If you are a post-graduate, a tertiary, or maybe a high school student, there’s a big chance you’ll be assigned to create an argumentative essay at least once. You may also be a professional trying to write for a publication, or simply desire to express or some opinions to persuade people.
In regards to this, you may be wondering the right ways to create a good argumentative essay. Indeed, it’s important to know what you’re writing about and how to write it the right way. If not, your great ideas or concept might just be wasted.
So how to write argumentative essay? The great news is, argumentative essay writing is uncomplicated and straightforward, even with how it’s structured. Whether you’re writing academically or professionally, this guide should come in handy in writing your argumentative essay.
But before we go to the nitty-gritty of argumentative essay writing, let us first define what an argument essay is.
What is argumentative essay?
An argumentative essay is stating one’s position by scrutinizing an issue and providing reasons and evidence for his/her perspective in a concise and structured manner. As with any other written composition, a typical persuasive essay must consist of an opening, a body and a conclusion.
But keep in mind that there are three types of argumentative essays. So while these basic chunks are the major backbone of your composition, the structure of your article portions varies, hanging on the type of an argumentative essay you’ll implement. Moreover, it’s important to consider which one of these argumentative essay type fits your goals.
Three types of arguments
After knowing the meaning of an argumentative essay, as well as its main parts, it’s important to outline the essay first before we start writing the argumentative essay. This will give proper direction, organize your thoughts and structure, and save you time. But primarily, you must read through these three kinds of an argumentative essay in order to know your structure and determine whichever you’ll use when doing an argumentative essay. So let’s start.
Aristotelian argument strategy
Also called the traditional argumentative strategy, this is the most used argument tactic in doing an argumentative essay. This is also what we’ll focus on in this study. This argumentative composition writing strategy is where you write the problem and the resolution, then persuade your reviewers to grasp your point on the specific matter.
Part of your role is to raise awareness too, especially to those who are unknowledgeable or don’t give their support to a particular opinion or idea yet, so that they will care more or give more attention to the topic. A classical argument strategy should have an introduction, background, thesis, argument, refutation and conclusion; which we’ll discuss more in detail later.
Rogerian persuasion method
Next is the Rogerian persuasion method. It is a preferred method in polarization; in short, those that have really strong oppositions and do not appear to pay attention to both sides. You can write this argumentative article as long as you desire to let your readers know that you are unprejudiced and are paying attention to both sides, confirming how both opposing sides are valid. So in this case, you present both sides and are simply trying to propose a possible agreement, or giving out a middle ground.
In the end, you’ll merely persuade your reviewers why embracing your points can be beneficial.
Structure of a Rogerian persuasion method
Introduction ↴
Start by discussing the issue and your opinion about why it should be addressed. ↴
Homeschooling is fast becoming a preferred form of education by urban parents because more attention and flexibility is given through one-on-one lessons, though some see how it can affect a child’s cognitive and social development negatively.
↓
Opposing arguments ↴
Sum up the opposing arguments in the argumentative essay with supporting statements and acknowledge both’s validity. ↴
While homeschooling may be worrisome compared to structured classes due to fear of what students may miss out, especially in terms of child development, it can work with strong parental involvement to ensure they can keep up with their child’s needs.
↓
Your Position ↴
Write your points or proposal in the argumentative essay objectively. ↴
Homeschooling may be beneficial to children because parents know what their child needs, especially if they have special or individual needs, which sometimes cannot be addressed by an educator managing a group of students in a class. etc…
↓
Benefits ↴
Appeal to the opposition and show how elements of your position could work to benefit its interests. ↴
Since parents ideally know and love their children, they can cater more to their child’s’ needs in homeschooling. Public school educators may not be able to give as much attention as what the students’ parents can give because they have full classrooms, aside from other things they have to cater to, like school administrators and supervising each individual student.
Toulmin model of argument
There is what we call the Toulmin model of argument, which is mostly used if it’s a very polarized debate in a argumentative essay, just like the Rogerian argument strategy. The difference though is that it uses direct logic, that is, it only focuses on presenting one side instead of two. It’s to restrain any argument to anything that can be agreed upon.
Structure of a Toulmin model of argument
Its format is a bit different from the first two types of arguments. Here they are with examples:
Claim ↴
The thesis the writer aims to substantiate. ↴
The administration must implement rules and regulations to lessen the impact/effects of global warming.
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Evidence ↴
This should back up the claim in your argumentative essay. ↴
Global warming is a serious threat to our planet.
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Warrant ↴
When writing the warrant, you should present how the data backs up the claim. ↴
Administration order works in some cases.
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Backing ↴
You should also provide logical thinking to support the warrant. ↴
We have several other administration orders on this issue.
