English Study Guides

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Argumentative Essay Study Guide

Created by the SchoolSimplified Essay Team

 Argumentative Essay Guide
The following guide serves as a tool for you to use when outlining and correcting
your own argumentative essay. This guide was crafted by verified proofreaders
who have collectively spent over 150 hours viewing and proofreading academic
essays. We hope the advice provided below guarantees you high marks in your
English courses and equips you with the confidence you need to write a
professional and mature argumentative essay.

Table of Contents

1. Structure

2. Citations

3. Example Essay

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 Structure

I. Introductions
a. Hook
i. Hooks are arguably the most important part of an
argumentative essay. They capture the reader’s attention and
hint towards the content of the essay.
ii. Here are seven ideas for hooks:
1. Question
2. Quotation
3. Metaphor/Simile
4. Story
5. Statistic
6. Description
7. Bold statement
b. Background Information
i. This portion of the introduction introduces key information
and gives the reader a clear idea of the topic of the essay.
Write the background information as if the reader has never
heard of the topic before.
ii. Here are some ideas for what to include:
1. Historical context
2. Definitions
3. Important people
c. Thesis
i. The thesis acts as a foundation for the body paragraphs.
Readers should be able to guess what the paragraphs will
contain once reading the thesis.
ii. A good thesis should:
1. Make a claim
2. Have support for the claim
3. Center around one main idea
4. Be specific
d. Do’s-and-don’ts
i. Do transition between statements.
ii. Do be brief.
iii. Don’t use unsophisticated or subjective language.
EX: “In my opinion,” “I think”
iv. Don’t use contractions.
EX: “won’t,” “he’s,” “shouldn’t”
v. Don’t use fillers.
EX: “well,” “anyway,” “like”

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II. Body Paragraphs
a. Organization
i. Each paragraph should begin with a sub-claim that supports
and justifies your thesis. Your sub-claim should briefly cover
the contents of the paragraph enough so the reader knows
that the following text will be centered around. Your topic
sentences act as the pillars of your essay as they are
reasoning for why your thesis is true.
ii. Introduce and use your evidence. If your evidence is not
common knowledge, make sure to quote it and use transition
words such as, “According to” and “As stated in…” When
transitioning to the later pieces of evidence, use, “In addition”
or “Also.” We recommend the minimum number of pieces of
evidence to use per body paragraph is three.
iii. Analyze the evidence. This is done after stating each piece of
evidence. Your analysis should explain the significance of the
evidence and how it supports your sub-claim.
b. Theme
i. Depending on the essay you write, the relevancy and
prominence of the theme may vary. Typically, the theme is the
main idea, such as a life lesson or evil behavior, proposed by
and closely related to the thesis. The theme should be
present throughout the essay. No matter what paragraph the
reader looks over, they should be able to guess the theme of
the essay.
c. Do’s-and-don’ts
i. Do make sure to always check spelling and grammar.
ii. Don’t cite more evidence than absolutely necessary.
iii. Don’t use personal/first-person pronouns.
EX: “I,” “We,” “Us,” “Our”
iv. Don’t be too vague and general.

Other Helpful Sources

 Guide to Essay Paragraph Structure

 Paragraphs & Topic Sentences

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III. Conclusion
a. Restated Thesis
i. A restated thesis should be a shorter version of your thesis
statement. However, keep in mind that the thesis should not
simply be restated, but use new, different and interesting
language to make it distinct from the actual thesis.
b. So What?
i. A good conclusion for an argumentative essay answers the
“so what?” question. Why does your claim or argument
matter? Why should the reader care about your perspective?
c. Do’s-and-don’ts
i. Do lead on naturally from the previous paragraph.
ii. Do link the last paragraph to the first (introductory).
iii. Do conclude with a sentence that is parallel in structure
(follow the same grammatical pattern).
iv. Don’t summarize.
v. Don’t use phrases such as “In conclusion,” “To conclude,”
etc.
vi. Don’t introduce new information.

Other Helpful Sources

 Ending the Essay: Conclusions

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 Citations
1) Choosing the proper evidence
a) Your evidence should be relevant and concise. Avoid using pieces of
evidence that are longer than two sentences. If possible, try to quote only
one or two words, but make sure they are compelling and effective. You
may even paraphrase evidence.
b) Your evidence should directly support your sub-claim.
2) Context
a) Whenever you use evidence, you must introduce it by providing some
context. Similar to the background essay in your introduction, you should
write enough information so your reader will understand your evidence,
but no more than that. Adding irrelevant details will only confuse the
reader and disrupt the flow of your writing. Possible ideas for context are:
i) Explaining what took place before or during the quote
ii) Introducing characters
iii) Introducing the organization or providing additional credibility to the
source
3) Introducing evidence
a) Be sure to use transition words when introducing evidence. Possible
transition words could be:
i) The text says…
ii) According to…
iii) (Author’s name) writes...
iv) Researchers have learned…
v) It states…
vi) For example...
b) When quoting, the comma will typically go before the quotes. You will
always need punctuation when ending a sentence with a quote.
i) EX: I said, “This.”
ii) EX: This source says, “That,” but I say, “This.”
4) Analysis
a) As aforementioned, you must explain the significance of your evidence.
Spell everything out. Why and how does the evidence support your sub-
claim? Avoid using “This shows,” and replace “This” with a specific action
or event.

