how to construct an argumentative essay

Planning Stage

For an argument essay to be effective, it must contain certain elements. For this reason, you must take a few minutes to plan and prepare before you jump into writing an argument essay.

Find a Good Topic

To find good topic for an argument essay you should consider several issues that will have two conflicting points of view or very different conclusions. As you look over a list of topics you should find one that really sparks your interest.

While a strong interest in a topic is important, it's not enough to be interested. You have to consider what position you can back up with reasoning and evidence. It's one thing to have a strong belief, but when shaping an argument you'll have to explain why your belief is reasonable and logical.

As you explore the topics, make a mental list of points you could use as evidence for or against an issue.

Consider Both Sides of Your Topic and Take a Position

Once you have selected a topic you feel strongly about, you should make a list of points for both sides of the argument and pick a side. One of your first objectives in your essay will be to present both sides of your issue with an assessment of each. Of course, you will conclude that one side (your side) is the best conclusion.

In the planning stage you will need to consider strong arguments for the "other" side. Then you'll shoot them down!

Gather Evidence

When we think of arguments we might picture two red-faced people speaking quite loudly and making dramatic gestures. But that's because face-to-face arguments often become emotional. In fact, the act of arguing involves providing proof to support your claim, with or without emotions.

In an argument essay you will have to provide evidence without providing too much drama. You'll explore two sides of a topic (briefly) and provide proof as to why one side or position is the best one.

Writing Stage

Once you've given yourself a solid foundation to work with, you can begin to craft your essay. An argument essay should contain three parts: the introduction, the body, and the conclusion. The length of these parts (number of paragraphs) will vary, depending on the length of your essay assignment.

1. Introduce your topic and assert your side

As in any essay, the first paragraph of your argument essay should contain a brief explanation of your topic, some background information, and a thesis statement. In this case, your thesis will be a statement of your positionon a particular controversial topic.

Example introductory paragraph with thesis statement:

Since the turn of the new century, a theory has emerged concerning the end of the world, or at least the end of life as we know it. This new theory centers around the year 2012, a date that many claim has mysterious origins in ancient manuscripts from many different cultures. The most noted characteristic of this date is that it appears to mark the end of the Mayan calendar. But there is no evidence to suggest that the Maya saw any great relevance to this date. In fact, none of the claims surrounding a 2012 doomsday event hold up to scientific inquiry. The year 2012 will pass without a major, life-altering catastrophe.

2. Present both sides of the controversy

The body of your essay will contain the meat of your argument. You should go into more detail about the two sides of your controversy and state the strongest points of the counter-side of your issue.

After describing the "other" side, you will present your own viewpoint and then provide evidence to show why your position is the correct one.

Select your strongest evidence and present your points one by one. Use a mix of evidence types, from statistics, to other studies and anecdotal stories. This part of your paper could be any length, from two paragraphs to two hundred pages.

Re-state your position as the most sensible one in your summary paragraphs.

Tips for Your Essay:

• Avoid emotional language
• Know the difference between a logical conclusion and an emotional point of view
• Don't make up evidence
• Cite your sources
• Make an outline
• Be prepared to defend your side by knowing the strongest arguments for the other side. You might be challenged by the teacher or by another student.

HOW TO WRITE AN ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAY

The following outline attempts to show you how to construct a good essay; it represents, in as simple a form as possible, the basic pattern to follow in putting together any “argument paper” whether this paper is a class essay, a dissertation, or an article designed for publication. An “argument paper” is best defined as a paper which states a thesis, or says something, and attempts to back it up or support this thesis with evidence which tends to convince the reader of the truth and validity of this thesis; this kind of paper is distinct from the kind of paper which merely presents information. (Also, the argument paper is more interesting, both to write and to read). These instructions are presented in outline form merely to make it more apparent that a good essay is put together step by step. If you are writing outside of class you will be able to follow this outline at your leisure; if you are writing in class, or answering an essay question on an exam, you still should mentally follow this outline to construct your essay before you start to write.

I.                   Form a good, strong thesis sentence, stating what you propose to show.

This is the most important part of the whole process, the foundation upon which your whole essay is constructed, and it must be the first thing done; until you have written the thesis sentence it is useless to try writing anything else. Given a topic, assemble your material and review it (mentally if in class during an exam) until you are familiar enough with this material to form an opinion or judgment about your topic. This opinion or judgment is the stand you are taking on this particular topic and it will be the conclusion which your entire essay will to try to establish and support. This is your thesis sentence; and this is why the thesis sentence has to come first when you construct an essay.

II.                Build your argument to support this thesis sentence.

Return to your assembled material. Go through it again, and this time copy down every argument, every bit of evidence, or every reason you can find in it which will support your conclusion. After you have done this you should be able to tell whether your conclusion is valid or not. If you cannot find enough support to convince yourself of the validity of your own conclusion, you should discard your thesis sentence and form a new one. Never attempt to argue on behalf of something which you yourself do not believe, if you do, your paper will not be very good.

III.             Arrange your argument to produce the maximum effect on the reader.

Go through the evidence or separate arguments you have copied down and arrange them in the order of their strength. Usually it is best to arrange them in the order of their strength. It is often best to start with the weakest and end with the strongest; this arrangement is not always possible, but when it can be done your argument will accumulate more force as it progresses. If this type of arrangement cannot be use, merely arrange the arguments in the order in which they will appear in your paper. Along with each argument, list any contrary arguments. You must state these fully and fairly, but show that on balance your viewpoint is to be favoured. If you ignore them, your essay will be weak, one sided and unconvincing.

IV.              Write your outline.

a)       Begin with a thesis sentence

b)      Always write complete sentences

c)       A brief introduction is needed if any questions or terms have to be defined before you start your argument; otherwise it is optional

d)      Roman numeral I will be the first argument or reason in support of your conclusion. Roman numeral II will be the second argument – and so on – as you have already arranged these arguments in order

e)       Just as the Roman numeral entries must support your conclusion, so must the sub-head entries under each roman numeral support that particular argument (usually by clarifying, explaining or the citing of examples).

f)       Copy your thesis sentence word for word as the conclusion at the end of your outline. (This may seem a bit of an insult to your intelligence, but if your outline has gone astray you will fins that your thesis will no longer fit in the position it was originally created to occupy. Thus, by doing this you can sometimes save yourself time and wasted effort.

V.                 Check your outline

a)       Are there any self-contradictory concepts in it?

b)      Is any of your material irrelevant?

c)       Does each argument follow logically from everything preceding it?

d)      Are there any gaps in your reasoning?

e)       Are there any terms which need to be defined?

f)       Are there any statements which are merely platitudes?

g)      Have you made any dogmatic statements?

VI.              Write the paper itself

About three-fourths of your work should be done before you reach this step. If steps I-V are done well and carefully, the paper should just about write itself.

VII.           Proofread you Paper.

And do it at least twice- more times if possible. (Never write anything which will be read by others unless you proofread it to the best of your ability; this is one rule that is rigidly observed by all mature scholars and authors who have been writing for years).

a)       Proofread your thought and style, and again check the list in V. Also does your paper read smoothly and easily? (Read it aloud, if possible, and you will find out).

b)      Proofread for mechanical errors.

Check all questionable spelling.