Among all academic assignments, essays are probably the most difficult ones. This is because to come up with good texts, a student should possess so much more than just good writing skills.
Still, an argumentative essay is in some way one of the easiest types if you know how to handle it, so we recommend that you learn how to do it as soon as possible. However, if your deadline is already at the door, you can always find a perfect essay writing service to handle your urgent task.
Anyway, it’s very important to know how to write a proper academic essay yourself. So, read on to find out some lesser-known hacks to master this craft. But let’s revise some basics for a start.
What Is an Argumentative Essay?
An argumentative essay is a form of academic writing that implies extensive research on the subject, collecting evidence, formulating a clear position regarding the topic, and defending it with arguments supported by evidence.
Remember that it’s very important to avoid confusion between an argumentative and an expository essay. These two types have a lot in common, but an expository essay is more neutral. Now that we’ve got it straight with the terms, there’s one more necessary thing to remember: the outline.
Argumentative Essay Outline
There are more ways than one to structure such an essay. What you choose depends on the topic, the required length of the paper, and the demands of your specific assignment. However, the most common way to write such a paper is to do it in the form of a five-paragraph essay.
In this case, an exemplary outline will be as follows:
- Introduction (must include a thesis statement);
- Body paragraph I;
- Body paragraph II;
- Body paragraph III (all three body paragraphs must include evidence, arguments, and counterarguments);
- Conclusion (summing up).
Now, let’s finally move on to the hacks!
6 Lesser-Known Hacks for Writing a Perfect Argumentative Essay
There are a lot of well-known hacks for writing this type of papers, and we won’t mention them here. Here are some of the less obvious ones.
Use Apps for Effective Time Management
Time-management is key when you work on a lengthy academic paper. But many students don’t possess the necessary skills to structure their time effectively. In this case, the so-called “Pomodoro method” is a real saver.
The Pomodoro technique was developed in the 1980s and is widely popular both inside and outside the academic world. Its core idea is dividing the time one spends on a certain task into small portions (usually 25 minutes) and taking a break after each.
There’s a number of apps and websites that provide timers and instructions on how to use this method. Choose one and see if it works for you.
Don’t Forget About the Word Count
This kind of paper is a lengthy and complex piece of writing. While developing your arguments and defending your position, it’s very easy to go over the required word count. On the flip side, if you haven’t done enough research, you will not have enough ideas, and your paper might come out too short.
In order to avoid too many edits when your work is done, keep your word count in mind while you write. Check it from time to time and calculate the length of each section to evade disproportion.
Remember to Present Both Sides of the Discourse
Defending your views and persuading the readers to share your stance on a given subject is the main goal of a persuasive essay. At the same time, you should not forget to present the other side of the discourse, too.
Without it, your viewpoint may seem one-sided and incomplete, and this will most likely result in a lower grade. So, devote one body paragraph to the discussion of a strong counterargument – and prove it wrong with sufficient evidence!
Try Handwriting the First Draft
Most students seldom write anything by hand. Some notes, at best, but nothing lengthy – certainly not an essay. And that might be a mistake for some!
The thing is when you use only pen and paper, you can write your notes in any order you like. You can fill in the margins, make corrections without having to delete the whole sections or copy them to a separate document, etc. All this enables your ideas to flow more naturally.
After the first draft is written in such a manner, you can type a final version on the computer and make the necessary edits and corrections in the process.
Try to Begin With a Counterargument
You certainly know how to prove something by contradiction, do you? This method is commonly used in mathematics, but also in logic. So why not try to use it for a writing task, too?
You can start the main part of your paper downright from the counterargument. This will look impressive if you choose a really strong one – and some really convincing evidence to contradict it.
Then just proceed with the evidence supporting your stance. This will seem much more persuasive once you’ve proven the opposing opinion wrong.
Use Persuasive Language
An argumentative essay is a form of persuasive writing, so it’s very important to use the appropriate vocabulary. You can write certain words and phrases for persuasion throughout your whole paper, but in the concluding section, they are a must.
In your conclusion, you should not only restate your thesis statement but emphasize the fact that you’ve managed to prove it with evidence and reasoning. So, it will be appropriate to use such phrases as:
- As is evident now…;
- It is now clear that…
- One cannot deny that…
- Evidence proves that…, etc.
Wrapping Up
It’s certainly not easy to write a perfect argumentative essay. However, it is quite possible if you know how to do it and have sufficient experience.
Still, sometimes even that is not quite enough to turn your decent writing into perfect. If this is your case, try using our lesser-known hacks – maybe, some of these methods will be the ones that will take your writing to the next level!