Scribd
Upload
74 views15 pages

Argumentative Writing: English For Academic Purposes Session 7

This document provides guidance on argumentative writing. It explains that argumentative writing must demonstrate precision in arguments, be grounded in evidence, and have clear and concise prose. It outlines the typical components of an argumentative essay, including an introduction with a thesis, body paragraphs with topics sentences and evidence to support the thesis, and a conclusion. It also provides examples and explanations of different types of hooks that can be used to engage readers in the introduction, such as questions, quotes, statistics, and anecdotes.

Uploaded by

Dulara Rajapaskha
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
74 views15 pages

Argumentative Writing: English For Academic Purposes Session 7

This document provides guidance on argumentative writing. It explains that argumentative writing must demonstrate precision in arguments, be grounded in evidence, and have clear and concise prose. It outlines the typical components of an argumentative essay, including an introduction with a thesis, body paragraphs with topics sentences and evidence to support the thesis, and a conclusion. It also provides examples and explanations of different types of hooks that can be used to engage readers in the introduction, such as questions, quotes, statistics, and anecdotes.

Uploaded by

Dulara Rajapaskha
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 15

Argumentative Writing

English for Academic Purposes


Session 7
What does argumentative writing entail?

Good argumentative writing depends on three


specific qualities:
1. precision in argument and use of terms
2. grounding in evidence
3. clarity and concision in prose
In other words…
• It begins with a statement of your assertion, its
timeliness, significance, and relevance in relation to
some phenomenon.
• It reviews critically the literature about that
phenomenon.
• It illustrates how your assertion is "better" (simpler
or more explanatory) than others, including
improved (i.e., more reliable or valid) methods that
you used to accumulate the data (case) to be
explained.
The components
0. TITLE
1. INTRODUCTION: explain the thesis (be precise but do
not present evidence yet)
2. BODY:
Paragraph #1 Topic sentence (main argument of the
paragraph) Specific examples to support the topic
sentence
Paragraph #2, and so on Same as Paragraph #1
3. CONCLUSION: quick summary of thesis; then muse on
implications of the thesis
The Title
A brief and catchy summation of your essay’s
argument.
The First Paragraph: The Introduction
• Start with an opening hook to catch your readers’ interest
• pose a puzzle or question that your essay will then resolve
• keep it brief
• make sure that your opening hook provides a bridge to your
thesis statement.
• avoid general statements that make sweeping and
unsupportable claims
• Avoid empty “warm up” sentence
• The thesis statement - one or two sentences long, and it should
at minimum present your thesis to readers. Ideally, you can also
briefly explain your main reasons behind the thesis.
The Hook
A hook is an opening statement (which is usually the
first sentence) in an essay that attempts to grab the
reader’s attention so that they want to read on.
It can be done by using a few different types of
hooks, which are;
• a question,
• quote,
• statistic,
• or anecdote.
• Question Hook
A question hook is when you ask the reader something that they
can visualize and try to think of in their own minds. Then, the
writer answers the question.

Example
Have you ever watched the high-flying, jump shooting, slam
dunking, ankle breaking players that play in the NBA? Every time
a game is on television and the thrill of the game is witnessed, it
is inevitable that you crave to watch another one.
• Quotation Hook
A quotation hook is when a quote is used and explained that has relevance to
the topic at hand. Make sure this quote comes from a credible source. Also, talk
about the quote’s meaning afterwards to ensure that the reader isn’t confused.

• Example
“Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it
happen” said Michael Jordan, arguably the best player to ever play in the NBA.
Here, Jordan talks about how people want, dream, wish, and pray that they will
one day make it to the big stage. These are usually the people that never make
it. It is only when these dreamers and wishers take matters into their own hands
and strive to be the best that they actually get to play professional basketball in
the NBA.
• Statistic Hook
A statistic hook can be used for more informational pieces of writing. The writer
uses a quote from a source that relates to the main idea of the paper, but the
quote must have some type of statistics, such as numbers, decimals, or and/or
percentages. The meaning and relationship of the quote to the paper needs to
be explained afterwards just in case the reader does not quite understand

Example
• “Just 0.00545 percent of the 550,000 boys playing high school basketball each
year in the United States become a first-round draft pick — 1 in 18,333” stated
Jeff Rabjohns, a writer for The Indianapolis Star, in an article titled “Prep
players face long odds of making it to NBA.” Basically, only a few high school
players will make it to the NBA. Even though there are many that strive, play,
train, practice, and fight to be great, a huge majority of them do not make it.
• Anecdotal Hook
When a writer uses a short story to relate to the topic and gain the reader’s attention, they are
using an anecdote. This story can be a short, personal story or one that is a figment of your
imagination. Make sure that it relates to the main idea of the paper. Show the relevance that it
has to the topic of the paper.

Example
• When I was in high school, I remember playing in an AAU basketball league. We had to travel to
downtown Philadelphia on the weekends for basketball practice. Each and every time we had
basketball practice (which was at 8 a.m.), there was a boy around my age in the gym by the
time we arrived. He was always covered in sweat, throwing up shots, practicing his layups,
practicing his dribbling, and running laps around the gym. He was in such great shape. One day,
I mustered up the courage to ask his about his ambitions, and he told me that he gets up at 5:30
a.m. to go to the gym and practice hard until my team comes in for practice. A few years later,
this guy was entering the NBA draft from high school. When I saw him get drafted by the
Philadelphia 76ers, I knew exactly why. All that hard work had paid off for him. This is the hard
work ethics and mindset that everyone that wants to make it to the NBA should have.
The Body
• Each paragraph in the body of the essay should
start with a topic sentence
• The topic sentence should announce the
argument of the paragraph and make clear how
the paragraph’s evidence will support the essay’s
overall argument
• present and explain evidence that will support
the topic sentence
• Each paragraph should develop one distinct idea
The Last Paragraph: The Conclusion
• provide a simple summary of your main
argument
• raise broader ideas that flow from your
argument and evidence
• Draw interesting parallels to another time,
place, or issue
Let’s Write!

• Women/Men make better presidents.

• Technology is making people less/more


creative.
• What one invention would you uninvent if you
could, and why?
• Tell us about an unjust law, written or
unwritten, that you believe should be broken

You might also like

pFad - Phonifier reborn

Pfad - The Proxy pFad of © 2024 Garber Painting. All rights reserved.

Note: This service is not intended for secure transactions such as banking, social media, email, or purchasing. Use at your own risk. We assume no liability whatsoever for broken pages.


Alternative Proxies:

Alternative Proxy

pFad Proxy

pFad v3 Proxy

pFad v4 Proxy