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True argument involves taking a well-thought-

out position on a ©

  îa topic on
which reasonable people may disagree.

Examples of debatable topics:

¦ ½hould teenagers who commit felonies be
tried as adults?
¦ ½hould marijuana be legalized?
¦ ½hould same sex marriage be legally
recognized?
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n an argument you want to attempt to

convince people of the strength of your
ides by presenting îfacts and
examples.

n an





 , your purpose

it to persuade readers that your argument
has merit.
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^
    
  



. Use words like
©or

©in your topic sentence to make
your position clear.

Examples:
¦ The federal government should lower takes on
gasoline.
¦ The city should not build a new sports stadium.
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Œ. G


  

  £or example, if your purpose is
to argue for placing warning labels on
unhealthy snack foods, you should give
several reasons why this would be a good
idea.
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]. G
  
 ½upport
each of your points with evidence (facts
and examples).
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¦ |
 is a piece of information that can

be verified.
6 f you make a point, you should be prepared to
support it with factsîfor example, statistics,
observations, or statements that are accepted
as true.

¦ |n 
is a specific illustration of a

general statement.
6 To be convincing, an example should be
clearly related to the point you are making.
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M. |©©


 
magine
what your opponent¶s points might be, and
show how they are weak or flawed.

£or example, ³While people may argue that

juveniles should be tried as adults because they
have committed adult crimes, this doesn¶t
account for the fact that young people are
capable of reform.´
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Õ.
 
  ©
   
This reinforces the main idea of your
paragraph. t is especially important to
summarize the position you introduced in
your topic sentence.
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Topic ½entence__________________
______________________________
Point #1________________________
______________________________
Point #Œ________________________
______________________________
Point #]________________________
______________________________
Opposing |rgument #1______________
______________________________
Opposing |rgument #Œ______________
______________________________
Opposing |rgument #]______________
______________________________
Concluding ½tatement_______________
_______________________________
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¦ What are the three reasons she gives for
being against the soda tax?

¦ What two arguments does she address

from the opposite viewpoint?

¦ What transition words does she use?

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¦ The first/One reason«
¦ |nother reason«
¦ £inally«
¦ n addition«
¦ |lthough«
¦ n conclusion«

THERE ½ | £ULL L½T ON P| E 176

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³The mportance of Voting´

¦ What is the topic sentence? Does it express

the author¶s point of view?
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³The mportance of Voting´

¦ What is the topic sentence? Does it express

the author¶s point of view?
6 ³t is in each person¶s best interest to vote.´
6 Yes! t expresses her point of view on the topic
of voting.
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³The mportance of Voting´

¦ What three reasons does the author give to

support her argument?
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³The mportance of Voting´

¦ What three reasons does the author give to

support her argument?
6 People should vote because government affects
every part of our lives.
6 People should vote to support a particular
political party.
6 Voting enables people to influence public policy.
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³The mportance of Voting´

¦ What transition words does she use?

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³The mportance of Voting´

¦ What transition words does she use?

6 One reason«
6 |nother reason«
6 | third reason«
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³The mportance of Voting´

¦ Does she have a concluding statement that

sums up her position? What is it?
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³The mportance of Voting´

¦ Does she have a concluding statement that

sums up her position? What is it?
6 Yes!
6 ³To keep our democracy working and to
participate in government, all citizens must
exercise the right to vote.´
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à 







   
 
  
Does your Topic ½entence clearly state your position?
Do you support your points with specific facts and
examples?
Have you addressed possible opposing arguments?
Have you used appropriate transitional words and
phrases to introduce your points and identify opposing
arguments?
Have you combined sentences to create compound and
complex sentences that show how your ideas are
related?
Have you included a concluding statement that
summarizes your position?