Aug 17, 2020

How exactly to Write An Argumentative Essay: Step By Step Guide

In life, your ability to construct a convincing argument atlanta divorce attorneys discussion can be an admirable skill that most people lack. Because of this, academic institutions try to teach students the fundamentals of proper argumentation.

With argumentative essays, the student must explore his stance on a problem and think of possible rebuttals to this claim. Otherwise, the argumentative essay is incomplete.

Nevertheless , all kinds of essay writing follow a specified format, and they all need a plan. So , let’s examine how to write an argumentative essay. This guide may also cover essay examples and useful writing tips to present a convincing argument.

What is an Argumentative Essay?

An argumentative essay is a kind of writing that explores the writer’s point of view on any topic. The writer must outline their opinion in the opening paragraphs to offer the reader a better comprehension of their stance on the matter.

Despite similarities with other forms of writing like persuasive essays, argumentative essays go beyond convincing the reader that your point is superior. You also need certainly to explore different existing viewpoints on the problem and refute them. Besides, you must support all your claims with irrefutable evidence predicated on fact.

For instance , if the argumentative essay topic centers around police brutality, your paper should support and refute these claims simultaneously.

In academia, argumentative essay writing is one of the most frequent assignments for students in the arts and humanities. Besides, the conventional structure of argumentative essays is the bedrock of the famous 5-paragraph writing style.

5 Types of Argument Claims

The argument claim describes the prevailing standpoint in your argument — the theory you support. Before outlining your view, you will need to select presentation criteria to dictate the paper’s tone and direction. Here are the five forms of argument claims:

Fact

The very fact claim centers around answering a ‘yes or no’ question. This claim uses concrete evidence to look for the veracity of the paper’s central claim. Often , the very fact claim is employed when the argumentative essay topic is a question.

Definition

While using the definition claim, you should only focus on the conventional definition of the word or expression. All forms of personal and contextual interpretation must not appear in the paper.

Value

The worth claim stresses the importance of the topic of discussion. What is the relevance to society? This kind of claim is usually used for existential problems affecting humans generally speaking or a specific group.

Cause and effect

Because the name suggests, the cause and effect claim focuses on a concern and the reason why it occurred. In essence, the essay establishes a connection between a meeting and an outcome.

Policy

This claim assertion technique is employed in politics. For argumentative essay writing, the policy claim should address the relevance of the discussion, the affected parties, and the best policy moving forward.

Argument Strategies

Building a convincing argument relies on your ability to strategize. You need to acquaint yourself with the facts of the matter and choose a winning strategy to express your ideas.

Think about lawyers in the courtroom; they spend hours preparing their arguments and studying the adversary. And in the long run, they think of a strategy to counter the opponent’s most vital points. Politicians also utilize this technique.

Therefore let’s have the three main argument ways of use in your argumentative essay.

– The Classical Approach (Aristotelian)

The classical approach is named following the great philosopher Aristotle. This argumentative strategy involves a straight-line expression of your argument.

First, you focus on your main claim and convince the reader that your stance is the only valid one. Then, you must offer context and provide evidence-backed data to counter any rebuttals from your own opponent. This plan is the most simple since it follows a linear chain of action.

Also, the classical approach interests the credibility (ethos) of the claim and the logic (logos) of thinking. At the same time, you are able to appeal to the reader’s emotions (pathos) with vivid imagery. And most importantly, you can make a time-sensitive appeal (kairos) by calling the reader to immediate action.

– The Rogerian Strategy

This argumentative strategy was developed by Carl Rogers and became popular through the works of Young and Pike. This strategy’s central ideology focuses on compromise — the ability to reach a middle ground and prevent further conflict with your adversary.

In life, the Rogerian strategy is often applied when negotiating with relatives and buddies. For example , should you want to visit Paris and your partner wants to see Venice, the Rogerian method will help you plan a trip that covers both destinations.

Consequently , this Rogerian strategy isn't the best approach in an academic setting. Even though you are ready to reach a compromise, your opponent may not have the same motivations. Besides, you must yield some ground to come quickly to a sensible resolution, which contrasts the complete essence of argumentation.

– The Toulmin Style

This argumentative approach was developed by Stephen Toulmin. The central theme involves coming up with a claim and backing it up. So , we could divide this tactic into three components: claim, grounds, and backing.

The claim is the main opinion, usually a conference that occurred somewhere. The causes of the argument reference a number of facts and evidence supporting the original claim. Finally, the backing describes additional data that corroborates the main claim without conceding to the opposition.

