In an argumentative essay, you want to convince someone to agree with your idea or opinion, using research-based evidence.
Writing an argumentative essay is a skill that anyone in school needs to know, though it can be useful outside of the classroom, as well. With today's Common Core standards, learning to write an essay that intelligently proves your point is an essential part of your education.
You will need to select solid argumentative essay topics that you can work with, create an argumentative essay outline and write, revise, and polish before you turn the argumentative essay in. It’s worth checking out an argumentative essay sample or two, just so you have a good idea of how the whole thing works. You can learn a lot from what other people have already done.
Choosing Argumentative Essay Ideas
As you look at argumentative essay examples, you’ll notice that there is a specific argumentative essay structure that is followed. It’s easiest to work with this structure if you choose easy argumentative essay topics.
Good argumentative essay topics are interesting and relatively easy to defend. They should fit into your argumentative essay outline fairly easily and will be something you can write on without doing ridiculous amounts of research. You don’t necessarily need to know everything about the topic, but having some base knowledge will help you as you do your research and write the essay.
Ideally, you’ll select interesting argumentative essay topics to work with, which will keep your writing fresh and on point. It’s difficult to write on a topic you don’t enjoy, so selecting one that you can really get into will show in your work.
How to Write an Argumentative Essay
It’s helpful to look at a good argumentative essay example to get some ideas before you begin. This section will show you how to write an argumentative essay that will wow your teachers.
Before you even get started on the actual essay, take some time to create an argumentative essay outline. This will help you follow proper argumentative essay structure and can be useful for ensuring that your work stays on track and makes sense. An outline is an essential part of any essay writing process.
If you find it difficult to create your own outline, an argumentative essay template may come in handy for structuring the essay. A template will include everything you need to get started, including the format, so you just need to fill in the blanks with your own information.
How to Start an Argumentative Essay
The argumentative essay introduction is where you present your topic and your thesis. It should include a hook in the first few sentences. A hook will grab the reader's attention and keep them reading.
Once you've laid the basis of the argumentative essay topic out for the reader, give them a bit of background information to clarify things.
What is the issue you're addressing? Why should anyone care? Where is the issue prevalent? What is your opinion on the topic and why do you feel that way? The answer to this final question will be your thesis, or what you will try to convince the reader of throughout your essay.
Your topic should be something you know is debatable and this can be mentioned in the intro. The first paragraph, according to good argumentative essay format, should include your main point or thesis statement.
As you state your thesis, make sure it is concise and use confident language to write it out. You should summarize your rational, ethical and emotional supporting arguments here. Keep in mind that the opening paragraph should only be a few sentences long in most cases, so keep it concise.
Develop Your Argument
By this point in the argumentative essay example, it's obvious what the point of the essay is, but you have not yet convinced the reader. You need to develop your argument. Each body paragraph should contain a topic sentence introducing a claim, which should support your thesis statement. You may have as few as one claim, but it's a good idea to aim for at least three or four supporting arguments.
Argumentative essay prompts are handy for helping you think more deeply about your chosen topic and will allow you to work on creating
Just stating something doesn't make it fact, so you also need to present evidence in favour of your opinion. Your own personal experience does not stand as a reputable source, so look for scientific studies and government resources to help back up your claims. Statistics and specific data can also be helpful as you argue your main point.
Look at the Opposing Viewpoint
In order to truly convince readers of your point of view, the argumentative essay must also look at the opposing views. What do those on the other side of the issue have to say? Acknowledge these views and refute them with facts, quotes, statistics or logic. The more evidence you have, the better your essay will be.
It's not enough to simply disagree with another point of view or opinion. If you really want to get people to see things your way, you need to convince them with evidence and facts. This requires some research and possibly a little creative thinking. If you’ve chosen a good topic, however, it will be obvious what the opposite view is.
Most argumentative essay prompts will have you cover opposing views in the second or third body paragraph, but it can be used as the intro to the body, as well, with your point at the end. Include every source in your reference section so the reader can double check the evidence for themselves.
Create a Conclusion
Finally, every argumentative essay example finishes with a conclusion. Yours will do the same. Restate your main points and cover the basics of the supporting evidence once more. This is essentially a summary of your entire argument. How has the argument evolved throughout the paper? Give the reader a brief look back over everything.
Before you sign off on your essay, restate your topic and stress the importance of your opinion. Keep this part to one or two paragraphs at the most, since it is simply a recap of the previous points.
If you have done your job and written a convincing argumentative essay, your reader will now either be completely on your side or thinking seriously about their views on your topic. This is the end goal, to shake up those beliefs and help others see your point of view. Doing this in a calm, professional manner will work far better than being too passionate. Use lots of examples and reputable sources to give solid evidence for your side of things and you’ll see good results.
