Writing the
Argumentative/Persuasive
Essay
CHOOSING A TOPIC
To begin an argumentative/persuasive
essay, you must first have an opinion you
want others to share.
Possible Topic Ideas
Should boxing be banned?
Should legal immigration be stopped?
Should the driving age be raised
to 18?
Should dying people be kept on life
support?
Should semi-automatic weapons
be banned?
Should tobacco products be banned?
Should teens who murder be
executed?
Should hunting be outlawed?
Should recycling be mandatory?
Should the Internet be censored?
Should school prayer be allowed?
Should music lyrics be censored?
Should schools require student
uniforms?
Should parents of teen vandals be held
responsible for their child's damage?
Should college athletes be paid?
Should research on cloning be
discontinued?
Should the death penalty be
abolished?
Should a rookie salary cap be enforced
in pro sports?
RESEARCH
To be valid, an opinion or point of view must be
supported by facts and information.
Once you know what you will
write about, you will need to do
research on the topic.
Research through interviewing people, or
reading newspaper, book, journal or Internet
articles.
THESIS STATEMENT
The thesis statement
 states your position on the topic
 sets up the structure for the paper.
SUPPORT THE THESIS
Support your thesis with three reasons.
 Write down each of the three main reasons
that support your belief on a separate piece of
paper.
 These are your arguments.
COUNTERARGUMENTS
 Every controversial issue has two
sides.
 Once you can support your
position with research, you need
to explore what others think.
PREPARING YOUR
ARGUMENTS
 Look at the three main reasons for
your opinion.
 What objections would others have to
each of your reasons?
 Write these down under each of your
reasons. Now you have three arguments
and three counter-arguments.
ANSWERING COUNTERARGUMENTS
Write your answers down under the
counter-arguments.
Now you have the raw material for each
paragraph of the argumentative essay.
THE AUDIENCE
When introducing the topic, think about the
audience first.
 How much does the audience know about the
topic?
 Is the audience likely to be friendly
or hostile to your position?
 How can you “hook” the audience’s
attention?
INTRODUCTION
PARGRAPH
 The first sentence is a general statement,
designed to attract the reader’s attention.
 Second and perhaps third sentences
narrow the idea down to your specific idea.
 The last sentence in the introduction
must be your thesis.
INTRODUCTION
Think of the introduction as having a funnel
shape:
General statement (hook)
Specific information
Thesis
Example of Intro
Paragraph
More people die on driving on
Greek roads in a single year than all
the U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq since the
fighting began. The road conditions
and the mentality that leads to this
unnecessary and avoidable loss of life
should be changed.
Fact to support position
and a good hook.
The authors position or
Thesis Statement.
BUILDING BODY
PARAGRAPHS
The first topic sentence of the
first paragraph will be the first
reason that supports your
position.
You may even wish to begin the sentence with
the word first to focus the reader’s attention on
its importance.
FIRST BODY
PARAGRAPH
Write a topic sentence and
three details that
support the reason you
believe what you believe.
Repeat the process until you
have three paragraphs with
three different reasons and
three details to support that
reason.
Counter Arguments
- Rebuttals
Research what people opposed to your
point of view believe. Write down three
counter- arguments to your position.
Now, address those arguments in a
paragraph explaining why your position is a
better one.
BUILDING
PARAGRAPHS
 The final sentence in each paragraph
should sum up and make a transition to
the main idea of the next paragraph.
Concluding Paragraph
• Indicate in the conclusion that you have
shown the thesis statement to be true.
• Has a powerful ending often relating to the
introduction.
• Do not include any new information in a
conclusion. If you have not mentioned
something yet in the paper, it is now too
late.
What is not effective
Saying the opposing viewpoint is “stupid.”
Good essays are clear, calm and factual.
Prove it instead.
Saying negative things about groups or
individuals that have different view points.
This does not support your position but
makes you seem petty instead.
How many is that?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Intro Paragraph
Body Paragraph 1
Body Paragraph 2
Body Paragraph 3
Rebuttal Paragraph – other
viewpoints
6. Conclusion Paragraph
Reflecting on Your
Paper
 Are you happy with what you have written?
 Have you made a convincing case for
your position?
 Is it clear that research supports your
position?
 Have you shown that you understand the
objections to your position?
Reflecting on Your
Paper
 Have you shown that you understand the
objections to your position?
 Is it clear that your position still
outweighs the possible objections?