ENGLISH II: DEVELOPING AN ARGUMENT ABOUT A

CURRENT ISSUE

THESIS BUILDING: FORMING MY CLAIM

Your claim (stance on the issue) may not be as simple as “for” or “against” the issue. Instead, consider one of the following claim strategies:

• X is/is NOT a problem because of A, B, C.

• Problems with X can be solved through A, B, C.

PARTS OF THE THESIS

• Qualifier (overall argument of opponents)

• Topic (current issue)

• Claim (your stance)

• Directions (supporting reasons for your stance)

• Universal Truth (n-v-n that the argument is really about)

THESIS BUILDING: START WITH YOUR CLAIM FIRST

Teenage tobacco smoking is still a major problem in the U.S.

THESIS BUILDING: ADD THE DIRECTIONS

Teenage tobacco smoking is still a major problem in the U.S. and can be solved by increasing the tax rate on cigarettes, creating strict penalties for people who buy cigarettes for minors, and offering free quit-smoking aids at local health departments

THESIS BUILDING: ADD THE UNIVERSAL TRUTH

Teenage tobacco smoking is still a major problem in the U.S. but can be solved by increasing the tax rate on cigarettes, creating strict penalties for people who buy cigarettes for minors, and offering free quit-smoking aids at local health departments, which proves that intervention breaks addiction.

THESIS BUILDING: ADD QUALIFIER

Although opponents may argue that teen smoking is not as prevalent today as in the past, teenage tobacco smoking is still a major problem in the U.S. but can be solved by increasing the tax rate on cigarettes, creating strict penalties for people who buy cigarettes for minors, and offering free quit-smoking aids at local health departments, which proves that intervention breaks addiction.

THESIS BUILDING: START WITH YOUR CLAIM FIRST

Ohio’s legalization of marijuana for recreational use

THESIS BUILDING: ADD THE DIRECTIONS

Ohio’s legalization of marijuana for recreational use should be considered because it could increase state tax revenue, provide schools with more money, and decrease the crime rate and number of individuals in jails

THESIS BUILDING: ADD THE UNIVERSAL TRUTH

Ohio’s legalization of marijuana for recreational use should be considered because it could increase state tax revenue, provide schools with more money, and decrease the crime rate and number of individuals in jails, which proves that prohibitions require logic.

THESIS BUILDING: ADD QUALIFIER

Even though some may argue that legalizing marijuana is a mistake, Ohio’s legalization of marijuana for recreational use should be considered because it could increase state tax revenue, provide schools with more money, and decrease the crime rate and number of individuals in jails, which proves that prohibitions require logic.

ARGUMENT STRUCTURE

I. Hook

II. Concession/Refutation

III. Reason #1

IV. Reason #2

V. Reason #3

VI. Conclusion

BODY PARAGRAPH STRUCTURE• Topic Sentence

• Detail of support #1 (fact, statistic, scenario, example, anecdotes as an example, etc.)

• Explain to the reader how this detail proves your claim

• Detail of support #2

• Explain to the reader how this detail proves your claim

• Detail of support #3

• Explain to the reader how this detail proves your claim

• Clincher Sentence

TOPIC SENTENCES

The purpose of a topic sentence is to tell the reader the main idea of the paragraph. In this argument essay, your topic sentence should introduce your reason and then connect it to your position and the universal truth.

Ex. Increasing the tax rate on cigarettes would discourage teens and others from purchasing cigarettes because of the higher cost, which shows that the state government can help its citizens break unhealthy habits.

DETAIL OF SUPPORT AND EXPLANATION

Increasing the tax rate on cigarettes would discourage teens and others from purchasing cigarettes because of the higher cost, which shows that the state government can help its citizens break unhealthy habits. Currently, the tax rate on a pack of cigarettes bought in Kentucky is $0.60, and Kentucky has only eleven other states with tax rates lower than it (“State Cigarette Excise Tax”). This information proves that the Kentucky state government is not doing enough to curb its citizens’ unhealthy habit of smoking, and taxing this product could certainly discourage smokers from buying as many cigarettes or any at all.

YOU MUST CITE YOUR SOURCE WHEN YOU USE INFORMATION!

Lastname, Firstname. “Title of Article.” Newspaper Title Date of Publication. Source (Print or Web). Date of Access.

Brubaker, Bill. "New Health Center Targets County's Uninsured Patients." Washington Post 24 May 2007: LZ01. Web. 15 Jan. 2015.

DOCUMENT YOUR SOURCES!• When you use borrowed information in your text, you must show

from where the information came using parenthetical documentation. Parenthetical documentation means that you put in parentheses the author’s last name (if an author is available) or the first few words of the article’s title.

Ex. According to a study on the legalization of marijuana in Colorado, crime has significantly decreased in the past year (Reynolds).

Ex. Although 80% of teenagers do not smoke, research that 20% do, and the teenage years is when addiction to cigarettes can begin (“Nicotine Fast Facts”).

CLINCHER SENTENCE

The purpose of a clincher sentence is to bring the paragraph to a close and leave the reader thinking about the reason you just proposed.

Ex. A government’s purpose is to serve its citizens, and when its citizens are making poor decisions that affect the good of society, a government has the responsibility to intervene; therefore, the state government has the responsibility to raise the cigarette tax.

Why my opponent’s argument is wrong:

• Illogical

• Incorrect

• Irrelevant

• Insufficient

• Insignificant

• It is true that . . .

• My opponents are correct about . . .

• Yes, it is a fact that . . .

CONCESSION/REFUTATION PARAGRAPH

Concession Refutation

STRATEGIES FOR INTRODUCTIONS

No matter what, your audience needs a context for your argument:

• Determine how much your audience already knows about your issue.

• Assume your audience is generally informed about the topic, so there is no need to teach them the very basics of your issue.

• Provide this audience with just enough background information about your topic to give them an opportunity to understand your perspective.

STRATEGIES FOR HOOKSBegin with:• a quotation• a scenario (hypothetical situation) or an anecdote (brief story

used to illustrate a particular idea)• an engaging fact or statistic• a question or several questions that will eventually be answered

in the argument (NOTE: Be careful using this strategy because it can make your argument sound elementary if the questions are not sophisticated.)

• an analogy (an extended comparison to something with which the audience can relate)

• a definition of a term that is essential to your argument

STRATEGIES FOR CONCLUSIONSThink of your conclusion as a “call to action.” What do you want your audience and others to do based on what you have argued throughout your essay?End with:• A specific solution or series of steps toward a solution to the issue• A challenge to the reader to act• A forecast of what the future may hold if action is not taken on this

issue• A thought-provoking question• A return to the scenario or anecdote with which you began in your

introduction, but revisit it with the new insights made due to your argument

• An insightful quotation (NOTE: Be sure you offer a final insight after the quotation, however.)