How To Write A Paragraph Argumentative Essay?

A good argumentative essay is based on factual evidence and logical support to persuade readers to agree with a writer’s thinking. Although most academic essays focus on proving a specific viewpoint, argumentative essays are heavily based on concrete evidence and credible sources supporting the argument.

However, even the strongest stances and arguments may fail to impress your grader, or you may get your desired grades if you don’t follow the right argumentative essay structure and evidence. Want to learn the elements of argumentative papers and the secrets to developing engaging arguments? Great! This comprehensive guide is just what you need.

What is an Argumentative Essay?

Before discussing the essay structure, let’s first understand the definition. An argumentative essay is a type of writing where you will take a stance on an issue and explain with examples and evidence why you support it. Logical reasoning backed with strong evidence from credible sources is the key factor to get right in such types of papers.

Importance of Argumentative Writing

Argumentative essays are common for both high school and college students. Educators emphasize such types of writing because of their benefits to the writers. Here’s how writing argumentative pieces is beneficial:

• Develops critical thinking skills:

For effective writing, you must break down different components of logical thinking, find loopholes, others’ faults, and their arguments, and present a stronger argument. The entire process will sharpen your critical thinking abilities and help you understand opposing arguments quickly.

• Enhances persuasion abilities:

A key skill that you can learn from such writing tasks is the art of persuasion. To make your readers agree, you must know how to persuade someone to your advantage. With constant practice, you will learn to convince others and get them on your side.

• Prepares you for the real world:

Your argumentative writing skills will be beneficial in your later career. Let’s say you have joined a corporation after your MBA. You need to make countless sales pitches for your products and services and correspond with your seniors, clients, and board members through email. That’s when your argumentative skills will help you shine.

• Promotes broad thinking:

With other types of essays, like writing an expository essay, you may not require an expansive understanding of the topic to develop your paper. On the contrary, you will have to focus on the opposing views and integrate them into your discussions, enhancing broad thinking.

Also Read – ChatGPT For Essay Writing: How To Use It

Key Components of Argumentative Writing

The only way to maximize your essay’s success is to incorporate the main components in your arguments. Understand that defending your position with facts and evidence is not enough. You need to be ready to face counterarguments and rebuttals to strengthen your paper. On that note, let’s now look into the primary components of an argumentative paragraph.

Claim: Any claim you make, keep in mind that it should be arguable.

Arguments: You must have reasons to support and back a claim with strong evidence you gathered from deep research.

Counterarguments: When you present an argument, you will receive objections from disagreeing readers. For example, if you say online classes are more effective than traditional learning forms, you should ask yourself:

• What evidence do I have to support the argument?
• What are the benefits and challenges of the online classes?
• Could someone disagree with your stand?
• Would they have enough evidence to back their reason?
• If yes, will my facts and data be sufficient?

Rebuttals: Once the counterarguments are made, you will have to be prepared to respond, address or refute them. If not, it will come across that you have agreed to the opposing argument. Therefore, gather all your evidence and reasons to prove your stand is stronger.

How Do Argumentative Essays Differ From Other Academic Essays?

Like any other academic essay, the main purpose of argumentative writing is to convince readers of a particular stand. The way of convincing sets such essay help online apart from the rest. For instance, your argument should be evidence-based and have an unquestionable logic proving the thesis in your favor.

Persuasive writing also has similar objectives but is less emotional and formal. While argumentative papers focus on empirical data, persuasive essays rely more on emotional attributes to appeal to more readers. In short, persuasive writing extends qualitative support, while argumentative writing favors quantitative support.

Students often confuse argumentative papers with expository essays, which rely on fact-based evidence and deep research. But the main difference is bias. Argumentative essays focus on a single viewpoint, whereas expository writing generally presents multiple aspects of an argument and leaves it to the readers to decide.

Another factor that differentiates argumentative essays from other essay types is that the thesis is not obvious. For example, “the sky is gloomy on a rainy day.” Undeniably, that’s a horrible thesis for an argumentative paper. All you have to do is to look outside the window and determine it yourself. That’s why such writing focuses on the writer’s thesis and discusses the contradictory points.

How to Write an Argumentative Paragraph – Decoding the Structure

While the success of your paper heavily depends on your ability to present your case and evidence, you cannot overlook the significance of following a proper essay structure. The essay format varies from other essay types because you must address the points of view in different sections and introduce the key evidence accordingly.

A basic argumentative essay structure follows the five-paragraph essay format, where:

• The first paragraph is the introduction that highlights the thesis and sets the path for the rest of the essay.
• The body paragraphs generally comprise three sections: you present arguments and evidence followed by opposing arguments. Each section should focus on showcasing the supporting evidence or disapproving contradictory remarks.
• The final paragraph is the conclusion, where you restate the thesis concerning the evidence. It should be concise and give a sense of ending to readers.

While this essay structure fits most papers, advanced topics follow more detailed structures. Let’s now look at the format of an advanced argumentative essay.

