2. To write an argument essay, you’ll need to gather
evidence and present a well-reasoned argument on a
debatable issue.
How can I tell if my topic is debatable?
C C our t s s!hec y he i You cannot argue a
statement of fact, you must base your paper on a strong
position. Ask yourself…
• How many people could argue against my position? What
would they say?
• Can it be addressed with a yes or no? (aim for a topic that
requires more info.)
• Can I base my argument on scholarly evidence, or am I relying
on religion, cultural standards, or morality?
• Have I made my argument specific enough?
3. Check your thesis
Thesis Statements
No matter what type of writing that you do,
whether you are writing an essay in an ESL
class, or an essay for a literature class, it has a
main topic. In college level writing, most
professors agree that this topic should be
expressed in a thesis sentence. The thesis is a
very important part of an essay because it
summarizes what you have in mind for this
essay and guides the reader in reading your
essay accurately.
4. What a thesis IS:
• It is a claim (not a fact) that can be supported by a reason or
reasons;
• It directly answers the question of the assignment;
• It is a statement that unifies the paper by stating the writer's
most important or significant point regarding the topic;
• It is usually one sentence that does not discuss many topics;
• It forecasts the content and order of the essay;
• It is placed most often in the beginning of the essay,
preferably towards the end of the introduction, but at least
within the first or second paragraph; and
• It is sometimes – but rarely – implied rather than stated
outright.
5. Developing Your Thesis
Now that we know what a strong thesis statement is, we
can begin to craft one of our own. Most effective
thesis statements often answer these three questions:
• What is the essay’s subject?
• What is the main idea that will be discussed about
the topic?
• What is the evidence or support that will be used to
support the main idea?
6. Let’s suppose that I want to write an essay about playing
sports. I might begin with a sentence like this:
Playing sports is really good for people.
This is a good start because it does express my position
without announcing it; unfortunately, it is vague and general and
therefore ineffective. It is not all that exciting for my reader, and
it leaves my audience too many unanswered questions.
WHY is playing sports good for people?
HOW does playing sports benefit people?
WHICH people benefit from playing sports?
Asking questions about the topic is a great way to find more
specific information to include in my thesis.
7. Let’s suppose now that after asking these questions, I’ve
decided I want to narrow my topic into children and sports. I
might next have a thesis like this:
Playing sports is really good for children.
Now my thesis is more specific, but I still haven’t really
answered the WHY and HOW questions. Maybe I think that
playing sports helps children develop better cooperation skills,
better coordination, and better overall health. I might have a
thesis that ends up like this:
Playing sports is beneficial for children because it helps
them develop better cooperation skills, better coordination,
and better overall health.
•Notice that I have beefed up my vocabulary a bit by changing
“really good” to “beneficial.”
•Notice that I also now have the three major elements of a
thesis statement:
1) A subject: playing sports
2) A main idea: playing sports is beneficial for children
3) Support or Evidence: better cooperation, better coordination,
and better overall health.
8. Most effective thesis statements contain this
type of structure, often called an action plan or
plan of development. This is such an effective type
of thesis because it clearly tells the reader what is
going to be discussed; it also helps the writer stay
focused and organized.
How can you now use this pattern to create an
effective thesis statement?
Remember, this is not the only type of
effective thesis statement, but using this pattern is
helpful if you are having difficulty creating your
thesis and staying organized in your writing.
9. You MUST choose one side or the other when you write an
argument paper!
Don’t be afraid to tell others exactly how you think things should go
because that’s what we expect from an argument paper.
Why do I need to address the opposing side’s argument?
There is an old kung-fu saying which states, "The hand that strikes
also blocks", meaning that when you argue it is to your advantage to
anticipate your opposition and strike down their arguments within
the body of your own paper.
By addressing the opposition you achieve the following goals:
illustrate a well-rounded understanding of the topic
demonstrate a lack of bias
enhance the level of trust that the reader has for both you and
your opinion
give yourself the opportunity to refute any arguments the
opposition may have
strengthen your argument by diminishing your opposition's
argument
10. How do I accomplish this?
To address the other side of the argument you plan to make, you'll
need to "put yourself in their shoes." In other words, you need to try
to understand where they're coming from. If you're having trouble
accomplishing this task, try following these steps:
Jot down several good reasons why you support that particular
side of the argument.
