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 the driving age be raised to
18?
Should semi-automatic weapons be
banned?
Should teens who murder be
executed?
Should hunting be outlawed?
Should recycling be mandatory?
Should schools require student
uniforms?
Should college athletes be paid?
Should the death penalty be
abolished?
Should legal immigration be stopped?
Should dying people be kept on life
support?
Should tobacco products be banned?
Should the Internet be censored?
Should school prayer be allowed?
Should music lyrics be censored?
Should parents of teen vandals be held
responsible for their child's damage?
Should research on cloning be
discontinued?
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.
COUNTER-ARGUMENTS
 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 COUNTER-
ARGUMENTS

 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 while 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 The authors position or
and a good hook. 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. Intro Paragraph
2. Body Paragraph 1
3. Body Paragraph 2
4. Body Paragraph 3
5. 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?