Choose Your Test
Sat / act prep online guides and tips, 3 strong argumentative essay examples, analyzed.
General Education
Need to defend your opinion on an issue? Argumentative essays are one of the most popular types of essays you’ll write in school. They combine persuasive arguments with fact-based research, and, when done well, can be powerful tools for making someone agree with your point of view. If you’re struggling to write an argumentative essay or just want to learn more about them, seeing examples can be a big help.
After giving an overview of this type of essay, we provide three argumentative essay examples. After each essay, we explain in-depth how the essay was structured, what worked, and where the essay could be improved. We end with tips for making your own argumentative essay as strong as possible.
What Is an Argumentative Essay?
An argumentative essay is an essay that uses evidence and facts to support the claim it’s making. Its purpose is to persuade the reader to agree with the argument being made.
A good argumentative essay will use facts and evidence to support the argument, rather than just the author’s thoughts and opinions. For example, say you wanted to write an argumentative essay stating that Charleston, SC is a great destination for families. You couldn’t just say that it’s a great place because you took your family there and enjoyed it. For it to be an argumentative essay, you need to have facts and data to support your argument, such as the number of child-friendly attractions in Charleston, special deals you can get with kids, and surveys of people who visited Charleston as a family and enjoyed it. The first argument is based entirely on feelings, whereas the second is based on evidence that can be proven.
The standard five paragraph format is common, but not required, for argumentative essays. These essays typically follow one of two formats: the Toulmin model or the Rogerian model.
- The Toulmin model is the most common. It begins with an introduction, follows with a thesis/claim, and gives data and evidence to support that claim. This style of essay also includes rebuttals of counterarguments.
- The Rogerian model analyzes two sides of an argument and reaches a conclusion after weighing the strengths and weaknesses of each.
3 Good Argumentative Essay Examples + Analysis
Below are three examples of argumentative essays, written by yours truly in my school days, as well as analysis of what each did well and where it could be improved.
Argumentative Essay Example 1
Proponents of this idea state that it will save local cities and towns money because libraries are expensive to maintain. They also believe it will encourage more people to read because they won’t have to travel to a library to get a book; they can simply click on what they want to read and read it from wherever they are. They could also access more materials because libraries won’t have to buy physical copies of books; they can simply rent out as many digital copies as they need.
However, it would be a serious mistake to replace libraries with tablets. First, digital books and resources are associated with less learning and more problems than print resources. A study done on tablet vs book reading found that people read 20-30% slower on tablets, retain 20% less information, and understand 10% less of what they read compared to people who read the same information in print. Additionally, staring too long at a screen has been shown to cause numerous health problems, including blurred vision, dizziness, dry eyes, headaches, and eye strain, at much higher instances than reading print does. People who use tablets and mobile devices excessively also have a higher incidence of more serious health issues such as fibromyalgia, shoulder and back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, and muscle strain. I know that whenever I read from my e-reader for too long, my eyes begin to feel tired and my neck hurts. We should not add to these problems by giving people, especially young people, more reasons to look at screens.
Second, it is incredibly narrow-minded to assume that the only service libraries offer is book lending. Libraries have a multitude of benefits, and many are only available if the library has a physical location. Some of these benefits include acting as a quiet study space, giving people a way to converse with their neighbors, holding classes on a variety of topics, providing jobs, answering patron questions, and keeping the community connected. One neighborhood found that, after a local library instituted community events such as play times for toddlers and parents, job fairs for teenagers, and meeting spaces for senior citizens, over a third of residents reported feeling more connected to their community. Similarly, a Pew survey conducted in 2015 found that nearly two-thirds of American adults feel that closing their local library would have a major impact on their community. People see libraries as a way to connect with others and get their questions answered, benefits tablets can’t offer nearly as well or as easily.
While replacing libraries with tablets may seem like a simple solution, it would encourage people to spend even more time looking at digital screens, despite the myriad issues surrounding them. It would also end access to many of the benefits of libraries that people have come to rely on. In many areas, libraries are such an important part of the community network that they could never be replaced by a simple object.
The author begins by giving an overview of the counter-argument, then the thesis appears as the first sentence in the third paragraph. The essay then spends the rest of the paper dismantling the counter argument and showing why readers should believe the other side.
What this essay does well:
- Although it’s a bit unusual to have the thesis appear fairly far into the essay, it works because, once the thesis is stated, the rest of the essay focuses on supporting it since the counter-argument has already been discussed earlier in the paper.
- This essay includes numerous facts and cites studies to support its case. By having specific data to rely on, the author’s argument is stronger and readers will be more inclined to agree with it.
- For every argument the other side makes, the author makes sure to refute it and follow up with why her opinion is the stronger one. In order to make a strong argument, it’s important to dismantle the other side, which this essay does this by making the author's view appear stronger.
- This is a shorter paper, and if it needed to be expanded to meet length requirements, it could include more examples and go more into depth with them, such as by explaining specific cases where people benefited from local libraries.
- Additionally, while the paper uses lots of data, the author also mentions their own experience with using tablets. This should be removed since argumentative essays focus on facts and data to support an argument, not the author’s own opinion or experiences. Replacing that with more data on health issues associated with screen time would strengthen the essay.
- Some of the points made aren't completely accurate , particularly the one about digital books being cheaper. It actually often costs a library more money to rent out numerous digital copies of a book compared to buying a single physical copy. Make sure in your own essay you thoroughly research each of the points and rebuttals you make, otherwise you'll look like you don't know the issue that well.
Argumentative Essay Example 2
There are multiple drugs available to treat malaria, and many of them work well and save lives, but malaria eradication programs that focus too much on them and not enough on prevention haven’t seen long-term success in Sub-Saharan Africa. A major program to combat malaria was WHO’s Global Malaria Eradication Programme. Started in 1955, it had a goal of eliminating malaria in Africa within the next ten years. Based upon previously successful programs in Brazil and the United States, the program focused mainly on vector control. This included widely distributing chloroquine and spraying large amounts of DDT. More than one billion dollars was spent trying to abolish malaria. However, the program suffered from many problems and in 1969, WHO was forced to admit that the program had not succeeded in eradicating malaria. The number of people in Sub-Saharan Africa who contracted malaria as well as the number of malaria deaths had actually increased over 10% during the time the program was active.
One of the major reasons for the failure of the project was that it set uniform strategies and policies. By failing to consider variations between governments, geography, and infrastructure, the program was not nearly as successful as it could have been. Sub-Saharan Africa has neither the money nor the infrastructure to support such an elaborate program, and it couldn’t be run the way it was meant to. Most African countries don't have the resources to send all their people to doctors and get shots, nor can they afford to clear wetlands or other malaria prone areas. The continent’s spending per person for eradicating malaria was just a quarter of what Brazil spent. Sub-Saharan Africa simply can’t rely on a plan that requires more money, infrastructure, and expertise than they have to spare.
Additionally, the widespread use of chloroquine has created drug resistant parasites which are now plaguing Sub-Saharan Africa. Because chloroquine was used widely but inconsistently, mosquitoes developed resistance, and chloroquine is now nearly completely ineffective in Sub-Saharan Africa, with over 95% of mosquitoes resistant to it. As a result, newer, more expensive drugs need to be used to prevent and treat malaria, which further drives up the cost of malaria treatment for a region that can ill afford it.
Instead of developing plans to treat malaria after the infection has incurred, programs should focus on preventing infection from occurring in the first place. Not only is this plan cheaper and more effective, reducing the number of people who contract malaria also reduces loss of work/school days which can further bring down the productivity of the region.
One of the cheapest and most effective ways of preventing malaria is to implement insecticide-treated bed nets (ITNs). These nets provide a protective barrier around the person or people using them. While untreated bed nets are still helpful, those treated with insecticides are much more useful because they stop mosquitoes from biting people through the nets, and they help reduce mosquito populations in a community, thus helping people who don’t even own bed nets. Bed nets are also very effective because most mosquito bites occur while the person is sleeping, so bed nets would be able to drastically reduce the number of transmissions during the night. In fact, transmission of malaria can be reduced by as much as 90% in areas where the use of ITNs is widespread. Because money is so scarce in Sub-Saharan Africa, the low cost is a great benefit and a major reason why the program is so successful. Bed nets cost roughly 2 USD to make, last several years, and can protect two adults. Studies have shown that, for every 100-1000 more nets are being used, one less child dies of malaria. With an estimated 300 million people in Africa not being protected by mosquito nets, there’s the potential to save three million lives by spending just a few dollars per person.
Reducing the number of people who contract malaria would also reduce poverty levels in Africa significantly, thus improving other aspects of society like education levels and the economy. Vector control is more effective than treatment strategies because it means fewer people are getting sick. When fewer people get sick, the working population is stronger as a whole because people are not put out of work from malaria, nor are they caring for sick relatives. Malaria-afflicted families can typically only harvest 40% of the crops that healthy families can harvest. Additionally, a family with members who have malaria spends roughly a quarter of its income treatment, not including the loss of work they also must deal with due to the illness. It’s estimated that malaria costs Africa 12 billion USD in lost income every year. A strong working population creates a stronger economy, which Sub-Saharan Africa is in desperate need of.
This essay begins with an introduction, which ends with the thesis (that malaria eradication plans in Sub-Saharan Africa should focus on prevention rather than treatment). The first part of the essay lays out why the counter argument (treatment rather than prevention) is not as effective, and the second part of the essay focuses on why prevention of malaria is the better path to take.
- The thesis appears early, is stated clearly, and is supported throughout the rest of the essay. This makes the argument clear for readers to understand and follow throughout the essay.
- There’s lots of solid research in this essay, including specific programs that were conducted and how successful they were, as well as specific data mentioned throughout. This evidence helps strengthen the author’s argument.
- The author makes a case for using expanding bed net use over waiting until malaria occurs and beginning treatment, but not much of a plan is given for how the bed nets would be distributed or how to ensure they’re being used properly. By going more into detail of what she believes should be done, the author would be making a stronger argument.
- The introduction of the essay does a good job of laying out the seriousness of the problem, but the conclusion is short and abrupt. Expanding it into its own paragraph would give the author a final way to convince readers of her side of the argument.
Argumentative Essay Example 3
There are many ways payments could work. They could be in the form of a free-market approach, where athletes are able to earn whatever the market is willing to pay them, it could be a set amount of money per athlete, or student athletes could earn income from endorsements, autographs, and control of their likeness, similar to the way top Olympians earn money.
Proponents of the idea believe that, because college athletes are the ones who are training, participating in games, and bringing in audiences, they should receive some sort of compensation for their work. If there were no college athletes, the NCAA wouldn’t exist, college coaches wouldn’t receive there (sometimes very high) salaries, and brands like Nike couldn’t profit from college sports. In fact, the NCAA brings in roughly $1 billion in revenue a year, but college athletes don’t receive any of that money in the form of a paycheck. Additionally, people who believe college athletes should be paid state that paying college athletes will actually encourage them to remain in college longer and not turn pro as quickly, either by giving them a way to begin earning money in college or requiring them to sign a contract stating they’ll stay at the university for a certain number of years while making an agreed-upon salary.
Supporters of this idea point to Zion Williamson, the Duke basketball superstar, who, during his freshman year, sustained a serious knee injury. Many argued that, even if he enjoyed playing for Duke, it wasn’t worth risking another injury and ending his professional career before it even began for a program that wasn’t paying him. Williamson seems to have agreed with them and declared his eligibility for the NCAA draft later that year. If he was being paid, he may have stayed at Duke longer. In fact, roughly a third of student athletes surveyed stated that receiving a salary while in college would make them “strongly consider” remaining collegiate athletes longer before turning pro.
Paying athletes could also stop the recruitment scandals that have plagued the NCAA. In 2018, the NCAA stripped the University of Louisville's men's basketball team of its 2013 national championship title because it was discovered coaches were using sex workers to entice recruits to join the team. There have been dozens of other recruitment scandals where college athletes and recruits have been bribed with anything from having their grades changed, to getting free cars, to being straight out bribed. By paying college athletes and putting their salaries out in the open, the NCAA could end the illegal and underhanded ways some schools and coaches try to entice athletes to join.
People who argue against the idea of paying college athletes believe the practice could be disastrous for college sports. By paying athletes, they argue, they’d turn college sports into a bidding war, where only the richest schools could afford top athletes, and the majority of schools would be shut out from developing a talented team (though some argue this already happens because the best players often go to the most established college sports programs, who typically pay their coaches millions of dollars per year). It could also ruin the tight camaraderie of many college teams if players become jealous that certain teammates are making more money than they are.