Choose one of these three approaches to present an opinion strongly related the argumentative essay topic. And if you might be unsure in regards to the best approach, use the classic method.

How to Choose a Topic for an Argumentative Essay

Most teachers give fully out argumentative essay topics to students. Sometimes, they provide numerous topics where students can choose. Nevertheless , some teachers allow students to flex their creative muscles and choose topics on their own. If you should be left with the herculean task of selecting a fascinating essay topic, here are some tricks to help you emerge unscathed.

– Choose a topic that interests you

Whatever the essay writing genre, always choose a topic that interests you. If you're into sports, look for sports-related argumentative essay topics. Choosing the topic that you don’t care about will always reflect in the paper’s quality. The entire argument will lack inspiration and passion.

Besides, writing on a topic that you find interesting helps you to explore the topic much more. It also reduces the amount of work needed to complete the assignment. So , always outline your interests whenever choosing a topic, and tailor your quest to them.

– Research hot-button issues

Yet another easy solution to come up with a relevant topic is by addressing hot-button problems. For example , topics related to animal rights and climate change are the subject of debates in politics and even at dinner parties. As a result, you'll find enough material to structure your argumentative essay.

Besides, controversy sells. Readers want a topic which will strike most of the emotional chords for them. So , picking a controversial topic piques the reader’s interest and earns you maximum points in your essay. Most importantly, give attention to hot-button dilemmas related to your field of study.

– Search for trending topics

Trending topics are always a dependable go-to when you're struggling with ideas for your argumentative paper. By focusing on trending topics, you may come up with relevant issues for arguments. At precisely the same time, you will match the emotional part of argumentation since most trending issues are controversial.

Besides, writing about popular issues offers you access to enough materials. You can also select your topic from any form of media.

Below are a few reliable sources for argumentative essay topics:

Books
Magazines
News
Internet forums (Medium, Quora, Twitter, etc.)

A typical theme for argumentative essays is the current COVID pandemic and its effects on social interactions.

– Find topics with arguable sides

When selecting essay topics, students frequently forget that they must argue both sides. For that reason the topic you decide on must be arguable. In simpler terms, people will be able to look at it and agree or disagree straight away. Hence, the requirement to choose controversial topics for the argumentative essay.

For example:

“The earth is flat.”

No-one (in their right mind) will argue with this assertion. And even if indeed they do, no evidence can support this stance.

“Climate change will lead to armageddon.”

Now, this topic is debatable since boffins are conflicted about the long-term impacts of climate change.

Avoid broad topics

It might seem that choosing broad topics provides you with more content for the argumentative essay. But the reverse is the case: broad topics extend the region you need to cover in your paper. And because you have a word count restriction, you can’t express your ideas to the best of one's ability.

For that reason choose a topic that provides you with enough material. Some topics allow you to think, “How am I supposed to find evidence to guide that? ”

Avoid these ‘unresearchable’ argumentative topics.

Argumentative Essay Outline

With a clear understanding of the subject, you can now focus your efforts on brainstorming. Conduct extensive research on the matter to gather enough information for many sides of the argument. After collecting the data and supporting evidence, you need to produce a plan for your paper. This plan of action is called an argumentative essay outline.

The outline provides structure to your paper. It also saves your time when focusing on time-sensitive assignments. And most importantly, an essay outline offers you an arrangement framework for the points.

For argumentative essays, the outline contains at the very least five paragraphs — the basis of the standard essay structure.

Let’s take a look at the standard argumentative essay structure.

The introductory paragraph

Every essay starts with the introduction, which makes it the most crucial the main argumentative essay format. This section previews the paper by providing back ground information on this issue. Besides, the argumentative essay introduction eliminates all aspects of neutrality, stating the writer’s intentions to guide a specific side of the argument.

Consequently, you need a well-crafted thesis statement that captures the central theme covered in the paper. The thesis statement is often concise, with at the most two sentences. You can also put it at the end of the introduction.

The body section

This is actually the paper’s main section since it contains the way to obtain information and the main arguments. Also, your body paragraphs examine two sides of the writer’s standpoint. In essence, you have at the very least three sections or paragraphs dedicated to each point.

Listed below are the main paragraphs that make up the human body.

The claim

This paragraph expresses the author’s main argument in detail. With respect to the paper’s size, this section can contain two or more paragraphs linked by transitional phrases.

The rebuttal

This section gift suggestions opposing viewpoints to the key claim. Basically, the rebuttal counters the thesis presented in the introduction.

The counterclaim

This section reaffirms the thesis and counters the rebuttal.

