This article will attempt to teach you how to make a strong argument and the various argumentative essay elements you ought to implement when writing an argumentative essay.

Why is argumentative writing important?

An argumentative essay is written for two major reasons. The first is to change the opinion and perspective of others; to convince them to accept a different view. The second is to persuade people to do something which requires action; this might include changing a certain habit or patronizing a certain thing.

This sort of essay can be used to evaluate certain truths and falsehoods, settle disputes, analyze claims, judge the authenticity of facts and evidence, and accurately clarify thoughts and ideas. An argumentative essay is a vital form of essay writing that does not bluntly cast aside the opinions of others but criticizes them constructively.

Argumentative essay topics

The argumentative essay format and writing style vary slightly depending on the topic and level of education. High school students are often required to write about less complicated topics, whereas college students are assigned more complex topics. The tone of each of these essays would vary by complexity; a funny argumentative essay would carry a funny tone, whereas a complex argumentative essay would carry a serious and compelling tone. Below are some topics which an argumentative essay outline example includes.

Argumentative essay topics for college

1. Analyzing the shift in the learning format of distance education
2. Advantages and disadvantages of combining distance education and work.
3. How the pandemic changed the world
4. Examining the challenges of youth Religion: The struggle for truth
5. Patriotism in America
6. The significance of art and culture in daily life
7. Love is blind: Examining the facts.
8. How possible is it to live in society and still be free from it?
9. Has the internet changed our way of life?
10. The cloning era: analyzing the computer age

Argumentative essay topics for middle school

11. Should abortion be legalized?
12. Why should animal testing be prohibited?
13. Does the problem of fake news exist?
14. How just is the death penalty?
15. Capitalism vs. Socialism: Which is Best? 

Controversial argumentative essay topics

16. Should the LGBT community be legalized?
17. Gun control: Its effects and distribution
18. How justifiable is war?
19. Is there a relationship between computer games and mass murders?
20. Should the sale and production of tobacco products be outlawed?
21. Sex before marriage: Is there a morality to the concept?

Argumentative essay topics

22. Your diving instructor kept details from you.
23. The thoughts of a dog
24. Reasons why the customer is never right
25. The comparison
26. The things men wish women knew
27. How to Become Famous
28. How to Get Away with a Lie 

Good argumentative essay topics

29. Should smoking be legalized?
30. Fiction vs Nonfiction: Which is best for kids?
31. The attempt of the school system to stop bullying
32. Women’s rights: bridging the gap of gender equality

Argumentative essay structure

An argumentative essay follows the same structure as that of all other essay types. It comprises an introduction, a body, and a conclusion.

The first paragraph contains the introductory section, which states your thesis interestingly and intriguingly. Your points and argument are presented in the following three paragraphs; at this point, you either disprove an opinion or provide evidence to support your opinion. In your concluding paragraphs, you are expected to restate your thesis statement and end with a summary of your points and a remarkable statement.

Below are tips to implement when constructing and structuring an argumentative essay:

• Simplicity is key

A simple yet passionately written argumentative essay is the difference between a bad essay and a great essay. Always strive for simplicity. The ability of your readers to easily comprehend your essay will make your points easily accepted.

• Clarify your points

At some point, you may have to include assumptions in your essay. Be clear on your assumptions. Ensure that your reader understands and differentiates your assumptions from your facts. 

• Have a strong foundation

An argument without facts is pointless. This is why you should always have the ability to back up your argument with solid facts and evidence. This guarantees your authenticity.

Conclusion

Writing an argumentative essay helps in the process of convincing and persuading. Since varying degrees of opinions must exist, the most suitable way to reach a compromise or a fairground is through the use of constructive argumentative writing vocabulary. The steps above will help in your writing process.

Most college students, especially those offering courses relating to history or journalism, are often required to write explanatory essays. While this might be easy for some, other students find the explanatory essay format a bit difficult. This article will attempt to provide tips and hints on how to write an explanatory essay.

