There are many topics that warrant argumentation. We live in a political world where every claim suggested invites argumentation. Here are examples of topics that one would typically use for an argumentative essay. 

1. - Gentrification
2. - Gender equality
3. - Gun laws
4. - Vaccine mandates
5. - Abortion

These are topics which the author can either defend or debate against. For example, you could argue that:

1. Abortion should be made legal in the United States.
2. Guns should be banned because they increase crime rates.

Knowing the topic to discuss or defend in an argumentative essay is usually half the problem. The elephant in the room is what to write and how to write it. When writing argumentative essays, there are various time tasted approaches that we use like the Toulmin model. These models will guide you on how to lay out and organize your argument.

The Toulmin Model of Argumentation

Toulmin devised a good method that helps writers and other academics organize their arguments coherently. It is the model to use if you want your essay to flow smoothly and logically. The steps of the Toulmin model are:

   1. State your claim. 

      A claim is the proposition that the arguer will be defending. An example of a claim is that, “Marijuana is not a getaway drug to more serious drugs.” In your essay, you will be arguing to support the claim or the proposition you have stated. 

    2. Present the grounds.  

      In an argumentative essay, the grounds are the evidence, illustrations, and analysis that support the claim. An example of a ground is that; “most marijuana users never use any other drug other than marijuana in the lifetime.”

    3. Make a Warrant

      The warrant as used in argumentative essays is the connection that the author makes between the claim and the grounds. Readers need to know how the evidence which has been presented supports the claim. This step serves to ensure consistency of argumentation and logical flow. For example, the author would say that; 

“The idea that marijuana should be criminalized because it is a gateway to the use of more serious drugs is false because many marijuana users never move towards more serious drugs, and many of them quit marijuana without trying out other drugs.”

    4. Refute rebuttals

      Each argument always has a rebuttal because all arguments have two sides. Therefore, you have to spend a portion of your argumentative essay debunking or disproving counterarguments. An example of a rebuttal is: 

“Most cocaine and heroin users also smoked marijuana showing that marijuana is indeed a gateway to more serious drugs.” 

From your research, use evidence and illustrations to refute all rebuttals to your arguments. For example, you could say that: 

“Most cocaine and heroin users did not start using hard drugs after smoking marijuana. Most of them started using marijuana and cocaine concurrently, or started with cocaine then went ahead to smoke marijuana.”

Argumentative Essay Format

Begin your argumentative essay with the introduction. It is in the introduction where you provide a brief background of the argument you will be making. Make sure you start the introduction in a way that captures the attention of your audience. Here are a few ways to start your introduction:

1. - Begin with an illustration.
2. - Begin with a shocking statistic.
3. - Use a quote

After you open with power, explore the background of the problem, being careful to define words that might challenge your readers. Lastly, write your thesis statement in the last portion of your introductory paragraph. 

What is a Thesis Statement?

A thesis statement is a short statement or sentence that summarizes the stance that you will take throughout the essay. It represents the argument you plan to make. Make sure that the thesis statement is clear and unambiguous. Also, make sure that your thesis statement is concise. 

Example of a thesis statement: 

In this essay, I will show that implementing tougher gun laws in the United States will reduce homicide rates. 

The Body of Argumentative Essays

After writing your introduction and thesis statement, the body of your essay will hold all the evidence and analysis that you have researched to help in making your case. Typically, there are three paragraphs that go into the body. In each of these paragraphs, you will present your evidence and defend your argument. 

Always make sure that you begin each paragraph with a topic sentence. The topic sentence is the first line of each paragraph where you make your claim. Also make sure you use connectives and signposts in your essay to make sure it flows smoothly without being clunky. 

The Conclusion

The conclusion of your argumentative essay should be as powerful as your introduction. You began with power and now it is time to end with power. Summarize the arguments you have made throughout the body of your essay. Connect them together in a final sweep and make sure the argument does not have any holes. 

Conclude with a call to action. For example, you can end by asking the federal government to outlaw guns or make abortion legal. 

A narrative is a personal story. That definition immediately tells us what a narrative essay is all about. In your undergraduate courses, you will be required in some specific occasions to write personal stories in essay format.

Do not be afraid, in this post, you will learn how to write a narrative essay. 

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Narrative essay definition

A narrative essay allows you to write about your personal experiences. That said, it allows you to utilize the first person throughout your essay. You will use words like “I, we, us,” and many more first-person pronouns. 

A narrative essay also makes use of elements of a narrative including a plot, setting, characters, conflict, and themes. Make sure your story has a plot or the overall storyline. The story should be set in a particular place in time. Your story should also have characters who are at the center of the story. Good stories have conflict, so make sure yours has one. Lastly, juice up the story with a good theme. 

