How To Write an Argumentative Essay

How To Write an Argumentative Essay

argumentative essay

Let’s say you and one of your friends are having a dispute about a certain topic, such as the capital punishment. While one of you thinks it must be eliminated all over the globe and no one deserves to die, regardless of what they did, the other believes that in certain cases the most effective punishment is death. Seeing as none of you wants to change their opinion, you decide to write an argumentative essay on this subject. Nevertheless, before you start devising your arguments, you need to consider several aspects.

The Difference Between Argumentative and Persuasive Essays

Contrary to common belief, an argumentative essay is different from a persuasive essay. While the target of both papers is to demonstrate that their perspective is the most valid, the techniques they employ are different. Argumentative essays utilize logical arguments, certainties, and rationalization to support a viewpoint. On the other hands, persuasive essays generally resort to ethical interpretation and affective impact instead of certainties.

When it comes to the capital punishment, it’s pivotal to be capable of distinguishing between the two types of essays. You ought to steer clear of affective justifications like compassion, spiritual ideas, and general human morals. Instead, you should concentrate on logical arguments and rationalization in a straightforward way.

Argumentative Essay Subject Examples

  • Is it really necessary to conduct experiments on animals?
  • Do dreadful murderers deserve to receive the capital punishment?
  • Should expatriates benefit from more entitlements?
  • Is attending college as useful as society regards it?
  • Should partiality be completely removed from press work?

Structure

As a rule, the argumentative essay has the same outline as the majority of traditional papers. It should have an introduction, several body paragraphs as well as a conclusion. Every single part of the essay exerts a particular function in its overall structure.

Introduction

The introductory phase follows the same outline as that of the persuasive essay, as described below:

  • Hook: The primary objective of the hook is presenting the subject in a compelling and comprehensible way. To this end, you can use a rhetorical question, a fascinating assertion or even a startling fact! Keep in mind that the general target is to catch the reader’s interest.
For instance: Is it right to affirm that ONE person’s existence has more value than that of another?
  • Apart from stimulating the reader to meditate on the idea you conveyed, this also fascinates them and makes them want to find out what you’ll say next. This way, you’ll be able to seize the reader’s attention!
  • Short Introduction and Hypothesis: After catching the reader’s interest, the next step is drawing them deeper into the discussion. Begin by presenting historical facts or merely broad ideas. This way, you’ll make sure that the reader is well-informed about your argument. Keep in mind that these phrases need to be in accordance with the subject!

The hypothesis assertion must be written at the end of the introduction, as it represents the very essence of your paper. Everything you’ll write next serves the purpose of sustaining this assertion. Here are a few important tips to devising the thesis statement:

Don’t forget that it’s supposed to be an assertion, not a query. So, illustrate it as a fact, not as a debatable notion.

This sentence ought to constitute a type of categorical assertion. It ought to represent an examined viewpoint devised by the writer for the purpose of demonstrating a certainty, utilizing substantiated research as evidence.

Avoid presenting a straightforward assertion which is evident. Your statement needs to be creative and authentic, an idea which hasn’t been approached by many. The whole argumentative essay needs to be devised with respect to this assertion. To put it otherwise, your statement mustn’t constitute a question to which you can respond in a single phrase. For instance: “The capital punishment permits the government to establish that it is a good idea to put an end to the existence of a particular person who committed evil deeds, in order to cease the financial bleeding of a country.”

Body Paragraphs

The number of body paragraphs depends on the type of argument you want to introduce. It goes without saying that if your argument can be presented and demonstrated in just a few words, your paper should have a shorter size. On the other hand, if you want to present a very original viewpoint or one which can easily be disputed, it’s recommendable to study the topic more thoroughly. In this case, the size of the essay will obviously be longer. Take a look at how we explain the sections of each body paragraph.

