Argumentative paragraph

7Lesson
English Writing Skills and Communication
Faculty:Rizwana Mahbub Liana

Argumentative paragraph

Dear Mom, Dad and Grandma Rae,

I miss you, and I hope you are all fine. I am not. I am having much trouble paying for books, folders, and other university materials that I may have to skip some meals to save   money. I have tried my best to economize, but I cannot skip on schools necessities. Is it possible for you please to send me an additional $50 a week? If you could, you would make my life so much better. I am really having hard time making ends meet. If you want me to get A’s, I have to study all evening, so I can’t get a part-time job. And I can’t study if I starving. SO please help me out!

Love Brad



The writer resorts to emotional appeals that he hopes will work with him family (such as “I am really having a hard time making ends meet” and I can’t study if I’m starving”. Now imagine that the writer of this letter is writing to his university’s scholarship-fund committee. He has the same goal as he had in the letter to his family: to convince them to send him more money. Can he use the same appeals?

To whom I May Concern
Currently, I am the grateful recipient of your scholarship stipend of $75 per week. I am writing to ask whether there is any possibility of increasing this amount to $125 a week. If there isn’t, I do not think I can continue attending university full time. I use your money to pay for food, utilities, clothes, university fees. The total amount of these bills comes to approximately $130 per week. Since I do not work and my family cannot afford to send me the additional $55 I need to spend each week, I have tied to economize. I have started skipping meals, and I am borrowing my roommate’s clothes. However, I am still behind my payments.
I know that I am not allowed to work (under the conditions of your scholarship), but if you cannot find any additional money for me, I will have to get a part time job. I do not see any alternatives. Can we please meet to discuss this?

Thank you.

Sincerely,
Bradley



Logical/Reasonable

How to make your words logical or reasonable

  1. Statement of facts
  2. Examples
  3. Citation/quotation
  4. Statistics

How to prove if a statement is a fact

Any statement has to qualify at least one of the following conditions:
  1. It has to be scientifically verifiable---- Example: Heat expands gas.
  2. It has to be recorded in history-----Example: Dr. Martine Luther King was awarded Nobel Prize in 1968.
  3. It has to be well known---Example: George Bush is the current president of USA.

Reasons may be of following types:
Physical: The air in Linden Township is so polluted that people’s eye burn and tear on smoggy days.
Mental/Emotional: Many Linden Township parents are very worried about eh chemical pollution of our air and its effects on their children’s nervous systems.
Financial: The increasingly polluted air in Linden Township is damaging the quality of life in this town, and people are having difficulty selling their homes at fair prices.
Social: Strong disagreements about what to do about the air pollution in this town are contributing to the breakup of old friendships.

Topics for argumentative essay:
Topics must be arguable.
Topic sentences: Topic sentences of argumentative paragraph shouldn’t be personal and should be debatable.
Example: Economics is a better major than history----this is a statement of a personal opinion that cannot be proved.

Evaluate the topic sentences:
Many people discriminate against physically-disabled adults.
College admission tests are unfair.
The people of the world need a cure for AIDS.
Women are not allowed to serve in many combat roles in the armed forces.

While attempting argumentative writing, consider the following points about your readers:
  1. What do my readers already know about my topic?
  2. What values, beliefs, or concerns do readers hare with me about this topic?
  3. What objections might readers have to my position or my point of view?
  4. Why is their viewpoint different from mine? What reasons do they have for disagreeing with me?
  5. What kinds of evidence might convince them to believe or consider my point of view on this topic?
Group work:
Wearing a seat belt is so important to automobile safety that cars should not be able to start until all the passengers have buckled their seat belts.
Supporters: they would want their children to be forced to wear seat belts and they would want anyone to wear one.
Opponents: People who like stay free and relaxed and easy in movement may resent being forced to wear seat belts.

Physical –education, sports etc should not be required in college.

Supporters—
Opponents

People must develop new ways to recycle their garbage so that we can save the earth’s dwindling natural resources.
Supporters:
Opponents:


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