What Is an Argumentative Essay? Simple Examples To Guide You

In addition, avoid using absolutes such as “always” or “never” because they are rarely the case, so credibility will be lost. American author Rita Mae Brown wrote a brochure called “Language Exerts Hidden Power, Like a Moon on the Tides” . One interpretation of the title could be that language choices affect persuasiveness and credibility when communicating. The Rogerian model argumentative text definition lays out two sides of an argument and gives weaknesses and strengths related to both. After this, the author can give a recommendation of his or her own thoughts based on the evidence provided. Even the smallest typo can derail the most carefully planned argument. The problem is, it’s hard to formulate the best possible argument if you’re distracted by spelling and grammar.

The body of the argument.It refers to the development of the thesis itself, making use of the different linguistic resources. The objective is to convince the reader, so the information must be clear, orderly and have meaning or coherence. It can be expressed in writing or as an argumentative oratory, in order to convince the reader or listener on a particular topic through proposals and arguments based on logic and emotion. In some essays, the introduction should also include background information. For example, in an essay about taxing sugary soda drinks, background information might include information on the growing number of people purchasing sodas, and the growing obesity epidemic. Essentially anything that needs to be understood before reading the rest of the essay is background information, and should be included in the introduction. By offering these reasons, Myrtle has made her letter more convincing.

Determine the writing format

A claim is the position an author takes in an argumentative text. It may also be referred to as the main argument or the thesis. Introduces the reader to the topic of the paper AND identifies the specific arguments that will be used to support the writer’s argument. A clear, concise, and defined thesis statement that occurs in the first paragraph of the essay. A thesis statement that is not debatable would make for a pretty pointless arugmentative essay. The argumentative essay is usually completed with a conclusion that describes the arguments made earlier in the essay. Each paragraph of an argumentative essay must contain a separate topic.

argumentative text definition

That is, they are supported by proven or demonstrable facts, and also by statistical data. However, it is not the only function it fulfills; also fulfills a referential function, through the aforementioned exhibition elements. This function refers to the fact of transmitting objective information about the world around us; that is, it focuses on showing, expressing, communicating, transmitting ideas, etc.

Argumentative Text: What it is, Structure, Characteristics and Examples

When writing an argumentative essay, students must be able to separate emotion based arguments from logic based arguments in order to appeal to an academic audience. A literary text is a piece of writing, such as a book or poem, that has the purpose of telling a story or entertaining, as in a fictional novel.

  • It consists of providing examples from everyday life, which represent the theme exposed in the thesis.
  • Tone and style are more important than you may think, especially if you’re criticizing another person’s perspective.
  • An argumentative essay must use ethical, logical, or moral reasoning to support its position and help prove its thesis.
  • Using an aggressive tone reflects worse on the writer than the target, even if rebutting a despicable point of view.

Besides the first paragraph, the students must give a thorough review of the topic to set the context. The author should also explain the importance of the topic in the next step. Finally, the thesis statement should be presented by the students.

First paragraph of the body

Don’t “cherry-pick” evidence to make an opinion look more substantial than it is, or it will be quickly discredited by someone knowledgeable on the subject. Argumentative text, also known as argumentative discourse, is intended to express opinions about a topic, or failing that refute them, to persuade the audience to which the message is addressed. Of course, to be truly effective, Myrtle will want to include the source of her evidence. Imagine that she has an article about how kids with later curfews spend more time at the library, but it was written by someone who, like Myrtle, is trying to convince his parents to let him stay out later. In this case, the article might not be completely accurate and true. A poorly structured or ill-defined introduction runs the risk of confusing readers.

argumentative text definition

A persuasive essay would present facts and include how safe guns make people feel. What works better when trying to convince someone of something — using demands or reason? An argumentative essay relies how to start a essay example on evidence and logic to prove that a viewpoint is valid or invalid or to convince an audience to take action. Statistics aren’t always available to support beliefs (and that’s where logic is helpful).

What Is an Argumentative Essay?

Being one of the most common types of essay, the argumentative essay is fairly simple to write. There are various rules that one should follow when writing this type of essay and in this article, we have shown you some useful ways of doing this. Selecting a topic that you are passionate about is a must when it comes to writing an argumentative essay and the examples we have shown here serve as a great inspiration for your own work. The Toulmin method was developed to analyze arguments themselves, so it makes sense to use it for essays. Because it’s steeped in logic and deep analysis, this approach best suits complicated issues that need unraveling, but also works well for refuting an opposing point of view piece by piece.

To help Myrtle write her essay, let’s take a closer look at the elements and format of an argumentative essay. Explore the format further and read tips on how to write an argumentative essay.

What is an argumentative text?

The main function that an argumentative text fulfills is the appellative function of language, especially thanks to the argumentative elements that it contains. This function, also called a conative function, refers to the attempt by the sender of the message to influence the behavior of the receiver. As its name suggests, this type of text aims to present a series of arguments for or against a theme, to persuade the reader to share that vision. In this article we will know its definition, functions, some types, uses, examples and the sections they contain.

argumentative text definition

It even checks your tone and clarity to make sure your true argument always shines through and comes across as intended. See how Grammarly can help your next writing project by downloading it now. Polish your rough draft, optimize word choice, and restructure your arguments if necessary.

Cause and effect argument

Quantitative evidence counts or measures the amount of something. It asks “how many,” “how often,” or “how much.” Some examples of quantitative evidence are height, temperature, amounts of time, distance, and length. This is enabled by technology and we are then able to be with each other at the same time as being elsewhere, always connected to anywhere we wish to be. We want to be able to customise our lives and be able to move in and out of anywhere as the thing we most value is having control over where our attention is focused.

argumentative text definition

What makes argument papers unique is that you are only to substantiate your position — no more, no less. Another important aspect to consider is that the introduction should not be extended, as this would be starting with the content of the argumentative text.

Conclusion

Or, in your literature class, you might be asked to argue the effects of protest literature on public policy in the United States. The terms “argumentative” and “persuasive” are often used interchangeably, but they are technically two different types of essays. Both argumentative and persuasive essays use evidence and logic to defend a position. Similarly, effective argumentative essays use specific linguistic methods to defend a position on an issue. An argumentative essay is one of the most frequently written types of essays and is something that you may need to write for yourself. In this article, we are going to be looking at what an argumentative essay is and how you can write one. We are also going to take a look at some examples of argumentative essays as a way of gaining a further understanding of how they are written.

Now that you are aware of how to write an argumentative essay and have chosen a topic, you might need a little inspiration or a further understanding of how this type of essay is written. We are now going to take a look at some passages from argumentative essays to inspire you. To make matters worse, the structure of argumentative essays is a little more involved than those of other essay types because you also have to address other points of view. This alone leads to even more considerations, like whose argument to address first, and at what point to introduce key evidence. The idea is that an argumentative essay leaves no doubt that its thesis is accurate, usually by disproving or invalidating opposing theories. That’s why argumentative essays don’t just talk about the writer’s own thesis but discuss other contradicting points of view as well.

The argumentative essay is a genre of writing that requires the student to investigate a topic, collect, generate, and evaluate evidence, and establish a position on the topic in a concise manner. In addition, it also has the objective of creating an initial favorable attitude towards the topic on which the argumentative text will deal.

  • The third model by Carl Rogers has different perspectives having proof to support and a conclusion based on all the available perspectives.
  • Factual texts merely seek to inform, whereas literary texts seek to entertain or otherwise engage the reader by using creative language and imagery.
  • It would also be a good idea if you gave your readers some background details on the discussed matter.
  • A conclusion that does not simply restate the thesis, but readdresses it in light of the evidence provided.

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