They also argue that paying college athletes actually means only a small fraction would make significant money. Out of the 350 Division I athletic departments, fewer than a dozen earn any money. Nearly all the money the NCAA makes comes from men’s football and basketball, so paying college athletes would make a small group of men--who likely will be signed to pro teams and begin making millions immediately out of college--rich at the expense of other players.
Those against paying college athletes also believe that the athletes are receiving enough benefits already. The top athletes already receive scholarships that are worth tens of thousands per year, they receive free food/housing/textbooks, have access to top medical care if they are injured, receive top coaching, get travel perks and free gear, and can use their time in college as a way to capture the attention of professional recruiters. No other college students receive anywhere near as much from their schools.
People on this side also point out that, while the NCAA brings in a massive amount of money each year, it is still a non-profit organization. How? Because over 95% of those profits are redistributed to its members’ institutions in the form of scholarships, grants, conferences, support for Division II and Division III teams, and educational programs. Taking away a significant part of that revenue would hurt smaller programs that rely on that money to keep running.
While both sides have good points, it’s clear that the negatives of paying college athletes far outweigh the positives. College athletes spend a significant amount of time and energy playing for their school, but they are compensated for it by the scholarships and perks they receive. Adding a salary to that would result in a college athletic system where only a small handful of athletes (those likely to become millionaires in the professional leagues) are paid by a handful of schools who enter bidding wars to recruit them, while the majority of student athletics and college athletic programs suffer or even shut down for lack of money. Continuing to offer the current level of benefits to student athletes makes it possible for as many people to benefit from and enjoy college sports as possible.
This argumentative essay follows the Rogerian model. It discusses each side, first laying out multiple reasons people believe student athletes should be paid, then discussing reasons why the athletes shouldn’t be paid. It ends by stating that college athletes shouldn’t be paid by arguing that paying them would destroy college athletics programs and cause them to have many of the issues professional sports leagues have.
- Both sides of the argument are well developed, with multiple reasons why people agree with each side. It allows readers to get a full view of the argument and its nuances.
- Certain statements on both sides are directly rebuffed in order to show where the strengths and weaknesses of each side lie and give a more complete and sophisticated look at the argument.
- Using the Rogerian model can be tricky because oftentimes you don’t explicitly state your argument until the end of the paper. Here, the thesis doesn’t appear until the first sentence of the final paragraph. That doesn’t give readers a lot of time to be convinced that your argument is the right one, compared to a paper where the thesis is stated in the beginning and then supported throughout the paper. This paper could be strengthened if the final paragraph was expanded to more fully explain why the author supports the view, or if the paper had made it clearer that paying athletes was the weaker argument throughout.
3 Tips for Writing a Good Argumentative Essay
Now that you’ve seen examples of what good argumentative essay samples look like, follow these three tips when crafting your own essay.
#1: Make Your Thesis Crystal Clear
The thesis is the key to your argumentative essay; if it isn’t clear or readers can’t find it easily, your entire essay will be weak as a result. Always make sure that your thesis statement is easy to find. The typical spot for it is the final sentence of the introduction paragraph, but if it doesn’t fit in that spot for your essay, try to at least put it as the first or last sentence of a different paragraph so it stands out more.
Also make sure that your thesis makes clear what side of the argument you’re on. After you’ve written it, it’s a great idea to show your thesis to a couple different people--classmates are great for this. Just by reading your thesis they should be able to understand what point you’ll be trying to make with the rest of your essay.
#2: Show Why the Other Side Is Weak
When writing your essay, you may be tempted to ignore the other side of the argument and just focus on your side, but don’t do this. The best argumentative essays really tear apart the other side to show why readers shouldn’t believe it. Before you begin writing your essay, research what the other side believes, and what their strongest points are. Then, in your essay, be sure to mention each of these and use evidence to explain why they’re incorrect/weak arguments. That’ll make your essay much more effective than if you only focused on your side of the argument.
#3: Use Evidence to Support Your Side
Remember, an essay can’t be an argumentative essay if it doesn’t support its argument with evidence. For every point you make, make sure you have facts to back it up. Some examples are previous studies done on the topic, surveys of large groups of people, data points, etc. There should be lots of numbers in your argumentative essay that support your side of the argument. This will make your essay much stronger compared to only relying on your own opinions to support your argument.
Summary: Argumentative Essay Sample
Argumentative essays are persuasive essays that use facts and evidence to support their side of the argument. Most argumentative essays follow either the Toulmin model or the Rogerian model. By reading good argumentative essay examples, you can learn how to develop your essay and provide enough support to make readers agree with your opinion. When writing your essay, remember to always make your thesis clear, show where the other side is weak, and back up your opinion with data and evidence.
What's Next?
Do you need to write an argumentative essay as well? Check out our guide on the best argumentative essay topics for ideas!
You'll probably also need to write research papers for school. We've got you covered with 113 potential topics for research papers.
Your college admissions essay may end up being one of the most important essays you write. Follow our step-by-step guide on writing a personal statement to have an essay that'll impress colleges.
Need more help with this topic? Check out Tutorbase!
Our vetted tutor database includes a range of experienced educators who can help you polish an essay for English or explain how derivatives work for Calculus. You can use dozens of filters and search criteria to find the perfect person for your needs.
Christine graduated from Michigan State University with degrees in Environmental Biology and Geography and received her Master's from Duke University. In high school she scored in the 99th percentile on the SAT and was named a National Merit Finalist. She has taught English and biology in several countries.
Student and Parent Forum
Our new student and parent forum, at ExpertHub.PrepScholar.com , allow you to interact with your peers and the PrepScholar staff. See how other students and parents are navigating high school, college, and the college admissions process. Ask questions; get answers.
Ask a Question Below
Have any questions about this article or other topics? Ask below and we'll reply!
Improve With Our Famous Guides
- For All Students
The 5 Strategies You Must Be Using to Improve 160+ SAT Points
How to Get a Perfect 1600, by a Perfect Scorer
Series: How to Get 800 on Each SAT Section:
Score 800 on SAT Math
Score 800 on SAT Reading
Score 800 on SAT Writing
Series: How to Get to 600 on Each SAT Section:
Score 600 on SAT Math
Score 600 on SAT Reading
Score 600 on SAT Writing
Free Complete Official SAT Practice Tests
What SAT Target Score Should You Be Aiming For?
15 Strategies to Improve Your SAT Essay
The 5 Strategies You Must Be Using to Improve 4+ ACT Points
How to Get a Perfect 36 ACT, by a Perfect Scorer
Series: How to Get 36 on Each ACT Section:
36 on ACT English
36 on ACT Math
36 on ACT Reading
36 on ACT Science
Series: How to Get to 24 on Each ACT Section:
24 on ACT English
24 on ACT Math
24 on ACT Reading
24 on ACT Science
What ACT target score should you be aiming for?
ACT Vocabulary You Must Know
ACT Writing: 15 Tips to Raise Your Essay Score
How to Get Into Harvard and the Ivy League
How to Get a Perfect 4.0 GPA
How to Write an Amazing College Essay
What Exactly Are Colleges Looking For?
Is the ACT easier than the SAT? A Comprehensive Guide
Should you retake your SAT or ACT?
When should you take the SAT or ACT?
Stay Informed
Get the latest articles and test prep tips!
Looking for Graduate School Test Prep?
Check out our top-rated graduate blogs here:
GRE Online Prep Blog
GMAT Online Prep Blog
TOEFL Online Prep Blog
Holly R. "I am absolutely overjoyed and cannot thank you enough for helping me!”
- Essay Writing
- Extended Essays
- IB Internal Assessment
- Theory of Knowledge
- Research Writing
- Literature Review
- Dissertations
- Assignment Help
- Capstone Projects
- College Application
- Online Class
How to Write the Body Paragraphs of Argumentative Essay in 2022
by Antony W
November 5, 2021
We’ve covered quite a lot on argumentative essay writing at Help for Assessment.
As of this far, you know how to come up with arguable claims and write a killer introduction for the essay.
You even know how to include a hook in space as small as the introduction paragraph.
But writing an argument goes beyond your ability to hook a reader with your introduction. You also have to work on your body paragraphs to make sure they’re up to the standard.
If this is the first time you’re working on an argumentative essay, it can be a challenge to get the body paragraphs written well.
So in this guide, we’ll show you how to work on the body paragraphs and get the section done right the first time.
Do you need help with your Argumentative Essay?
Get in touch with your professional team of writers.
How to Write The Body Paragraphs Of An Argumentative Essay
The following are the seven steps to help you build up the body paragraphs of your argumentative essay.
1. Start with a Topic Sentence
While we can argue that a topic sentence can appear anywhere in the body paragraph of your essay, it’s best to include at the very beginning.
Think about why the sentence is important based on the context of the thesis statement of your argument. While not necessarily mandatory, you can highlight an argument from the thesis statements to establish a good connection.
Keep in mind that the role of a topic sentence goes beyond showing a connection between your body paragraphs and the statement that summarizes the essay.
Your audience should look at the sentence and see that you’ve moved your argument a level higher. So you have to make your writing as unique as possible.
To be clear, some paragraphs in the body section of your argumentative essay won’t need a topic sentence.
There are instances when it would make a lot of sense to omit it, especially if you’re explaining a series of events where the next paragraph develops a concept that you already introduced.
2. Explain Your Topics Sentence – if Necessary
More often than not, your topic sentence will be self-explanatory and require no further information.
However, if you feel like there’s a need to add more information to make your ideas clear, don’t hesitate to do so. However, don’t go head on adding a big wall of text.
Another one to two sentence should be enough to explain your point.
3. Introduce Your Argument’s Evidence
When writing an argumentative essay , you must include reasonable and objective evidence to support your arguable claims.
Including your evidence to support your position can move your audience to believe that you invested your time to investigate the topic in-depth.
The evidence can be anything, from an anecdote, real life experiences, statistics, as well as quoted materials.
Integrate evidence into your essay in a way that moves your readers from just reading your words to buying into your argument without feeling a logical jolt.
4. Insert and Unpack Your Evidence
Now that you’ve introduced your evidence, it’s time to insert and then unpack it. Quotes make a good option for inserting evidence into the text, although you shouldn’t hesitate to do so using personal examples.
The next thing you need to do is unpack the evidence, and you do so by giving a thorough explanation, which naturally brings out a clear picture about why the evidence is significant to your argument.
Unpacking your evidence increases the credibility of the essay as it shows your audience that you know what you’re talking about even if they won’t agree with you.
Keep in mind that you don’t have a lot of room to unpack your evidence. Mostly, you should keep it as short as 1 to 2 sentences give or take, although you might expand it just a little if the evidence is so complicated that it requires further explanation.
5. Explain Your Evidence
Unpacking your evidence is not good enough. You have to go as far as to explain why it’s important in the first place. In other words, is the evidence that you’ve provided good enough to prove that you have a point?
Your explanation should be objective and debatable, and it’s okay to include your own opinion provided what you write makes sense.
Again, you need to keep your explanation as short as possible. You have a writing space of 1 to 3 sentences.
So pack it only with the most useful information that can convince your audience that you know what you’re talking about.
6. Write a Closing Link
A closing link is the conclusion for each paragraph. This section is a no brainer, so you don’t exactly have to think too much outside the box.
You want the concluding paragraph to assure your audience that your paragraph does indeed add up to the development of your argument. Consider using a strong transition in the closing link.
This helps to maintain the flow of your ideas in a logical order. Not to mention it makes it easy for the reader to move on to the next consequent paragraph without feeling lost.
One of the very important rules when it comes to writing a closing link is to avoid ending with a transition. Start with it instead.
Get Argumentative Essay Writing Help
Now that you know how to write the body section of your argumentative essay, it should be easy for you to complete the project on your own.
However, if you don’t have enough to complete the project and you have a tight deadline to beat, you should consider outsourcing your essay writing work to Help for Assessment.
We have a great team of writers who work hard around the clock to help people like you write great essays in just a short amount of time.
Whether you’ve run of deadlines or you have a topic have no idea how to start, our writers will work with you from start to finish. You can click here to place your order with us.
About the author
Antony W is a professional writer and coach at Help for Assessment. He spends countless hours every day researching and writing great content filled with expert advice on how to write engaging essays, research papers, and assignments.
Argumentative Essay Body Paragraph Examples
Have you tried every way possible to get help with “argumentative essay body paragraph examples”? Still can’t get help that proves to be useful for you? You want to know about it? What elements make it a good one? Yes? Okay, then you have to read this out right now.
