Writing a paragraph

Read the following paragraph and outline it: main ideas, supporting ideas,
the restated main point
I, as a kid, never really enjoyed the public swimming pool. First, there
were all sorts of rules that prevented me from having as much fun in the
water as possible. One (rule) was that children under the age of
fourteen had to be accompanied by an adult. I didn’t like having to beg a
parent or a neighbor to take me swimming every time I wanted to go.
Another rule was that girls were not allowed in the water without
bathing caps. The required bathing cap was so tight that it caused a
heavy press mark on my forehead. Also, it often gave me a headache.
Second, I wasn’t a very good swimmer then. Most of the time I found
myself hanging on to the side of the pool. And whenever I attempted a
graceful dive, I ended up doing a belly flop. Finally, many of the kids
teased me. Some of them liked splashing water into my face, which
forced me to swallow chlorine and a dead bug or two. Even worse was
the boy who sneaked up behind me all summer long to dump ice cubes
in the back of my swimsuit.
Outlining a paragraph
I, as a kid, never really enjoyed the public swimming pool. (1) First, there
were all sorts of rules that prevented me from having as much fun in the
water as possible. (1.1) One (rule) was that children under the age of
fourteen had to be accompanied by an adult. I didn’t like having to beg a
parent or a neighbor to take me swimming every time I wanted to go. (1.2)
Another rule was that girls were not allowed in the water without bathing
caps. The required bathing cap was so tight that it caused a heavy press
mark on my forehead. Also, it often gave me a headache. (2) Second, I
wasn’t a very good swimmer then. (2.1) Most of the time I found myself
hanging on to the side of the pool. (2.2) And whenever I attempted a
graceful dive, I ended up doing a belly flop. (3) Finally, many of the kids
teased me. (3.1) Some of them liked splashing water into my face, which
forced me to swallow chlorine and a dead bug or two. (3.2) Even worse was
the boy who sneaked up behind me all summer long to dump ice cubes in
the back of my swimsuit.
Organizing ideas Concluding%
sentence

Topic% Explanation,$
reasons,$

Concluding$statement
sentence examples
Supporting$idea$
1 Explanation,$
reasons,$
Main$idea examples

Explanation,$
Supporting$idea$
reasons,$
2 examples
Argument and Discussion
 What%exactly%is%an%Argument?

An argument involves the process of establishing a

claim and then proving it with the use of logical
reasoning, examples, and research.

An argument presents logical reasons

and evidence to support a viewpoint
What is an academic argument?
- An academic argument is your stance, your claim, or your take
on your topic.
- This stance, claim, or take is your contribution to the current
conversation on your topic and provides your readers with a
position, perspective, and/or point of view on your topic.
- An academic argument is also based in the research, what we
often call "evidence-based." This means you must support your
argument with findings from sources you read.
(Source:
https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/writingprocess/ar
guments)
 Parts&of&an&Argument
• ISSUE%& problem%or%controversy%about%which%people%disagree
• CLAIM%& the%position%on%the%issue
• SUPPORT%& reasons%and%evidence%that%the%claim%is%reasonable%
and%should%be%accepted
• REFUTATION%& opposing%viewpoints
Forming an argument

YOUR%POSITION
ON
THE%OPPOSITION
AS
RE

EVIDENCE
 Types&of&Support
• REASON - a general statement that supports a claim.
• EVIDENCE - consists of facts, statistics, experiences,
comparisons, and examples that show why the claim is
valid.
• EMOTIONAL APPEALS - ideas that are targeted
toward needs or values that readers are likely to care
about.
 Inductive*and*Deductive*Arguments
• INDUCTIVE)* reaches)a)general)conclusion)from)
observed)specifics.
• “By)observing)the)performance)of)a)large)number)of)
athletes,)you)could)conclude)that)athletes)possess)
physical)stamina.”
 Inductive*and*Deductive*Arguments

• DEDUCTIVE() begins(with(a(major(premise(and(moves(
toward(a(more(specific(statement(or(minor(premise.
• “Athletes(possess(physical(stamina.(Because(Anthony(
is(an(athlete,(he(must(possess(physical(stamina.”
1. Discussion language
Fill in the gap with the appropriate discussion language
3. Practice A

• You$have$to$write$an$essay$titled:
Whether%some%employees%should%
be%permitted%to%work%from%home
5. Counterargument
WRITING: Structure'of'a'Classical'Argument
!Introduction
!Thesis.Statement
!Background.Information
!Reasons.and.Evidence
!The.Opposing.View.and.the.Refutation
!Conclusions
Planning for an Argumentative Essay
1. The argumentative essay should introduce and explain the issue
or case.
• clearly the reader needs to understand the issue being argued.
• In addition, it is often necessary to define any ambiguous terms
[that are keys to the discussion].
For example, if you were arguing that the government should not cut
funding of basic research, it would no doubt be useful for your
audience to define what you mean by basic research. Part of good
arguing is clear communication, and clear communication requires
that each party understand the terms being used.
Planning for an Argumentative Essay
2. The essay should offer reasons and support for those reasons.
In other words, the essay should prove its points.

• Execution — preferably in public — should be a solemn ritual

of great significance — a ritual that powerfully announces to all
its citizens that the state so values human life that it must mark
its violation with the most awful penalty available.
Planning for an Argumentative Essay
3. The essay should refute opposing arguments. Refute means to
prove wrong by argument or to show that something is wrong /
erroneous.

• Those who assert that capital punishment is wrong because the

state should not itself take on the guilt of murder completely miss
the point. For by failing to take the life of those who murder
their fellow man, the state becomes a passive accessory after the
fact.
Planning for an Argumentative Essay
4. If the opponent DOES HAVE a valid point, concede that
point.
it does little good in an argument to ignore any valid points the
other side may have. you can concede them and then go on to
show that your points are more important anyway.
• Although it is true that we have had no real damage from any
nuclear power plant breakdowns, the potential for devastation
still exists …
Planning for an Argumentative Essay
5. The conclusion should logically follow from argument.
Tt is very common to make a demand for some action.
• For example, an argument against the construction of nuclear
power plants might conclude with a demand that all plants in
construction now be closed down. Another way to warp up
argument is to offer alternatives. In your antinuclear power plant
essay, for instance, you might suggest that the funds now used for
those plants be used for an alternative source of energy, such as
nuclear fusion or solar power.
Organizing the Argumentative Essay
no set pattern for the argumentative essay, there is a basic, workable approach:
1. Introduction. Sometimes the writer breaks down the introductory material
into two paragraphs: the first one introducing the problem and the thesis and
the second one explaining additional information, providing definition, in
other words, giving background information necessary for the argument.
2. Reasons. It is a good idea to spend one paragraph for each reason. Two or
three reasons are typical.
3. Refutation. Depending on how many points the writer wishes to address, the
refutation can take from one to three paragraphs.
4. Conclusion.
It is not uncommon, however, to see arguments in which the refutation comes
before the reason section.