Writing an Argumentative Essay

An argumentative essay is an essay that requires you as a writer to defend a position on the subject or topic matter based on personal experience, historical or literature examples as well as research to support your point of view. When writing an argumentative essay, you can use different arguments to prove your point.

However, good argumentative essay writing should be based on three qualities including

• Being precise in the argument and in use of terms
• Grounding in evidence you provide
• Being clear and concise in prose

Therefore, it is imperative to follow a clear outline for writing the essay and follow a step by step process to help you write a successful essay

Writing an argumentative essay outline

An argumentative essay should have a

• Title
• Introduction
• Body paragraphs including paragraph 1 (topic sentence, main argument of the paragraph and specific examples supporting the main or topic sentence) and paragraph two and three……
• Conclusion which is a brief summary of the thesis and muses on the implications of the thesis

The Title– offer a brief and catchy summation of the main argument.  The title should tell the reader what you will argue about in the essay and it depends on your stance.

The introduction– open your essay with a hook to grab the attention of readers. You can pose a question or puzzle that you the essay will later resolve. Whatever strategy you use, keep it brief, clear and ensure it offers a solid bridge to your thesis statement.

It is imperative to avoid general statements that make unsupportable and sweeping claims in the introduction. Warm up sentences are also not necessary in the introduction because they do not contribute anything important to your argument.

You should additionally include a thesis statement in the introduction. This should be one or two sentences long presenting your main idea to target audience. Ideally, you need a brief thesis that explains to readers your main reasons behind your stance or statement. Therefore, you need to brainstorm in length before you start writing an argumentative essay.

Body– each body paragraph should begin with a topic sentence. This is because it announces the argument of the paragraph and how the paragraph will support the overall argument of the essay. The other paragraphs should go ahead to present and explain evidence supporting the topic sentence.

When writing an argumentative essay body paragraphs, avoid putting everything in one paragraph. Have each idea in a paragraph to develop one distinct idea clearly. Squeezing all ideas in one paragraph makes your essay boring to read.

The conclusion-provide a simple summary of your main idea or argument in the conclusion. Note that a good argumentative essay will always have an established core argument by the end of the essay body. Therefore, it is essential to use the conclusion to raise sum up the paper and raise ideas that flow from your argument and evidence.

You can also use the conclusion to offer lessons that people should draw from your argument in today’s age and era. You will realize interesting parallels to another time, issue or place or you will have found interesting emotional or personal reaction to the material.

It is therefore important to be thoughtful and speculative in your conclusion. Note that after presenting solid evidence supporting your claim in the body of the essay, you will have earned the right as an author to share your ideas in broad with target audience in the conclusion.

The process of writing an argumentative essay

Start by reading and identifying the big questions and issues that the assignment focuses on. Your tutor or professor might have focused on the same during your course. Therefore, take clear notes on your readings and identify relevant examples in regards to the theme and issue of the paper. With a main theme, drafting your essay becomes an easy task

Ensure that you understand the argumentative essay question and follow the outline for writing an argumentative essay

Gather solid evidence to support your argument and build your outline. Review your readings and notes to include only relevant evidence to your assignment. Create an ideal spatial environment to allow you to develop each with evidence.

Write a rough draft by starting with a short introductory paragraph, body and conclusion. Do not forget to start each paragraph with a topic sentence that conveys the main argument therein.

More advice on drafting

When writing an argumentative essay rough draft, do not aim for perfection. This is just a piece that helps you to have a clear picture of main and compelling ideas from your outline. It is also a prewriting process that tests your examples and ideas and you can always make adjustments.

If you get stuck with a rough draft, sit back and reflect on the handout of your assignment or outline. Check for relevant and irrelevant statements and delete those that do not add any value to your essay.

Quickly revisit the introduction and ensure that your thesis statement is strong enough and corresponds to what the body of the essay argues about. In many cases, arguments will evolve in the drafting process hence the need to adjust it to reflect your ideas in the main essay.

Create your title – consider titles that are interesting

Revise the rough draft and determine whether the introduction is clear and explains the main argument of the essay and answer the following questions

• Do the body paragraphs flow in a logical manner to help readers understand your overall argument?
• Do the paragraphs start with topic sentences and have enough evidence supporting the main idea?
• Are your sentences clear and grammatically correct
• Have you trimmed unnecessary statements?
• Are your quotes long and needs to be shorted?
• Have you cited your sources accurately and correctly?

Most importantly, use passionate language; provide facts, evidence and accurate statistics to support your argument. You need good and enough reasons to enhance your claim. It is also good to address the opposing side when writing an argumentative essay and refute their claims as well.

It is also good to ensure logical transitions in your statements as you support your argument. Note that an argument is always two sided and as you pick your thesis and develop your argument, the ideas should flow well. Therefore, concisely present your ideas to the reader and make a fair judgment for or against your claims.

For the conclusion, you need a very good summary. Do it with energy by wrapping up and revisiting the thesis statement.

What to avoid when writing an argumentative essay

• Choose interesting topics, stay away from irrelevant subjects and avoid writing on subjects that are not double sided
• Avoid any unattributed statements
• Avoid passive voice statements
• Use past tense when writing about past statements or events
• Avoid the use of slang and casual language in your writing
• Do not end a body paragraph with a sentence introducing the main idea of the next paragraph
• Write with a parallel structure i.e. the same word patterns especially when making a list of abstract things or things

Examples of argumentative essays

Example 1: Cigarette Smoking

Cigarette smoking and packet branding are some of the issues by a lot of controversy. Many people question moral understanding and legality of the government in regards to allowing smoking of cigarette, considering that the cigarette packets are clearly branded with indications that they can cause harm to human health. Most of the cigarette packs bear the signs; Smoking is injurious to health.’ The greatest concern is why the state has failed to ban cigarette smoking…………………………………………………………….

Read this essay here and see how the author argues his stance.

Example 2

Should government invest more money in building shelter house?

Shelter is a basic need for the survival of humans and no one can contentedly live without a good house. Many of the non-governmental and state institutes go through a wide range of operations to protect their citizens from the effects of being homeless (Australia, 2012, p.93). Nonetheless lack of good housing is still a major issue for many states across the globe as well as forces itself into various social systems of the community. Essentially, there are different types of shelters and they include permanent and semi-permanent shelter………………………………………..

Go through this essay and get more ideas on how to write an argumentative essay.

Example 3  

Financial Education and Management Curriculum

Financial management involves the effective use of the available limited resources in different plans. Normally, this is realized through incorporation of development projects that seem viable. This management goes ahead to ensure accountability through effective management of resources that are available via regular audits and record keeping activities. Therefore, it is an important field in the entire economic sector that involves making financial decisions.

Get more ideas on how to write and organize an argumentative essay by reading this piece.

With the above information, you should be able to write a good argumentative essay. If you still experience difficulty in writing your paper, you can always contact us for professional help and essays that stand out.

SOURCES

https://www.roanestate.edu/owl/argument.html

http://web.calstatela.edu/faculty/cendy/writing_tips.pdf

http://study.com/academy/lesson/argumentative-essay-definition-format-examples.html