Argumentative essays are fun to write due to the fact that we present the arguments and counter arguments by stating our own stance. Personally, being a college and university student, it always fascinated me to write this essay because there is freedom to write whatever you like.
To give you the guidelines and examples of what you are searching for, let’s dive in to it:
- What Is An Argumentative Essay?
- A type of essay in which we state our own arguments by taking a stance.
- We argue and persuade our readers in this type of essay to either agree or disagree with our point of view
- The argumentative essay topic should support whole body paragraphs present in the content.
- This requires us to state as much evidences and facts as possible to back up our argument
To write an appealing essay of this sort:
- Introduce the topic and to be appealing, engage the readers
- Ensure honesty in the essay by broadening the vision
- Must insert a counter argument
- Push the audience to agree with the viewpoint of yours through facts and figures.
- Writing A Good Argumentative Essay
For writing a good essay of this sort, look after the following things:
- Strong thesis statement in the intro paragraph
- Ensuring rationality by logically giving facts, figures and reasoning etc.
- Reasons reflecting back to thesis statement
How To Write Body Paragraph For Argumentative Essay:
A body paragraph of an argumentative essay is the central part of it because most of the evidence, reasoning, facts and figures etc. are presented in this paragraph. generally, this body is 3 paragraph long but this is not a hard and fast rule.
- What Can A Body Paragraph Have?
- The length of the body paragraph varies from a standard three paragraphs to as long as 3 4 pages such as that for a research paper
- The final part of the body contains some argumentative essay outline , examples, pieces of evidence, and so on.
- The flow of the body paragraph should be from general to specific
- Avoid useless statements and evidence. Add only those which support the point of the author
- The arguments within the body should support each other and should not contradict within them
- This is what makes a good body paragraph
Argumentative Essay Body Paragraph Format
To make sure that the essay you write is a good one and up to the standard, it should contain the following elements:
Topic Sentence
- It is usually the first sentence of the body paragraph
- It should be placed such that it represents the rest of the paragraph
- It shows how your paragraph is organized
- It works just like a thesis statement supporting everything following it.
- Hence, it is advisable to use topic sentence, such that it is attractive enough to catch the attention of the audience
- The second part of the body is the actual discussion part where one explains the points that refers back to the topic sentence and also support the thesis statement of the entire essay.
- Present relevant facts and evidences as much as possible to back up your argument here
- One can add quotations as well if it relates to the discussion, however, a better method would be to use the quotation while writing a topic sentence.
- Similarly, the ending sentence of each body paragraph should represent an idea of the next body paragraph
- Facts and figures to support the idea
- Logical reasoning to support argument
- Insertion of counter argument
- Evidences to reply to counter argument
- The final part of the body contains some examples, pieces of evidence, and so on.
- Because examples are always fascinating to both readers and writer, it also adds to the rigor of the essay
- The examples can contain events, locations, information regarding the topic specifically, dates, names etc.
- Best College-Argumentative Essay Topics
Following are some examples for topics:
- Arrange marriages
- Money can’t buy happiness
- Mobile phones
- Unequal employment opportunities
- All that glitter may not be gold
- Test matches Vs World cup
- Big Bang Theory
- How To Write An Argumentative Essay
To write such type of essay, there are sequential steps to follow or we can simply call it an outline, which is as follows:
Components Of An Argumentative Essay Body Paragraph
There are 5 components of a body paragraph for this essay, these are as follows:
- Arguments: The claim of the writer. what the writer wants to argue or stand upon? It is actually the point of view of the writer.
- Reasoning : To support a claim or argument, we provide reasons which would then be supported by facts and evidence. Move rationally when giving reasons.
- Facts: Facts and evidences are stated to support the argument and the reasons given for that argument.
- Counter-argument : Opposition to the argument to make the paragraph starter even stronger because critics are always there. In short, it is the other side of the story.
- Rebuttal : It is a reply to counter-argument in which we disapprove or refute it by supporting details and evidence. In short, it addresses the criticism of the argument.
We only need your requirements to create an original paper with proper formatting.
Reducing Ozone Depletion-Argumentative Essay
For example, we are writing on the subject ozone depletion due to use of CFC then the body then the example would be:
Argument: The use of CFC should be banned.
Reasons: CFC is the contributory factor in developing an ozone hole.
Evidences : the chlorine atom in ozone separate the O3 bonding leaving O2 and a free oxygen molecule. Also, the chlorine molecule is regenerated which can destroy tons of ozone gas resulting in depletion of ozone layer.
Counter-argument : However, many of the businesses run due to CFC gas because it serves as building blocks for refrigerators, Air Conditions, solvents etc.
Rebuttal : There are a number of substitutes for CFC such as the class of Hydrofluorocarbon that can be used instead of CFC that are also environmentally friendly.
- Writing Tips For Body Paragraph
Following are some tips for writing a good body paragraph for your essay:
- Refer back to the thesis when writing the body paragraph because that will always keep you on track.
- Consult the outline made before writing the essay because that will help you write even better and if stuck somewhere, it can keep you going.
- The body paragraph should not contradict with your thesis statement, it should always be supported.
- Give supporting details with examples to make it specific and stronger.
- If examples are not available for any discussion point, its not something to panic. One can add more details and evidences leaving out examples.
- You can always skip examples when word choice is a limit.
- Also, do not panic over a limited data because rationality is what will make it stronger.
- One can always add good conclusions and transitions however, if not possible, it can be skipped.
- Good transition words can have good impact, add transition words but don’t make it a fluff
- Try to make a strong claim in an argumentative essay and use confident words to make the point even more apparent.
- Keep a flow in the paragraphs. One paragraph should flow swiftly to the other without jerks and bounces.
Writing argumentative essay body examples might be tough but perfect essay writers hope that they have cleared your ambiguity. However, still having issues? Perfect essay writing services are always here to help with quality content using skyrocketing techniques.
To start an argumentative essay body paragraph, you need to
- Add a topic sentence to represent the body paragraph following the thesis.
- Then comes the detail or discussion for representing the arguments and counter arguments.
- Lastly, a concluding sentence which would represent the other body paragraph or simply a clincher sentence.
The body of an argumentative essay is where you give maximum details of your discussion and arguments. Moving rationally, we insert evidences, reasonings, facts and figures etc. to develop a strong body paragraph.
To end the body paragraph of an argumentative essay, one should insert a sentence which summarizes the discussion of that body paragraph. If it is not the last body paragraph then we try to represent the other paragraph following it in this sentence. Such a sentence can also be a clincher statement.
The 5 parts of a body paragraph in an argumentative essay are:
- Arguments/claims,
- Counter-arguments/counter-claims, and
These are the major components of a body paragraph for an argumentative essay. If your essay body lacks on these parts, it isn’t considered a good one.
Table of Contents
- How To Write Body Paragraph
- Argumentative Essay Paragraph Format
- Components Of An Argumentative Essay
- Reducing Ozone Depletion
Perfect essay writing is the top platform for writing customized research papers, thesis, and academic essays
- 100% Unique Essays
- Professional Writers
- 5000+ Papers Written
- 365 days service availability
- Subject Experts
- Assignment Writing Service
- Biography Writing Services
- Opinion Essay Writing Service
- Cover Letter Writing Service
- Critical Analysis Essay
- Romeo and Juliet
- Admission Essay
- Analytical Essay Writing Service
- Personal Statement
- Research Paper Writing Service
- Dream Essay
- Annotated Bibliography
- Dissertation Writing Services
- Contrast Essay
- Argumentative Essay
- College Essay Writing Service
- Application Letter
- College Paper
- Thesis Statement
We'll revise your work until you're 100% satisfied or refund your payment to make up for the trouble.
We are a team of professional writers providing quality-assured essays, research papers, and assignments. We bring the most affordable services for you with multiple revisions. Get plagiarism-free content with Turnitin pass and on-time delivery. We Create Great Content, Value, & Reliability!
- Our Writers
How to Write an Argumentative Essay Outline
An argumentative essay is a piece of writing that uses logical evidence and empirical data to convince readers of a particular position on a topic. Because of its reliance on structure and planning, the first step in writing one is often drafting a solid argumentative essay outline.
Of course, drafting an argumentative essay outline can be just as daunting as actually writing one. Choosing topics is one thing, but organizing your thesis , research, reasoning, and conclusion is a whole other endeavor—and that’s all before beginning the first draft!
So in this quick guide, we explain how to make an effective argumentative essay outline, covering all three major formats: Classical (Aristotelian), Rogerian, and Toulmin. We’ll also include argumentative essay outline examples and templates to help you understand what works.
Communicate with confidence. Grammarly helps you communicate effectively Write with Grammarly
How is an argumentative essay structured?
An argumentative essay uses facts, data, and logical reasoning to substantiate a specific stance on any given topic. They are typically structured to “build an argument,” with a clear thesis statement , unambiguous conclusion, and as much evidential support as needed.
While all seven types of essays follow the same introduction-body-conclusion structure, argumentative essays tend to be more complex to fit all the necessary components of a convincing argument. For example, you may want to dissect opposing points of view to strengthen your own argument, but where would you put that section? Before your argument? After? Intermingled throughout the essay with each new piece of evidence?
There’s no one right way to structure an argumentative essay; it depends on your topic, opposing viewpoints, and the readers, among other things. In fact, to accommodate different types of argumentative essay styles, three methods have emerged as the go-to formats: Classical (Aristotelian), Rogerian, and Toulmin, explained below.
No matter the format or topic, a strong argumentative essay outline makes it easier to organize your thoughts and present your case in the best possible way. So before you get down to the actual essay writing , take a little time to prepare what you want to say in an outline.
How to create an argumentative essay outline
Knowing how to write an outline is just half the battle. Because an argumentative essay outline requires extra structure and organization, it often requires more extensive planning than the standard essay outline . After all, the goal is to present the best argument for your topic, so you need to make sure each section is in the optimal place.
As mentioned, there are three main options for how to structure an argumentative essay. Before we dive into the details, let’s look at an overview of each so you can decide which one best fits your essay.
Classical (Aristotelian)
When to use it: straightforward and direct arguments
The most forthright approach, the Classical or Aristotelian format is closest to traditional essay structures. It follows a simple layout: explain your argument, explain your opposition’s argument, and then present your evidence, all the while relying on credibility ( ethos ), emotion ( pathos ), and reasoning ( logos ) to influence the reader.
When to use it: both sides make valid arguments; your readers are sympathetic to the opposing position
The Rogerian format gives ample respect to opposing stances, making it a great “middle-ground” approach for representing both sides. This method is ideal if your thesis is a compromise between conflicting positions or an attempt to unify them.
Likewise, this format is best if you’re writing for readers who are already biased toward an opposing position, such as if you’re arguing against societal norms.
When to use it: complicated arguments with multiple facets; rebuttals and counterarguments
The Toulmin method is a deep analysis of a single argument. Given its methodical and detailed nature, it works best for breaking down a complicated thesis into digestible portions.
The Toulmin method is rather nitpicky in a very systematic way. That makes it an ideal format if your essay is a rebuttal or counterargument to another essay—you’re able to dissect and disprove your opposition point by point while offering a more reasonable alternative.
Classical argumentative essay outline template
Aristotle had a gift for explaining things clearly and logically, and the Aristotelian argumentative essay structure leans into that. Also known as Classical or Classic, the Aristotelian format is the most straightforward: the writer presents their argument first and then refutes the opposing argument.
Let’s look at the details in this argumentative essay outline example for the Classical or Aristotelian format.
I. Introduction
A. Open with a hook, something to keep the reader interested enough to read until the conclusion (known as exordium ) B. Give any background information or context necessary to understand the topic (known as narratio ) C. Provide a thesis statement explaining your stance and why you feel that way (known as proposito and partitio )
II. First reason
A. Start with the least controversial reason to support your argument, explaining your point clearly as an overview 1. First evidential support of your reason (known as confirmatio )
2. Second evidential support of your reason, then third, and so on
B. Summarize your first reason again and tie it together with evidential support
III. Second reason, etc.
A. Continue to list your reasons in the same format as the first. List your reasons from least to most controversial
IV. First opposing point of view
A. Explain the reasoning of the opposing side. Point out their defenses and evidence—what would they say if they were writing the essay? 1. Point out weaknesses and inconsistencies in their argument
2. Refute their points with evidential support (known as refutatio )
3. Reinforce your position as the more reasonable position
V. Second opposing point of view, etc.
A. Continue to present and refute opposing points of view in the same format as the first
VI. Conclusion
A. Reiterate your position and thesis statement, drawing on your strongest evidential support and rebuttals of opposing points (known as peroratio ) B. Wrap everything up with a thought-provoking ending or call to action (a suggestion you want the reader to take)
Rogerian argumentative essay outline template
Of all formats, Rogerian gives the most attention to opposing arguments. Its goal is to create a middle ground between two arguments, pointing out the validity of each and finding a way to unify them as one. If positions on a particular topic are too polarized or unable to coexist, this format won’t work.
