argumentative paragraph

Elements of an argument and the

importance of refutation

By

Meibis González

The Argumentative

Paragraph

Argument

• In an argument the writer tries either to change

the way the reader thinks or to influence the

reader to do something

• The writer wants the reader to:

– Accept or reject an idea

– Try a new way of doing something

– Realize that action should be taken to solve a

problem

Proposal

• The title of the paragraph states the

writer´s idea or proposal

• The title is narrowed down to a

specific idea that can be managed

• Avoid using obvious proposals

Pros and Cons

• There are pros (ideas that support your

proposal), and cons (ideas that are against

your proposal) in an persuasive paragraph

• It is recommended that a brainstorm of

proposals and cons be made. From them,

you keep the ones that really matter.

When writing a persuasive

paragraph you should • List at least three reasons in support of

your proposal (pros)

• List the main reason against your

proposal (con)

Example:

• Proposal: “All handgun sales should be

prohibited”

• Pros:

– Would decrease violent crimes

– Would save taxpayer money (less police)

– Would help create a better social environment

Example:

• Proposal: “All handgun sales should be

prohibited”

• Con:

– Would restrict individual freedom (a person

couldn`t buy what he or she wanted)

Refutation• In this section, the writer must attack and

refute the opponent´s main argument, that

is, the con.

• There are three main methods to refute

the main con or against argument

Methods to refute an argument

• Method 1:

“Demonstrate that the opponent argument

is wrong because it is based on incorrect or

misleading information”

Methods to refute an argument

• Method 2:

“ Show that your opponent argument is

weak because it is based on insufficient

information or ignores significant

information”

Methods to refute an argument

• Method 3:

“Agree that your opponent argument is

valid, but show that your points or support

are more convincing”

Example

Proposal:

“All handgun sales should be prohibited”

Con:

• “would restrict individual freedom (a

person couldn`t buy what he or she

wanted)

Refutation Example:

• Method 2: the opponent argument is

partially right.

• “Freedom to buy would be restricted, but

freedom from fear of people who have

them would be decreased”

Proposal: workers should not retire at age

sixty-seven

• CON:

“those who disagree with this proposal point out

that as people grow older their bodies begin to

slow down, and it is risky for them to continue

working”

Proposal: workers should not retire at age

sixty-seven

REFUTATION: METHOD 2

Actually, this is partially true--the body does slow

down. However, accident rates for those over

sixty-seven are slightly less than those for people

under sixty –seven. It is due to their experience,

and because they are more aware of their own

limitations

Proposal:

Sex-education is appropriate for six graders

Con

“the opponent of this idea claim that most

eleven-year-olds have not seen information

about sex; therefore, teaching them sex

education would put the idea of sex into their

minds”

Proposal:

Sex-education is appropriate for six graders

REFUTATION: METHOD 1

“Nothing could be further from the truth; most

eleven-year-olds have been exposed to sex long

before the sixth grade. Some TV shows, mixed

with drugstore sex magazines, “R”- rated movies,

and even “sexy” comic books, expose children to

sex long before they are in the sixth grade

Flowchart of the Process

Proposal

Pros

Pro 1 Pro 3

Main Con

Refutation of Con

Pro 1

The topic sentence

• The general subject is the proposal

• The specific parts are either the pros, the

refutation of the con, or a mixture of both

Example of a topic sentences

“Greater life expectancy rates and lower

death rates indicate that women may be

biologically stronger than men”

The proposal is in red

The pro is in green

The refutation of the con is in yellow

Example of a topic sentences

“All handgun sales should be prohibited

because violent crime would decrease and

the social environment would improve”

The proposal is in red

The two pros are in green

Types of Evidence in the subject

development of the paragraph

1. Statistical information based on research

2. Information based on personal

experience or common sense

3. Information that compares similar things

Three common problems with evidence

and logic

1. False conclusion:

The conclusion is not based on evidence

2. Bad Evidence:

Evidence that comes from an outdated,

incompetent, or biased source is used

Three common problems with evidence

and logic

3. Misplaced causes and effects:

The fact that two things take place one after

the other doesn´t mean that they are related

in a cause and effect relationship

Examples of the mistakes

False conclusion:

“there is no doubt that the economic

situation of black in South Africa is

improving. According to statistics recently

released by the South African Interior

Ministry, black income has climbed by 5

percent and black unemployment has

decreased by 22 percent”

Examples of the mistakes

• Misplaced causes and effects

“Treating teeth with fluoride causes cancer.

A recent research study, which tracked

children who had had their teeth treated with

fluoride, found that at age sixty, 7 percent of

them had gotten cancer”

Examples of the mistakes

Bad Evidence:

“The voting age in the United States should be

lowered from eighteen to seventeen. At age

seventeen, young people are allowed to drive

unrestrictedly in twenty-five states and even to

drink alcohol in one (Arizona). If they drive and

can drink alcohol, seventeen-year-olds should

surely be able to vote”

Language Patterns used

To make a proposal in the topic sentence:

“I (propose, urge, recommend, insist) that

the killing of whales be (use base verb)

stopped because…”

Language Patterns used

Pattern to cite a source of statistics:

According to (Based on) information from

the U.S. government….

Language Patterns used

Patterns to introduce the main con

“the opponents of (those who disagree

with) this proposal might (would) argue

(assert, declare, claim, say, take the

position) that…”

Language Patterns used

Possible patterns to summarize

“It is essential (important, necessary, vital,

urgent) that the killing of whales be (base

verb form) stopped.”

The Summary Sentence

• It emphatically restates the proposal

stressing the necessity of accepting it

Examples:

1. Help stop the killing of whales!

2. In summary, it is important that the

international language not be English

A grammar tip to keep in mind

Noun clauses appear frequently in

argument. There are many words that may

introduce a noun clause (such as whether, if,

who, what, which, when, where, why, or

how), but the most common word is “that”

References

• Rooks M. George. 1988. Paragraph Power.

Communicating Ideas through Paragraphs: New Jersey:

Prentice Hall.

• Images were taken from different sources from The

Internet.