Argumentative Text

Characteristics and Structures

Types of Argumentative Text Examples
● Opinion
● Essay
● Newspaper Opinion Editorial (OpEd)
● Advertisement
● Speech
● Complaint
● Persuasive Letter
● Movie/Book Review
 Argumentative Characteristics
● Claim
● Details/Evidence
● Facts
● Examples
● Text Structure
● Text Features
● Persuasive Language
● Author’s Purpose
 Author’s viewpoint
When authors write, they let their
opinions be known to their readers by
the words they use. You can find clues
in these words that will help you decide
what the author believes.
Author’s
Purpose:
 Inference
Making guess based on clues

Text clues+background Clues: child, at the beach, near the

knowledge=Inference shore, reaching for something, shells and
debris on the beach

Background: when I go to the beach I

search for seashells near the shore

Inference: The young girl is searching for

seashells at the beach.
 Claim

A statement used as a primary point to

support or prove an argument is called a
claim. Different reasons are usually presented
to prove why a certain point should be
accepted as logical. Facts are often used in persuasive writing
because if someone is an expert or knows a
lot of facts their claim tends to be believable.
 Look for the argumentative
characteristics in the following
examples.
 "Up" is a wonderful film, with characters
who are as believable as any characters
can be who spend much of their time
floating above the rain forests of
Venezuela. They have tempers, problems
and obsessions. They are cute and goofy,
but they aren't cute in the treacly way of
little cartoon animals. They're cute in the
Use the checklist to determine if the human way of the animation master
author supports his claim. Hayao Miyazaki. Two of the three central
characters are cranky old men, which is a
❏ Claim wonder in this youth-obsessed era. "Up"
❏ Details/evidence doesn't think all heroes must be young or
❏ Facts
sweet, although the third important
❏ Opinions
❏ Examples character is a nervy kid.
❏ Persuasive Language
Roger Ebert
❏ Author’s purpose
Movie Review
 Use the checklist to determine if the
author supports his claim.

❏ Claim
❏ Details/evidence
❏ Facts
❏ Opinions
❏ Examples
❏ Persuasive Language
Advertisements ❏ Author’s purpose
 Use the checklist to
determine if the
author supports his
claim.

❏ Claim
❏ Details/evidence
❏ Facts
❏ Opinions
❏ Examples
❏ Persuasive Language
❏ Author’s purpose Complaint letter
This year the school I go to
decided that all students
would have to wear uniforms.
At first I was really upset
because I wouldn’t be able to
wear my new jeans. But once
I got to school and everyone
was dressed like me, I kind of
felt like was part of one big
family. It was also nice not
having to worry about what I
was going to wear every
morning.
Use the checklist to determine if
the author supports his claim.
❏ Claim
❏ Details/evidence
❏ Facts
❏ Opinions
❏ Examples
❏ Persuasive Language
❏ Author’s purpose
If you want to persuade
someone, always be
prepared to argue your point
by supporting your claim
with facts and examples!