Let’s take a closer look at the Rogerian argumentative essay outline example below and notice the concessions for opposing points of view.
A. State the problem that needs to be solved and any context necessary for understanding it B. Explain the ideal solutions from your position as well as the ideal solutions from opposing positions (and point out any overlap) C. Make your thesis statement
II. Summarize the opposing position
A. Summarize the opposition’s point of view respectfully; consider their defense and reasoning 1. Present evidential support for the opposing position
2. Comment on or refute their support
B. Follow the same format for additional opposing points of view
III. Validate the opposing position
A. Show that you understand and/or sympathize with the opposing position 1. Explain the context and reasoning behind your opposition’s perspective
2. Elaborate on the evidence and data from opposing positions
B. Affirm the areas in which you agree with the opposition
IV. Present your position
A. Summarize your first reason for holding your position 1. Present your first piece of evidential support
2. Present your second piece of evidential support, and so on
B. Summarize your second reason for holding your position, and so on
V. Bring both sides together (compromise)
A. Consider which aspects from each argument are most reasonable B. Propose a compromise that combines the best elements from each position
A. Reaffirm your respect for the opposing point of view B. Reiterate the areas in which the opposition can benefit from your argument and vice versa C. Summarize the earlier compromise and, if possible, end on a positive note
Toulmin argumentative essay outline template
Stephen Toulmin’s original purpose was to analyze the nature of arguments, but the application of his teachings has evolved into an argumentative essay format, especially for challenging existing arguments. It focuses on the six elements that make up a good argument: claim (thesis), grounds (data and reasons), warrants, backings, qualifiers, and rebuttals.
The argumentative essay outline example below shows the recommended order in which to put these elements:
A. Open with a hook, if you can, to garner interest B. Explain the topic and its necessary context C. Make your thesis statement
II. Present the grounds (hard evidence) to validate your thesis
A. Present your first evidential support of data or logical reasons B. Present your second evidential support of data or logical reasons, and so on
III. Explain your first warrant (justification for your thesis)
A. Explain how the warrant relates back to your thesis B. Provide backing to support your warrant (could be more evidence or data or just logical reasoning) C. List any qualifiers that undermine or limit your warrant—the idea is to acknowledge any weaknesses in your own argument
IV. Explain your second warrant, and so on
A. Continue to explain your individual warrants as above
V. Discuss opposition
A. Explain the first opposing point of view 1. Discuss the opposition fairly and transparently
2. Explain your rebuttal to defend your thesis
B. Explain the second opposing point of view, and so on
A. Connect all your warrants and data together B. Reiterate the opposing position and your rebuttals C. Draw a conclusion to make your final claim and reaffirm your thesis
Argumentative essay FAQs
What is an argumentative essay?
An argumentative essay is a short, nonfiction piece of writing that uses logical evidence and empirical data to convince the reader of a certain point of view.
Argumentative essays typically include an explanation of the writer’s position (thesis), evidence supporting that thesis, opposing points of view, and rebuttals against that opposition. The order in which these sections are presented, however, depends on the format.
What are some common ways to organize an argumentative essay outline?
The most straightforward approach to an argumentative essay outline is to first present your position, including the evidence and reasoning to back it up, and then address the opposing points of view. However, the more complex the topic, the more layers must be added to the outline.
Purdue Online Writing Lab College of Liberal Arts
Introductions, Body Paragraphs, and Conclusions for an Argument Paper
Welcome to the Purdue OWL
This page is brought to you by the OWL at Purdue University. When printing this page, you must include the entire legal notice.
Copyright ©1995-2018 by The Writing Lab & The OWL at Purdue and Purdue University. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, reproduced, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our terms and conditions of fair use.
This resource outlines the generally accepted structure for introductions, body paragraphs, and conclusions in an academic argument paper. Keep in mind that this resource contains guidelines and not strict rules about organization. Your structure needs to be flexible enough to meet the requirements of your purpose and audience.
The following sections outline the generally accepted structure for an academic argument paper. Keep in mind that these are guidelines and that your structure needs to be flexible enough to meet the requirements of your purpose and audience.
You may also use the following Purdue OWL resources to help you with your argument paper:
- Creating a Thesis Statement
- Organizing Your Argument
- Organizing Your Argument Slide Presentation
- Logic in Argumentative Writing
- Paragraphs and Paragraphing
- Transitions and Transitional Devices
Introduction
The introduction is the broad beginning of the paper that answers three important questions:
- What is this?
- Why am I reading it?
- What do you want me to do?
You should answer these questions by doing the following:
- Set the context –provide general information about the main idea, explaining the situation so the reader can make sense of the topic and the claims you make and support
- State why the main idea is important –tell the reader why he or she should care and keep reading. Your goal is to create a compelling, clear, and convincing essay people will want to read and act upon
- State your thesis / claim –compose a sentence or two stating the position you will support with logos (sound reasoning: induction, deduction), pathos (balanced emotional appeal), and ethos (author credibility).
For exploratory essays, your primary research question would replace your thesis statement so that the audience understands why you began your inquiry. An overview of the types of sources you explored might follow your research question.
If your argument paper is long, you may want to forecast how you will support your thesis by outlining the structure of your paper, the sources you will consider, and the opposition to your position. You can forecast your paper in many different ways depending on the type of paper you are writing. Your forecast could read something like this:
First, I will define key terms for my argument, and then I will provide some background of the situation. Next, I will outline the important positions of the argument and explain why I support one of these positions. Lastly, I will consider opposing positions and discuss why these positions are outdated. I will conclude with some ideas for taking action and possible directions for future research.
When writing a research paper, you may need to use a more formal, less personal tone. Your forecast might read like this:
This paper begins by providing key terms for the argument before providing background of the situation. Next, important positions are outlined and supported. To provide a more thorough explanation of these important positions, opposing positions are discussed. The paper concludes with some ideas for taking action and possible directions for future research.
Ask your instructor about what tone you should use when providing a forecast for your paper.
These are very general examples, but by adding some details on your specific topic, a forecast will effectively outline the structure of your paper so your readers can more easily follow your ideas.
Thesis checklist
Your thesis is more than a general statement about your main idea. It needs to establish a clear position you will support with balanced proofs (logos, pathos, ethos). Use the checklist below to help you create a thesis.
This section is adapted from Writing with a Thesis: A Rhetoric Reader by David Skwire and Sarah Skwire:
Make sure you avoid the following when creating your thesis:
- A thesis is not a title: Homes and schools (title) vs. Parents ought to participate more in the education of their children (good thesis).
- A thesis is not an announcement of the subject: My subject is the incompetence of the Supreme Court vs. The Supreme Court made a mistake when it ruled in favor of George W. Bush in the 2000 election.
- A thesis is not a statement of absolute fact: Jane Austen is the author of Pride and Prejudice.
- A thesis is not the whole essay: A thesis is your main idea/claim/refutation/problem-solution expressed in a single sentence or a combination of sentences.
- Please note that according to the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, Seventh Edition, "A thesis statement is a single sentence that formulates both your topic and your point of view" (Gibaldi 42). However, if your paper is more complex and requires a thesis statement, your thesis may require a combination of sentences.
Make sure you follow these guidelines when creating your thesis:
- NOT: Detective stories are not a high form of literature, but people have always been fascinated by them, and many fine writers have experimented with them
(floppy). vs.
- BETTER: Detective stories appeal to the basic human desire for thrills (concise).
- NOT: James Joyce’s Ulysses is very good. vs.
- BETTER: James Joyce’s Ulysses helped create a new way for writers to deal with the unconscious.
- NOT: James Joyce’s Ulysses helped create a new way for writers to deal with the unconscious. vs.
- BETTER: James Joyce’s Ulysses helped create a new way for writers to deal with the unconscious by utilizing the findings of Freudian psychology and introducing the techniques of literary stream-of-consciousness.
Quick Checklist:
_____ The thesis/claim follows the guidelines outlined above
_____ The thesis/claim matches the requirements and goals of the assignment
_____ The thesis/claim is clear and easily recognizable
_____ The thesis/claim seems supportable by good reasoning/data, emotional appeal
How to Write an Argumentative Essay: Step By Step Guide
10 May, 2020
9 minutes read
Author: Tomas White
Being able to present your argument and carry your point in a debate or a discussion is a vital skill. No wonder educational establishments make writing compositions of such type a priority for all students. If you are not really good at delivering a persuasive message to the audience, this guide is for you. It will teach you how to write an argumentative essay successfully step by step. So, read on and pick up the essential knowledge.
What is an Argumentative Essay?
An argumentative essay is a paper that gets the reader to recognize the author’s side of the argument as valid. The purpose of this specific essay is to pose a question and answer it with compelling evidence. At its core, this essay type works to champion a specific viewpoint. The key, however, is that the topic of the argumentative essay has multiple sides, which can be explained, weighed, and judged by relevant sources.
Check out our ultimate argumentative essay topics list!
This essay often explores common questions associated with any type of argument including:
Argumentative VS Persuasive Essay
It’s important not to confuse argumentative essay with a persuasive essay – while they both seem to follow the same goal, their methods are slightly different. While the persuasive essay is here to convince the reader (to pick your side), the argumentative essay is here to present information that supports the claim.
In simple words, it explains why the author picked this side of the argument, and persuasive essay does its best to persuade the reader to agree with your point of view.
Now that we got this straight, let’s get right to our topic – how to write an argumentative essay. As you can easily recognize, it all starts with a proper argument. First, let’s define the types of argument available and strategies that you can follow.
Types of Argument
When delving into the types of argument, the vocabulary suddenly becomes quite “lawyerish”; and that makes sense since lawyers stake their whole livelihood on their ability to win arguments. So step into your lawyer shoes, and learn about the five kinds of arguments that you could explore in an argumentative paper:
Claims of cause and effect
This paper focuses on answering what caused the issue(s), and what the resulting effects have been.
Claims of definition
This paper explores a controversial interpretation of a particular definition; the paper delves into what the world really means and how it could be interpreted in different ways.
Claims of Fact
This argumentative paper examines whether a particular fact is accurate; it often looks at several sources reporting a fact and examines their veracity.
Claims of Policy
This is a favorite argumentative essay in government and sociology classes; this paper explores a particular policy, who it affects, and what (if anything) should be done about it.
Claims of Value
This essay identifies a particular value or belief and then examines how and why it is important to a particular cohort or a larger, general population.
The aim of argument, or of discussion, should not be victory, but progress. Joseph Joubert
Argument Strategies
When mulling over how to approach your argumentative assignment, you should be aware that three main argument strategies exist regarding how exactly to argue an issue: classical, Rogerian, Toulmin.
Classical Argument
This argument structure dates back to the ancient Greeks and Romans. In this strategy, the arguer introduces the issue, provides context, clearly states their claim, provides key arguments backed by lots of evidence, and nullifies opposing arguments with valid data.
Rogerian Argument
Hate conflict? This may be the argumentative paper strategy for you. At its core, this strategy works to identify compromise aspects for both sides; this approach works to find commonality and an ultimate agreement between two sides rather than proclaiming a winner or loser. The focus in this argument is compromise and respect of all sides.
Toulmin Argument
Remember Spock? This is his type of strategy; the Toulmin approach focuses solely on logic to persuade the audience. It is heavy on data and often relies on qualities to narrow the focus of a claim and strengthen the writer’s stance. This approach also tends to rely on exceptions, which clearly set limits on the parameters of an argument, thus making a particular stance easier to agree with.
With that in mind, we can now organize our argument into the essay structure.
Have no time to write your essay? You can buy argumentative essay tasks at Handmade Writing. Our service is available 24/7.
Argumentative essay Example
Organizing the argumentative essay outline.
An argumentative essay follows the typical essay format: introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. However, the body paragraphs are structured a bit differently from other body paragraphs. Surely, not something you can see in a cause and effect essay outline .
While the introduction should still begin with an attention-grabbing sentence that catches the reader’s interest and compels him or her to continue reading and provides key background information, the following paragraphs focus on specific aspects of the argument.
Let’s begin with the introduction.
Related Post: How to write an Essay Introduction ?