  • Subject Sentence: The target of this phrase is to make the reader aware of your particular argumentative idea. Instead of explaining something, you should formulate a logical phrase that renders your idea obvious and comprehensible.
For instance: The capital punishment represents a financially performant manner of eliminating individuals who fail to contribute to the community. This may come across as pretty harsh. This is precisely how argumentative essays should be like – ruthless and direct! As mentioned earlier, such essays overlook feelings and, as a rule, present crude facts.
  • Examining the Primary Argument: This is the part where you explain “why.” Once you succinctly present your primary idea, you need to illustrate its validity, to allow the reader to understand what you mean. You can cover this part in either one or two phrases, in agreement with the amount of data you utilize to prove it.
For instance: The yearly detention payment per prisoner in the United States is of $30,000. Taking into account that the inmate also produced other forms of economic damage and did not contribute to society, they represent a threat to the population and therefore ought to be sentenced to death! While these phrases may strike you as ethically outrageous and insulting, that is the very purpose of an argumentative essay! You need to include rough facts!
  • Presenting Supporting Proof: It goes without saying that no assessment is complete unless you introduce supportive proof. The sole target of this phrase is to sustain your primary argument with genuine EVIDENCE of your assertion. In other words, it enhances its validity!
For instance: As revealed by the administration of New York, the standard cost of a confined inmate is $50,000 annually! Why should the state pay this amount of money for a person whose existence is meaningless and who doesn’t contribute in any way to society? The sentence is providing a conclusive and reasonable motivation regarding the authenticity of the examined assertion.
  • Outmatching counter arguments: No argument is beyond counterarguments. Unless you acknowledge the possibility of counterarguments, you’ll be delivering a weak argument! The target of this phrase is to acknowledge counterarguments while illustrating the reason for which your idea is more valid
For instance: No one disputes the fact that all individuals are worthy of receiving another chance. Nevertheless, from a financial perspective, this presumed second chance has a reduced potential of being successful. In this situation, assuming a risk may financially damage the country! You may notice that this counterargument is reasonable. Therefore, the reader is bound to acknowledge it. Nevertheless, through logical reasoning and systematic assessment, the sentence shows why the main argument is more valid.
  • Conclusive Phrase: After demonstrating your argument and disputing divergent opinions, you need to formulate a concluding sentence. This phrase doesn’t really bring anything new to your essay. However, it reinforces the arguments you’ve demonstrated. This confident assertion has the purpose of concluding your paragraph.
For instance: In conclusion, it would be financially absurd to preserve the existence of an inmate who doesn’t produce anything, but for whom the state has to pay. Such a sentence is brief and precise!

Conclusion

The conclusion is the final section of your essay. All you need to do here is to reiterate some ideas and offer a general conclusive assertion. Let’s see how this works!

  • Reiteration of the Hypothesis: As expected, here you need to reiterate your primary argument in a bold and self-assured way. Do not bring to light any new information!
For instance: As a result of the capital punishment, the state has the possibility of controlling the financial casualties produced by people for whom they would otherwise have to pay a lot!
  • Reiteration of Essential Ideas: Here you should recall the key arguments you introduced throughout your body paragraphs and reiterate them. This way, you’ll enhance their assertiveness.
  • General Conclusive Phrase: The most efficient technique of summarizing any paper is by formulating an assertion that illustrates the significance of your hypothesis and the outcomes that might emerge from ignoring this well-presented idea. This way, you’ll introduce some realistic substantiation to your argument, and your paper will be enhanced with a general powerful message.
For instance: In a country that is confronted with a harsh economic condition, financial efficiency is essential to its survival. By abolishing the capital punishment, the population’s well-being would be gravely affected, and cruel actions would increase in number.

Useful Advice on Writing an Argumentative Essay

Logic Outshines Feeling: Seeing as you’re dealing with an argumentative essay, never forget that your ideas must be directed towards logical thinking. Do not talk about feelings!

Add Counterarguments: Students often omit this phase, which diminishes their chances of success. A substantiated argument is not powerful enough unless you include a counter argument and show the reason for which your argument is more valid.

Have other people look at your essay: When you edit the essay all by yourself, your ideas will obviously seem reasonable. However, you need to make sure that your readers will instantly comprehend your logic. To this end, you should use peer editing. Ask another person to verify the coherence of your argument.

Argumentative Essay Tips Provided by Our Team of Experts

Regardless of what you’re writing an argumentative essay for, you should always concentrate on providing an argument. Argumentative essays must be well-organized. Furthermore, they must establish a powerful claim. The most essential section of your paper is the introduction.

Our team advises you to take your time when writing the initial paragraph. To provide context, you need to examine the subject from a general perspective before expanding on its significance. The reader ought to be stimulated to be as interested in the matter as you are. Your hypothesis assertion should be written at the end of the introduction. This way, you’ll make the most powerful impression. The hypothesis assertion ought to be suitable to your task.

Nevertheless, the emphasis should always be straightforward and explicit. In other words, unless you write a great introduction, you won’t be able to devise a flawless essay. Once you get to the conclusion, you should make a synthesis of the body of your paper. Reiterate the significance of your subject and recall the most essential ideas as well as your hypothesis.

Need Help with Writing an Argumentative Essay?

If after going through our tips, you still don’t feel capable of writing a top-notch argumentative essay, don’t worry about it! Our professional writers are always ready to draft a flawless essay from scratch. Elite Essay Writers, the best online custom writing service, is at your disposal!

Our writers are very experienced in all varieties of argumentative essays and are able to cover any given subject! All of our employees have college degrees and have written many argumentative essays throughout their study years. Therefore, you can stay certain that you’ll get the best possible grade! Contact our professional essay writers and tell them what you need. From that point on, we’ll take care of everything else!

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