In the argumentative essay you must defend your side of an argument. You’re not asked to present facts, but to examine them, not to just address the reader, but to convince the reader.
The argumentative essay must choose a side, make a case for it, consider and refute alternative arguments, and prove to the undecided reader that the opinion it presents is the best one. You must be aware of other sides and be fair to them; dismissing them completely will weaken your own argument.
Your language should be formal, distant and judged objectively. You should try to avoid the use of first person pronoun “I”. By detaching yourself from your arguments they will become more convincing.
Structure of the argumentative essay
Introduction
Main body Present the background
Explain why your opinion is of importance
Present your arguments and support these with evidence
Try to think of counterclaims and discuss these here
Conclusion
Some things to remember:
· The reader has to feel involved, and this can be done by using rhetorical questions and implicit appeals
(e.g. ‘of course’).
· The focus has to be on the reader.
· The information has to be selected and presented in such a way that the reader’s agreement is achieved.
· Use phrases like ‘therefore’, ‘it follows that’, ‘we can see’ to show logical connections.