However, that does not mean that the narrative essay does not have a structure and format. Like every other type of essay, the narrative essay has an introduction, body, and conclusion. 

Narrative Essay format

In a narrative essay, you are required to write the introduction first. Since this is an essay about the personal experiences and story, make sure you start with a personal anecdote, quote, or statistic that will attract the attention of readers. 

Similarly, a narrative essay has themes. You are, therefore, required to introduce the subject of your narrative in the introduction. What will you be writing about? Make sure you provide an interesting background to your narrative. 

Body

In the body of your essay, write your narrative. Use the first person and make sure you expound on your narrative to make it more detailed and interesting. Make sure you present one idea in each paragraph. Do not clutter your paragraphs with many stories. Make sure your story follows a chronological order and that the plotline is easy to follow.

Conclusion

Conclude your essay with a powerful ending. Make sure you present the moral of the story or the meaning that a reader can derive from the story. Make sure you end with power. 

A thesis statement is a short statement or sentence that summarizes the stance that you will take throughout the essay. It represents the argument you plan to make.

The thesis statement is situated at the end of the introduction. When writing your introduction, always provide the background of your argument first followed by the thesis statement. Make sure that the statement is clear and unambiguous. Also make sure that your thesis statement is concise. 

Example of a thesis statement: In this essay, I will show that implementing tougher gun laws in the United States will reduce homicide rates. 

In the thesis statement provided above, you notice that it explicitly states what the main argument will be. It shows that it seeks to argue for tougher gun laws and not just any other kind of laws. It also states explicitly what these tougher gun laws are meant to achieve. In this case, they would reduce homicide rates. 

Many people make the mistake of being too vague with the thesis statement. For example, some people may state that:

“In this essay, I will show that implementing laws will reduce crime in the United States.”

This thesis statement is not precise enough to be supported by an argument. It begs the question, which laws should be implemented and what crimes will be reduced by these laws? Always make sure that your thesis statement is precise and arguable. Do not pick more than you can chew. Instead, pick a topic and focus on it with precision. Your thesis statement ultimately determines how good your essay or arguments will be.



Knowing how to write an annotated bibliography is a skill that you will possibly need at any point in your academic life. As a student, you will be required to write down an annotated bibliography before writing your argumentative essays or other types of essays. 

What is an annotated bibliography? 

This is an annotation or a compilation of various sources that you will cite in any of the essays you are required to write. However, it is not a reference list because it is more nuanced with various details that need to be included. 

After writing down the source in either APA or MLA format, an annotated bibliography requires you to write a summary of that source, how you will use it in your essay, and whether the source is valid and important for your essay. 

Here is an example:



By, R. T. (2005). Organizational change management: A critical review. Journal of change management, 5(4), 369-380.

In an annotated bibliography, make sure you begin by writing down your source. This source is written in APA format. Make sure you use a hanging indent for all your sources, whether in MLA or APA. After the source, summarize the contents of your source. That means you have to read the paper and highlight the major points you have read. Typically, such a summary only consists of four sentences. After you are done with the summary, explain why the source is important for your essay. Does it support a particular claim in your essay? Does it provide facts and statistics about a certain position you intend to take? Write your reasons in approximately 3 sentences. Lastly, explain why the source is valid and reliable to be used as a source. In this case, explain whether the paper has a biased point of view, whether it is current, or whether it has certain fallacies. This portion should typically consist of three sentences. 

As a student, you will be required to write an informative essay as part of your undergraduate work. It is one of the simplest types of essays but may present considerable challenges to some students. You are in the right place if you need to know how to write this type of essay. Let us first define what is an informative essay. 

This is a type of essay that tries to inform the reader or provide more information on a specific topic. The essay does not need you to analyze anything; just educate the reader. For example, you might be asked to write an informative essay about 911. In the body of the essay: 

The information you provide for each of these questions will culminate into your informative essay.

1. Who was responsible for 911
2. Where did 911 happen.
3. What happened during 911.
4. Say what is 911.

The information you provide for each of these questions will culminate into your informative essay. 

Informative essay format

The informative essay follows the introduction, body, and conclusion format. In the introduction, make sure you begin with an interesting hook. For example, you can begin with an interesting statistic about 911. 

After the hook, provide the background of your topic in a few sentences, making sure it leads to your thesis statement. 

The thesis statement is a short statement that shows what your informative essay will be about. Make sure it is precise and narrow enough to be covered in a few pages. 

From the introduction, write the body of your informative essay. The body comprises of several paragraphs offering more information on the topic you are writing about. Be careful to only inform the reader and do not try to debate the merits or demerits of your topic. 

Finish with a conclusion. Ideally, recap your thesis statement and summarize the main points of your essay.