↓
Rebuttal ↴
This must be incorporated into the possible oppositions against the claim. ↴
Global warming is unavoidable and unmanageable.
↓
Qualifier ↴
This is a short phrase that restricts the range of the claim to avoid objections. ↴
The government typically does what it takes to take care of our environment. ↴
↓
Exceptions ↴
This will restrict the disagreement even more by writing exceptions. ↴
Where educators and non-profit organizations are taking action, rules may not be crucial.
Now it will not be possible to pick an argumentative essay method for your essay without knowing your topic and what suits it the most. When you already found a topic on doing the argumentative essay, then skip the next part and continue doing the outline of your article. But to some of you who are asked to find your own topic inwriting an argumentative essay, especially by your high school teacher, this is a must-read.
Looking for a topic for your argumentative essay?
In your essay of argumentation, another thing you should consider is your topic. It’s important to remember certain tips in choosing your topic for the argumentative essay.
Actually, it’s pretty easy to choose a topic to write for your argumentative essay. Just do a Google search of the latest news, or go to trending topics and hashtags in social media, both locally and worldwide. This can be related to global issues, or even your country’s issues, especially related to the environment, health, or even law and politics. If you want, you can simply type and discover tons of lists of argumentative essay topic ideas online.
Of course, find a topic you are personally interested in and take a stand you personally believe in, so you can create and present the argumentative essay with conviction. Of course, do as much exploration about the topic, including the opposing side. Do not just focus on your point of view.
In your research, make sure to gather relevant helpful stories and data to support your point of view. And lastly, verify the reality, what caused it, how significant or relevant it is and what should be done about it.
How do you start an argumentative letter?
A good argumentative paper should be organized and should have a clear direction from the beginning. Here are some tips in outlining your argumentative essay before you actually start writing your first statement (these should all be seen in your outline):
- Capture the audience’s interest and leave them wanting to know more about it.
- Write the dispute or problem with clarity.
- Mention the opposing sides too, then refute them with yours.
- Persuade them to take your side.
- Think about any objections that may arise and refute these.
- Persuade your reader(s) to take your point of view.
Now that we know the important things to remember on how to start an argumentative essay, let’s now go to writing the first paragraph of your argumentative essay – your introduction.
How do you introduce an argument?
So how to start an argumentative essay? A good argumentative essay must capture your reviewers’ attention right from the first paragraph. In a nutshell, start creating the first part of your article of argumentation by explaining the problem and the dispute. Then end the argumentative article introduction with your thesis statement.
A great tip for the first part is to keep your hypothetical statement in mind while you offer backdrop information needed to acknowledge the disagreement. Moreover, you can begin to present the pieces of proof that support that disagreement, but they must only be a sketch or an outline.
Here are some more tips to start creating your argumentative article’s introduction:
- Remember to be direct on the first part and save the major disagreement/debate on your body paragraphs.
- If you have several points in your argumentative and are kind of confused whichever to include, start writing the aspects of the topics that are most interesting or convincing to your viewers.
- Stir your audience with your opinion by appealing to their emotions.
- You can begin writing facts from highly reputable sources to start building a powerful disagreement and construct certainty.
- Of course, when doing your argumentative essay, you must keep in mind that you must be original by applying your own words and sourcing or quoting the right information where applicable. Always be sensitive to the rights reserved.
- Make sure that you offer a clear context. Giving sufficient background on your argument will help you build your argument and help your audience grasp it.
- Some questions you can ask yourself while writing is “Why is it significant? or “Why should people look after it?”. Don’t forget to state the incidents that lead you to your disagreement.
- Your introduction paragraphs must shift evenly into your primary disagreement. This can be done by writing the points that help the argumentative essay’s main body.
- A good argumentative essay has a true story. This can be an anecdote. This can also include or be followed by reality or statistical figures from a reliable source.
Keep in mind that all of these should fit the introduction of your argumentative essay. At the end of your first part before the main body paragraphs must be an excellent thesis statement with the main points. Here are some creative ideas to write your thesis statement.
Writing your thesis statement
An important part of an argumentative essay, a thesis statement, usually in one sentence, covers your primary points and stand. Therefore this really needs to be excellent and appealing, since it is through this that the reviewer will determine what the argumentative essay is all about. Moreover, this is the primary determining factor whether or not they’ll be intrigued and will proceed reading your article. This is also why they say that this is the most vital part of an argumentative essay.
Now you may also wonder, can you start an argumentative essay with a question on a thesis statement? Definitely yes! In fact, you can begin writing the body of an argumentative essay with an intriguing question in the thesis statement, if not a fascinating statistic, quote, or a fact. Keep in mind that the thesis statement is the last sentence in your introduction.
