“…seeks to get the reader to adopt a certain
line of reasoning or to take a particular course of action.”( Allen, 1998. p25)
Counter argues (at least two sides to every story
…)
Appears to Appeal to ’Reason-ability’ - the
argument must make sense
Appeals to belief- the readers morals/values and
1. be in Standard English
2. not exceed 300-350 words
3. As with all writing aspire to the 5
paragraph plan
1. Intro – 1 paragraph - (50 – 75 words)
2. Body – at least 3 paragraphs (225 - 250
words)
1. Introduction – 1 paragraph (50 – 75 words)
1. State your opinion i.e. what you going to prove
2. Body- Developing Your Argument – 4 or 5
paragraphs of (50 – 75 words) each Section total 250- 300
3. Conclusion – reiterate your opinion, highlighting, restating your points that show/prove your opinion. 1 paragraph (50 – 75 words)
1. Allen (1998) suggests that the essay
should “have appropriate supporting references
advantages and disadvantages
reasons and explanations
comparisons and contrasts
statistics and relevant authorities. And
1. Rhetorical questions
2. Repetition
3. Specially constructed sentences
4. Irony and sarcasm
5. Hyberbole(overstatement)
6. Litotes (understatement)
BACKGROUND‘
Write an article for your local newspaper in which you give
strong arguments for or against the abolition of capital punishment.’ give your article a title and to state your
name, write the number of words at the end .
BRAINSTORM- write down on a sheet of
paper
advantages and disadvantages
reasons and explanations
comparisons and contrasts
Ad and Dis advantage Reason and Explanation Comparison and Contrast Statistics and Authoritative Opinion
When you examine your points do any of your points 1. repeat themselves
2. Appear sarcastic 3. Overstate the reality 4. Understate the reality
If you have none of the above
- as in points repeating themselves in different ways, being ironic,
Focus FOCUS focus
Now that you have points, what do they prove
what opinion/point of view do they present.
The opinion that includes most of your points
is the main idea of your essay and the strong opinion that you will use in your introduction
Use a main idea/opinion that includes at least
1. One main idea – your STRONG opinion –
your acceptable preposition
2. This preposition is supported, proven by
your points
3. The more ‘provable’ your preposition the
more persuasive your essay
4. In 50 – 75 words state what your position
is, and what your points are remember your
introduction informs us specifically of what your points will prove/ develop in the body of the essay ,
Brainstorm
Introduction
Ad and Dis advantage Reason and Explanation Comparison and Contrast Statistics and Authoritative Opinion
When you examine your points do any of your points 1. repeat themselves
2. Appear sarcastic 3. Overstate the reality 4. Understate the reality
If you have none of the above
- as in points repeating themselves in different ways, being ironic,
Paragraph 1- Introduction.
There is an exceptionally high level of violent crimes, especially murders, in
Jamaica. However, the reintroduction of capital punishment would not
1. Develop the argument in a balanced way,
argument vs. counterargument ,
Pros vs. Cons
2. Reason
Explain, using support, the (grounds) reason for your position
3. Compare and Contrast
– similarities and differences between points, positions
4. Using Examples – stories/ anecdotes , specific
- illustrates your point
5. Sources –
- relevant, don’t make it up
2. Developing the argument
Ad and Dis advantage Reason and Explanation Comparison and Contrast Statistics and Authoritative Opinion Argument vs. counterargumen t ,
Pros vs. Cons
Explain, using support, the
(grounds) reason for your position
Similarities and differences
between points, positions
Sources –
relevant,
don’t make it up
Balance Using Examples
– stories/ anecdotes , specific
- illustrates your point
Which three are you using ? For each point
2. Developing the argument Comparison and Contrast Statistics and Authoritative Opinion Similarities and differences between points, positions Use eg, anecdotes
Sources – relevant,
don’t make it up
Topic sentence Topic sentence
Supporting Sentence 1
Supporting Sentence 1 S. Sentence 2 S. Sentence 2
S Sentence 3 S Sentence 3
Clincher Sentence
Clincher Sentence
For each point
1. Devise topic sentences 2. Supporting sentences 3. Clincher sentence
Paragraph 2
There have not been any hangings (the form of capital punishment used in Jamaica) for a long time. Give
reasons, eg outcry by human rights organisations, many stays of executions as a result of appeals to the Privy
Council.
Paragraph 3
Is capital punishment really justice, or revenge? Use
statistics to show numbers of people affected On the other hand, authorities, eg the Bible: “Thot shalt not kill/justice is mine,’ says the Lord.”
Paragraph 4
Recommendations/suggestions based
on your arguments
Do not introduce points that you did
not explain in the essay
Allan, L. A. (1998). Jamaica observer