Other Helpful Sources

 Using Evidence in an Academic Essay

 How Do I Effectively Integrate Textual Evidence?

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In-Text Citations
1. Modern Language Association (MLA) style
 MLA Citation Guide (MLA 8th Edition): In-Text Citation
 MLA Formatting and Style Guide
*Keep in mind that only the author’s surname should be used.
Source MLA In-Text Citation
Book (Author page #)
Book, unknown (“Title of book” page #)
author
2 authors (Author #1 and Author #2 page #)
3+ authors (Author #1 et al. page #)
Website (no (Author)
page #)
Website, (“Title of website source”)
unknown author
More than one Follow the same rules as above but separate citations with
source semicolon(s) (;). Keep all citations in one pair of brackets.

2. American Psychological Association (APA) style

 APA Formatting and Style Guide
*“Year” refers to the year of publication of the source.
Source APA Citation
One author (Author, year)
2 authors (Author & author, year)
3+ authors (Author #1 et al., year)
Unknown (“Title of Source”, year)
author
Unknown date (Author, n.d.)
More than one Follow the same rules as above but separate citations with
source semicolon(s) (;). Keep all citations in one pair of brackets.
In-Text Citation Reminders:
• Always capitalize proper nouns, including author names and initials

Bibliography
Your works cited or references sheet should have its own page at the end of
your paper. The title of this sheet should be middle-centered and the citations
should be left-centered. The entire page should be double spaced.

You can generate your list of sources using the generators below:
 Bibliography.com
 EasyBib

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 Example Essay
Prompt: To what extent does one determine one’s own fate? What
are the factors to consider?

Introduction:

Hook: A phrase commonly used to address the simplicity of facing

obstacles in life, and was often used in response to my whimpering or tantrums
as a child, goes, “Just go with the flow.” The phrase suggests that each raging
wave is representative of our struggles, such as a job loss, a nagging sibling, or
even a stubbed toe, and we are an unknowing and vulnerable swimmer, drifting
through the depths of the ocean as we await a potentially fatal submergence.
Transition: However, not everyone chooses as passive a response to an
oncoming wave as simply letting the wave push you towards your supposed
predestined fate. In fact, most people attempt to avoid it in some way, and in
doing so, they forge their own future. Some flail in a panic, some simply stop
treading due to exhaustion, and others decide to push against the currents in
retaliation.
Background Information: The play Macbeth, written by William
Shakespeare, details the downfall of the main character, Macbeth, as he tries to
mold the waves to his own choosing, not realizing that nature does not bend to
the will of man. From his first encounter with witches that inform him of his
prophecy to become king of Scotland to his final battle, Macbeth makes
countless decisions to carry out his prophecy in a reckless, bloodthirsty
manner.
Thesis: Macbeth’s self-formed path towards his doom exemplifies how we
are responsible for the consequences of our reckless and ill-motivated actions,
and thus one’s fate is entirely determined by their reaction to outside forces.

First Body Paragraph:

Topic Sentence: Humans are born with built-in values that affect their
entire outlook on life; some tend to value their kindness more, while others value
their pride, and these morals influence each of their decisions. Therefore,
people would not commit wicked acts if they did not already align with their own
evil interests.
Background Information: In Macbeth’s case, at his core, he was already
filled with an overwhelming greed for power and sought it out with intense
bloodlust. Later on, he would end up being responsible for the deaths of families
and his own friend, though his homicidal rage could only have been made
possible by his own twisted ambition.
Context For Evidence: After returning from the battlefield victorious,
Macbeth, thane of Glamis and a war hero of Scotland, received a prophecy from
three witches, claiming that he would become king of Scotland.

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 Evidence: After receiving the news, he warily admitted to himself, “My
thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical,/Shakes so my single state of man,”
(Shakespeare 1.3. 152-153).
Analysis: Macbeth feared the greed inside of him that claimed he must kill
King Duncan, king of Scotland, in order to fulfill his prophecy. He realized that
even the thought of becoming king incited a dark side of him that must have
been there even before receiving the prophecy. Macbeth’s power-obsessed
character reveals that whether or not the witches had met with him, he still
would have found a way to wreak havoc in his pursuit of the crown.

Conclusion:

Restated Thesis: Humans completely determine their fate because it is

their core values that ultimately make their decisions, not outside forces.
So What: There will always be a rude coworker or difficult project to deal
with, but learning how to react to these obstacles could not only help develop
our character, but could also create a more positive outcome. If we allow
ourselves to believe we are inferior to others, we will surround ourselves with
people who consistently put us down, but if we live with a mindset that says we
are able to accomplish anything, we immediately put ourselves in a position to
grow and live a healthier lifestyle. The next time you find yourself caught in a
current and find yourself completely helpless, perhaps your past choices will
have helped seal your fate, and someone will throw out a lifebuoy.