Look at the reasons you provided and try to argue with yourself.
Ask: Why would someone disagree with each of these points? What
would his/her response be? (Sometimes it's helpful to imagine that
you're having a verbal argument with someone who disagrees with
you.)
Think carefully about your audience; try to understand their
background, their strongest influences, and the way that their minds
work. Ask: What parts of this issue will concern my opposing
audience the most?
Find the necessary facts, evidence, quotes from experts, etc. to
refute the points that your opposition might make.
Carefully organize your paper so that it moves smoothly from
defending your own points to sections where you argue against the
opposition.
11. How to write an argumentative essay?
1. Planning Stage
For an argument essay to be effective, it must contain
certain elements. For this reason, you must take a few
minutes to plan and prepare before you jump into writing
an argument essay.
1. 1. Thinking about the Topic
While a strong interest in a topic is important, it's not
enough to be interested. You have to consider what position
you can back up with reasoning and evidence. It's one thing
to have a strong belief, but when shaping an argument you'll
have to explain why your belief is reasonable and logical.
As you explore the topics, make a mental list of points you
could use as evidence for or against an issue.
12. 1. Planning stage (contd.)
1.2. Consider Both Sides of Your Topic and Take a Position
Once you have selected a topic you feel strongly about, you
should make a list of points for both sides of the argument
and pick a side. One of your first objectives in your essay will
be to present both sides of your issue with an assessment of
each. Of course, you will conclude that one side (your side)
is the best conclusion.
In the planning stage you will need to consider strong
arguments for the "other" side. Then you'll shoot them
down!
1.3. Gather Evidence
The act of arguing involves providing proof to support your
claim, with or without emotions.In an argument essay you
will have to provide evidence without providing too much
drama. You'll explore two sides of a topic (briefly) and
provide proof as to why one side or position is the best one.
13. 2. Writing Stage
Once you've given yourself a solid foundation to work with, you can begin to
craft your essay. An argument essay should contain three parts:
theintroduction, the body, and the conclusion. The length of these parts
(number of paragraphs) will vary, depending on the length of your essay
assignment.
2. 1. Introduce your topic and assert your side
As in any essay, the first paragraph of your argument essay should contain a
brief explanation of your topic, some background information, and a thesis
statement. In this case, your thesis will be a statement of your position on a
particular controversial topic.
2. 2. Present both sides of the controversy
The body of your essay will contain the meat of your argument. You should go
into more detail about the two sides of your controversy and state the strongest
points of the counter-side of your issue.
After describing the "other" side, you will present your own viewpoint and then
provide evidence to show why your position is the correct one.
Select your strongest evidence and present your points one by one. Use a mix of
evidence types, from statistics, to other studies and anecdotal stories. This part
of your paper could be any length, from two paragraphs to two hundred pages.
2.3. Re-state your position as the most sensible one in your
14. Organization: All argumentative topics have PROs and CONs.
Before starting writing, it is imperative to make a list of these ideas
and choose the most suitable ones among them for supporting
and refuting.
There are three possible organization patterns:
Pattern 1:
Thesis statement:
PRO idea 1
PRO idea 2
CON(s) + Refutation(s)
Conclusion
Pattern 2:
Thesis statement:
CON(s) + Refutation(s)
PRO idea 1
PRO idea 2
Conclusion
Pattern 3:
Thesis statement:
CON idea 1 -----> Refutation
CON idea 2 -----> Refutation
CON idea 3 -----> Refutation
Conclusion
15. Counter arguments
1. People should trust medicine
since it is effective and scientifically
proven.
2. Serious illnesses such as
HIV/AIDS and cancer cannot be
treated without medicine.
3. Reiki, like alternative healing
methods, requires a lot of time.
Refutation
Reiki is also scientifically
proven and does not have side
effects. (refutation method:
insufficient claim)
Medicine also cannot treat
serious illnesses if not
diagnosed at an early stage.
(refutation method: opponents
are partially correct)
Reiki requires less time if
done regularly. (refutation
method: opponents are
completely wrong)
Sample for Pattern 3
