(TBASF) Lesson Topic 2: Argumentative Writing

Argumentative writing, also known as persuasive writing, attempts to convince the reader to believe what you believe. For example, if I tried to convince you that we need to raise the legal driving age to eighteen, then that would be a persuasive argument. In order to be effective with my argument, I would need to present facts as well as opinions in order to support my ideas. I would also need to think of counterpoints that someone might use to attack my viewpoint. The overall goal of persuasive writing is to provide a logical, factual, and convincing argument about your point of view.

Here are a few characteristics of persuasive writing that will help you to write future essays:

• State a position and attempt to convince your reader to agree
• Present ideas logically, factually, and clearly
• Support ideas using quotes, statistics, examples, or facts
• End with a strong argument, summary, or call for action

The important thing to remember about any piece of writing is that you need to have both facts and opinions in order to get your point across effectively. In addition, make sure that you clearly state your position on the topic somewhere in your first paragraph. Then, you only want to argue your position. Don't argue both sides! It is necessary to acknowledge the other viewpoint, but you do not want to present facts and opinions supporting both sides of the argument.

View the presentation below for more information about argumentative writing.

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