argumentative essay

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• vwo
• Leerjaar 6

Argumentative essay 

Objectives:

• You can recognise all different parts of an argumentative essay
• You've started writing an argumentative essay

What is an argumentative essay?

Why would you write one?

Argumentative essay

The goal of an argumentative essay is to convince / to persuade your reader that your opinion on a controversial topic is the right one. 

What are the 3 main parts of an argumentative essay?

2nd explanation 

        is optional!

2nd explanation 

        is optional! 

Outline of an Argumentative Essay 

Introductory paragraph

• A hook: an attention-grabbing sentence containing an interesting or shocking fact/statistic/quote/anecdote/(...)
• Outlines the topic: you provide background information necessary to understand the subject
• State your thesis:  your thesis statement should clearly present the main idea of your essay and make some kind of assertion.

Body paragraph

• Two paragraphs that explain the reasons why you support your thesis
• Each body paragraph covers a different idea
• Each body paragraph contains a topic sentence which states the idea that you are going to discuss in the rest of the paragraph
• Each claim needs to be supported with examples, research, statistics, studies, and/or text citations
  Your final body paragraph: 
• Address opposing points of view and disprove them
  
  

Conclusion 

• Restates your thesis
• Summarizes all of the arguments made in your body paragraphs 
• No new facts or arguments
• Give your opinion, make a suggestion or give a prediction for the future

Let's look at the following examples. Do they meet all criteria? 

Sample introduction

Some people say that the Internet does more harm than good. What is your view?

To the majority of teenagers and working adults, the Internet has been regarded as one the most innovative achievements of humankind. Since the invention of the internet, its pervasive and life-altering influences can be felt in many aspects of people’s daily lives. While mostly beneficial in areas such as communication, trade and research, the internet has also caused a proliferation of vices such as pornography and hacking. Despite the negativity associated with the internet, I strongly believe that Internet does more good than harm.

Look for these 3 features. Are they all present?

Sample of a first body paragraph

Communication all over the world has been considerably improved thanks to the Internet. With the widespread availability of messengers and social networks like Yahoo and Facebook, people can easily communicate irrespective of their geographic locations. Gone are the days when international communication meant a delay of several days to months. Today, interaction through the Internet is not only much cheaper and more convenient than traditional modes of communication, it also has options to allow face to face interaction such as through the use of Skype. Now, family members and businesses can not only have instantaneous communication, they can also have the added personal touch even if they are in different continents or in any remote part of the world.

Do you recognise this structure? Explain.

Sample of a second body paragraph

Furthermore, the Internet is one of the key contributors to the global free trade. When the transnational corporations want to open business in the other countries, they first have to contact partners in those countries before officially making a deal. In such case, the Internet certainly does a great job. In addition, the Internet is instrumental in reducing operation costs for businesses where employees can be easily hired from developing countries and work remotely from their native land. For example, many transnational companies set up call centres in countries like Philippines or India where workers are cheaper to employ. The same benefits are applied to people’s daily lives. With the omnipresence of online shops, many people are able to save their precious time shopping. Instead, they have more time to do other important things such as helping their children do homework or having a short visit to their parents’ house.

Identify the different elements in this paragraph and comment.

second part does not go well with the topic sentence

Sample of a third body paragraph

On the other hand, objectors of the Internet argue that it spoils the young generation by spreading pornography and violence, which is considered rampant nowadays. There is no doubt that pornographic websites and violence videos are ubiquitous online, but whether the young is spoilt by it depends on the young themselves. Owing to the continual warning of using the Internet on many cyber education programs, the youths are supposed to know about all the boon and bane effect of surfing webs. Thus, once they have heightened awareness, there is likelihood that they will not be attacked by cyber hackers. Moreover there is a variety of information for their researches on line. Instead of spending hours of flipping over hundreds of books in the libraries, one may easily obtain necessary documentation within a second of mouse click.

Identify the counterarguments and the 'attacks' ;) Is it a strong paragraph?

Does the final sentence match the paragraph's topic? Not really.

Sample of a conclusion

In conclusion, similar to any other technological inventions, the Internet has both pros and cons; nonetheless, its benefits far outweigh its harms. With recent upgrading Internet security software and substantial improvements on its use, I am firmly convinced the Internet is more a blessing than a curse.

Is this an appropriate conclusion? Explain.

This sample essay is retrieved from https://gceguide.com/resources/notes/english-language-1123/argumentative-essays/

The pros and cons should have been written down briefly in other words than used in the body paragraph. 

How to start writing?

• Start with an outline: an overview of what you want to say in each paragraph.
•   It prevents you from losing focus and helps you developing a clear structure and stick to it.
•  How?  Jot down the paragraph name/number  and add key words and ideas ( do not worry about writing full sentences yet). 

You find an example of a paragraph plan on the next slide

Be aware that this is a 1200-word essay, so much longer than what you need to do.

A sample of a paragraph plan.  The student is required to

Discuss how media can influence children. 

Homework for next class:

Choose one these topics: 

Should corporations have a higher or lower tax rate?

Should college be free?

Write a paragraph plan and an introductionary paragraph. Do so on the following slide.

1. Write a paragraph plan in here or write it on paper and upload a photo of it.
2. Write the first paragraph of an argumentative essay (see previous slide for topic selection)

1. Write a paragraph plan in here or write it on paper and upload a photo of it.
2. Write the first paragraph of an argumentative essay (see previous slide for topic selection)