Part 5: Strategies for Argument

In Chapter 1, you were introduced to the four pillars of argument—thesis statement, evidence, refutation, and concluding statement—the basic building blocks of an effective argumentative essay. The chapters that follow expand this discussion by illustrating and explaining different types of arguments.

Different purposes call for different argumentative strategies:

• If you want to argue that something is (or is not) consistent with a particular definition, you can write a definition argument: “Is Wikipedia a legitimate research source?” See Chapter 12.

• If you want your argument to take a stand on the causes or effects of an event or situation, you can write a cause-and-effect argument: “Should vaccination be required for all children?” See Chapter 13.

• If you want your argument to take a stand on the quality or worth of something, you can write an evaluation argument: “Do the benefits of fracking outweigh the environmental risks?” See Chapter 14.

• If you want your argument to recommend a solution to a problem, you can write a proposal argument: “Should the government do more to relieve the student-loan burden?” See Chapter 15.

• If your purpose is to recommend a course of action because it is good or right (or argue against something because it is bad or wrong), you can write an ethical argument: “How far should schools go to keep students safe?” See Chapter 16.