• Aristotelian (Classic): Ideal for clear arguments

The Aristotelian is a default structure, more of an extension of the basic five-paragraph essay. It focuses on credibility, emotion, reasoning or ethos, pathos, and logos to prove a point for a clear argument.

The structure follows a straightforward path where you:

• Introduce the issue
• Explain your viewpoint
• Discuss the opponent’s views and refute them point-by-point
• Present your evidence
• Conclude your statement

• Toulmin – Ideal for presenting complicated issues with no direct truth

The Toulmin method extensively focuses on deep analysis and the use of logic. The structuring method is suitable for exploring complicated topics or refuting counterarguments individually. The format covers six main areas and allows you to organize the papers in a way that works best for your paper. However, remember that your claim can be a rebuttal of another argument.

So, remember this order when structuring your paper in this advanced format:

• Make a clearly stated thesis or argument
• Provide evidence, including fact-based data
• Explain the warrant or connection between your claim and the evidence
• Provide additional relevant evidence supporting the claim
• Discuss the qualifier or the limitations to your claims
• Address the opposing views and criticisms related to the claim

• Rogerian – Ideal for explaining both sides of an argument

The Rogrian structuring format somewhat follows a middle-ground approach where you explain your thesis and discuss the opposing views. This format is widely used as it is less aggressive and helps persuade naturally biased readers. In this structure:

• Introduce the issue
• Explain the counter views and validate the accurate points
• Discuss your standpoint
• Come to a middle ground to suggest why both standpoints coexist
• Conclude your argument

Writing a strong argumentative paragraph won’t seem like an uphill task if you know how to get things rolling.

How to Write an Impressive Argumentative Essay?

A good argumentative paper follows the general writing process, focusing more on the research and preparation steps. Take a look at the brief overview of writing strong argumentative essays.

• Brainstorm your thesis:

A thesis is the cornerstone of a well-written essay. It should be well-defined without any loopholes so your readers can determine what to expect ahead of and what you want them to remember after the read. So, if you are not given an argument, stick to topics you are strongly interested in. Then, consider your audience to develop an argument for specific. Also, select a thesis that can be backed by proof. There’s no point in arguing about something that lacks enough data.

• Take time to prepare:

You cannot deliver your best work if you are not prepared. Hence, be well-equipped with the necessary resources. Start researching the thesis and gathering ample data and facts to back your argument. Because evidence is the backbone of the body paragraphs of your essay, dig deep and refer to credible sources to collect information. The preparation time is also a good time for outlining your paper. You can note the questions you will likely get from readers with opposing views. That way, you will be prepared with your answers.

• Write your paper:

Writing an essay is intimidating as it is. The struggle level goes up when you must consider many factors and guidelines. Writing a rough draft is the best way to save yourself from getting overwhelmed. Yes, that’s right! Don’t aim to create a perfect copy right from the start. Instead, refer to the outline and develop each paragraph using relevant data and direct quotes to cite third-party sources.

• Revise and edit sections:

Once you finish your rough draft, go through the sections one by one and check where you can optimize the word choice or restructure the argument to make your statement straightforward and reader-friendly. Double-check your points, rebuttals, and citations for the used sources. Finally, review the paper for writing errors and make corrections. If possible, get a third person’s opinion on the overall quality of your essay.

Writing Tips You Can Steal to Create a Convincing Argument

Argumentative essays take time, as you need to follow specific guidelines and provide enough evidence to support your stand. To make sure you achieve your ultimate, you can follow the tips listed below:

• Don’t delay the task until the last minute. Argumentative papers require a lot of evidence and facts to validate your reasoning. Rushing with it at the eleventh hour can be detrimental to the overall quality.
• Be careful while writing the essay sections. The introduction should provide background information, the thesis, and relevant evidence. Each body paragraph should cover a specific idea with evidence and contain a topic sentence explaining why the readers should agree with you.
• Back your body sections with enough examples, statistics, research data, and text citations. Always address the opposing views and explain why you disagree with them using relevant examples and data.
• Allocate ample time for research to collect enough data supporting the main arguments. Accurately cite the sources following the guidelines of a specific style to increase the credibility of your work.
• Be careful about the tone and style, especially when addressing the counterarguments. Be respectful and choose your words carefully while refuting another’s viewpoints.
• Even a small typo can derail your well-planned argument. To avoid such mishaps, take proofreading and editing seriously and check your paper like a hawk before submission.
• If required, don’t hesitate to approach professional writers for one-to-one support. Countless top-ranked essayists are available online to train you and help you become a skilled writer. Just ensure you collaborate with the best to optimize your benefits.

It doesn’t matter if it’s your first or multiple attempts to tackle an argumentative topic. Things can escalate quickly for the worse if you don’t follow specific guidelines. Thus, remember the suggestions and guidelines discussed above and develop a habit of regular practice to improve your writing experience.

Cheers, and Good Luck!