Reading an Argumentative Essay

On Necessity, Practicality and Beneficiality (Wyson “English for Academic and Professional Purposes”
122)

 Necessity – evaluates whether the position one is taking really necessary to defend.
 Practicality – considers whether the proposed motions or solutions are cost-effective and
feasible
 Beneficiality – emphasizes whether or not if the general public can benefit from the solutions.

Elements of An Argumentative Essay (“The Argument Essay”. Aims Community College

https://www.aims.edu/student/online-writing-lab/understanding-writing/argument.php)

 Create a firm debatable thesis – the reader should know what exactly the argument is.
 Provide necessary background information – needed early in the essay to understand the
argument.
 Focus on the organization and transition – this is most important as argumentative essays
involve multiple arguments and evidence to prove the argument.
 Perform through research – this is to ensure that the essay itself is credible in providing the
evidence.
 Incorporate logos, pathos and ethos – the three foundations of an argument.
 (DO NOT INCLUDE IN PPT!) – Logos is the use of logic and appears throughout the essay. Pathos
is the use of emotion to involve the reader and to persuade them. Ethos is the use of proof and
credibility to further convince the readers.

General Parts of an Argumentative Essay (Innocenti, 2018, https://www.quora.com/There-are-three-

parts-to-an-argumentative-essay-What-are-they)

 Introduction – includes the thesis statement and contains a concise explanation of your essay.
 Body – the main part of the essay and contains the arguments presented as well as the
evidence.
 Conclusion – the synthesis of the arguments presented and a reformation of the thesis
statement.

Specific Parts of an Argumentative Essay (Based on the BOOK Example) (Wyson “English for Academic
and Professional Purposes” 122-125)

 Title – communicates the author’s stand

 First Paragraph – presents the topic itself and discusses the background of the argument
 Second Paragraph – critiques the flaws in the topic
 Third and Fourth Paragraph – presents the motion being addressed by the author and invokes
evidences for said motion
 Fifth and Sixth Paragraph – anticipates, explains and refutes any possible counter-arguments
 Seventh Paragraph – begins the argument on the grounds of necessity and practicality
 Eighth and Ninth Paragraph – begins argument on the ground of beneficiality
 Tenth Paragraph – presents a major argument
 Eleventh and Twelfth Paragraphs – synthesizes the arguments
 Bibliography – cites the sources used