Introduction Paragraph
As its name suggests, this paragraph provides all the background information necessary for a reader unfamiliar with the argumentative essay topic to understand what it’s about. A solid introduction should:
- Begin with a descriptive title that communicates your position regarding the topic
- Rhetorical question
- Personal anecdote
- Provide necessary background, including definitions of any relevant words
- End with a thesis statement that communicates your position
Stuck with your essay task? No more struggle! HandMadeWriting is the top essay writing service. Our online essay writer service not only guides you on writing papers, it can write a high-quality essay for you.
Body Paragraphs
Body paragraphs can range in size from six to fifteen or more sentences. The goal of these paragraphs is to support the thesis statement. Recommended areas of focus for the body paragraphs within an argumentative paper include:
- Identifying and explaining the problem
- Identifying the two (or more) sides to the problem
- Exploring the side the writer believes is more appropriate than the others
- Shooting down the other sides, with evidence
- Recommending a course of action for the reader
One important way how this essay differs from other kinds is its specific nature. At the end of reading such an essay, the audience should clearly understand the issue or controversy and have enough information to make an informed decision regarding the issue. But what compels an audience make an informed decision? Several things!
- Authoritative sources (experts in their field)
- Real-world examples
- Attributable anecdotes
In this paragraph, often the shortest of all the paragraphs, the writer reviews his or her most compelling reasons for taking a particular stance on an issue. The persuasion should be strong here, and the writer should use combative language including examples such as:
- “then” statements
- There can be no doubt
- Without immediate action
- Research strongly supports
It is also appropriate to refute potential opposition in the conclusion. By stating the objections readers could have, and show why they should be dismissed; the conclusion resonates more strongly with the reader.
Check our guide if you have any other questions on academic paper writing!
Argumentative Essay Sample
Be sure to check the sample essay, completed by our writers. Use it as an example to write your own argumentative essay. Link: Argumentative essay on white rappers’ moral rights to perform .
Remember : the key to winning any argument should be reliable sources — the better, the more trustworthy your sources, the more likely the audience will consider a viewpoint different from their own.
And while you may feel a deep passion towards a particular topic, keep in mind that emotions can be messy; this essay should present all sides to the argument respectfully and with a clear intention to portray each of them fairly.
Let the data, statistics, and facts speak loudly and clearly for themselves. And don’t forget to use opinionated language — using such diction is a must in any strong argumentative writing!
Best Essay Writing Services 2023
Student life can often be quite challenging because students have to deal with challenging college essay writing assignments. To facilitate the learning process, many services help you complete written work and get high scores. Now we will tell you about the best services that you can turn to and get high-quality papers. Essay Writing Service […]
A life lesson in Romeo and Juliet taught by death
Due to human nature, we draw conclusions only when life gives us a lesson since the experience of others is not so effective and powerful. Therefore, when analyzing and sorting out common problems we face, we may trace a parallel with well-known book characters or real historical figures. Moreover, we often compare our situations with […]
Nursing Research Paper Topics
Selecting an academic paper topic is a crucial step in the writing process. The variety of nursing research topics makes it challenging to find the appropriate paper theme. But if you choose a sound nursing research paper subject, it will contribute to a flawless thesis statement, using relevant resources, a smooth writing process, and impressive […]
Argumentative Essay Guide
Argumentative Essay Examples
Argumentative Essay Examples: Samples & Tips
Published on: Feb 15, 2018
Last updated on: Feb 23, 2023
On This Page On This Page
When it comes to writing argumentative essays , getting good grades is no stroll in the park. Writing an argumentative essay requires critical thinking and a vast pool of knowledge on the topic.
Read on to find out how to master the art of writing argumentative essays using argumentative essay examples as a guide.
Good Argumentative Essay Examples
A good argumentative essay is one that diligently presents facts that supports a viewpoint over another. Similar to a persuasive essay, it brings to bear arguments and opposing arguments. It evaluates the strengths and weaknesses of an argument and then proves it right or wrong.
It is designed to convince the reader to accept a certain point of view. Facts and logical analogy will serve as the heart and soul of an argumentative essay, from the beginning to the very end.
Below are some good argumentative essay examples written by our professional essay writers.
5 Paragraph Argumentative Essay Examples
The traditional argumentative essay outline for 5 paragraphs essays consist of one introduction, three body paragraphs, and one conclusion
Here are examples of 5 paragraph argumentative essays. The following example is a step-by-step guide for crafting an argumentative essay.
5 Paragraph Argumentative Essay
Argumentative Essay Examples For Middle School
Middle school essays are pretty basic and easier to debate. The following are some examples of middle school argumentative essay:
Argument Essay Example For Middle School
Argumentative Essay Examples For High School Students
Here are some amazing argumentative essay examples for high school students. Read them and get an idea of how you can make your argumentative essay flawless.
Counter Argument Essay Example
Evaluation Argumentative Essay Example
High School Argumentative Essay Example
Argumentative Essay Examples For College Students
When it comes to the college level, essay writing becomes more complicated. At this level, students have to write complex papers like research papers or thesis papers.
Additionally, college students are assumed to be good at writing a high-quality argumentative essay. This is because instructors automatically assume they have been writing essays since middle school.
Here are some good argumentative essay examples that all college students can use as a guide for their next essay assignment:
Argumentative Essay Example For College
Sample Argumentative Essay For College
Sample Argumentative Essay On Smoking
Argumentative Essay On Gun Control
Argumentative Essay Example for O Level
The O levels course outline is extremely demanding. O-level pupils must be excellent writers and speakers of the English language.
The following example can assist you in creating an argumentative essay if you are an O Level student.
Argumentative Essay Example for 6th Grade
Sixth-graders are in the midst of learning new things every day, which is a fantastic time to teach them about this kind of writing. As they enjoy convincing others of their viewpoint, writing an argumentative essay is an exciting activity for them.
At this level, argumentative essays are typically simple and highly convincing. The subsequent example will provide you with more information on how to write an argumentative essay at the 6th-grade level.
Argumentative Essay Example for 7th Grade
There isn't much of a difference between a 6th-grader and a 7th-grader in terms of academic achievement. They're both improving their writing and study abilities.
Here's another example to assist you in producing a strong argumentative essay.
Short Argumentative Essay Example
There is no precise word count for an argumentative essay. It just has to persuade the reader and give the author's message to the intended audience.
It can be short or lengthy. It would be considered correct as long as there's a discussion in it.
This is a sample of an argumentative essay.
Argumentative Essay Writing Tips
When the comes to writing high-quality argumentative essays there are some solid tips you need to know.
Below are 10 useful tips you should keep in mind while crafting an argumentative essay.
1. Choose Engaging Topics
Choosing an engaging topic will make you feel enthusiastic from the moment you start drafting down words in your essay. An argumentative essay topic should always be debatable, arguable, and researchable.
2. Choose the Structure
An argumentative essay can be structured in three ways: Classical, Toulmin, and Rogerian. Choose any of these types of arguments to give your essay a logical flow and purpose.
3. Conduct Quality Research
Extensive research goes a long way in producing a good argumentative essay. The more you study, the broader your horizons will be, and you will have just that much more supporting evidence.
4. Credible Sources
You can’t expect someone to agree with opposing views without strong and authentic evidence. If you want someone to change their perspective, you need to persuade them with facts from credible sources.
5. Use Counter Arguments
One of the most important parts of an argumentative essay is using counter-arguments. Introduce the opposing view in a few short sentences and proceed to refute them with fact-based empirical evidence. This is a powerful way of persuading a reader to lean more towards the side of your argument.
6. Create a Solid Introduction
Remember to pay keen attention to the introductory paragraph, as it can make or break your essay. A strong thesis statement lets your reader know your stance and gives them an idea of your philosophy around the topic. A strong thesis statement will force a reader to want to read your entire essay.
7. Complex Sentences Never Impress
Fancy vocabulary and extremely long sentences are too complex to understand. Your goal is to strike the reader’s mind with intelligent arguments and not try to sound smarter than them. Use simple vocabulary but fueled with creativity.
8. Clarity and Authority
When writing an argumentative essay, do not come across as timid or uncertain. Whatever you do, don’t play both sides or you risk coming across as weak and indecisive. You should choose a side and be confident about the points you make. .
9. Stick to the Essay Length
When writing an argumentative essay, it is very easy to veer off the assigned essay length given by your instructor. Writing a 4000-word essay while the maximum essay length given by your instructor was 1500 probably isn’t a good idea.
10. Avoid Sensitive Topics
Students should avoid hot-button topics like race, sport, politics, and religion at all costs. The last thing you want to do is offend a reader who holds a strong personal opinion from you.
Get Help From An Expert Argumentative Essay Writer
If you need help with writing argumentative essays, we are here for you. Argumentative essay writers at MyPerfectWords.com can help craft high-scoring argumentative essays.
If you have a short deadline and a tight budget, you can trust our online writing service with your essay assignment. You will get 24/7 customer support. Timely delivery, free revisions, and other advantages at our argumentative essay writing service .
Place your order now at MyPerfectWords.com , and get your essay done by one of our best essay writers .
Nova A. (Literature, Marketing)
Nova Allison is a Digital Content Strategist with over eight years of experience. Nova has also worked as a technical and scientific writer. She is majorly involved in developing and reviewing online content plans that engage and resonate with audiences. Nova has a passion for writing that engages and informs her readers.
People also read
The Ultimate Guide to Argumentative Essay Writing
Best Argumentative Essay Topics Recommended by Essay Experts
Argumentative Essay Outline: How to Structure Your Argumentative Essay
The 3 Different Types of Argument
Share this article
Keep reading
We value your privacy
We use cookies to improve your experience and give you personalized content. Do you agree to our cookie policy?
Website Data Collection
We use data collected by cookies and JavaScript libraries.
Are you sure you want to cancel?
Your preferences have not been saved.
- Utility Menu
- Questions about Expos?
- Writing Support for Instructors
Essay Structure
Writing an academic essay means fashioning a coherent set of ideas into an argument. Because essays are essentially linear—they offer one idea at a time—they must present their ideas in the order that makes most sense to a reader. Successfully structuring an essay means attending to a reader's logic.
The focus of such an essay predicts its structure. It dictates the information readers need to know and the order in which they need to receive it. Thus your essay's structure is necessarily unique to the main claim you're making. Although there are guidelines for constructing certain classic essay types (e.g., comparative analysis), there are no set formula.
Answering Questions: The Parts of an Essay
A typical essay contains many different kinds of information, often located in specialized parts or sections. Even short essays perform several different operations: introducing the argument, analyzing data, raising counterarguments, concluding. Introductions and conclusions have fixed places, but other parts don't. Counterargument, for example, may appear within a paragraph, as a free-standing section, as part of the beginning, or before the ending. Background material (historical context or biographical information, a summary of relevant theory or criticism, the definition of a key term) often appears at the beginning of the essay, between the introduction and the first analytical section, but might also appear near the beginning of the specific section to which it's relevant.
It's helpful to think of the different essay sections as answering a series of questions your reader might ask when encountering your thesis. (Readers should have questions. If they don't, your thesis is most likely simply an observation of fact, not an arguable claim.)
"What?" The first question to anticipate from a reader is "what": What evidence shows that the phenomenon described by your thesis is true? To answer the question you must examine your evidence, thus demonstrating the truth of your claim. This "what" or "demonstration" section comes early in the essay, often directly after the introduction. Since you're essentially reporting what you've observed, this is the part you might have most to say about when you first start writing. But be forewarned: it shouldn't take up much more than a third (often much less) of your finished essay. If it does, the essay will lack balance and may read as mere summary or description.
"How?" A reader will also want to know whether the claims of the thesis are true in all cases. The corresponding question is "how": How does the thesis stand up to the challenge of a counterargument? How does the introduction of new material—a new way of looking at the evidence, another set of sources—affect the claims you're making? Typically, an essay will include at least one "how" section. (Call it "complication" since you're responding to a reader's complicating questions.) This section usually comes after the "what," but keep in mind that an essay may complicate its argument several times depending on its length, and that counterargument alone may appear just about anywhere in an essay.
"Why?" Your reader will also want to know what's at stake in your claim: Why does your interpretation of a phenomenon matter to anyone beside you? This question addresses the larger implications of your thesis. It allows your readers to understand your essay within a larger context. In answering "why", your essay explains its own significance. Although you might gesture at this question in your introduction, the fullest answer to it properly belongs at your essay's end. If you leave it out, your readers will experience your essay as unfinished—or, worse, as pointless or insular.
Mapping an Essay
Structuring your essay according to a reader's logic means examining your thesis and anticipating what a reader needs to know, and in what sequence, in order to grasp and be convinced by your argument as it unfolds. The easiest way to do this is to map the essay's ideas via a written narrative. Such an account will give you a preliminary record of your ideas, and will allow you to remind yourself at every turn of the reader's needs in understanding your idea.
