How to Write an Argumentative Essay

Are you wondering about “how to write an argumentative essay”? Well for writing a compelling argumentative essay, you need multiple opinions to hear your voice. Even the most vital position is unconvincing unless appropriately constructed and reinforced with solid reasoning and evidence. Find out what elements to include in each controversial essay and how to configure it according to your audience with this simple step-by-step guide. You can also stream free online courses and related resources on our all-in-one learning platform.

How to Write an Argumentative Essay

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Learn the techniques of writing an argumentative essay, also known as a persuasive essay with Ariella as she takes you through the steps in this course.

A controversial essay is a written task whose goal is to convince the audience that his opinion is correct by providing a compelling argument backed by substantial evidence.

The argumentative essay format is not much different from the other types of essays you have encountered in your studies. However, some students believe that writing an argumentative essay is as easy as merely expressing your opinion. Personal opinion is an essential part of the essay, but it is discussion and evidence to complete the work.

What Makes an Argumentative Essay Unique?

Argumentative essays are different from other essays because argumentative essay determines what the topic is. Some types of essays, such as summaries, do not want to show their position on the subject, but rather remain fair and neutral.

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Check out this course to learn more about argumentative essays and how they compare with narrative, expository and descriptive essays.

In these essays, you present your perspective as a writer and sometimes choose the topic you discuss. You want to make sure the perspective is informed, well-reasoned, and compelling.

Argumentative essays are often longer than other types of essays. Because they take time to develop a compelling argument, if your argument is intended to persuade the reader, you can work on multiple points supporting your argument, acknowledge the objections, and convince your readers that your points are valid. Always must provide sufficient evidence and explanation.

Four Ingredients an Argumentative Essay Must Contain

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Explore this trending course to learn the basics of the writing process, including how to structure an essay.

Controversial essays should have a simple structure that is easy for the reader to understand. The controversial essay aims to provide a clear overview of perspectives, reasoning, and evidence. A good essay should follow this structure:

Introductory paragraph

The first paragraph of the essay should outline the topic, provide the background information needed to understand the topic, outline the evidence presented, and state the treatise.

Thesis statement

The thesis is the central part of the first paragraph. It’s a brief one-sentence summary of your idea and argument that also presents your position on the topic. It’s worth taking the time to write a powerful thesis statement so that the reader can know the content of the essay and decide if they want to read it.

Body paragraph

An argumentative essay contains three or more paragraphs explaining why you are writing an article. Each section of the text should cover some of the different ideas or evidence and include topical text that clearly and concisely explains why the reader needs to agree with your position.

The body paragraph is where you support your arguments with statistics, examples, studies, and text citations. Face the opposite views and explain whether you disprove them or why you disagree with them. By presenting facts and reviewing topics from all angles, you can increase credibility and earn your readers’ trust.

Conclusion

A paragraph that repeats your article and summarizes all the discussions made in your body paragraph. Rather than introducing new facts or more arguments, sound conclusions will elicit the emotions of the reader. In some cases, writers use personal anecdotes that explain how a topic personally affects them.

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Now that you have mastered the basics, check out some literary elements and devices in this course to take your argumentative essay to the next level!

About the Author

Eshka-Ne Kumar

Eshka-Ne Kumar

Eshka is a Growth Strategist at Gooroo, a tutoring membership and online learning platform that matches students to tutors perfect for them based on their unique learning needs. Gooroo offers Math, English, SAT, Coding, Spanish tutoring, and more.