But before we discuss more about it in the next section, here are more argumentative essay ideas for your thesis statement:
- Write a theoretical proposition which also states the problem.
- Write provocative, intriguing questions.
- Differentiate.
- It’s important to keep in mind these three elements which are proven to persuade your reviewers or listeners: logos, pathos and ethos. Logos means having a sound logic, while pathos means that your persuasive essay must appeal to your readers’ emotions. And lastly, ethos means resonating your readers’ character or moral.
Depending on your topic, stand and preference, here are three ways to create a thesis statement in writing an argumentative essay.
Question and answer format
This must be the easiest one. You’ll begin by writing your topic in a query format and then also provide an answer for it. Questions can be any of these types: root cause, description, value, fact, or proposing a solution.
Most topics can be easily created a question using any of these classifications. Here are some examples:
- Does global warming harm our planet? (fact)
- What is global warming? (description)
- What are the root causes of global warming? (root cause)
- How significant it is to build more sustainable habits to keep our planet healthy? (value)
- What can you do to lessen the impact of global warming? (proposal)
Pro tip: You can actually use any of these queries as a title! In fact, in writing an argumentative essay, the title is usually a provocative question, which can be answered in your thesis statement.
For example, if you used this question as a title: “Does global warming harm our planet?” You can answer this in your thesis statement: “Global warming is an alarming situation because of the continuously damaging effects it gives to our planet, which is only getting worse as more gadgets are being produced and used by people who are unaware or indifferent about our how it threatens our planet.”
It has now become understandable that the center of your article is to raise awareness by reminding them of the worsening/arising circumstance.
Disproving complaints
Another clever way of writing your thesis statement is by stating one side of the argument, with a disproving statement after it.
Here’s an example: Some believe that global warming is something this is unavoidable and unmanageable. But recently, global leaders’ efforts worldwide have shown a significant effect in lessening its impact.
So you saw two disagreements there – the one that is opposed to yours, and your refutal. Support or back-up your statement with a credential to studies to make it powerful/more appealing.
Roadmap
This is another way to creating a powerful thesis, which tells in just a few words the primary points of each of the subjects you will cover. This is similar to an outline with an overview of each of your primary subjects. Yes, it’s a bit longer compared to the first two, but this can also be very helpful to your readers because you’re already leading them to each of the subjects right away.
Moreover, it’ll also help you craft the persuasive essay with ease, as you now have the key points, which you’ll only have to expound in your main body later on.
Here’s a sample: Some think that global warming is something this is unavoidable and unmanageable. But recently, global leaders’ efforts worldwide have shown a significant effect in lessening its impact; by implementing movements such as the Earth Hour, by raising awareness through media; and by educating people by facilitating seminars in schools and different organizations.
So there you have it with all the things you should keep in mind on writing an argumentative essay. Now, let us go to creating the main paragraphs of the persuasive essay.
By what method can you start writing your body paragraphs?
In writing the body of your article, it must consist of at least three paragraphs. All paragraphs should have proof to back-up your thesis. Each paragraph is what we call the topic sentence of your body paragraphs. These should include why your position should be accepted.
Therefore, a good question to think about when doing your persuasive essay paragraphs is, “Why should they agree with me”? Also, remember that your body paragraphs should have separate ideas. In other words, one idea must only be covered in one paragraph. So focus on that idea alone while you save the next idea to the next paragraph.
And since this is kind of limited, make sure to center your focus on doing the powerful points of your disagreement and choose your words carefully to be able to write all the important ideas in one paragraph. Of course, don’t forget to write possible points of oppositions in your topic sentence and refute them by stating your reasons. This will make your essay writing perspective stronger.
By what method can you end a persuasive essay?
Ending argumentative essays requires writing a summary of your thesis statement and main disagreements. Your goal is to persuade your audience and justify your disagreement. In short, you must wrap it up, and no new disagreements or facts should arise. You’re already writing your final words so you should end it strong and leave a mark to your readers or listeners.
Consider these things when writing the conclusion:
- Stir your readers’ emotions by touching their logic, character and morals.
- Make sure you’re writing a convincing call to action to persuade them to be of the same opinion as your stand. Stir them to think, feel, believe and do something.
- Write some hypotheticals. In other words, tell them what can happen if they take your ideas. You can consider writing more than one but always be realistic.
- You can also end by writing a personal story or anecdote to tell them how the problem affects you or the people.
You see, argumentative essays aren’t difficult, as long as you’re following these simple writing guidelines! This comprehensive guide on how to start a persuasive essay should now give you the proper direction and structure of your thoughts. Just remember to be writing enthusiastically, passionately and creatively too and you won’t go wrong in writing great argumentative essays!
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