The argument essay puts the unit together: a defensible thesis, reasons with evidence, an answer to the other side, and an order that builds, drawn from the classical arrangement. In Composition you learned how to grow beyond the five-paragraph essay; here is where that pays off.
Key idea
An argument essay states a defensible thesis, supports it with reasons and evidence, explains each piece of evidence with commentary, answers the strongest opposing view, and ends by showing why the argument matters.
Why it works
Evidence doesn’t speak for itself. The same fact can support different claims, so readers need you to say what it shows and how it connects to your thesis. That explanation, the commentary, is where your thinking appears on the page, and it is what most separates a strong essay from a list of facts.
Building the essay
- Introduction: a hook that fits your audience, the context they need, and your thesis, stated plainly.
- Reasons: one section per reason, sized to the reason. Your most important reason may need two paragraphs; a small one may need three sentences.
- The other side: the strongest objection, stated fairly, with a concession and a rebuttal. Place it where your audience will raise it.
- Conclusion: not a summary of every paragraph, but what the argument adds up to, and why it matters now.
Unlike the five-paragraph essay, nothing here fixes the number of paragraphs or reasons. Two well-developed reasons usually beat three thin ones.
Inside a body paragraph
Worked example: Add the commentary
A draft paragraph: “Bike lanes make streets safer. A city study found fewer crashes on streets after lanes were added.” What is missing?
- There is a claim and evidence, but nothing explains how the evidence supports the claim.
- Commentary might say why: lanes give riders a predictable space and remind drivers to watch for bikes.
- It might also tie back to the thesis: a safer route is what would let more students bike to our school.
Answer: Commentary: “Lanes give riders a predictable place on the road, so drivers expect them; that is why a lane on Oak Street could make the route to school safe enough for students to ride.”
Common mistake
Summarizing evidence without commentary: a paragraph that is all quotations and facts, with no sentences that explain them. Check: after each piece of evidence, is there at least one sentence of your own that says what it shows and why it matters for your thesis?