英語寫作資料：How to Write an Argument1

1、How to Write an ArgumentEssayBy Grace Fleming, A GuideSee More About: controversy and argument essay construction formatting research paper organizationSponsored LinksSAT Practice Test PrepThe most personalized SAT test prep available. Free practice questions!www.G/SATMarketing Ass

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3、LinksDissertation writingSpecialist dissertation writing service for Far East studentswww.academicghostwriting.co.ukJames 12-Steps EssaysFree student-group synergy gets you higher essay Planning StageFor an argument essay to be effective, it must contain certain elements.

4、For this reason, you must take a few minutes to plan before you jump into writing an argument essay.Find a Good TopicTo find good topic for an argument essay you should consider several issues that will have two conflicting points of view or very different conclusions. As you look over a list of top

5、ics you should find one that really sparks your interest. While a strong interest in a topic is important, its not enough. You next have to consider what position you can back up with reasoning. Its one thing to have a strong belief, but when shaping an argument youll have to explain why your belief

6、 is reasonable and logical.As you explore the topics, make a mental list of points you could use as evidence for or against an issue.Consider Both Sides of Your Topic and Take a PositionOnce you have selected a topic you feel strongly about, you should make a list of points for both sides of the arg

7、ument and pick a side. One of your first objectives in your essay will be to present both sides of your issue with an assessment of each. Of course, you will conclude that one side (your side) is the best conclusion.In the planning stage you will need to consider strong arguments for the other side.

8、 Then youll shoot them down!Gather EvidenceWhen we think of arguments we might picture two red-faced people speaking quite loudly and making dramatic gestures. But thats because face-to-face arguments often become emotional. In fact, the act of arguing involves providing proof to support your claim,

9、 with or without emotions. In an argument essay you will have to provide evidence without providing too much drama. Youll explore two sides of a topic (briefly) and provide proof as to why one side or position is the best one.Writing StageOnce youve given yourself a solid foundation to work with, yo

10、u can begin to craft your essay. An argument essay should contain three parts: the introduction, the body, and the conclusion. The length of these parts (number of paragraphs) will vary, depending on the length of your essay assignment.1. Introduce your topic and assert your sideAs in any essay, the

11、 first paragraph of your argument essay should contain a brief explanation of your topic, some background information, and a thesis statement. In this case, your thesis will be a statement of your position on a particular controversial topic.Example introductory paragraph with thesis statement:Since

12、 the turn of the new century, a theory has emerged concerning the end of the world, or at least the end of life as we know it. This new theory centers around the year 2012, a date that many claim has mysterious origins in ancient manuscripts from many different cultures. The most noted characteristi

13、c of this date is that it appears to mark the end of the Mayan calendar. But there is no evidence to suggest that the Maya saw any great relevance to this date. In fact, none of the claims surrounding a 2012 doomsday event hold up to scientific inquiry. The year 2012 will pass without a major, life-

14、altering catastrophe.2. Present both sides of the controversyThe body of your essay will contain the meat of your argument. You should go into more detail about the two sides of your controversy and state the strongest points of the counter-side of your issue.After describing the other side, you wil

15、l present your own viewpoint and then provide evidence to show why your position is the correct one.Select your strongest evidence and present your points one by one. Use a mix of evidence types, from statistics, to other studies and anecdotal stories. This part of your paper could be any length, fr

16、om two paragraphs to two hundred pages.Re-state your position as the most sensible one in your summary paragraphs.Tips for Your Essay: Avoid emotional language Know the difference between a logical conclusion and an emotional point of view Dont make up evidence Cite your sources Make an outline Be p

17、repared to defend your side by knowing the strongest arguments for the other side. You might be challenged by the teacher or by another student.ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAY TOPICSWriting an essay on one of the argumentative essay topics requires to be well armed with strong and convincing arguments concernin

18、g one of the chosen topics for a argumentation essay. Your personal position and insight should of course be the basis of your work, but the main point is that your personal views have to be supported by founded arguments, reasons, proofs and evidences and proceed from the factual information.Hence,

19、 your work should bristle with clearly-cut and legible arguments to look like a real argumentative essay. The arguments are the facts or statements which will support your position.Be always ready for the opposition to your opinion. Try to speculate on this in advance and to develop the opposition v

20、iews in your work.To make the process of writing your essay on one of the argument essay topics easier you can imagine yourself being a solicitor, whose duty is to defend an innocently accused person. You should make your speech to the jury so argumentative, well-reasoned and supported by the conspi

