A good argument answers these
questions:
Why am I provoked to make this argument?
Why is this issue important right now?
Why is this issue controversial?
What are others saying on this issue?
Who is on my side? What are their credentials?
Who is on the other side? Why are they wrong?
How are they right?
Adapted from They Say/I Say: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing.
Gerald Graff and Kathy Birkenstein. Norton. 2006.
A good argument is a response
to opposition:
A good argument embeds all or
some of these components:
Acknowledgement of the opposing side
Quotations and paraphrases (references to authority)
Anecdotes (little stories)
A combination of objective (academic) and subjective (emotional) language
Rhetorical questions
Facts and figures
Summaries
Cause and effect statements
Variety of perspectives (I, we, you, he, she, they)
A good argument refers to all
or some of the following values:
Note: These are overlapping:
Democratic Principles: Personal freedom, expression of individuality,
promotion of democracy, the right to be left alone, civil liberties,
honoring the past
Sense of Community: Helping others, sharing resources,
considering future generations; establishing sense of belonging;
caring for loved ones
Desire for safety and security: Protection against enemies, protection of resources,
having sufficient food and shelter, avoiding and responding to natural
disaster, maintaining health
Economics: Maintaining sufficient resources for now and the future,
protecting personal fortunes while offering
opportunities to everyone
Beauty, Pleasure, Convenience
Sentence Frames for
Argumentation
Use these frames at the outset of your argument to establish what others have
been saying on this topic:
In recent __________, we have been hearing a great deal about
__________________________ by ______________________.
_______________________ has been in the news recently
because ________________________________________.
Sentence Frames for
Argumentation
Use this frames at the outset of your argument to introduce an ongoing
debate:
In discussions of _____________, one controversial issue has been
___________________________. People who believe____________
claim that________________________________. On the other hand,
those who believe _____________________________ assert that
______________________________________________________.
My own view is __________________________________________.
Sentence Frames for
Argumentation
Use this frame to establish common ground on a controversial issue:
When it comes to the topic of ______________________, most of us
would agree that ____________________________. Where this
agreement ends, however, is on the question of _____________________.
Whereas some are convinced that _______________________________.
others maintain that___________________________________________.
My own view is that____________________________________________.
Sentence Frames for
Argumentation
Use these frames as you acknowledge that the opposing side has a certain
degree to validity:
While at one time it may have been true that__________________,
we can now state that____________________________________.
___________________ makes sense when he/she/they say________
________________, but _____________________________________.
Despite the validity of ______________________’s claim about ____________,
he/she/they miss the mark when it comes to________________________
because___________________________________________________.
Sentence Frames for
Argumentation
Use these frames to establish working definitions of key terms:
For the purpose of this discussion, I will define _______________________
as __________________________________________________________.
Although you might think of ______________________as being just
another_________________________, I define it as_______________________
_________________________________________________________________.
Sentence Frames for
Argumentation
Use these frames to establish or deny a comparison:
_______________________ is like ___________________________.
They both _______________________________________________.
__________________________(s) may say that ___________________
is like _______________________________, but the comparison is
false because while _________________________________________
is______________________________, it is not as ________________
as they claim.
Sentence Frames for
Argumentation
Use these frames to establish the importance of this topic:
______________ is important because__________________.
We should care about______________because if_____________,
then_________________________.
Ultimately, what is at stake here is____________________________.
My discussion of _________________ addresses the
larger matter of _____________________.
Sentence Frames for
Argumentation
Use these frames to trace the development of your own views
on the subject:
I’ve always believed that____________________________________
When I was a child, I used to think that______________________________,
but/and now I realize that____________________________________________.
At the same time that I believe____________________,
I also believe__________________________________.
After careful consideration and as a result of my
experience, I have/have not changed my mind
about__________________________________.
Sentence Frames for
Argumentation
Use these words and phrases to establish cause and effect:
Because (of)_____________, _______________________.
Result
As a result (of)
resulting from
resulting in
consequence of
consequently
as a consequence
Accordingly
If…then…
hence
it follows, then
since
so
then
therefore
thus
Sentence Frames for
Argumentation
Use these noun phrases to negatively characterize your opponents:
those who disregard
pessimists
naysayers
those who would have us believe
those who live only for the moment
hardliners
those who take a narrow view
people who live in the past
people who are unaware
those on the sidelines
Use these noun phrases to positively characterize your supporters:
progressive thinkers
those who think about
those who care about
those who know about
those who understand
optimists
prudent thinkers
proactive people
civic-minded people
serious people
people with regard for
realists