Creating a compelling argumentative essay is tricky, as just an opinion to make your voice heard is not enough for you. Even the motivation to craft a good paper may not be enough, especially if you don't know the key writing rules and approaches. But how do you create good argumentative essays, and what aspects are important to students? Here is an easy step-by-step guide that will help you bypass all academic barriers.
What Is an Argumentative Essay: The Basic Definition and Key Features
Understanding the basic terminology will allow you to understand your goals as a writer clearly. Any student should know that an argumentative essay is a paper that takes a stance on an issue. Your job is to persuade readers to understand and support your point of view about something by stating your reasoning and providing evidence. In other words, you should back up your words with arguments and solid evidence. You should also be aware that most argumentative essays aim to visualize relevant issues and are related to science, politics, technology, or health care. However, you are not limited to just these research areas, so don't worry.
Argumentative Essays: 3 Main Types of Arguments for Writers
Surely you know that arguments are the key elements of any essay. Without them, your statements will not look solid. So you should check these three types of arguments before starting academic activities.
Classical
Many students choose the classical type of argument, based on the presentation of the critical argument, stating their opinion and describing the reasons for their correctness. Writing an argumentative essay in that way is the easiest, which is especially important for first-year students. However, such an argument style is relevant in cases where your reader (professor) doesn't have much information or a strong opinion about your topic. Otherwise, you will need other types of arguments.
Rogerian
The Rogerian argument is suitable for polarizing topics because it allows you to look at things from two sides and stay somewhere in between. First, you should identify the main research problem, mention the opposing side of your argument, and then put forward your point of view. As you can see, you can remain academically open-minded by leaving your arguments for the second part of your paper.
Toulmin
The Toulmin (argue) style is one of the most important for writers. First, you must present your claim and the data supporting it. You also need to justify that the grounds are linked to the claim. When creating your argumentative essay, you should focus on visualizing your ideas and their importance instead of presenting both sides. It is the essence of the Toulmin arguments.
Argumentative Essay Outline: Four Key Steps to Follow
Get ready for all your arguments to be placed in the text according to the classic paper structure. Your outline should be straightforward so that readers (professors) can quickly analyze each argument and your ideas. Here are the four basic elements for your outline.
Intro
And here is the first paragraph to declare your topic and the background essential for understanding your further research and arguments. Here you should outline the evidence you provide to support your ideas.
Thesis Statement
This part of your intro is a one-sentence summary of your primary point and claim. Try to formulate all your goals correctly for the reader (professor). As you can see, a thesis for an argumentative essay is a key element and something of the main guide for crafting all subsequent paragraphs.
Body Paragraphs
As a rule, you must write at least three paragraphs containing certain ideas or facts. In other words, the body of an argumentative essay is the place for claims with examples, research, statistics, and other essential facts. Try to put one idea or argument per paragraph.
Conclusion
So this is the final paragraph for your argumentative essay that restates your thesis and summarizes arguments. Summarize all the essential ideas that you uncovered during the essay. Also, a good conclusion will appeal to a reader's emotions so that you can add some fundamental ideas or even a personal anecdote.
Solid Thesis Statement: Three Crafting Steps for Everyone
Now you know how to structure an argumentative essay, it's time to get into the details. First of all, you should know everything about how to craft your thesis statement. Of course, you already know that this is just one sentence, but the result of all your work depends on it. But how to write an argumentative essay starting with a solid thesis? Here are three key steps for each.
- Transform the topic into a solid question and answer it! Such a strategy is effective because intriguing questions draw readers in and encourage them to keep reading.
- State an argument. All argumentative essays build on this element. Introduce an idea and explain why you agree or disagree with it.
- Quickly outline your main points. Then, give your readers a solid idea of everything you'll discuss in your argumentative essay.
As you can see, these three steps are critical to creating a good assignment, so you should stick to all the options listed.
Smart Argumentative Essay Ideas for Everyone
You probably want to know what you should write about as a student. This desire is especially evident, given how many research topics are available to students. Usually, young people can write about politics, religion, modern society, technology, children, gender stereotypes, or the educational process. Here are some good ideas to help you stand out from the crowd.
- Should parents be able to modify their unborn children?
- Should self-driving cars be legal?
- Should religious organizations have to pay taxes?
- Should assisted suicide be legal?
- Should Puerto Rico become a state?
- Should drug possession be decriminalized?
- Should monopolies be allowed?
- Should content on YouTube be better regulated?
- Is universal basic income a good idea?
- Should doctors be allowed to promote medicines?
Such ideas allow students to reflect on interesting aspects of life while creating essays. You can modify, combine, or interpret these topics to craft an outstanding paper.
Argumentative Essay Writing Tips
Even good examples of argumentative essays don't always help first-year students understand the process of crafting such assignments. That is why you should check all these writing tips before you start academic activities.
Support Your Argument With Facts
Facts are needed so that each of your arguments looks solid. What if you describe reasons for quitting smoking? Refer to health department research and use smoker mortality statistics to support your ideas. You can't just say, "Smoking kills people!"
Be Proactive About Language
Each argumentative essay has a specific tone and style to help support the overall idea. You should always be neutral, even if you are describing controversial aspects. Condemnation of discrimination, racism, or violence is the only right decision. But you don't have to frame your statements harshly or frame every argument from the position of the aggressor. Be neutral and deal with facts only.
Always Check Your Style and Grammar
What if you wrote all the paragraphs and even managed to polish all sentences to conclude of your argument? At this stage, your mission is not completed. You need to check each line and eliminate all grammar and spelling mistakes. Say no to typos or the wrong type of argument. All argumentative essays should be written perfectly to avoid controversial points and counterarguments.
Five Standout Argumentative Essay Topics for Students
Choosing a good topic speeds up the research process and helps you create an interesting paper. In addition, you will show your professor your non-trivial approach to crafting assignments and academic passion. Finally, this strategy will help you qualify for high grades. So here are five standout argumentative essay topics that are worth your attention.
- Is technology too isolating?
- Is there too much focus on diets in society?
- Should America automate voter registration?
- Is single-sex education better than co-education?
- Do CEOs make too much money?
You will surely be able to craft an interesting argumentative essay if you select one of these topics. In addition, now you have five examples that will show you the search vector for ideas and the format of their argumentation. So get to work and pay attention to details.
Another Easy Way to Get Your Argumentative Essays Done
As you can see, argumentative essays are not as complex assignments as they seem at first glance. Consider all the tips, examples, and ideas described above, and you will surely be able to stand out from the crowd. But what if you can't start argumentative writing activities for some reason? Does this mean you should put up with low grades? No, not at all! Say no to academic problems because we are always ready to lend you a helping hand. Any argumentative essay will cease to be a problem if you trust our team of experts with Masters' and Ph.D. degrees. We are ready to craft any paper for you as soon as possible. Now you have the perfect fallback in case of force majeure.