Essay maps ask you to predict where your reader will expect background information, counterargument, close analysis of a primary source, or a turn to secondary source material. Essay maps are not concerned with paragraphs so much as with sections of an essay. They anticipate the major argumentative moves you expect your essay to make. Try making your map like this:
- State your thesis in a sentence or two, then write another sentence saying why it's important to make that claim. Indicate, in other words, what a reader might learn by exploring the claim with you. Here you're anticipating your answer to the "why" question that you'll eventually flesh out in your conclusion.
- Begin your next sentence like this: "To be convinced by my claim, the first thing a reader needs to know is . . ." Then say why that's the first thing a reader needs to know, and name one or two items of evidence you think will make the case. This will start you off on answering the "what" question. (Alternately, you may find that the first thing your reader needs to know is some background information.)
- Begin each of the following sentences like this: "The next thing my reader needs to know is . . ." Once again, say why, and name some evidence. Continue until you've mapped out your essay.
Your map should naturally take you through some preliminary answers to the basic questions of what, how, and why. It is not a contract, though—the order in which the ideas appear is not a rigid one. Essay maps are flexible; they evolve with your ideas.
Signs of Trouble
A common structural flaw in college essays is the "walk-through" (also labeled "summary" or "description"). Walk-through essays follow the structure of their sources rather than establishing their own. Such essays generally have a descriptive thesis rather than an argumentative one. Be wary of paragraph openers that lead off with "time" words ("first," "next," "after," "then") or "listing" words ("also," "another," "in addition"). Although they don't always signal trouble, these paragraph openers often indicate that an essay's thesis and structure need work: they suggest that the essay simply reproduces the chronology of the source text (in the case of time words: first this happens, then that, and afterwards another thing . . . ) or simply lists example after example ("In addition, the use of color indicates another way that the painting differentiates between good and evil").
Copyright 2000, Elizabeth Abrams, for the Writing Center at Harvard University
- How to Read an Assignment
- How to Do a Close Reading
- Developing A Thesis
- Topic Sentences and Signposting
- Transitioning: Beware of Velcro
- How to Write a Comparative Analysis
- Ending the Essay: Conclusions
- Brief Guides to Writing in the Disciplines
Quick Links
- Schedule an Appointment
- Drop-in Hours
- English Grammar and Language Tutor
- Harvard Guide to Using Sources
- Writing Advice: The Harvard Writing Tutor Blog
- Departmental Writing Fellows
- Videos from the 2022 Three Minute Thesis Competition
Follow @HCWritingCenter
Have a language expert improve your writing
Run a free plagiarism check in 10 minutes, generate accurate citations for free.
- Knowledge Base
- How to write a rhetorical analysis | Key concepts & examples
How to Write a Rhetorical Analysis | Key Concepts & Examples
Published on August 28, 2020 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on December 5, 2022.
A rhetorical analysis is a type of essay that looks at a text in terms of rhetoric. This means it is less concerned with what the author is saying than with how they say it: their goals, techniques, and appeals to the audience.
Table of contents
Key concepts in rhetoric, analyzing the text, introducing your rhetorical analysis, the body: doing the analysis, concluding a rhetorical analysis, frequently asked questions about rhetorical analysis.
Rhetoric, the art of effective speaking and writing, is a subject that trains you to look at texts, arguments and speeches in terms of how they are designed to persuade the audience. This section introduces a few of the key concepts of this field.
Appeals: Logos, ethos, pathos
Appeals are how the author convinces their audience. Three central appeals are discussed in rhetoric, established by the philosopher Aristotle and sometimes called the rhetorical triangle: logos, ethos, and pathos.
Logos , or the logical appeal, refers to the use of reasoned argument to persuade. This is the dominant approach in academic writing , where arguments are built up using reasoning and evidence.
Ethos , or the ethical appeal, involves the author presenting themselves as an authority on their subject. For example, someone making a moral argument might highlight their own morally admirable behavior; someone speaking about a technical subject might present themselves as an expert by mentioning their qualifications.
Pathos , or the pathetic appeal, evokes the audience’s emotions. This might involve speaking in a passionate way, employing vivid imagery, or trying to provoke anger, sympathy, or any other emotional response in the audience.
These three appeals are all treated as integral parts of rhetoric, and a given author may combine all three of them to convince their audience.
Text and context
In rhetoric, a text is not necessarily a piece of writing (though it may be this). A text is whatever piece of communication you are analyzing. This could be, for example, a speech, an advertisement, or a satirical image.
In these cases, your analysis would focus on more than just language—you might look at visual or sonic elements of the text too.
The context is everything surrounding the text: Who is the author (or speaker, designer, etc.)? Who is their (intended or actual) audience? When and where was the text produced, and for what purpose?
Looking at the context can help to inform your rhetorical analysis. For example, Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech has universal power, but the context of the civil rights movement is an important part of understanding why.
Claims, supports, and warrants
A piece of rhetoric is always making some sort of argument, whether it’s a very clearly defined and logical one (e.g. in a philosophy essay) or one that the reader has to infer (e.g. in a satirical article). These arguments are built up with claims, supports, and warrants.
A claim is the fact or idea the author wants to convince the reader of. An argument might center on a single claim, or be built up out of many. Claims are usually explicitly stated, but they may also just be implied in some kinds of text.
The author uses supports to back up each claim they make. These might range from hard evidence to emotional appeals—anything that is used to convince the reader to accept a claim.
The warrant is the logic or assumption that connects a support with a claim. Outside of quite formal argumentation, the warrant is often unstated—the author assumes their audience will understand the connection without it. But that doesn’t mean you can’t still explore the implicit warrant in these cases.
For example, look at the following statement:
We can see a claim and a support here, but the warrant is implicit. Here, the warrant is the assumption that more likeable candidates would have inspired greater turnout. We might be more or less convinced by the argument depending on whether we think this is a fair assumption.
Rhetorical analysis isn’t a matter of choosing concepts in advance and applying them to a text. Instead, it starts with looking at the text in detail and asking the appropriate questions about how it works:
- What is the author’s purpose?
- Do they focus closely on their key claims, or do they discuss various topics?
- What tone do they take—angry or sympathetic? Personal or authoritative? Formal or informal?
- Who seems to be the intended audience? Is this audience likely to be successfully reached and convinced?
- What kinds of evidence are presented?
By asking these questions, you’ll discover the various rhetorical devices the text uses. Don’t feel that you have to cram in every rhetorical term you know—focus on those that are most important to the text.
The following sections show how to write the different parts of a rhetorical analysis.
What can proofreading do for your paper?
Scribbr editors not only correct grammar and spelling mistakes, but also strengthen your writing by making sure your paper is free of vague language, redundant words, and awkward phrasing.
See editing example
Like all essays, a rhetorical analysis begins with an introduction . The introduction tells readers what text you’ll be discussing, provides relevant background information, and presents your thesis statement .
Hover over different parts of the example below to see how an introduction works.
Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech is widely regarded as one of the most important pieces of oratory in American history. Delivered in 1963 to thousands of civil rights activists outside the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., the speech has come to symbolize the spirit of the civil rights movement and even to function as a major part of the American national myth. This rhetorical analysis argues that King’s assumption of the prophetic voice, amplified by the historic size of his audience, creates a powerful sense of ethos that has retained its inspirational power over the years.
The body of your rhetorical analysis is where you’ll tackle the text directly. It’s often divided into three paragraphs, although it may be more in a longer essay.
Each paragraph should focus on a different element of the text, and they should all contribute to your overall argument for your thesis statement.
Hover over the example to explore how a typical body paragraph is constructed.
King’s speech is infused with prophetic language throughout. Even before the famous “dream” part of the speech, King’s language consistently strikes a prophetic tone. He refers to the Lincoln Memorial as a “hallowed spot” and speaks of rising “from the dark and desolate valley of segregation” to “make justice a reality for all of God’s children.” The assumption of this prophetic voice constitutes the text’s strongest ethical appeal; after linking himself with political figures like Lincoln and the Founding Fathers, King’s ethos adopts a distinctly religious tone, recalling Biblical prophets and preachers of change from across history. This adds significant force to his words; standing before an audience of hundreds of thousands, he states not just what the future should be, but what it will be: “The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.” This warning is almost apocalyptic in tone, though it concludes with the positive image of the “bright day of justice.” The power of King’s rhetoric thus stems not only from the pathos of his vision of a brighter future, but from the ethos of the prophetic voice he adopts in expressing this vision.
The conclusion of a rhetorical analysis wraps up the essay by restating the main argument and showing how it has been developed by your analysis. It may also try to link the text, and your analysis of it, with broader concerns.
Explore the example below to get a sense of the conclusion.
It is clear from this analysis that the effectiveness of King’s rhetoric stems less from the pathetic appeal of his utopian “dream” than it does from the ethos he carefully constructs to give force to his statements. By framing contemporary upheavals as part of a prophecy whose fulfillment will result in the better future he imagines, King ensures not only the effectiveness of his words in the moment but their continuing resonance today. Even if we have not yet achieved King’s dream, we cannot deny the role his words played in setting us on the path toward it.
The goal of a rhetorical analysis is to explain the effect a piece of writing or oratory has on its audience, how successful it is, and the devices and appeals it uses to achieve its goals.
Unlike a standard argumentative essay , it’s less about taking a position on the arguments presented, and more about exploring how they are constructed.
The term “text” in a rhetorical analysis essay refers to whatever object you’re analyzing. It’s frequently a piece of writing or a speech, but it doesn’t have to be. For example, you could also treat an advertisement or political cartoon as a text.
Logos appeals to the audience’s reason, building up logical arguments . Ethos appeals to the speaker’s status or authority, making the audience more likely to trust them. Pathos appeals to the emotions, trying to make the audience feel angry or sympathetic, for example.
Collectively, these three appeals are sometimes called the rhetorical triangle . They are central to rhetorical analysis , though a piece of rhetoric might not necessarily use all of them.
In rhetorical analysis , a claim is something the author wants the audience to believe. A support is the evidence or appeal they use to convince the reader to believe the claim. A warrant is the (often implicit) assumption that links the support with the claim.
Cite this Scribbr article
If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.
Caulfield, J. (2022, December 05). How to Write a Rhetorical Analysis | Key Concepts & Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved March 1, 2023, from https://www.scribbr.com/academic-essay/rhetorical-analysis/
Is this article helpful?
Jack Caulfield
Other students also liked, how to write an argumentative essay | examples & tips, how to write a literary analysis essay | a step-by-step guide, comparing and contrasting in an essay | tips & examples, what is your plagiarism score.
Argumentative Essay Writing
Argumentative Essay - A Complete Writing Guide
Published on: Jun 17, 2020
Last updated on: Jan 3, 2023
On This Page On This Page
Writing an argumentative essay is in every student’s academic life. No matter which level you are on, writing essays will be part of your life.
So to learn to write good essays is essential if you want to be successful. Students who want to ace their language class often forget that their grades’ massive chunk depends on essay writing.
Also, in their practical life, people should equally know how to draft essays as they are to write them only in a different name as reports.
It is natural that if more than one person is at a place, they are bound to disagree on a specific thing. And disagreement causes an argument. Arguments are part of a person’s day-to-day life.
Writing about these arguments can be tricky, but one should know the art of doing so. This blog focuses on what an argumentative essay is and how it is written.
Your first order with us is FREE!
What is an Argumentative Essay?
An argumentative essay is a piece of writing in which your argument is the most important thing.
An argumentative essay has various other approaches, but they all share the basic idea and purpose. In this essay, a writer is asked to investigate and analyze a topic or a subject. Moreover, the writer chooses which side of the issue he stands on and asks for reasons and evidence for his stance.
Unlike other essay types, this essay is based on the logic and facts that a writer uses to prove his claim.
Although an argumentative essay is based on an argument, this is nothing like a verbal argument between two informal people in a really heated situation. Therefore, the presentation of the argument in this essay is a different thing.
The argument stated in an essay has to be particular, arguable, detailed, and must be carrying a broadness of evidence and supporting information.
The primary goal of this essay is based on a point-counterpoint idea.Thus, the writer presents his argument and the counter-argument and leaves it on the audience to decide which side to support.
Types of Arguments
Generally speaking, there are three types of arguments. These arguments are used in the formation of your argumentative essay. All these types of arguments can be separately used or used in combination in your essay, depending on the topic and how you present it.
