The issue/belief/idea/opinion that ______________________________________ is an interesting/controversial one. This issue is increasingly important in this age of ___________________________. Many people believe _________________________, but these people overlook _________________________________________________. Furthermore, _____________________________________. In this essay, I will argue that __________________________________________________ _______________.
Second Paragraph: Support
There are many good reasons for ____________________________. However, it cannot be ignored/overlooked that ___________________________. A classic example of this is ___________________________________________ . Try to add something interesting in this paragraph. Make sure you use a few complicated structures—try putting a subordinate clause first. Like this: While many type of professional promote the notion that _____________________________, I believe the opposite should be argued given the current situation/status/ of ____________________________________.
Conclusion
I have argued _______________________. This view will become increasingly dominant in the coming century given ________________________________. Many of these issues can never be resolved to everybody’s satisfaction, but in the long run, promoting ________________________________ will lead to the betterment of all involved. Finally, _____________________________ increased something like global cooperation, cultural understanding, blah, blah, blah can only result from this, resulting in ______________________________ for everybody.
TEMPLATE As with the Issue essay, there is no single "correct," way to organize an Argument essay. In our
view, however, your essay should include separate "introduction" and "conclusion" paragraphs, as
well as at least two "body" paragraphs in which you develop your critique of the stated argument.
The following template spells out this structure in more detail, and each of the sample Analysis of
Argument essays in this book follow this basic pattern. You do not have to adhere strictly to this format in order to write an effective Argument essay.
You may find that some other form works better for you, especially for the body of your essay.
Also, the numbers of sentences indicated for each paragraph here are merely suggestions or
guidelines, not hard-and-fast rules. (Note: The transitional phrases used here are purposely simplistic; do not simply "parrot" them
word-for-word in your essay or adopt a mechanistic fill-in the blank approach. If you do, your
essay might appear stilted or contrived.)
Introductory Paragraph (2-4 sentences) Try to accomplish three goals in your introductory paragraph: · Briefly restate the argument. · Briefly trace the argument's line of reasoning. · Indicate the extent to which the argument is logically convincing. · If possible, sum up your arguments in one sentence (or two brief sentences). Here's a sample template for the first paragraph that accomplishes these goals:
The author concludes that____________, because ________. The author's line of reasoning is that
______________. This argument is unconvincing for several reasons; it is____________ and it uses
_____________.
First Body Paragraph (3-5 sentences) In the first body paragraph your goal is to critique one of the following: · The reasoning of the argument · One of the premises of the argument · One of the assumptions of the argument Here's a sample template for this paragraph that accomplishes this goal: First of all, ____________________________ is based upon the questionable assumption
________________________________. That _______________, however, _________________. Moreover, ________________________.
Second Body Paragraph (3-4 sentences) The purpose of the second paragraph is to address one of the following: · The reasoning of the argument · One of the premises of the argument · One of the assumptions of the argument
Here's a sample template for this paragraph that accomplishes this goal:
Secondly, the author assumes that_________________________. However, __________________________. It seems equally reasonable to assume that
____________________.
Third (and optional Fourth) Body Paragraph In this paragraph your goal is to critique one of the following: · The reasoning of the argument · One of the premises of the argument · One of the assumptions of the argument Here's a sample template for this paragraph that accomplishes this goal:
Finally, _______________________________________. The author fails to consider
__________________________________. For example, __________________. Because the author's argument
_________________.
Final Paragraph (2-3 sentences) In the final paragraph your goals are to: · Summarize your critique of the argument · State the main point of your essay The final paragraph is not the placer to introduce new arguments or issues. Sample template: In sum, I agree that______________________. However, ____________________; on balance,