21、cuous evidences and restatements of the mans innocence in order to prove mans non-participation in the case he is accused of. Wearing solicitors shoes will help you to develop a strong argumentative body of your work.Dont hesitate to start, as you are sure-fire to find some interesting, catching poi

22、nt in the list of argumentive essay topics stated below. Get acquainted with these topics for a argumentation essay and sort out those argumentative essay topics that best suit your needs.List of Argument Essay Topics Should we do more to deal with the problem of domestic violence, or is the problem

23、 exaggerated? We are becoming overwhelmingly dependent on computers. Is this dependence on computers a good thing or should we be more suspicious of their benefits? Is there too much of commercialism in the Internet? Technology makes communication easier in todays world. Many people choose to work a

24、t home in front of a computer screen. What danger does the society face depending on computer screens rather than face-to-face contact as the main means of communication? Are we the prisoners of the progress? Should the animals be used for scientific research? Is it humanly? Should the cigarettes sm

25、oking be banned as heroin consumption? Should drivers of automobiles be prohibited from using cellular phones? Should restrictions be placed on the use of mobile phones in public areas like restaurants and theaters? Shall we integrate from Marketing to E-Marketing? Should the death penalty be mandat

26、ory for people that kill other people? Should the Right to Die be Considered a Right? What are two sides of the death penalty? Is it a cruel murderer or a just punishment? Can it be a deterrent to crime? Should animal experimentation be permitted? Euthanasia as a way of relieving ill peoples pain an

27、d save them from the tortures of their illness. Do we have the right to take peoples life, if after all life is the greatest charisma? Forests are the lungs of the earth. Should the rain forests destruction be prohibited? How is it possible to protect forests? Should there still be colleges and scho

28、ols just for men/boys and some just for women/girls? Should sex education be increased in schools in an attempt to curb problems such as teenage pregnancy? Considering in detail the opposing arguments presented by Plato and Nafisi, when is censorship necessary given the nature of knowledge and reali

29、ty? The 1920s was a leisurely period in history and people began spending more time playing and observing sports. Who were the major contributors to this Golden age of sports and what influence, if any, did they have on future athletes and the sports they played? Human beings do not need to eat meat

30、 in order to maintain good health because they can get all their food needs from meatless products and meatless substances. A vegetarian diet is as healthy as a diet containing meat. Argue for or against the opinion above. What do you think about vegetarians? Are they people who care for animals and

31、 want to protect them or people lacking the adequate ration? What are some of the best ways to welcome and then assimilate immigrants into American life? What are the pros and cons of each of these? Domestic workers: How these women are treated or mistreated by their employers. The problems they fac

32、e with inequality in the workplace, most of these women come from different countries and do not speak the language or know their own rights. Advertising: Information or Manipulation? To what extent has the traditional male role changed in the last 20 years? Education is an indivisible part of the p

33、rosperity of the nation. The more educated and cultured people there are in the country the more flourishing and thrifty the country is. Comment on this issue, argument your decision Should society assume more responsibility for pregnant teenagers and children they bear? The mass media, including TV

34、, radio, newspapers have a great influence on people and especially on the younger generation. It plays an important role in shaping the opinions and positions of the younger generation. Argue for or against this statement. ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAY|Printable version| DefinitionRefuting opposing arguments

35、OrganizationLanguageSupporting our ideasSample argumentative essayDefinition: In this kind of essay, we not only give information but also present an argument with the PROS (supporting ideas) and CONS (opposing ideas) of an argumentative issue. We should clearly take our stand and write as if we are

36、 trying to persuade an opposing audience to adopt new beliefs or behavior. The primary objective is to persuade people to change beliefs that many of them do not want to change. Choosing an argumentative topic is not an easy task. The topic should be such that it should be narrowed down X Marijuana

37、should be considered illegal. (Not a good topic because it is too general. In some medical cases, marijuana is prescribed by the doctors and the patients are encouraged to use it in case of suffering from too much pain) Selling and using marijuana in public places should be considered illegal. it sh

38、ould contain an argument X We should decide whether we want a bicycle or a car. (our stand is not clear: do we support having bicycles or cars?) If we are under the age of 30 and want a healthy life, we should definitely get a bicycle instead of a car.X Are you one of those who thinks cheating is no

39、t good for students? (a question cannot be an argument) Cheating helps students learn.X Considering its geological position, Turkey has an important geopolitical role in the EU. (facts cannot be arguments) Considering its geopolitical role, we can clearly say that the EU cannot be without Turkey. it

40、 should be a topic that can be adequately supported (with statistics, outside source citations, etc.) X I feel that writing an argumentative essay is definitely a challenging task. (feelings cannot be supported; we cannot persuade other people)If you believe that you can find enough evidence to supp

