How to Write an Argumentative Essay

NARRATOR: Often in writing assignments,

you are asked to write an argumentative essay.

In this video we're going to talk about how to write an argumentative essay.

First let's talk about what an argumentative essay is.

An argumentative essay takes a position or an opinion on

a certain topic and tries to convince

the reader that their point of view is true or correct.

The essay will provide evidence and reasons to support their point of view.

So how do you write an argumentative essay?

When developing an argument, it is good to remember that there

are always at least 2 sides to an argument.

In your essay,

you will need to present each of these 2 sides or more if there are multiple arguments.

Then in the introduction paragraph of your essay,

you will need to introduce the different sides and give

your opinion about which side you believe has the strongest evidence.

The introduction paragraph should include a hook,

some background information,

and a thesis statement.

The hook is something that will interest the reader to continue reading your essay.

The background information would be information about your topic that would be helpful to

the reader, and the thesis statement will

state clearly what you plan to write in your essay.

After the introduction paragraph,

there should be at least 3 body paragraphs explaining

the main points that support the thesis statement,

and you may have more than 3 body paragraphs,

but you should have at least 3.

Each body paragraph will give evidence,

examples, and explanations for each of the points presented in the thesis statement.

The argumentative essay needs to have evidence to prove your points.

The final paragraph is the conclusion paragraph.

The thesis statement is restated, and the writer gives his reasons why he believes

his opinion is the correct one and

appeals to the reader to agree with his argument in the essay.

So your format for an argumentative essay looks something like this.

The introduction paragraph with a thesis statement,

the opposing claims about your topic,

your viewpoint about the topic,

and then the conclusion that gives your reasons

for why you believe your viewpoint is correct.

The object of the argumentative essay is to

convince those who object to your main argument.

This is what you need to do in an argumentative essay.

So try to choose the strongest of the objections and

show why that objection is flawed or not true.

The order of the argument can be presented in two ways.

You can present the side you do not agree

with, followed by the side you believe is better.

Or you can present your side first and then present the opposing side next.

In your final paragraph or paragraphs,

you will want to discuss why you believe there's

more evidence for the side you think is stronger or true.

The argumentative essay is slightly different from the persuasive essay.

The persuasive essay only presents

your side or your point of view and gives evidence for that.

The argumentative essay looks at both of the points

of view and also gives evidence for both.

So you need to consider both sides of an argument in an argumentative essay.

We sometimes call these counterarguments.

So be sure to present the other side and their reasons for their point of view.

Now, one good way to write the argumentative essay is to

predict the consequences of their point of view.

So this would include your ideas of what would happen if this situation continues.

Let's look at a possible argumentative essay assignment.

"Higher education should be free for everyone."

Present the different arguments about this topic and defend your opinion.

Now, the first thing you should do is to brainstorm for some ideas

or do some research to find reasons why

people believe that higher education should be free.

Thinking of at least three ideas is a good idea.

Then you should brainstorm for ideas of the other side of

the argument about higher education should not be free.

The structure for your essay may look something like this.

You decide to first write about the ideas that

argue that higher education should be free.

In the next paragraph you would talk about the reasons

why some believe that higher education should not be free.

In your conclusion,

you would write why your point of view is correct.

So after some research or brainstorming,

maybe you decide on these ideas for your essay,

you would develop each of these paragraphs with

evidence and examples to prove that point of view.

Now, evidence that you can use in an argumentative essay include expert's opinions,

factual information, or statistics.

Be sure to reference any of these facts in your writing by using a citation method,

either the APA or the MLA.

Now, all of these types of evidence can add

credibility to your argument and prove your point.

So when writing your support paragraph,

be sure to make your point and then give further details,

maybe an example or some type of evidence, to back it up.

Do this for both sides of the argument.

For example, you need to find a quote or some kind of an example

from the opposing point of view to show how they see the topic.

So to review what an argumentative essay is,

an argumentative essay takes a position on a topic.

It presents both sides of the argument or multiple sides

if there are more than 2 sides,

and then it attempts to convince the reader that the writer's opinion is correct.

Try using these strategies the next time you need to write

an argumentative essay. Happy writing. (MUSIC)