Argumentative essay

ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAY

Definition

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 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.

THESIS STATEMENT

it should be narrowed down
EX: - Marijuana should be considered illegal.
-√ Selling and using marijuana in public
places should be considered illegal.

it should be a topic that can be
adequately supported (with statistics,
outside source citations, etc.)
EX: I feel that writing an argumentative essay is
definitely a challenging task. (feelings cannot

be supported; we cannot persuade other
people)


it should contain an argument
EX: - We should decide whether we want
a bicycle or a car.
√-> If we are under the age of 30 and
want a healthy life, we should definitely
get a bicycle instead of a car.


- Are you one of those who
thinks cheating is not good for
students? (QUESTION)
-> Cheating helps students
learn.

- Considering its geological
position, Turkey has an
important geopolitical role in
the EU. (FACT)
-> Considering its geopolitical
role, we can clearly say that the
EU cannot be without Turkey.

ORGANIZATION

Pattern 1:
Thesis statement:

PRO idea 1 : showing arguments and/or
reasons to support your opinion
PRO idea 2 : showing arguments and/or
reasons to support your opinion
CON(s) + Refutation(s)
Conclusion

Pattern 2:
Thesis statement:
CON(s) + Refutation(s)
CON(s) + Refutation(s)
PRO idea 1 : showing arguments and/or
reasons to support your opinion
Conclusion


Pattern 3:
Thesis statement:
CON idea 1 + Refutation
CON idea 2 + Refutation
CON idea 3 + Refutation
Conclusion


Pattern 4:
Thesis statement:
PRO idea 1: showing arguments and/or
reasons to support your opinion
PRO idea 2 : showing arguments and/or
reasons to support your opinion

PRO idea 3: showing arguments and/or
reasons to support your opinion
Conclusion

Example Essay
TEENAGERS AND JOBS
“The pressure for a teenager to work is great, and
not just because of the economic plight in the world
today. Much of it is peer pressure to have a little bit of
freedom and independence and to have their own
spending money. The concern we have is when the
part-time work becomes the primary focus.” These are
the words of Roxanne Bradshaw, educator and officer
of the National Education Association. Many people
argue that working can be a valuable experience for
the young. However, working more than about fifteen
hours a week is harmful to adolescents because it
reduces their involvement with school, encourages a
materialistic and expensive lifestyle and increases the
chance of having problems with drugs and alcohol.

Schoolwork and the benefits of extracurricular
activities tend to go by the wayside when adolescents
work long hours. As more and more teens have filled
the numerous part-time jobs offered by fast-food
restaurants and malls, teachers have faced increasing
difficulties. They must both keep the attention of
tired pupils and give homework to students who
simply do not have time to do it. In addition,
educators have noticed less involvement in the

extracurricular activities that many consider a
healthy influence on young people. School bands and
athletic teams are losing players to work and sports
events are poorly attended by working students.
Those teens who try to do it all for examples
homework, extracurricular activities and work may
find themselves exhausted and prone to illness. A
recent newspaper story, for example, described a girl
in Pennsylvania who came down with mononucleosis
as a result of aiming for good grades, playing on two
school athletic teams and working thirty hours a
week.

Another drawback of too much work is that it may
promote materialism and an unrealistic lifestyle. Some
parents claim that working helps teach adolescents the
value of dollar. Undoubtedly that can be true. It is also
true that some teens work to help out with the family
budget or to save for college. However, surveys have
shown that the majority of working teens use their
earnings to buy luxuries such as video game systems,
CD players and disks, clothing and even cars. These
young people, some of whom earn $400 or more a
month, do not worry about spending wisely as because
they can just about have it all. In many cases, experts
point out; they are becoming accustomed to a lifestyle
they would not be able to afford several years down the
road, when they no longer have parents paying for car
insurance, food, lodging and so on. At that point they
will be hard-pressed to pay for necessities as well as

luxuries.

Finally, teenagers who work a lot are
more likely than others to get involved with
alcohol and drugs. Teens who put in long
hours may seek a quick release from stress,
just like the adults who need to drink a
couple of martinis after a hard day at work.
Stress is probably greater in our society
today than it has been at any time in the
past. Also, teens that have money are more
likely to get involved with drugs.

Teenagers can enjoy the benefits of
work while avoiding its drawbacks,
simply by limiting their work hours
during the school year. As is often the
case a moderate approach will be the
most healthy and rewarding.

Example
Topic : “Is grading harmful to
students?”
Three pieces of evidence for us to say …
1. Grading creates competition between
students, which prioritizes "winning" over
learning.
2. Low grades become equated with a sense
of failure, which can diminish the
motivation of involved students.

3. Students focus primarily on the
assignment's grade instead of comments
made by the teacher comments which
are important in the student's continuing
educational growth.
Which pattern do we use to write this essay?

Topic: What do you think about the opinion
that “
the best place for children is always in
their homes with their own parents
”?
Three pieces of evidence for us to say…
1: Parents and children need to spend some time
apart.
2: Childcare centers may actually assist children in
their early learning.
3: We need to free parents from childcare so that they
can contribute to national economy

Conclusion: The solution is implied: “
the
government should support for childcare
services
.”
Which pattern do we use to write this essay?

Some
faulty
supports

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 restaurants.)

Refuting opposing arguments

Before we start saying that the opponents are
wrong, we should
specify
their opposing ideas.
EX: Compare these two statements:
1 - Some people may say that adolescents
should not leave university education; however,
they are wrong.
2 - Some people may say that adolescents
should not leave university education because
they are not physically and psychologically
mature enough 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.

strategies of refuting the opposing
idea

compromise
but prove that their
argument is not powerful enough:
EX: They have a point in thinking like that.
To a certain extent they are right.

completely
disagree
:
EX: After seeing this evidence, there is no way we can
agree with what they say.

say that their argument is
irrelevant
to
the topic:
EX: What we are discussing here is not what they are
trying to prove.
Their argument is irrelevant.


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 www.doubtme.com,
80% of working men wish they quit
school when they were at university and
started working at an earlier age.)

SAMPLE:

Body



Language skills

identifying a debatable statement

Sentence structures to form a counter-
argument

listing ideas

switching on a contrastive idea

exemplifying

showing you are aware of both sides
of the issue


concluding an argumentative
sequence