All three sections must can be found in the body of a full-fledged argumentative essay. Also, you have to start every paragraph with a topic sentence. Don’t forget to use linking verbs to ascertain a relationship between paragraphs. And most importantly, provide supporting evidence and citations for the points.

The conclusion

In this section, the student should restate the central ideas presented in the paper. A regular argumentative essay conclusion always starts by rehashing the thesis statement. However , you cannot introduce new a few ideas in in conclusion.

Argumentative Essay Examples

You are able to choose a numerous topics for the essay on the basis of the specific subject. But if you’ve hit a solid brick wall in your selection, here are a few excellent examples to choose from centered on earlier tips:

Controversial argumentative essay examples

Gender-based discrimination is prevalent in Silicon Valley.
Is the COVID-19 vaccine harmful to society?
CTE is a significant problem in all sports

Is police brutality warranted or an appropriate a reaction to high crime rates?

Should all states legalize late-term abortion?

Fact-based argumentative essay topics

Racial discrimination is in charge of police brutality.
The racial quota is a slap in the face of meritocracy.
Fast food is responsible for obesity.

The criminalization of Cannabis accounts for all drug wars.

High taxation is harmful to the local economy.

Useful Tips for Argumentative Essay Writing

Every outstanding argumentative essay depends on persuasion. You will need to convince the reader that your opinion is the ultimate truth. However , false evidence and poor grammar affect the credibility of one's claims. Therefore , let’s consider some important tips when writing a convincing argumentative paper.

Choose an arguable topic

If the teacher allows you to select your preferred topic, make sure you choose an issue with arguable sides. After all, an argumentative essay’s entire essence is to explore all the sides of the issue and confirm your standpoint. So , search for topics that interest you and are highly relevant to your field of study.

Focus on controversial issues

No body wants to spending some time reading a bland, uninspired essay. Therefore , while looking for topics, concentrate on hot-button problems. But don’t choose controversial topics for kicks. Make sure that the topic relates to your field. Moreover, pay more focus on issues that ignite your passion. This emotional connection improves your argument and makes the paper more engaging.

Take a stance you can support

Whenever choosing an emotionally-charged topic, avoid those that are limited in scope. You don’t need to select the ‘progressive’ side of each argument. Identify your interests and beliefs and focus your opinions on them. In so doing, you will give yourself more wiggle room to express your opinions better.

Consider your audience

Writing an argumentative essay for the peers is significantly diffent because you may use an informal and conversational style. But as your audience could be the teacher, you are able to only use formal language. Therefore , adapt your writing style to your audience to earn higher marks. And as a rule, steer clear of informal expressions in academic writing without exceptions.

Gather convincing evidence

Personal experience and opinions don't have any place in argumentative writing, irrespective of how painful and convincing. Only evidence from authoritative sources is acceptable when supporting your claim. For that reason your research should focus on academic material and resources from acclaimed authors. You can also count on the works of recognized experts in the field to straight back your claims. Stay away from Wikipedia, Quora, as well as other open-source platforms.

Outline your essay

As you gather your points, arrange them into a framework for your essay. This technique allows you to develop a relevant outline for the paper without much stress. Besides, the outline forms the basis of one's argumentative essay and saves you a lot of hours used on arranging your thinking. Eventually, this outline will allow you to come up with a preliminary draft.

Write a captivating title and intro

How come a title essential when writing an argumentative essay? First of all, utilizing a question title allows the reader to take a stance right away. And when the topic is emotionally-charged, you have your reader by the hook. And as far as hooks are concerned, utilize them in your essay. Add essay hooks in the introduction along with a well-written thesis statement.

Mind the formatting

Every academic writing assignment follows a specified format. The only real exception is narrative essays that feature personal accounts. When writing your argumentative essay, utilize the formatting style specified by the teacher. Remember that APA writing style needs an abstract, as the MLA doesn’t need one. If you don’t know the differences between writing formats, consult the state style guides for more clarity.

Conclude by restating the thesis

The final outcome paragraph should restate the thesis. For a more comprehensive conclusion, summarize every paragraph in the essay. Continually be careful never to introduce any new some ideas in the final outcome paragraph. & most importantly, keep it short and right to the point.

End with a call to action

The last point in the final outcome should always call the reader to act on something. Because the point of an argument would be to convince the others that your opinion is the most logical, you need to sign off by calling them to your side. At the same time, it is possible to highlight a moral lesson from the written text.

Edit the final draft

Editing is the final frontier in just about any writing task. This stage of writing allows you to analyze your ideas and grammar. At precisely the same time, you can adjust the writing structure or use a more impactful tone. When you are pleased with the final draft, you can now submit your paper.

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