Often mistaken for a persuasive essay, an argumentative essay strives to convince the audience to take the writer’s side based on facts, logic and reasoning, as opposed to a persuasive essay that tries to say the mind of the reader with emotion, assumption and opinion.
Students get asked to write all kinds of essays during their studies, with the argumentative type being the most common one. From time to time, students decide to delegate such tasks to writing services where they can order cheap custom essay with ease. But, more often, they choose to write it themselves. And below, you will find helpful tips on how to do it.
When writing an argumentative essay, always remember that the most important thing is the argument itself, it is the focal point of the essay.
There are various ways to approach an argumentative essay the most common being the Classical approach, then there are a bit more complex ones like the Rogerian approach and the Toulmin approach. But for the sake of this article we will be looking at the good old Classical approach.
The Classical approach is most common because of the simplicity of its nature. The main argument is presented, you show your stance on the matter and try your possible best to prove why your opinion is the right one. This is done by outlining facts and reasonable logic relaying this information to the audience in a way that is easy to understand.
Like every other type of essay, the argumentative essay possesses a simple structure consisting of an introduction which will contain your stance on the topic called a thesis, a body where you lay out your arguments, using every tool within your reach to convince the reader that your opinion is the way to go and then a conclusion where points are wrapped up and summarized. You can also order essays from professional websites. Check them out.
So you’ve gotten a rough idea of what you are supposed to accomplish with your essay but you think to yourself how do you begin, do not worry, we will give you all the essay writing help you need and give you a step by step guide on how to create and deliver a great essay.
Introduce your topic
This is the part where you introduce your topic to your audience. Let’s say for example you are writing a topic on whether breastfeeding should be banned in public places, this is the time to do so and also indicate firmly your stance on the topic. This will be your thesis.
Endeavour to do so briefly and in doing so try grab your reader’s attention by using a ‘hook’. A hook is usually a sentence or a couple of sentences used to glue the reader’s mind by way of bold statement, iteration or a simple play on words.
Still within the introduction, you will also treat the audience to why this topic is important, how it affects them and why they should be interested. They need to understand the significance of the topic.
Now that the audience has an idea of the topic and what to expect, its time for the body.
Lay out your argument
The body is where you get to the meat of it, the centerpiece of the essay. Dole out your views backed by facts and logic. It would be advisable to limit each argument to a paragraph.
This way your work is neater and easier to follow, without logical transition the reader may get lost and that makes your work a failure. At some point you may need some essay writing help, don’t be afraid to seek information from professors or experts in the field.
Provide evidence
Argumentative essays are not based on emotion and assumption. They are usually driven by relevant information, facts and reasonable logic. This of course will require lots of research. The evidence gathered will be used as a tool to reinforce your thesis and convince the audience to take your side.
Present the counter argument
It is unethical to leave out information that may not support your thesis. Show off your academic prowess by offering a counter-argument to your thesis and refuting it with strong evidence as to why it is incorrect. This will not only show that you are open minded but also that you have a perfect understanding of the essay topic.
Write your conclusion
A good conclusion is also as important as the rest of the essay. People often make the mistake of thinking that the conclusion does not really matter, they start very strong and end poorly, picture a bodybuilder with an enormous upper body and tiny legs.
A good conclusion will summarize everything previously mentioned in the body and still offer some food for thought often done by suggesting possible solutions or further research that will support your thesis.
Final word
Now that you fully understand the process of writing an argumentative essay, feel free to try it in your free time, practice makes perfect, but if you’re not feeling entirely confident you can always get essay writing help from experts or people that you know.
