You know how important essays are, right? Teachers always give us several essay topics to write about each year (and writing them is exhausting). Why do they do that? Because, in their opinion, it improves our critical thinking skills. After being given the assignment we study for hours in an attempt to get the best possible outcome. We mostly do that to get As, the grades which will contribute to our GPA. This article will give you the tips to write an ARGUMENTATIVE essay.
8 Steps
First things first, let us cover the nine steps you should follow when writing an argumentative essay.
STEP1: Read the topic and be sure that you fully understand it.
STEP2: Write your thesis statement. It is a MUST. It tells the reader what the essay is going to be about. Here are some steps you should follow to write a good thesis statement:
Answer the given question concisely. Example -
Q: “Is exercising good?”
A: “Yes, exercising is good.”
If there is no question, then derive one. You may be confused, so here is another example:
Assignment: “ Write what role fate plays in Romeo and Juliet. “
The derived question will be:
“ What role does fate play in Romeo and Juliet?”
Bring the reasons for strengthening your position.
Example:
A: “Exercising is good, because it combats health conditions, controls weight, and boosts energy.”
Make sure that your thesis statement is:
Specific, arguable, clear, and shows your position.
STEP3: Organize your thoughts. You can make a plan in advance of how to approach an essay. You can think of a thesis statement, general ideas, and supporting details. Write them down.
STEP4: Write topic sentences for your paragraphs.
A topic sentence tells me what your paragraph is going to be about. If you have already written your thesis statement, then writing topic sentences should be a piece of cake.
Let's say that my thesis statement is- “Exercising is good, because it combats health conditions, controls weight and boosts energy.”
This sentence has four main parts:
Exercising is good (my position)
It combats health conditions (Reason 1)
It controls weight (Reason 2)
It boosts energy (Reason 3)
The reasons for your thesis statement can be used as your topic sentences. But, DO NOT copy the whole sentences. Paraphrase them.
Example:
Physical activity helps to fight diseases.
Physical activity makes sure that a person’s weight is healthy.
Physical activity provides a person with energy.
STEP5: Write the introduction. An introduction hooks the reader and explains what the whole essay is going to be about. Sure, but how can you write a good introduction?
Use a hook. The hook can be the first sentence, which grabs the reader’s interest. Some examples of hooks are: an interesting and informative fact, a quote, a clear description of something, and a metaphor/ analogy.
Include some background information, which may consist of: definitions of keywords, a summary of the theory or research relevant to your topic, an outline of your debate and historical information.
STEP6: Write your body paragraphs. Body paragraphs help prove your thesis statement.
Write your topic sentence as your first sentence.
Support your topic sentence. The support may include: examples, statistics, quotations, research, studies and citations. Then, conclude.
STEP7: Write a conclusion. Your conclusion supports your thesis and reminds the reader of your purpose. To write a good conclusion follow these steps:
Rephrase your argument, showing how it has been developed after introduction;
Remind the reader of your main points;
Show its importance.
Your conclusion should not: include new evidence, undermine your argument, use concluding words (to sum up, in conclusion …).
STEP8: Finally, check your content, clarity, punctuation and spelling by asking yourself these questions:
Is there a thesis statement and introduction?
Is there a topic sentence for each body paragraph?
Are there supporting details for the topic statements?
Is there a conclusion?
Are there run-on sentences/sentence fragments?
Are there misplaced/dangling modifiers?
Are the structures parallel?
Are there transition words used?
Are the sentences and paragraphs cohesive?
Are the paragraphs indented?
Are there punctuation marks correctly used?
Do all sentences begin with capital letters?
Are all the words spelled correctly?
Other tips:
Here are some other useful tips:
Use words like because, since, so, although, however, unless in your thesis ;
Write academically in a formal language ;
Use a LOT OF evidence to prove your point (With explanations and analyses) ;
Have a clear, logical and organized structure ;
Choose a peaceful environment to work in ;
Read backwards, which will help you to spot mistakes ;
Use a dictionary for fancy words ;
If a sentence is too long, separate. However if two sentences are too short and share the common idea, combine them ;
Review your essay with your friend ( who knows English and writing essays well ). Then rewrite it.
Tips from students who write essays well:
I asked some students for their advice on writing the best essays. Here is what they said:
“One of the best tips for writing an argumentative essay is using the OREO method for writing your body paragraphs. It is a type of paragraph structure that helps readers organize their information cohesively and efficiently. “O” stands for opinion; tell how you feel about the topic. “R” stands for reasons; tell your readers why you feel this way. “E” stands for explanations; give your readers examples of why you feel this way. “O” stands for opinion; tell readers one more time about your opinion and feelings.”
"Write whatever comes to your mind, form paragraphs around them, and finally reread what you have written and change whatever you do not think fits right. "
“I would suggest that, besides other factors, the thesis statement is the basis of the essay. Without it, the writing is collapsible in its idea.”
“Before writing an essay, make an outline of it, which is basically a simple plan of what you are going to write. The outline includes a thesis statement, argument statements, and a conclusion statement. An outline makes an essay a lot easier to write, as you already have the basic concepts. Now all you have to do is add to them and explain them in further detail. After writing your essay draft, close it and don’t look at it for a day or so, and after that start proofreading and correcting it. This way, you will look at your essay with a fresh pair of eyes and will be able to spot mistakes easier. Lastly, a tip for writing essays is to use a lot of transition words, as they make the essay flow better when read and improve its quality in general.”
“Make your essay accessible and easy to understand, include a strong thesis statement in your introduction, make the transitions between paragraphs cohesive, read through your essay multiple times, and do not plagiarize.”
“My advice is to practice. Read the best essays if not every day, then at least once a week. You can find the professionals' writings on the internet or in the essay books. Observe their writing styles, the vocabulary, the structure and other important things. Make notes. Practice by coming up with topics and writing several essays for yourself.”
“When given an assignment to write, do not start a day earlier. Start a week earlier and divide your work between the days. Contribute to your writing each day. Add new things and if needed correct what you had written a day earlier.”
“If you do not want your essay to have any grammatical mistakes, then check your grammar in websites like easybib and grammarly. You can then show it to someone who knows English and grammar well, who can correct your mistakes and may give you additional advice.”
“Do not use long sentences and passive voice. They bore the readers. Delete the words you do not need. Present only one idea. Do notwrite basic facts. Give a lot of examples to prove your point.”
Oh, and the most important thing is not to forget submitting it :))
Written by Anastasia Mrelashvili