TALKING THE TALK

“Argument seems so negative—I don’t want to attack anybody or contradict what someone else says.” Sometimes—in law courts, for example—argument may call for attacking an opponent’s credibility, and you may have used the word argument to describe a conversation in which the speakers said little more than “I did not!” and “You did, too!” But in college writing, argument usually means something much broader. Instead of attacking or contradicting, you will be expected to explore ideas and to work toward convincing yourself as well as others that these ideas are valuable.