Explanatory essay definition

Questions such as, “How many paragraphs in an explanatory essay?” are often asked by students.

To put it simply, an explanatory essay is a type of essay where the writer explains a certain theme, idea, or event. Unfortunately, many students make the mistake of writing an argument and defending or condemning a perspective that differs from theirs. This often leads to biased opinions and thoughts, which defeat the entire purpose of an explanatory essay.

Below are some explanatory essay topics to assist you in understanding the concept of this essay type:

• What would you consider to be the major reasons behind the Nigerian civil war?
• Explain the consequences of depression on the mental health of children under 18.
• How has technology benefited the education sector?
• What are the negatives of social media?

Explanatory essay outline

A normal explanatory essay is five-paragraph long, consisting of an introduction, 3 body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Although this is the ‘typical’ length, it is not limited to this length. Depending on the complexity of the topic, it may exceed the 5-paragraph count.

1. Introduction

Before writing your introduction, there are certain important tips to implement. These tips include: doing solid research, choosing a neutral topic, and finding your hook statement.

Great explanatory essay ideas often start by doing solid research to identify reliable sources. You could use the materials available in your school library and combine those resources with those gotten online. Remember to keep a record of your sources so you can cite them afterward.

Picking a neutral topic allows you to simplify your workload. You can provide a simple, yet logical explanation for any neutral topic you select. Your objective is to explain, not to defend or condemn, but to simply state facts.

Finding your hook can be done easily by either starting your introduction with a quotation, an interesting sentence that relates to the topic, a question, or an anecdote. Your hook should be compelling and interesting enough to capture the attention of your reader.

2. Body

Whether you choose to write a five-paragraph essay or not, your body paragraphs must all be accurately organized and connected for easy comprehension. Your body paragraphs should contain a claim each, that is related to your thesis statement.

Seeing that the aim of your essay is to offer an in-depth and comprehensive explanation, it is necessary that you provide factual proof of your explanation. To do this, students are often advised to back up their explanations with proof from their sources.

3. Conclusion

A conclusion should comprise three things: a thesis restatement, a summary of the major points mentioned in your body, and a final concluding sentence that encourages your readers to explore the topic deeper.

Conclusion

The objective of an explanatory essay is not to argue, but to offer logical explanations which are backed up by reliable and substantial evidence. Your explanation should be accurate and devoid of confusion. You should seek to provide details as to why something occurred in the way that it did. In the concluding part of your essay, your reader should be able to gain clarity on the theme, regardless of whether they agree with you or not. The above guide will assist you in the proper structuring of your explanatory essays.

Generating ideas for writing is not rocket science. There are no laid out rules or procedures to do this. However, students can gain inspiration from a variety of activities. This article will attempt to offer you information on how to generate ideas for writing. 

How to come up with writing ideas

The first step to developing ideas essay is to understand the assignment. The complexity of your topic is largely dependent on the essay description and requirements expected of you. To understand this better, certain questions, which include: the length, deadline, relation to personal studies, specifically cited sources, and constraints, should be evaluated.

Developing ideas essay examples can come from different sources. It could be from a movie, a concert, a favorite novel, a personal experience, an experience, a TV show, or any other thing. Below are a few techniques to implement when generating ideas in writing.

1. Discuss with a third party

Talking it out with trusted colleagues, friends, teachers, or family members helps you generate fresh and new topic ideas. Everyone has a different perspective on a particular subject matter and being able to hear different perspectives will offer you an opportunity to choose from various topic ideas.

2. Brainstorm

This involves writing out as many topic ideas as you can think of, whether they are ideas you generated or those gotten from friends and colleagues. The fastest technique to use for this is mind mapping. To begin, write down all ideas and draft the contents associated with each idea. After that, you can choose to connect each idea and finally decide on a perfect topic.

