it in your thesis statements.

By presenting the opposing position and then refuting it, you appear open-minded; you indicate that you have considered both sides of the issue, opting for the better of the two.

Language structures and transition terms

Some useful language structures to present and then refute an opinion are:

• While proponents claim that…,it would appear the opposite is true

• Some have asserted that…; nevertheless, …

• It could be argued that…; however, ….

Notice the words nevertheless and however. They are transition words and, like the terms first, second, and third, they help the reader follow your train of thought.

IMPORTANT