they might find common ground—agreement—in the need to continue to do something to curb the use of illegal drug use. 6. Maintain a reasonable tone. Just as you probably wouldn’t win an argument by shouting or making mean or nasty comment, don’t expect your readers to respond well to such tactics. Keep the “voice” of your essay calm and sensible. Your readers will be much more open to what you have to say if they think you are a reasonable person. 7. Organize your essay so that it presents your position as effectively as possible. By the conclusion of your essay, you want your audience to agree with you. So you want to organize your essay in such a way that your readers can easily follow your argument. The number of your paragraphs may vary, depending on the nature of your assignment, but the following outline shows the order in which the features of an argument essay are most effective: Outline Introduction Background Information Introduction of subject Thesis Statement Body Paragraphs Common Ground Lots of Evidence (more logical than emotional) Opposing point of view Response to opposing point of view Conclusion Restatement of your position Call for action or agreement The arrangement of your evidence in an argument essay depends to a great extent on your readers’ opinions. Most arguments will be organized from general to particular, from particular to general, or from one extreme to another. When you know that your readers already agree with you, arranging your details from general to particular or from the most to least important is usually most effective. With this order, you build on your readers’ agreement and loyalty as you explain your thinking on the subject. If you suspect that your audience does not agree with you, reverse the organization of your evidence and arrange it from particular to general or from the least to the most important. In this way, you can take your readers step by step through your reasoning in an attempt to get them
they might find common ground—agreement—in the need to continue to do something to curb the use of illegal drug use. 6. Maintain a reasonable tone. Just as you probably wouldn’t win an argument by shouting or making mean or nasty comment, don’t expect your readers to respond well to such tactics. Keep the “voice” of your essay calm and sensible. Your readers will be much more open to what you have to say if they think you are a reasonable person. 7. Organize your essay so that it presents your position as effectively as possible. By the conclusion of your essay, you want your audience to agree with you. So you want to organize your essay in such a way that your readers can easily follow your argument. The number of your paragraphs may vary, depending on the nature of your assignment, but the following outline shows the order in which the features of an argument essay are most effective: Outline Introduction Background Information Introduction of subject Thesis Statement Body Paragraphs Common Ground Lots of Evidence (more logical than emotional) Opposing point of view Response to opposing point of view Conclusion Restatement of your position Call for action or agreement The arrangement of your evidence in an argument essay depends to a great extent on your readers’ opinions. Most arguments will be organized from general to particular, from particular to general, or from one extreme to another. When you know that your readers already agree with you, arranging your details from general to particular or from the most to least important is usually most effective. With this order, you build on your readers’ agreement and loyalty as you explain your thinking on the subject. If you suspect that your audience does not agree with you, reverse the organization of your evidence and arrange it from particular to general or from the least to the most important. In this way, you can take your readers step by step through your reasoning in an attempt to get them
House%20on%20Mango%20Street_Student%20Version%203.docx