41、ort your idea and refute others effectively, you can choose challenging topics as well. You can enjoy writing about such topics:Cheating is beneficial for students.Murat 124 is a very good choice for conscientious drivers.Stress is good for the human body.Polygamy is quite natural.For women, there i

42、s no need for men.Organization: All argumentative topics have PROs and CONs. Before starting writing, it is imperative to make a list of these ideas and choose the most suitable ones among them for supporting and refuting.There are three possible organization patterns:Pattern 1: Thesis statement:PRO

43、 idea 1PRO idea 2CON(s) + Refutation(s)ConclusionPattern 2:Thesis statement:CON(s) + Refutation(s)PRO idea 1PRO idea 2ConclusionPattern 3:Thesis statement:CON idea 1 -RefutationCON idea 2-RefutationCON idea 3-RefutationConclusionThe sample essay has been written according to the third pattern.Thesis

44、: Do Reiki instead of taking medicine.Counter argumentsRefutation1.People should trust medicine since it is effective and scientifically proven.-Reiki is also scientifically proven and does not have side effects. (refutation method: insufficient claim)2.Serious illnesses such as HIV/AIDS and cancer

45、cannot be treated without medicine.-Medicine also cannot treat serious illnesses if not diagnosed at an early stage. (refutation method: opponents are partially correct)3.Reiki, like alternative healing methods, requires a lot of time.-Reiki requires less time if done regularly. (refutation method:

46、opponents are completely wrong)Supporting our ideas: This is the most important part when persuading others. We are asking some people to change their beliefs or actions. We should be supporting our ideas with such facts, statistics and/or authorities that there should not be room for any doubts. He

47、re are some faulty supports we should avoid:Thesis: Leaving the university and starting to work is good for the adolescent because Feelings, emotional arguments ( it makes one feel much better.) Irrelevant examples (wandering off the topic) ( he would then be able to take his girlfriend to expensive

48、 restaurants.) Oversimplification ( only then would he understand what it means to be an adult.) Hasty generalizations (. it is a widely known fact that all adolescents look forward to earning money.) Unreliable, even false outside sources ( according to , 80% of working men wish they

49、 quit school when they were at university and started working at an earlier age.) For more mistakes in the logic of arguments, see Fallacies.Refuting opposing arguments: Before we start saying that the opponents are wrong, we should specify their opposing ideas. Otherwise, it would be like hitting t

50、he other person with eyes closed. We should see clearly what we are hitting and be prepared beforehand so that he cannot hit us back. We can do this by knowing what we are refuting.e.g. X Some people may say that adolescents should not leave university education; however, they are wrong. (what they

51、say is not wrong. Maybe their supporting idea is wrong /irrelevant /insufficient. We should state their supporting idea specifically to be able to refute it.) Some people may say that adolescents should not leave university education because they are not physically and psychologically mature enough

52、to cope with the problems of the real world. However, they forget one fact: adolescents can vote or start driving at the age of 18 (in some countries even before that age!), which proves that they are considered physically and psychologically mature at that age. Language: Signposts gain importance i

53、n the argumentative essay. They enable the readers to follow our arguments easily.When pointing out opposing arguments (CONs):Opponents of this idea claim / maintain that Those who disagree / are against these ideas may say / assert that Some people may disagree with this idea.When stating specifica

54、lly why they think like that:The put forward this idea because They claim that since Reaching the turning point:However,butOn the other hand,When refuting the opposing idea, we may use the following strategies: compromise but prove that their argument is not powerful enough: They have a point in thi

55、nking like that.To a certain extent they are right. completely disagree: After seeing this evidence, there is no way we can agree with what they say. say that their argument is irrelevant to the topic: What we are discussing here is not what they are trying to prove. Their argument is irrelevant.Sam

56、ple argumentative essay:HEALTH AND HEALING AT YOUR FINGERTIPSThrow out the bottles and boxes of drugs in your house. A new theory suggests that medicine could be bad for your health, which should at least come as good news to people who cannot afford to buy expensive medicine. However, it is a blow

57、to the medicine industry, and an even bigger blow to our confidence in the progress of science. This new theory argues that healing is at our fingertips: we can be healthy by doing Reiki on a regular basis.Supporters of medical treatment argue that medicine should be trusted since it is effective an

58、d scientifically proven. They say that there is no need for spiritual methods such as Reiki, Yoga, Tai Chi. These waste our time, something which is quite precious in our material world. There is medicine that can kill our pain, x-rays that show us our fractured bones or MRI that scans our brain for tumo