The Argumentative Essay

PART 1: HOW TO WRITE A THESIS STATEMENT

THE ELEMENTSPART 1

Contents: The Elements

• The argumentative essay topic contains two elements.

• Each element is composed of a noun and an adjective.

• Next: same category

Contents: Same Category

• The two elements are nouns belong to the same class or category. The nouns are of different types.

CATEGORY: Fruits • The adjectives are different.

TYPES: Sour fruits, sweet fruits• Next: more examples of opposing

elements

Contents: Opposing Elements

• Next: appropriate level

CATEGORY ELEMENT 1 ELEMENT 2

FRUITS SOUR FRUITS SWEET FRUITS

LANGUAGE HTML LANGUAGE SQL LANGUAGE

FASHION HIGH FASHION LOW FASHION

SYSTEM DOWRY SYSTEM NON-DOWRY SYSTEM

LAUNDRY MACHINE LAUNDRY HAND-WASHED LAUNDRY

WEBSITE FACEBOOK GOOGLE

CLOTHING TRADITIONAL MODERN

CLOTHING UNIFORM CASUAL

EDUCATION IN HOME COUNTRY IN FOREIGN COUNTRY

CARS LUXURY CARS LOW-COST CARS

Contents: Appropriate Level

• Next: information from the writer

CATEGORY ELEMENT 1 ELEMENT 2

FRUITS SOUR FRUITS SWEET FRUITS

LANGUAGE HTML LANGUAGE SQL LANGUAGE

FASHION HIGH FASHION LOW FASHION

SYSTEM DOWRY SYSTEM NON-DOWRY SYSTEM

LAUNDRY MACHINE LAUNDRY HAND-WASHED LAUNDRY

WEBSITE FACEBOOK GOOGLE

CLOTHING TRADITIONAL MODERN

CLOTHING UNIFORM CASUAL

EDUCATION IN HOME COUNTRY IN FOREIGN COUNTRY

• The topic can be a university-level essay

THE TOPIC ORIGINALITYPART 1

Contents: Originates from Writer• One requirement of this essay is

originality.• The origin of information should be the

personal experience of the writer. • Information that comes from books,

websites, magazines, etc. are not original.

• Next: information from another person

Contents: Originates from Another• Original information can be the personal

experiences of someone that the writer directly talks to.

• If this person gives information that comes from other sources, that is not firsthand but second-hand information.

• Second-hand information is not original.• Next: ease of writing

Borrowed Information• Out of the 650 words you will write, at

least 90% should be original information.• When you borrow information, citation

using the APA style is required.• This will be taught in another lesson.• Borrowing information without proper

citation is a punishable crime called plagiarism.

• Next: Elements 1 and 2

RELEVANCE TO THE FINAL EXAMPART 1

Contents: Ease of Writing• Select a topic that is easy for you to

write.• You should be able to write up to 650

words of original information.• You should be able to write this without

borrowing ideas from books, magazines, websites, etc.

• Next: borrowed information

THE TOPIC TWO ELEMENTSPART 1

Elements 1 and 2• Argumentative essay is a balanced and

fair debate about which element is better.

• You choose the element that wins the debate at the end of the essay.

• This is Element 1.• The other is called Element 2.• Next: Balance

BALANCE

• The argumentative essay is a fair debate.• Each element must have equally strong

positive and negative aspects. • When one aspect is stronger than the

other, the debate is not balanced. • This means that the topic is not

appropriate for an argumentative essay.• Next: balance

Step 1: Planning Chart

• Next: balanced aspects

Topic Element 1: Element 2:

Aspect 1:

Strongest Support:

Aspect 2:

Strongest Support:

Aspect 3 (End-win)

• Create a chart.

Step 2: Elements and Aspects

• Next: polarity

TOPIC Element 1: HIGH FASHION

Element 2:LOW FASHION

Aspect 1: PRICING

Strongest Support: BETTER PRICED

Aspect 2: POPULARITY

Strongest Support: MORE POPULAR

Aspect 3 (End-win)

• Input two elements and two aspects.

Step 3: Polarity

• Next: positive claims

TOPIC Element 1: HIGH FASHION

Element 2:LOW FASHION

Aspect 1: PRICING

- +

Strongest Support:

Aspect 2: POPULARITY

+ -

Strongest Support:

Aspect 3 (End-win)

• Balance is achieved by opposite polarities.

Step 4: Positive Claims

• Next: say how or why

TOPIC Element 1: HIGH FASHION

Element 2:LOW FASHION

Aspect 1: PRICING - + better priced

Strongest Support: BETTER PRICED

Aspect 2: POPULARITY

+ more popular -

Strongest Support: MORE POPULAR

Aspect 3 (End-win)

• POSITIVE CLAIM: the strongest reason in favor (that supports) of an element

Step 5: Say How or Why

• Next: negative claims

TOPIC Element 1: HIGH FASHION

Element 2:LOW FASHION

Aspect 1: PRICING - + better priced

Strongest Support: BETTER PRICED

because of mass production

Aspect 2: POPULARITY

+ more popular -

Strongest Support: MORE POPULAR

because of effective advertising

Aspect 3 (End-win)HIGHEST SALES

1: more consumers will prefer high-quality clothes2: more consumers will prefer affordable clothes

• Input the reason for the positive claim.

