Notes on Argumentative Writing

Notes on Argumentative WritingPart One:The ArgumentBefore starting onanyquestion, ask yourself:1. Do you haveenough knowledgefor this question?(in terms of the examples you cangive)2. Do you feel for the topic of the question?Isit interestingto you?3. Do you have at least 3-4solidarguments forthe question? · The parts of an argumentative essay: vThe IntroductionvYour Arguments/PointsvYour Conclusion/wrap-up è The bulk of your focus should be on providing well thought-out and stronglysubstantiated arguments, but your introduction and conclusion makes ahugedifferencein creating a strong impression on the examiners as well.ðThis set of notes (and the subsequent argumentativepractice worksheets/questions)that we will go through and analyse will therefore target each part in detail and see howwe can strengthen them.____________________________________________________________________________ WHAT MAKES A STRONG ARGUMENT?In this segment, we discover:1. The four main segments of an argument in a typical essay2. What each segment requires of us to write about3. What is a logical gap and how can we avoid it SEGMENTS OF AN ARGUMENT 1. Point/Topic Sentence ØA topic sentence is usually a concise summary ofwhat your argument will beØEssentially, ask yourself:what do you want thisparagraph to be about?ØYour topic sentence shoulddirectly answerthe question(make sure you check thatit does!)

2. Elaboration/Explanation o This segment of the argument is meant to explainfurther on your topic sentenceo How do you convince others that your point isvalid?o A strong explanation is one that is well thought-out,logical and well-supportedo There should be no logical gap in your explanation!

3. Examples xamples are to support your points and convince your readers that they are valid uirements of a good example: Accuracy e as much information and details about theexample as you can RepresentativenessvAre your examples mostly only from Singapore/onecountry?vIf the scope of your arguments are not limited toonly Singapore, it would be good tobroaden the examples you’re using) Relevance s your example support your point? Or are youmerely putting it there for the sake of ng up your argument? Q:BUT WHAT IF I CAN’T THINK OF ANY EXAMPLES? en, examples are not like Math formulas thatyou can memorize and apply it to estions given in the papers eating a bank of general knowledge is importantto help you use the correct examples he exams ad more of current news to stay aware of global/nationalaffairs – you don’t always ve to read the newspapers: you can always get bite-sized, digestible news articles m newspaper apps, or Facebook, Twitter and even humourous websites like 9GAG or AG en if your examples are limited in scope, includingit into your essay is better than mpletely leaving out any examples at all

4. Link ways wrap up your argument by linking it backto your topic sentence nk usually goes like this…. “Hence, (summaryof your point)is how it supports(your c sentence)” nk helps the readers remember what isyour initial point, and therefore make better se of your argument me common words that are used to indicate thelink include:hence, therefore, as a ult, thus LOGICAL GAPS AND HOW TO AVOID IT· Logical gaps refer to flaws in your reasoning/explanation,especially when you miss outcertain important elaboration/linkage in your argument· Logical gaps makes your explanation less convincingand credible, because the gapscreates room for readers to question whether your argument is indeed true Let’s look at a certain paragraph to figure out what a logical gap means: Question:‘Violent computer games tend to make childrenwho play it becomemore aggressive.’ Do you agree? anation 1 anation 2

ent computer games often contain erous killing scenes, or shooting es. Bloody murders and gunshots are components of such games and when g children play these games, they to eventually behave more essively. Hence, violent computer es do create more aggression in ren who play it. ent computer games are often saturated with ple killing scenes and gruesome murders, h are essential components of the games. n young children play these games frequently, become desensitised to the violent images and dy scenes contained in the games. The concept sing violence has become increasingly malized and acceptable to them. Additionally, g children are often easily influenced with their essionable minds, and thus this exposure to nce in video games could have a stronger ative impact on them. Therefore, children tend to ome more aggressive when playing violent puter games. Q: Which paragraph do you think had logical gaps and why? ØParagraph 1 had logical gaps – what were they?Think about it:1. Does a child automatically become more aggressivesimply by playing violent videogames?à Because if it is so, I could also say that watching thriller/action-packed movies like theJames Bond series can make the viewers become more aggressive 2. So there is a gap between: how playing violent games à lead the child to becomeaggressiveà Paragraph 1 only highlighted that violent video games had numerous killing scenesbut it does not explain how that leads to aggression, and logically, we understand thatthere is a process involved 3. Comparing to paragraph 2, the logical gap is being filled: à It is able to explain: the need forfrequentplayingof the violent computer game todesensitize/normalizethe presence and concept ofviolence in children’s minds à It also added in the crucial information about children beingimpressionableandthereforeeasily influenced by the media content theyare exposed to An example of an argument paragraph, following the same question:

‘Violent computer games tend to make children who play it become moreaggressive.’ Do you agree? Stand:Yes, I agree to a large extentthat computergames tend to make children whoplay it become more aggressive. A possible argument structure will be:ØTopic sentence:Playing violent computer gamesfrequently can lead children to becomemore aggressive, especially when they are at such an impressionable age. Does it answer the question directly? Is the statement clear? ØExplanation:Violent computer games are oftensaturated with multiple killing scenesand gruesome murders, which are essential components of the games. When youngchildren play these games frequently, they become desensitised to the violent images andbloody scenes contained in the games. The concept of using violence has becomeincreasingly normalized and acceptable to them. Additionally, young children are ofteneasily influenced with their impressionable minds, and thus this exposure to violence invideo games could have a stronger negative impact on them. Are there any logical gaps in the argument presented?ØExample:In August 2015, the American PsychologicalAssociation reviewed over 100research studies on the link between violent video games and aggression, publishedbetween 2005 and 2013. From their review, they conclude that playing violent video gamesislinked to aggression in children, and often lowertheir sense of empathy and sensitivitytowards the use of aggression in situations. Remember the 3 criteria: is the example relevant, representative andaccurate? ØLink:Therefore, playing violent video games doincrease the tendency for children to bemore aggressive.

Notes on Argumentative WritingPart Two:The IntroductionvA good introduction will:1. Helps to capture your reader’s attention and lead them on to continue reading yoursubsequent arguments2. Create a positive first impression in the reader’s mind on your essay3. Allows readers to understand your position and argument better The importance of writing an effective conclusion should not be neglected! vComponents of an introduction:1.Lead-in:how are you going to introduce the topicyou’re writing about? There aremany ways to do a lead in, and an effective lead-in will be the first crucial step inengaging the reader’s attention. 2.Definitions/clarifications:There could be cert