Tips to write an argumentative essay

1. WRITING AN
ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAY
Advanced English
(Taken from Brent Davis, 2009)

2. 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.

3. How you do it
The 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.

4. To write an essay
• Introductory paragraph
Begin with a topic sentence that is
interesting enough to catch the reader’s
attention.

5. 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”

6. Introductory paragraph
The 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.

7. Body paragraphs
The 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.

8. There are 3 types of
evidence
1) Statistics
Facts: “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

9. There are 3 types of
evidence
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

10. 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

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

12. Conclusion
This 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.

13. 3 Types of clincher
techniques
1) Connecting with the introduction
An example would be (see slide 6)
People have the freedom to chose what to
do with their lives and the government
should respect that.

14. 3 Types of clincher
techniques
2) Asking a rethorical question
Should gay marriage be banned?
Absolutely not!

15. 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.

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

17. 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

18. 2
Do 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

19. 3
Place 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.

20. 4
In 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.

21. 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, ….

22. 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.