A Rogerian model is a negotiating strategy in which you identify common ideas or goals. Also, opposing arguments and views are presented objectively to reach an agreement.
According to this strategy, a writer tries to persuade their audience to a specific point of view. This argument is made on ethos, pathos, and logos.
This argument strategy breaks down an argument in several parts using logic and facts. This argument style has 6 elements; backing, warrant, claim, quantifier, grounds, and rebuttal.
No matter which argument type you choose, make sure to persuade the audience with powerful reasoning.
How to Start an Argumentative Essay?
A writer can not just jump on to the writing process of an argumentative essay. Before beginning the actual writing process, there is a whole pre-writing procedure that should be considered.
The pre-writing procedure involves drafting a plan according to which the writer will craft his essay. The following are the steps that you should take to plan out your argumentative essay:
- Discover your topic
- Decide on the claim
- Pick your stance
- Conduct research
- Develop an argumentative essay outline
These steps will make the writing procedure easier for you. Each step is discussed in detail in the following section.
To begin your essay, you must have a topic or a subject to write your paper on. A good argumentative essay is based on a strong persuasive topic presented to the reader by a writer.
Choose a topic of interest or the issue that prevails widely in your society to talk and persuade people about it.
There is a criterion while selecting a topic. If your topic answers the following question vividly, then it is “The Topic”.
- Why did that particular event happen?
- Significance
- Writer's reaction
- Select a topic that you can think can be proved with logic and facts.
After you have your topic in hand, develop your claim. Generally, there are five types of claims that are used in the argumentative essay. If not all, try to use some of these claims to give your essay strength.
- Value - Is your topic valuable? Is it meaningful and worthy enough to talk about?
- Authenticity - Is your claim a fact or not?
- Cause and Effect - How it happened and what was the cause of the occurrence of the issue? Its effects?
- Definition - What the particular issue is? Its interpretation, definition, and classification?
- Policy - What are the course of action that should take? How to tackle the specific issue?
Try to use some of these claims to give your essay strength.
Every coin has two sides. When you select your topic of the issue, you know there is another side of it as well. To write an argumentative essay, a writer needs to weigh both sides of the argument and analyze which side is stronger and can be justified by logic and facts.
Unlike a persuasive essay, an argumentative essay presents the argument of an opposing side, letting the audience decide which side to choose.
When you choose a topic for your essay, make sure that the information can be easily gathered. You want maximum logic and facts to prove your point.
Opinions will not make a difference in this essay type, so it is important to present authentic and reliable information for the readers.
You can only convince the reader with your point of view that is logically sound and by providing supporting material to your thesis statement. So, first, do research and write the essay.
An argumentative essay follows the basic 5 paragraph outline. After brainstorming and gathering your data, it is time to shape your essay so that each piece of information collected is presented in the essay in a structured way.
An outline of an argumentative essay includes:
- Introduction
- Body Paragraph 1
- Body Paragraph 2
- Body Paragraph 3
A complete argumentative essay outline guide will help you further. After arranging all the gathered information in these sections, grab a pen to start writing your essay.
How to Write an Argumentative Essay?
Once you have a proper plan for your essay, it is time to start drafting it. Keep in mind the outline developed and start writing your argumentative essay in the following order:
As the name suggests, the introductory paragraph introduces the topic or the issue that a writer selected for his audience.
In these paragraphs, a hook is written to grab the reader’s attention and motivate them to read your essay. A hook is the opening line of an essay and plays a significant role in your essay.
Another ingredient that is used to make an introduction is the background information about your topic. Here, provide information about the previous works concerning your topic, their findings, etc. Mention the strengths and weaknesses of the chosen topic.
The last and most important part is the thesis statement of your essay. It is the main argument on which your entire essay is based, and also all the information in the content aims to prove this statement by providing evidence and facts.
The body of an argumentative essay contains shreds of evidence and material that support the claim and the major thesis statement.
Each paragraph starts with a topic sentence. Then, all the information in that paragraph talks about a particular idea about the subject.
In the body paragraphs of an argumentative essay, the writer presents his arguments, supporting information that proves the argument is valid and the counter-argument.
All of this information is provided by maintaining the transition. It helps protect the essay’s flow. Together, all the paragraphs aim and lead up to the conclusion.
In the conclusion of an argumentative essay, the writer describes the key ideas, restating the thesis statement. Also, in the concluding paragraphs, the writer put forward the courses of action and gives the final verdict.
Argumentative Essay Examples
Below are some examples of argumentative essays presented for you by the experts.
Argumentative Essay Outline (PDF)
Argumentative Essay Example (PDF)
Argumentative Essay Format(PDF)
Follow these examples to get an idea of how a professional argumentative essay is written.
Argumentative Essay Topics
Topics for an argumentative essay can easily take from your day-to-day life. But for your ease, our experts have gathered some good essay topics so that you can write the best essays.
Following is a list of some good topics:
- Are college degrees worth their price?
- Does everyone need to go to college to be successful?
- Why is Shakespeare the greatest poet of all time?
- College students must be providing practical life knowledge as well.
- Are SATs effective for everyone?
- What is the importance of learning multiple languages?
- Do violent video games affect child behavior?
- How does social media lead to isolation?
- How important is the censorship of online content?
- Is fast food really the cause of obesity and other diseases in the United States?
- Is it justified to test animals for beauty products in any way?
- Is mercy killing justified?
- Women can multitask better.
- Electronic voting - What are its pros and cons?
- Should there be an option for Youtubers to edit foul and derogatory comments?
Argumentative essays are types of academic writing that are commonly assigned to college students.
Writing an argumentative paper for high school can be overwhelming, but you can score best in it once you get to know the basics. The argumentative essay requires a good sense of supporting your stance and writing skills.
If you still find it hard to draft your essay, you can take our expert's help at CollegeEssay.org to get your essay written professionally. We deal with all kinds of academic essays and papers and provide our clients with high-quality writing services.
Our expert argumentative essay writers can help you with all your argumentative essays and papers in no time.
We deal with all kinds of academic essays and papers and provide the clients with high-quality writing services.
Be it a straightforward college essay or a complicated research paper, you can get custom services at the most reasonable prices.
Place your order today at affordable and exciting prices to hire a professional.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the 3 parts of an argumentative essay.
The three parts of an argumentative essay are:
- Introduction
- Main body paragraphs
- Conclusion
What is the main goal of an argumentative essay?
The main goal of an argumentative essay is to express your position on a particular topic by providing reasons and evidence.
Cathy A. (Literature, Marketing)
For more than five years now, Cathy has been one of our most hardworking authors on the platform. With a Masters degree in mass communication, she knows the ins and outs of professional writing. Clients often leave her glowing reviews for being an amazing writer who takes her work very seriously.
People also read
Learn How to Write an Argumentative Essay Outline
Best Argumentative Essay Examples for Your Help
Basic Types of Argument and How to Use Them?
Interesting Argumentative Essay Topics - 2022 Ideas
Share this article
Keep reading
You are using an outdated browser. Please upgrade your browser to improve your experience.
How to Write an Argumentative Essay: The Only Guide You Need
An argumentative essay is the most popular type of academic writing in school and college. But the more you write, the more questions remain on how to write an argumentative essay because of tons of details to consider.
Our professional writers craft dozens of argumentative essays daily. So we asked them to answer all your FAQs and share expert tips to help you polish argumentative essay writing skills once and for all.
And here it goes:
Your ultimate guide on writing argumentative essays, with topics to choose, claims to consider, structure to cover, and examples to check for getting a better idea of how to write an argumentative essay.
Table of Contents:
- Types of claims in an essay
- Types of arguments in an essay
- Argumentative essay topics
- Argumentative essay format
- Argumentative essay outline
- How to start an argumentative essay
- Writing an argumentative essay
- How to write a conclusion for an argumentative essay
- Argumentative essay examples
- Frequently asked questions
What Is an Argumentative Essay?
The goal is to convince a reader that your position is correct. For that, you:
- State a clear, persuasive thesis in your essay introduction.
- Explain this thesis in the essay’s body, using evidence and addressing counterarguments when appropriate.
- Conclude by tieing all the main points together, showing why your argument matters, and leaving readers with a strong impression and food for thought.
Writing an argumentative essay is a typical assignment in schools and colleges. The goal is to teach you critical thinking, information research and evaluation, and meaningful thought expression. Every essay type in college is more or less argumentative.
Types of Claims in an Essay
Once you know what you want to argue, it will be easier to understand what argument types to choose and how to represent them. So, before you start writing an argumentative essay, you need to decide on a claim you’ll use as a thesis statement.
What is a claim in an essay?
A claim is your opinion stated as if it’s a fact. But for it to become a fact, you need to back up this claim with logic and evidence.
There’s a difference between a claim and a fact-based statement that’s obvious and not requiring any arguments to prove it. When choosing a claim for your argumentative essay, make sure it’s not a mere statement.
How to write a claim in essays?
Think of it as a thesis statement where you present the main idea of your essay in the form of an argument. You can format it like a fact, a definition, value, cause-effect, or a policy.
- Fact: State something that’s true or false.
- Definition: Write a dictionary definition of what you want to argue and present your interpretation of it.
- Value: Specify the importance of your claim.
- Cause and effect: Explain what causes your claim and what impact it brings.
- Policy: State why readers should care and what they need to do about your claim after reading the essay.
Whatever claim type you choose, your goal will be to argue for it in your argumentative essay effectively.
Types of Arguments in an Essay
Argumentation matters in this essay type most: You should be unbiased and rely on evidence and logic, not emotions, assumptions, or exaggeration.
Once you’ve decided on a claim and stated a thesis for your argumentative essay, think of the arguments type you’ll use to prove it. Choosing them beforehand will help outline your essay accordingly.
Two main types of argumentation exist to represent in your essay: Toulmin and Rogerian. Both consist of four steps, and the first one is a common approach in academic writing. That’s what they look like:
- Toulmin arguments: Make a claim -> Provide the evidence -> Explain how it supports your claim -> Provide a rebuttal (opposing opinion) to show you’ve considered alternatives
- Rogerian arguments: Discuss the opposing opinion and what it gets right -> Highlight the problem with this position -> Present your claim -> Suggest a compromise (what elements of your position could be beneficial for opponents)
Some experts specify one more type of argumentation in an essay:
- Classical (Aristotelian) arguments: Present an existed idea -> Make your claim on it -> Provide the evidence to convince that your opinion is the right one.
This one is the most popular approach to making arguments in essays because it’s simple yet effective. Here you don’t bombard the reader with tons of information but outline facts clearly and concisely.
You are welcome to choose any of these three types of arguments for your essay. But whatever approach you take, your paper should have a clear structure: outlining and formatting it, you’ll need to write an introduction, a body, and understand how to conclude an essay .
More on that below.
Getting Prepared for Writing an Argumentative Essay
OK, we believe that now you’re ready to write your argumentative essay. But before you start writing an introduction, let’s find out a few more critical elements to consider for your paper to become A-worthy:
- How to choose good topics for your argumentative essay
- What format to consider when writing argumentative essays
- How to craft a stellar outline for your argumentative essay
Here we go!
Argumentative Essay Topics
Suppose a teacher hasn’t assigned any particular topic for your argumentative essay. In that case, it means they want to check your critical thinking skills and give you a chance to choose writing about something that interests you.
Plus, the way you discuss arguments and prove your point of view allows a teacher to see your research, writing and analyzing skills.
Choosing good argumentative essay topics is often challenging for students because they aren’t sure if what they decide is… well, argumentative enough to discuss in essays.
Good argumentative essay topics are those debatable (with at least two conflicting points of view), compelling , and with solid evidence . Also, it would help if your chosen topic was something of your interest:
Writing about something you know and what bothers you, it will be easier for you to shape arguments, decide on points, and find evidence for it.
Here go some tips that will help you choose topics for argumentative essays:
- Write about something on what you have and can express your opinion.
- Make sure you have enough arguments and evidence to support this topic in your writing.
- Avoid issues that are too difficult to debate or those too emotionally charged. It can be challenging to discuss them with a clear mind.
- Don’t be afraid to take controversial topics that your peers would avoid.
- Think of the audience who could read your essay : Would it be interesting for them to discuss your topic; what might they think of it? (It will help you decide on arguments to use to persuade them to agree with your position.)
Argumentative Essay Format
Keep in mind that the number of arguments and counterarguments you use in essays isn’t hard-set. Feel free to change it if necessary:
- two arguments vs. one counterargument;
- three arguments vs. two counterarguments;
- one argument vs. one counterargument
— all are OK to consider unless your assignment states otherwise.