Step 4: Negative Claims

• Next: say how or why

TOPIC Element 1: HIGH FASHION

Element 2:LOW FASHION

Aspect 1: PRICING - high price +

Strongest Support: BETTER PRICED

Aspect 2: POPULARITY

+ - low quality

Strongest Support: MORE POPULAR

Aspect 3 (End-win)HIGHEST SALES

• NEGATIVE CLAIM: the strongest reason against an element

Step 5: Say How or Why

• Next: support information

TOPIC Element 1: HIGH FASHION

Element 2:LOW FASHION

Aspect 1: PRICING - high price + better priced

Strongest Support: BETTER PRICED

because of materials and slow production

because of mass production

Aspect 2: POPULARITY

+ more popular - low quality

Strongest Support: MORE POPULAR

because of effective advertising

because of high volume and fast production

Aspect 3 (End-win)HIGHEST SALES

1: more consumers will prefer high-quality clothes2: more consumers will prefer affordable clothes

• Input the reason for the positive claim.

Support Information

• You should have enough primary information to support each claim and each refutation.

• Support information can be – Details = specifics– Explanations = say how or why– Examples = paint pictures

• Next: the antithesis

Step 6: The Antithesis

• Next: the antithesis

TOPIC Element 1: HIGH FASHION

Element 2:LOW FASHION

Aspect 1: PRICING - high price + better priced

Strongest Support: BETTER PRICED

because of materials and slow production

because of mass production

Aspect 2: POPULARITY + more popular - low quality

Strongest Support: MORE POPULAR

because of effective advertising

because of high volume and fast production

Aspect 3 (End-win)HIGHEST SALES

1: more consumers will prefer high-quality clothes2: more consumers will prefer affordable clothes

• The antithesis is the positive claim of Element 2.

Write the Antithesis

• Element 2 + claimed aspect + comparison + Element 1 + how/why + full-stop

Low fashion is better priced than high fashion because of mass production.

• Next: tentative language

Use Tentative Language• Change is or are to– seem to be (nonphysical information )– appear to be (physical information)

• Which one is correct?

1. Low fashion seems to be better priced than high fashion.

2. Low fashion appears to be better priced than high fashion.

• Next: the thesis

Step 6: The Thesis

• Next: write the thesis

TOPIC Element 1: HIGH FASHION

Element 2:LOW FASHION

Aspect 1: PRICING - high price + better priced

Strongest Support: BETTER PRICED

because of materials and slow production

because of mass production

Aspect 2: POPULARITY

+ more popular - low quality

Strongest Support: MORE POPULAR

because of effective advertising

because of high volume and fast production

Aspect 3 (End-win)HIGHEST SALES

1: more consumers will prefer high-quality clothes2: more consumers will prefer affordable clothes

• The thesis is the positive claim of Element 2.

Write the Thesis

• Element 1 + claimed aspect + comparison + Element 2 + how/why + full stop

High fashion is more popular than low fashion because of effective advertising.

• Next: tentative language

Tentative Language

• FACTUAL CLAIM: change is/are to seems to be, appears to be– High fashion is more popular than low

fashion– High fashion appears to be more

popular than low fashion.– High fashion seems to be more popular

than low fashion

Tentative Language

• UNPROVEN CLAIM: change is/are to can be, may be •High fashion can be more popular

than low fashion. •High fashion may be more popular

than low fashion. • Next: more examples of opposing elements

THE THESIS STATEMENTPART 1

The Thesis Statement

• The thesis statement is the complete idea of the argumentative essay.

• The thesis statement may also be called a topic sentence.

• Next: your element 1 (if you want to change it)

Element 1

• Before you write the thesis statement, choose the element that wins the debate.

• Make this your Element 1.

• Next: how to start

How to Start the Antithesis

• The thesis statement can begin with one of these:

• although = use this for a claim that needs to be proven or discussed.

• despite the fact that = use this for a claim that is a generally-accepted fact.

• Next: Example

Write the Thesis Statement (1)

• Although + Element 2 + claimed aspect + comparison + Element 1 + how/why + comma

Although low fashion is better priced than high fashion because of mass production,

• Next: tentative language

Use tentative language

Although low fashion appears to be better priced than high fashion because of mass production,

• Next: tentative language

Write the Thesis Statement (2)

• Element 1 + claimed aspect + comparison + Element 2 + how/why + full stop

High fashion is more popular than low fashion because of effective advertising.

• Next: tentative language

Put them together

Although low fashion is better priced than high fashion because of mass production, High fashion is more popular than low fashion because of effective advertising.

• Next: correct the punctuation

Correct the Punctuation

Although low fashion is better priced than high fashion because of mass production, high fashion is more popular than low fashion because of effective advertising.

• Next: remove the repetitions

Remove Redundant Ideas

Although low fashion is better priced than high fashion because of mass production, high fashion is more popular than low fashion because of effective advertising.

• Next: the thesis statement

The Complete Thesis Statement

Although low fashion is better priced because of mass production, high fashion is more popular because of effective advertising.

• Next: no colors

No Colors

Although low fashion is better priced because of mass production, high fashion is more popular because of effective advertising.

• End of Presentation