Argumentative Essay Outline Tips

Please note this is part of the argumentative Essay; please do it…

Argument Essay Outline Tips

Introductory Paragraph Goals: engage audience, introduce topic. present thesis and supporting points.

Use a Hook: Engage the audience by grabbing their attention with a startling fact, interesting information, or important background on your topic. Craft a Change-Driven Thesis: state your thesis, which includes an explicit argument for change and at least three supporting points, at the very end of this paragraph. The thesis should be the last sentence so that it can successfully anchor the rest of the essay. Don’t Dig in Too Deeply Yet: try to avoid presenting too much of the argument here. You’ll want to use the funnel format–starting broadly with your topic and then getting specific with your thesis. The thesis should be the most specific sentence in the first paragraph.

Body Paragraph 1 Goals: support thesis, effectively transition between ideas, stay angled towards argument, include research & original insight.

Create Strong Topic Sentences: start each body paragraph with an argumentative claim directly related to the thesis–ideally, this claim will follow-through on one of the supporting points from the thesis. Stay Angled Towards Argument: make sure that every idea and sentence in the paragraph works to prove your thesis. Weave in Research: this paragraph should blend reliable and credible research with original insight to prove the claim made in the topic sentence.

Body Paragraphs 2, 3, 4 (etc) Goals: *same as above.

*Repeat all of the above for as many supporting points as you have created. Each supporting point should be represented by at least one body paragraph.

Counterargument Paragraph

Anticipate Possible Objections: imagine what the “other side” of your argument is.

Goals: introduce the other side, strengthen your thesis.

Then, try to think of ways to make your argument stand out. Weave in Research: ideally, you will have at least one reliable and credible source to use to support the counterargument. Show Your Strength: Even if you cannot entirely prove the other side wrong, you should still work to show that your side is strongest.

Conclusion Goals: reiterate thesis and supporting points, provide readers with food for thought, avoid introducing new ideas.

Remind, but Don’t Repeat: remind readers of the thesis and supporting points, but do not repeat them exactly as you presented them in the introductory paragraph. Avoid New Ideas: you won’t have time to fully develop and support an entirely new idea (like a supporting point). Include Food for Thought: you can still include insights and food for thought on your topic–just be sure they are relevant to what you have already presented.