3. Free write

A little bit of brainstorming but just a little less reflective, free writing is an exercise that is highly recommended to students. When you feel stuck, or when you experience writer’s block, a free writing exercise allows your brain to reboot by letting you write anything or any idea you have on the subject. Regardless of how nonsensical you think it might be, the goal is to just write. Students who have practiced this exercise are often shocked at the number of valuable thoughts they have on the subject.

4. Conduct random research

You can never go wrong with research. Randomly researching a subject will provide you with ideas for writing your topic. You can gather ideas from the works of others, then use them to generate your own. You could either choose to analyze a particular topic or contradict it.

5. Look inwards

Looking inwards means getting inspiration from your personal life story. Your experiences might offer you insight on an interesting topic to choose for the subject matter, especially if it is a subject you are quite familiar with.

6. Checkout your textbooks

When it seems like you have run out of interesting topic ideas for your essay, it is advisable to go back to your textbooks. Your textbooks are full of information about your field of study, so they provide an endless supply of topic ideas for your essay.

Conclusion

It is commonly known that the first thing people see when they read your essay is your title/topic. A topic is the foundation of your essay; it gives your readers a sneak peek into the details of your content. It allows them to have a perspective on the subject before they read it. Therefore, you must choose an interesting topic. The above tips will assist you in generating great and interesting topic ideas for your essay.

This article will offer you information on how to write a critical essay and the tips to implement when structuring this essay.

What is critical essay?

The first step to writing a critical essay is to understand its definition. So, what is a critical essay? A critical essay is not a summary of a topic, nor is it a recap of a story or event. A critical essay is an examination and evaluation of a topic.

In a critical essay, the writer attempts to explore and critically examine the importance of a piece of content. Contrary to the thoughts of many, the critical essay format has less to do with making judgments and more to do with evaluation and personal perspective.

The features of a critical essay include a central claim, supporting evidence(s), and a conclusion. A central claim is your position on the topic. It makes up the content of your article, and it should be clearly stated at the start of your essay. The evidence is what backs up your central claim. It makes up your body paragraphs and could be in the form of dialogue or imagery. Your conclusion emphasizes your evidence and summarizes the details of your essay.

The structure of a critical essay

A critical essay structure should answer certain questions. Students are advised to use these questions as a guide when writing their critical essays. The questions include:

• What is the purpose of your text?
• What ideas and themes do you seek to present?
• Does it have a hidden message?
• What facts are you analyzing?
• How comprehensive is your concluding summary?

The questions above are designed to help guide your preliminary research. Answering these questions will aid you in effectively planning and structuring your critical essay. Below is the outline of a critical essay.

A critical essay outline

Just as it is with other essays, the outline of a critical essay comprises an introduction, a body, and a conclusion. However, the writing style for a critical essay would differ from that of a narrative or descriptive essay. Highlighted below is the outline of a critical essay.

1. Introduction

In your critical essay introduction, you are expected to mention the author’s work and publication details, clearly define the statement of your research, discuss the issue, state your argument, and make a strong thesis statement that states your position on the argument.

2. Body

Your paragraph bodies should contain a concise interpretation and analysis of your topic. This, of course, would be backed up with supporting evidence. When writing your paragraph bodies, it is necessary to make an objective evaluation of the author’s work.

3. Conclusion

Your conclusion is a restatement of your thesis and an explanation of your results. Here, you should attempt to draw closure by intelligently connecting your first and final paragraphs.

Tips for writing a critical essay

The following tips should be implemented when writing a critical essay:

• Implement active reading techniques: active reading means reading with a determination to gain insight and understanding.

• Study examples: studying the works of others will give you ideas for your work. When doing this, focus on the writing style and organization.

• Do not summarize: remember that a critical essay comprises your analysis and evaluation. 

Conclusion

Life as a college student comes with many challenges. Usually, the amount of workload required of you automatically doubles when you get into college. With tons of academic papers to write, it is necessary for students to begin preparing themselves professionally for the various essay types they would be required to write.