Polish and Revise
Once your essay has been written, it's time to polish it. Go back over the whole essay and look for any spelling or grammatical errors. You should also keep an eye out for pieces that can be better written or tightened up to make better sense.
Now, it's up to the reader to make up their mind. If you've done a good job, they will see things your way and your essay will be a success.
Using a template for your argumentative essay can also help you work through the essay faster and ensures you'll meet common core standards and improve your essay writing skills. Choose a great topic, use prompts and a template and you’ll have a winning argumentative essay by the end.
Essay on Global Warming
Developing an essay means arranging a set of concepts into a logical argument. For an essay to be convincing, it is prudent for the article to be presented in an appropriately structured masterpiece. The set of ideas is structured into introduction, body paragraphs and conclusion. The introduction covers a general and a thesis statement, as well as a brief summary of the main arguments made in the essay. The body paragraphs are introduced by a topic sentence which is elaborated using the supporting sentences. Each paragraph in the body of the essay introduces a topic sentence that is expounded by the supporting sentences. The conclusion summarizes or restates the main highlights discussed in the body paragraphs as well as a final comment.
Topic actualization entails narrowing down the issue at hand and making it sound more precise. The first aspect is to select the text to be highlighted within global warming to ensure that one sticks to the word limit. Global warming is a broad topic that may be covered from different perspectives. For instance, one may include the greenhouse effect, the mechanism of action for global warming, causes of global warming so forth.
How to start
The first step is to study the topic. Extensive research from various sources of information ought to be conducted. Efforts spent on research can be minimized by setting a goal for the study.
Global warming is based on facts, and as such, it is prudent to take into account some perspectives. It includes sticking to five to ten reliable sources. The next aspect is narrowing down on the selected sources. Many tutors recommend students to use scholarly or printed sources. This helps you in narrowing down on the sources to use for the global warming essay. The next step is to note the facts and statistics that will aid in formulating strong arguments for supporting the topic.
It is essential to regard the evidence that is not in line with your view on global warming. For instance, if your aim is to explain further on global warming, consider arguments made regarding an opposed process, the planet is encountering global cooling. The counter arguments will play a key role thus assist in making the relevant conclusion. The final aspect in actualizing the topic is to no note the references for developing the bibliography. The references should be made in the required format of academic writing.
At this point, the various arguments should be put forward supported by the appropriate facts. The writer should demonstrate succession in the presentation of the case to assist the tutor or reader to focus on the beat of your objective of the global warming concern. The next aspect is providing the logic of the evidence gathered in the body of the essay. In the event you are covering on the factors that contribute greenhouse effect, provide scientific evidence. For instance, production of electricity results in the emission of large amounts of Carbon dioxide. As a result, electricity production is a major contributor to global warming. CO2 emissions from the production of electricity have been on the rise, currently, emissions are 16 times the emission levels as of 1990.
Global warming is a concern that impacts all of us in a way or the other. As such, bringing some of the experiences that you have encountered will play an essential role in solidifying your point of argument. For instance, at this period of the year, snow banks are expected, but in real sense drizzling rain and mud is being experienced. Is it not a clear illustration of the impact of the greenhouse effect and global warming?
The final aspect of the body paragraphs should cover proposed solutions to the challenge. Naturally, people are attracted to happy endings or instances where the positive always emerges victorious. In the same line of argument, various strategies can be adopted to mitigate and control the impacts of global warming. This segment should highlight these approaches. The first step is to realize the role of the individual in reversing global warming.
Conclude the essay
This is the final aspect of the structure of the piece. It creates a brilliant opportunity for you to develop traction in the mind of the reader. It is primary in ensuring that the readers remember the challenges that have been associated with global warming up to and beyond reading your essay. It can be achieved by paraphrasing the thesis statement while maintaining its meaning. For instance, in place of saying a change in lifestyle is an essential step in mitigating and controlling global warming, you may argue that a change in consumer attitude and social behavior towards is crucial in reversing the global warming challenges.
- Make sure there is a connection between the thesis statement and the rest of the essay.
- Identify the greenhouse effect as the main cause of global warming, action strategies, and available measures available to address the global warming concern.
Hook – Captures the attention of your reader.
Purpose – Points out the aim of writing an essay on global warming.
Chronological structure – Ordering of events.
Global warming description – Base the description on the impact of global warming.
Choice of perspective – Explore measures that can be taken to mitigate the issue.
Restatement of purpose – Summarize what is global warming, its impact and mitigation measures.