How to Write and Revise an Argument Essay

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The Argument Essay Structure

The structure of the argument essay is below. Master it and you will do well in academia.

Paragraph 1: introduction

Opening: Begin the essay with a provocative, thought-provoking question. You could begin, for example, with “Did you know that…?”
Context: Establish the importance of the topic. Use phrases like these: a vital factor in, the leading cause of, widely considered to be, set to become, undergoing a revolution, is responsible for.
Thesis: Include a debatable thesis about one of these areas of controversy: abortion, climate change, animal rights, body image, feminism, immigration, internet censorship.

Paragraph 2: first supporting argument

Topic sentence: Begin the paragraph with a topic sentence that summarizes the main idea of the paragraph and includes the first of the two topics in your thesis sentence.
Argue: Refer to facts, statistics, logic, what is reasonable, what follows from the evidence, and conclusions one can draw.
Evidence: Give evidence from your reading and research using these types of words: according to, to quote from, tells us that, shows us that, referring to, argues that, stated, wrote, argued, discussed, expressed the concern that, as written. Use these quotation marks: “…”
Cite sources: Properly cite quoted text using the person’s family name in parentheses (Einstein).
Support: Give examples to support your claims using words and phrases such as these: for example, for instance, suppose that, take the case of, that is, to be exact, to explain, to illustrate, to put another way, to show what I mean.

Paragraph 3: second supporting argument

Topic sentence: Begin the paragraph with a topic sentence that summarizes the main idea of the paragraph and includes the second of the two topics in your thesis sentence.
Argue: Refer to facts, statistics, logic, what is reasonable, what follows from the evidence, and conclusions you can draw.
Evidence: Give evidence from your reading and research using these types of words: according to, to quote from, tells us that, shows us that, referring to, argues that, stated, wrote, argued, discussed, expressed the concern that, as written. Use these quotation marks: “…”
Cite sources: Properly cite quoted text using the person’s family name in parentheses (Einstein).
Support: Give examples to support your claims using words and phrases such as these: for example, for instance, suppose that, take the case of, that is, to be exact, to explain, to illustrate, to put another way, to show what I mean.

Paragraph 4: counterargument

Topic sentence: Summarize an opposing view with words like these: some people claim, some believe, others believe, some people object to, try to refute, discount, reject, it is often argued that, the opposing side will claim.
Concede: Show which parts of the counterargument have merit with words like these: concede that, granted, indeed, it is true that, while it is true that, naturally, to be sure, admittedly, one cannot deny that
Refute: Refute the counterargument using words like these: nonetheless, nevertheless, regardless, whereas, although, and yet, in contrast, by contrast, despite, there is countervailing evidence, that said, however

Paragraph 5: conclusion

Reformulation of the thesis: Restate the thesis in different words from the introduction.
Build cohesion: Use expressions such as To sum up, To conclude, In closing, or For these reasons.
Recommendation: Make a recommendation. Use one expression such as suggest, encourage, recommend, propose, what needs to be done.
Prediction: Make a prediction. What will happen if the reader follows your recommendation? Use one expression such as should, ought to, will, or going to, predict, we can expect, I foresee, or it is likely that.

Works Cited section

Heading: Identify this section of your essay with the heading, “Works Cited”
List: Include at least 3 sources properly formatted, each on its own line.