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ESSAY STRUCTURE
As with the Issue essay, there is no
single "correct" way to organize an Argument essay.
Introductory Paragraph (2-4 sentences)
Try to accomplish
three goals in your introductory paragraph:
- Briefly restate the
argument in your own words.
- Briefly trace the
argument's line of reasoning.
- Indicate the extent
to which the argument is logically convincing.
- If possible, sum
up your arguments in one sentence (or two brief sentences).
The following is a sample template
for the first paragraph that accomplishes these goals:
The author concludes that____________, because ________. The author's
line of reasoning is that ______________. This argument is unconvincing
for several reasons; it is____________ and it uses _____________.
First Body Paragraph
(3-5 sentences)
In the first
body paragraph, your goal is to critique one of the following:
- The reasoning of
the argument
- One of the premises
of the argument
- One of the assumptions
of the argument
The following is a sample
template for this paragraph that accomplishes this goal:
First of all, ____________________________
is based upon the questionable assumption ________________________________.
That _______________,
however, _________________. Moreover, ________________________.
Second Body Paragraph
(3-4 sentences)
The purpose of the second
paragraph is to address one of the following:
- The reasoning of
the argument
- One of the premises
of the argument
- One of the assumptions
of the argument
The following is a sample template for this paragraph that accomplishes this
goal:
Secondly,
the author assumes that_________________________.
However, __________________________. It seems equally reasonable to
assume that____________________.
Third (and optional
Fourth) Body Paragraph
In this paragraph, your
goal is to critique one of the following:
- The reasoning of
the argument
- One of the premises
of the argument
- One of the assumptions
of the argument
The following is a sample template
for this paragraph that accomplishes this goal:
Finally, _______________________________________. The author fails
to consider__________________________________. For example, __________________.
Because the author's argument _________________.
Final Paragraph (2-3
sentences)
In the final paragraph,
your goals are to:
- Summarize your critique
of the argument
- State the main point
of your essay
The final paragraph
is not the place to introduce new arguments or issues. Sample template:
In sum, I agree that______________________.
However, ____________________; on balance, _____________________.
The numbers of sentences indicated for each paragraph
are guidelines, not hard-and-fast rules. You may choose to say more
or less than our suggested paragraph length, but stay within a reasonable
proximity to our templates to ensure that you please the E-rater.
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Do not be a Parrot
The transitional
phrases used here are purposely simplistic; do not simply "parrot"
them word-for-word in your essay or adopt a fill-in the blank approach.
If you do, your essay might appear stilted or contrived.
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Chapter 3 - Section 3c: Template 
