Janene van Loon, Arnoud Thüss, Nicole Schmidt and Kevin Haines - Academic Writing in English

1.7 Academic papers: the argumentative essay

15 to comprise 16 to consist of 17 to generate 18 to give rise to 19 to pose 20 to resolve

8 owing to 9 phase 10 preceding 11 step

1 analogy 2 characteristic 3 component 4 distinction

12 successive 13 to allocate 14 to bring about

5 feature 6 former 7 latter

TASK 11a Read the following topics and choose one that you would like to explore fur ther. Then write down at least three words from the list above that you think could be used to introduce the topic you have chosen. 1 A description of your study programme 2 An explanation of the most urgent social problem in your native country 3 A description of the political structure of a government of your choice 4 An explanation of a hobby that you enjoy

TASK 11b Write an expository paragraph on one of the topics from the previous Task, making use of the words you chose from the list above.

1.7

Academic papers: the argumentative essay

The primary objective of the writer of an argumentative essay is to show the reader that they have a valid argument, allowing the reader either to adopt their position or to “agree to disagree”. The main purpose of an argumentative essay is therefore to persuade the audience to accept a position on an issue. In order to write a successful argumentative essay, you should choose a de batable topic and develop a strong thesis statement with a clear point of view. You can choose to argue either for or against the statement that will be de bated in the text. The arguments should be supported with facts that are ob tained through appropriate research. Like the explanatory essay, the argumentative essay should provide a general introduction to the topic, which is narrowed down to a clear thesis state ment. Unlike the expository essay, the argumentative essay often deals with opposing points of view . The author should make this clear in a few sen tences; however, the majority of the essay should be dedicated to the writer’s argument. You may start each body paragraph with one or two sentences rec-

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