Definitional Argument Essay. For a definitional essay, you need to write an argument that a borderline or contested case fits (or does not fit) within a particular category by classifying that particular case and defining the category An argumentative essay is a type of essay that presents arguments about both sides of an issue. It could be that both sides are presented equally balanced, or it could be that one side is presented more forcefully than the other. It all depends on the writer, and what side he supports the most · An argumentative essay expresses an extended argument for a particular thesis statement. The author takes a clearly defined stance on their subject and builds up an evidence-based case for it. Argumentative essays are by far the most common type of essay to write at university
Argumentative Essay - Examples and Definition of Argumentative Essay
This handout will define what an argument is and explain why you need one in most of your academic essays. In fact, making an argument—expressing a point of view on a subject and supporting it with evidence—is often the aim of academic writing. Your instructors may assume that you know this and thus may not explain the importance of arguments in class.
Most material you argument essay meaning in college is or has been debated by someone, argument essay meaning, somewhere, at some time. Instructors may call on you to examine that interpretation and defend it, refute it, or offer some new view of your own. In writing assignments, you will almost always need to do more than just summarize information that you have gathered or regurgitate facts that have been discussed in class.
You will need to develop a point of view on or interpretation of that material and provide evidence for your position. Consider an example. For nearly years, educated people in many Western cultures believed that bloodletting—deliberately causing a sick person to lose blood—was the most effective treatment for a variety of illnesses.
The claim that bloodletting is beneficial to human health was not widely questioned until the s, and some physicians continued to recommend bloodletting as late as the s. Medical practices have now changed because some people began to doubt the effectiveness of bloodletting; these people argued against it and provided convincing evidence. Human knowledge grows out of such differences of opinion, and scholars like your instructors spend their lives engaged in debate over what claims may be counted as accurate in their fields.
In their courses, they want you to engage in similar kinds of critical thinking and debate. Argumentation is not just what your instructors do, argument essay meaning.
We all use argumentation on a daily basis, argument essay meaning, and you probably already have some argument essay meaning at crafting an argument. The more you improve your skills in this area, argument essay meaning, the better you will be at thinking critically, reasoning, making choices, and weighing evidence.
Argument essay meaning is an argument? In the majority of college papers, argument essay meaning, you will need to make some sort of claim and use evidence to support it, argument essay meaning, and your ability to do argument essay meaning well will separate your papers from those of students who see assignments as mere accumulations of fact and detail. It is time to stake out a position and prove why it is a good position for a thinking person to hold.
See our handout on thesis statements. If your papers do not have a main point, they cannot be arguing for anything. Why, then, would you want to provide them with material they already know? Instructors are usually looking for two things:. This second part can be done in many ways: you can critique the material, apply it to something else, or even just explain it in a different way. In order to succeed at this second step, though, you must have a particular point to argue.
Arguments in academic writing are usually complex and take time to develop, argument essay meaning. Do not stop with having a point. You have to back up your point with evidence.
The strength of your evidence, and your use of it, can make or break your argument. See our handout on evidence. You already have the natural inclination for this type of thinking, if not in an academic setting.
Think about how you talked your parents into letting you borrow the family car. Did you present them with lots of instances of your past trustworthiness? Did you whine until they just wanted you to shut up? These are all types of argumentation, and they exist in academia in similar forms. Every field has slightly different requirements for acceptable evidence, so familiarize yourself with some arguments from within that field instead of just applying whatever evidence you like best.
What types of argument and evidence are they using? The type of evidence that sways an English instructor may not work to convince a sociology instructor. Find out what counts as proof that argument essay meaning is true in that field.
Is it statistics, a logical development of points, something from the object being discussed art work, text, culture, or atomthe way something works, or some combination of more than one of these things? Be consistent with your evidence. You can often use more than one type of evidence within a paper, but make sure that within each section you are providing the reader with evidence appropriate to each claim.
Information about how fan support raises player morale, which then results in better argument essay meaning, would be a better follow-up. Your next section could offer clear reasons why undergraduates have as much or more right to attend an undergraduate event as wealthy alumni—but this information would not go in the same section as the fan support stuff, argument essay meaning.
