Classical Argument Unit
The position you take in your paper
cannot be something that is universally
agreed or disagreed upon. A reasonable
person should be able to take more than
one side on your issue.
 Pollution
is bad for the environment.
 Ten percent of the GDP should be spent on
foreign aid.
 Parents should spend time with their children
in order to bond with them.
 Destruction of the rain forest is having
negative effects on the environment.
 The U.S. government should force private
household to recycle and fine people who
refuse to do so.
If you try to convince an audience of
everything you won’t convince them of
anything.
 Converting
to an
electronic system
of voting, with
confirmation
numbers to ensure
accuracy, would
increase voter
participation.
 People
should care
more about their
government ;
therefore, voting
should be made
mandatory.
 Illegal
drug use is
detrimental to
society because it
encourages gang
violence.
 Illegal
drug use is
detrimental to
society.
Claim + at least one major reason conjoined into the same sentence.
 “America's
anti-pollution efforts should
focus on privately owned cars because it
would allow most citizens to contribute to
national efforts and care about the
outcome.”
 At least twenty-five percent of the federal
budget should be spent on helping upgrade
business to clean technologies, researching
renewable energy sources, and planting
more trees in order to control or eliminate
pollution.
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/res
ource/588/01/