But given the structure of a standard 5-paragraph essay , let’s leave our argumentative essay format at that:
- Introduction + thesis
- 1-st paragraph (here you’ll use an argument to support the thesis)
- 2-nd paragraph (here goes another argument to support the thesis)
- 3-rd paragraph (counterargument)
Based on this format, you can craft an outline for your argumentative essay.
Argumentative Essay Outline
Now that you’ve decided on your argumentative essay’s topic and format, it’s high time to write an outline.
It’s a kind of plan for your essay:
With a detailed essay outline at hand, you won’t miss anything from its structure. Also, it will be easier to write an essay: You can start with any paragraph, “building” your paper step by step.
Here’s an argumentative essay outline template you can use:
How to Write an Argumentative Essay: Step by Step
Finally, it’s time to start writing an argumentative essay. Below is your detailed guide on how to write an argumentative essay step by step:
How to Start an Argumentative Essay
Like any other type of academic paper, an argumentative essay begins with an introduction.
The essay introduction serves to hook a reader, provide background information on your issue, and present your thesis statement . In more extended essays, you can also use the introduction to summarize the structure of your paper.
Here’s an example of how a typical argumentative essay introduction looks like (taken from Scribbr):
And here go your practical tips on how to start an argumentative essay:
First, consider the main issue and why people should care. You can use the BAM technique for that:
- B — background: how you’ll engage your reader. You can use a fact, quotation, or rhetorical question here, and it will serve as an essay hook .
- A — argument, aka a brief explanation of your opinion. It’s a thesis statement of your argumentative essay.
- M — main points: here, you explain what you’ll do in your essay. These main points will be the basis of your three topic sentences in your essay body paragraphs.
Here’s the example:
Second, generate your thesis statement . You have three methods for doing that:
- Turn it into a question — and answer it.
- State an argument that contrasts with your belief — and refute it.
- Introduce your point — and briefly outline it.
Writing an Argumentative Essay
After the introduction, an essay body comes. That’s where you’ll develop your arguments, with each paragraph covering its own point and evidence to it.
NB! Each paragraph of your argumentative essay must contribute to your thesis, so please don’t include any irrelevant information. Remember that your goal is to convince (persuade) the reader to agree with your claim.
In the standard 5-paragraph essay, your paper body will take three paragraphs: two — for arguments to support your claim, and one — for a counterargument. If you are going to write a more extended essay, the number of paragraphs can vary.
Points to remember when writing an argumentative essay:
- One paragraph = one argument (idea)
- Each paragraph shows the progression from a general statement (your topic sentence) to a more specific topic.
- Forget about your creativity for a moment. Make sure you follow the structure of argumentative essay paragraphs precisely.
- Use linkers to connect sentences for better coherence: “This shows,” “however,” “for example,” “it’s because,” “more than that,” and others.
- Don’t start sentences with words like “and,” “because,” “so,” and “but.” Use them as linkers within a sentence.
- Try to keep each paragraph 4-5 sentences long. The PEEL structure can help with that:
Point: your topic sentence summarizing the main idea of the paragraph.
Elaboration: the additional information you give to support the topic sentence; here, you explain why it’s relevant to your essay question.
Example: your evidence to support the topic sentence. (Use a fact, a personal experience, or a description.)
Link: your link back to the topic sentence; it shows how your point answers the question. (You can use transition words or phrases here.)
How to Write a Conclusion for an Argumentative Essay
While some essay writing guides say it’s OK to copy out the question or thesis statement in your conclusion, it’s a wrong strategy. That’s how to write a conclusion for an argumentative essay to get an A:
- Start it with a linking phrase (“In conclusion,” “To sum up,” etc.)
- Admit that the counterargument is partly true.
- Restate your opinion and say why it’s essential.
- Recommend a future action to the reader or ask a hypothetical question. Some good ideas for the final sentence of your argumentative essay are a call to action or a rhetorical question.
Please don’t conclude your essay with only one line, and don’t copy out your introduction. Rephrase your thesis statement by using synonyms or changing word order. Your conclusion needs to be as long as your essay paragraphs were.
The example of rephrasing a thesis statement for your conclusion:
And here goes the argumentative essay conclusion example (please check the above introduction from Scribbr as a reference):
OK, and one more thing:
Types of references to choose for evidence in your argumentative essays:
- Use accurate facts.
- Don’t ignore statistics and examples that illustrate your points.
- Try definitions, explanations (how and why), and examples.
- Consider narratives : stories that illustrate your issues can help create a picture in readers’ minds.
- It’s worth using expert testimonials and interviews.
- Support your points with personal experiences if you have any.
- Surveys can also come in handy.
- Sources like books, magazines, newspapers, journal articles, government documents, and any library resources are OK to use when writing an argumentative essay, too.
- And remember about internet documents that don’t fall into any of the above types of references.
Argumentative Essay Examples
We know that students look for argumentative essay examples online to understand this assignment better and visually learn how to write an argumentative essay.
Indeed, it’s better to see once than read or hear twice.
The below argumentative essay examples will help you understand the nature of this paper type better:
- Argumentative Paper Sample , by Writing Center
- Essay on school-family partnerships , by Bid4Papers
- Exploring the Argumentative Essay Structure with an Example , by The University of Queensland
Frequently Asked Questions
And the last but not least, here go the answers to the most frequent questions students ask when communicating with our writers about argumentative essay. We hope they’ll help you understand this essay type better and improve your writing skills for getting even higher grades on it!
What is the goal of an argumentative essay?
The goal of an argumentative essay is to persuade the reader that your claim (thesis statement) is accurate. For that, you need to use facts, data, statistics, examples, testimonials, and any other kinds of references.
What is a claim in an argumentative essay?
A claim in an essay is your thesis statement , where you represent the opinion you ‘re going to argue . Using an essay maker can help you to come up with a strong argument and evidence for readers to believe you . It needs to be something that requires argument ation and evidence for readers to believe you .
How to write a thesis for an argumentative essay?
- Choose a topic.
- Turn it into a question and pick a side you’re going to defend in your essay.
- Summarize it in 1-2 sentences, stating an argument and explaining why you agree/disagree, and represent it in the introductory paragraph of your argumentative essay.
Can I use “you” in an argumentative essay?
Yes, you can. Actually, it’s a preferable format to use in argumentative essays because they belong to formal academic writing. Sometimes it’s OK to use first-person pronouns (I, we, us) in essays, too, but make sure it’s appropriate and doesn’t sound self-centered or selfish. Otherwise, it will look like you’re unaware or don’t care about alternative opinions on the topic.
What are the features of an argumentative essay?
The main features of an argumentative essay are: (1) A researchable and debatable topic and claim, (2) Strong evidence to support the claim, (3) A definite structure to present arguments and counterarguments, (4) Persuasive writing style and tone of voice, and (5) A compelling conclusion.
What is the difference between a persuasive essay and an argumentative essay?
The core difference is that persuasive essays try to convince readers by using personal opinions and emotions. In contrast, argumentative essays need to use logic, facts, statistics, and other existing evidence for it. Plus, argumentative essays acknowledge opposing views and appeal to readers’ minds. At the same time, persuasive essays appeal to emotions and may not admit any counterarguments.
Can I get help with writing an argumentative essay?
Sure, you can. It’s OK to have difficulty with choosing topics or claims for your argumentative essay, as well as arguments to represent for their evidence. Teachers understand that and are open to communication, so don’t hesitate to email them with questions. Your peers with good writing skills can also assist you with how to write an argumentative essay. Or, you can ask Bid4Papers writers anytime when you feel pressed for assignments and are afraid of failing the structure or missing deadlines.
Our Writing Guides
3 thoughts on “ how to write an argumentative essay: the only guide you need ”.
Regards! Great information!
You actually said this very well. What about writing a good compare and contrast essay?
Thanks, Bryane!
Actually, I was going to write a new blog post on this topic soon. 🙂 So, stay tuned!
Leave a Reply Cancel reply
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *
Notify me of follow-up comments by email.
Notify me of new posts by email.
IMAGES
VIDEO
COMMENTS
The body of an argumentative essay is where you develop your arguments in detail. Here you'll present evidence, analysis, and reasoning to convince the reader that your thesis statement is true. In the standard five-paragraph format for short essays, the body takes up three of your five paragraphs.
The argumentative essay is a genre of writing that requires the student to investigate a topic; collect, generate, and evaluate evidence; and establish a position on the topic in a concise manner. Please note: Some confusion may occur between the argumentative essay and the expository essay.
The body is always divided into paragraphs. You can work through the body in three main stages: Create an outline of what you want to say and in what order. Write a first draft to get your main ideas down on paper. Write a second draft to clarify your arguments and make sure everything fits together. This article gives you some practical tips ...
A good argumentative essay should follow this structure: 1. Introductory paragraph. The first paragraph of your essay should outline the topic, provide background information necessary to understand your argument, outline the evidence you will present and states your thesis. 2. The thesis statement. This is part of your first paragraph.
The essay is divided into an introduction, body, and conclusion: The introduction provides your topic and thesis statement; The body presents your evidence and arguments; The conclusion summarizes your argument and emphasizes its importance; The example below is a paragraph from the body of an argumentative essay about the effects of the ...
Argument Papers Body Paragraphs Body Paragraphs Body paragraphs: Moving from general to specific information Your paper should be organized in a manner that moves from general to specific information.
An argumentative essay is an essay that uses evidence and facts to support the claim it's making. Its purpose is to persuade the reader to agree with the argument being made. A good argumentative essay will use facts and evidence to support the argument, rather than just the author's thoughts and opinions.
The following are the seven steps to help you build up the body paragraphs of your argumentative essay. 1. Start with a Topic Sentence While we can argue that a topic sentence can appear anywhere in the body paragraph of your essay, it's best to include at the very beginning.
To start an argumentative essay example, you need to write a brief and attractive introduction. It is written to convince the reader and make them understand your point of view. Add body paragraphs after the introduction to support your thesis statement.
A body paragraph of an argumentative essay is the central part of it because most of the evidence, reasoning, facts and figures etc. are presented in this paragraph. generally, this body is 3 paragraph long but this is not a hard and fast rule. Order an Essay with Your Own Citation Style. We will Format It For Free: AMA APA AMS Chicago MLA Turbian
An argumentative essay is a piece of writing that uses logical evidence and empirical data to convince readers of a particular position on a topic. Because of its reliance on structure and planning, the first step in writing one is often drafting a solid argumentative essay outline.
Introductions, Body Paragraphs, and Conclusions for an Argument Paper The following sections outline the generally accepted structure for an academic argument paper. Keep in mind that these are guidelines and that your structure needs to be flexible enough to meet the requirements of your purpose and audience.
An argumentative essay is a paper that gets the reader to recognize the author's side of the argument as valid. The purpose of this specific essay is to pose a question and answer it with compelling evidence. At its core, this essay type works to champion a specific viewpoint.
Body paragraphs. Argumentative Essays. The argumentative essay is a genre of writing that requires the student to investigate a topic; collect, generate, and evaluate evidence; and establish a position on the topic in a concise manner.Please note: Some confusion may occur between the argumentative essay and the expository essay. ...
A good argumentative essay is one that diligently presents facts that supports a viewpoint over another. Similar to a persuasive essay, it brings to bear arguments and opposing arguments. It evaluates the strengths and weaknesses of an argument and then proves it right or wrong.
Argumentative Essay Body Paragraphs -H3. After the introductory paragraphs are written, the next part is the body of the argumentative essay. This part of the essay is essential to be structured well as it contains all the claims and pieces of evidence. Your first order with us is FREE!
Essay Structure. Writing an academic essay means fashioning a coherent set of ideas into an argument. Because essays are essentially linear—they offer one idea at a time—they must present their ideas in the order that makes most sense to a reader. Successfully structuring an essay means attending to a reader's logic.
The body: Doing the analysis. The body of your rhetorical analysis is where you'll tackle the text directly. It's often divided into three paragraphs, although it may be more in a longer essay. Each paragraph should focus on a different element of the text, and they should all contribute to your overall argument for your thesis statement.
In the body paragraphs of an argumentative essay, the writer presents his arguments, supporting information that proves the argument is valid and the counter-argument. All of this information is provided by maintaining the transition. It helps protect the essay's flow. Together, all the paragraphs aim and lead up to the conclusion.
But given the structure of a standard 5-paragraph essay, let's leave our argumentative essay format at that: Introduction + thesis. 1-st paragraph (here you'll use an argument to support the thesis) 2-nd paragraph (here goes another argument to support the thesis) 3-rd paragraph (counterargument) Conclusion.