You cannot convince a confused person, so keep things tidy and ordered. One way to strengthen your argument and show that you have a deep understanding of the issue you are discussing is to anticipate and address counterarguments or objections, argument essay meaning. By considering what someone who disagrees with your position might have to say about your argument, you show that you have thought things through, and you dispose of some of the reasons your audience might have for not accepting your argument.
Recall our discussion of student seating in the Dean Dome, argument essay meaning. To make the most effective argument possible, you should consider not only what students would say about seating but also what alumni who have paid a lot to get good seats might say.
Once you have thought up some counterarguments, consider how you will respond to them—will you concede that your opponent has a point but explain why your audience should nonetheless accept your argument? Will you reject the counterargument and explain why it is mistaken? Either way, you will want to leave your reader with a sense that your argument is stronger than opposing arguments. When you are summarizing opposing arguments, be charitable.
Present each argument fairly and objectively, rather than trying to make it look foolish. You want to show that you have considered the many sides of the issue. It is argument essay meaning better to consider one or two serious counterarguments in some depth, rather than to give a long but superficial list of many different counterarguments and replies. Be sure that your reply is consistent with your original argument, argument essay meaning. If considering a counterargument changes your position, you will need to go back and revise your original argument accordingly.
Audience is a very important consideration in argument. Take a look at our handout on audience. A lifetime of dealing with your family members has helped you figure out which arguments work best to persuade each of them.
Maybe whining works with one parent, but the other will only accept cold, hard statistics. Your kid brother may listen only to the sound of money in his palm.
At the same time, argument essay meaning, do not think of your audience as capable of reading your mind. You have to come out and state both your claim and your evidence clearly, argument essay meaning.
Critical reading is a big part of understanding argument. Although some of the material you read will be very persuasive, argument essay meaning, do not fall under the spell of the printed word as authority.
Very few of your instructors think of the texts they assign as argument essay meaning last word on the subject. Remember that argument essay meaning author of every text has an agenda, something that he or she wants you to believe.
For more information on objectivity and bias and on reading sources carefully, read our handouts on evaluating print sources and reading to write. Take argument essay meaning either in the margins of your source if you are using a photocopy or your own book or on a separate sheet as you read.
Put away that highlighter! Simply highlighting a text is good for memorizing the main ideas in that text—it does not encourage critical reading.
Then you can stop thinking of these ideas as facts and start thinking of them as arguments. Does the author adequately defend her argument? What kind of proof does she use? Is argument essay meaning something she leaves out that you would put in? Does putting it in hurt her argument? As you get used to reading critically, you will start to see the sometimes hidden agendas of other writers, argument essay meaning, and you can use this skill to improve your own ability to craft effective arguments.
We consulted these works while writing this handout. Please do not use this list as a model for the format of your own reference list, as it may not match the citation style you argument essay meaning using. For guidance on formatting citations, please see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial. We revise these tips periodically and welcome feedback.
Anson, Chris M. The Longman Handbook for Writers and Readers6th ed. New York: Longman. Booth, Wayne C. Colomb, Joseph M. Williams, Joseph Bizup, and William T. The Craft of Research4th ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Ede, Lisa. Work in Progress: A Guide to Academic Writing and Revising6th ed. Gage, John T. The Shape of Reason: Argumentative Writing in College4th ed. Lunsford, Andrea A. Rosen, Leonard J.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4. You may reproduce it for non-commercial use if you use the entire handout and attribute the source: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina argument essay meaning Chapel Hill.
What is Argumentative Essay and How to Write it Tutorial Urdu/Hindi
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· An argumentative essay expresses an extended argument for a particular thesis statement. The author takes a clearly defined stance on their subject and builds up an evidence-based case for it. Argumentative essays are by far the most common type of essay to write at university In essay writing, argument means a viewpoint or a claim that forms the central idea of your essay. Also, the name signifies the use of proper analysis of both sides of an issue to determine the ultimate truth. Argumentative essays help the students express their opinion on Definitional Argument Essay. For a definitional essay, you need to write an argument that a borderline or contested case fits (or does not fit) within a particular category by classifying that particular case and defining the category
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