They Say/I Say Counter-argument Templates
A counter-argument is a very necessary part of a persuasive or argumentative essay. You can
weave a counter-argument within each body paragraph, or you may have one body paragraph
dedicated solely to the counter-argument. For those who struggle with coming up with a hook in
your introduction, this may also be a good essay opener to get it out of the way early.
Feel free to use these templates in your essay, as they provide appropriate language for
addressing and refuting your counter-argument.
Directions: Read the template. Determine all the places where this template would be
helpful in your essay.
Template
In recent discussions of (insert prompt topic
or assertion here), a controversial issue has
been whether ________________________.
On the one hand, some argue that
_____________________. On the other hand,
however, others argue that ______________.
This is the better option because
__________________________.
Although some might object that
__________________, this is a short-sighted
idea because _________________________.
Americans have often believed that
__________________________________;
however, __________________________.
When it comes to the topic of __________,
most of us will agree that ___________.
However, this is where the agreement
usually ends.
The difference between ________ and
________ is that _______________; therefore
____________.
Beginning
of intro
Counter
Paragraph
Weave
Throughout