Much of the writing we do at the college level is argument. An academic argument can be defined, simply, as a claim (opinion), supported by reasons and evidence, written in order to persuade someone. You write an argument in the form of a cover letter to persuade your potential employer to hire you. You make an argument in the form of a speech to your
parents to persuade them to let you borrow their car. You write an argument in the form of an e-mail to your professor to persuade her to accept your late homework (good luck!).

A successful argument, then, will generally do the following things:

• Offer a clear claim (opinion) about a topic
• Support that claim with reasons and evidence, and be logically sound
• Attempt to persuade a specific audience
• Portray the author as knowledgeable, credible, and trustworthy

A good argument needs to have a claim, reasons, and evidence, but those pieces also have to make sense logically. They have to be used well. Here’s an example.

• A claim needs to supported by a reason

Claim: I think it will rain tomorrow

Reason: because that’s what the weather forecast said.

• Reasons must, in turn, be supported by evidence

Evidence: The meteorologist on Channel 5 said there is 85% chance of showers in
the afternoon tomorrow.

If the reason is relevant to the claim, then the claim is warranted:
Example: I think it will rain tomorrow because that’s what the weather forecast said.
Here the assumption is that the weather forecast is a good place to learn about whether or not it will rain. But if the reason is not relevant to the claim, then the claim is unwarranted: I think it will rain tomorrow because I burned my toast.
We don’t agree with the assumption that burning toast has anything to do with whether or not it will rain. So we don’t think this argument is a good one.

The handout below provides an overview of a typical way to organize your argument essay. 

Here are some additional tips to help you with your Argumentative essay.

• Understanding Bias
• Anticipating Opposition