Outline of an Argumentative Essay - Classical Pattern

Sep 22, 2026

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Structured guidance for crafting an argumentative essay using a classical pattern. It lays out an introduction with background information and a clear thesis statement, followed by multiple supporting reasons, each paired with evidence. The outline then includes counterarguments with brief refutations, and concludes by summarizing the argument. Additional sections explain what makes strong thesis statements, provide practical dos and don'ts for writing mechanics, and describe citation practices under CMS/Chicago and related parenthetical and footnote/endnote formats.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryPaper Templates

FormatPDF

Pages2

Reading Time1 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Background Information

Thesis Statement

Reasons that Support the Thesis Statement

Reason/Argument 1

Reason/Argument 2

Reason/Argument 3

Counter Arguments and Responses

Mention opposing interpretations

Briefly refute the other side

Conclusion

Thesis Statements

Dos and Don'ts for Paper Writing

Citation Guidelines

Footnotes/Endnotes

Bibliography

Parenthetical Citations

# Outline of an Argumentative Essay-Classical Pattern ## I. Introduction A.Background Information:basic information about the issue and the positionbeing argued. B.Thesis Statement:states the position to be argued in the essay ## II.Reasons that Support the Thesis Statement A.Reason/Argument 1(main point\#1) 1.Supporting evidence 2.Supporting evidence B.Reason/Argument 2(main point\#2) 1.Supporting evidence 2.Supporting evidence C.Reason/Argument 3(main point\#3) 1.Supporting evidence 2.Supporting evidence II. Counter Arguments and Responses to Them A.Mention the arguments from the other side of the issue if there could bean opposing interpretation. B.Briefly refute the other side's arguments ## IV. Conclusion # Thesis Statements (courtesy of the History Writing Center) A short essay should contain a thesis statement in its first paragraph.The thesisstatement informs the reader,as soon as possible,what argument the paper will make.Athesis statement may require more than one sentence.In deciding where to place thethesis statement and how to introduce it,consider what a typical UW student would needto know to understand your thesis. A good thesis statement will probably have these characteristics: 母It is clearly and forcefully supported by the rest of the paper,and all of theevidence pertains to it. 母It is precise,and can be understood on its own,before one has read the essay. It is precise,and not so general and vague that it does not express an arguableposition. ## A List of Dos and Don'ts for Paper Writing Do italicize or underline book titles,including abbreviated titlesput quotes that are four lines or longer in block quote format(CMS:single space the quote and indent evenly on both sides) cite your sources using parenthetical citations or footnotes/endnotes [see below]use first person plural(we)or third person (he/she/one) Don't use contractions(don't,won't,would’ve,it's,he's,etc.) use its'(no apostrophe is necessary when indicating a possessive-so just“its”use second person(you)or first person singular(I) use “I believe”or "I feel"-as this is your paper,there is no need to state that this is yourpersonal opinion split infinitive verb forms-ex."to accuratelyjudge"”should be “to judge accurately” A good,and inexpensive,text to refer to for grammatical questions is Strunk and White,Elements of Style. ## Citation Guidelines CMS-Chicago Manual of Style-is the style manual used by historians.You may alsowant to refer to Kate Turabian's A Manual For Writers of Term Papers,Theses,andDissertations.The following are guidelines for citations as per CMS/Turabian. ## Footnotes/Endnotes: Julius Caesar,The Gallic War,trans.by H.J.Edwards,(Cambridge:Harvard UniversityPress,1997),100.Note:In the case of some sources,you may cite by book/chapter andparagraph/line number instead of page number.This allows the reader to track down thepassage you're citing without having to find the particular edition. Subsequent footnotes/endnotes should read as follows:Caesar,100. ## Bibliography: Julius Caesar.The Gallic War.Translated by H.J.Edwards.Cambridge:HarvardUniversity Press,1997. ## Parenthetical Citations: This is another way to cite sources,based on the MLA-Modern Language Assocation-style guide:(Caesar,p.100) Here you must include a bibliography,as this is where the full information on the sourcewill appear. Julius Caesar.The Gallic War.Trans.H.J.Edwards.Cambridge:Harvard UniversityPress,1997.

FAQs

What should be included in the argumentative essay introduction?

The introduction should provide background information about the issue and the position being argued, followed by a thesis statement that states the position to be argued.

How should reasons and evidence be organized after the thesis statement?

After the thesis statement, present reasons/arguments as main points, and for each one include supporting evidence to directly back the thesis.

What citation system and formats are described in the document?

The document describes citation guidelines using CMS/Chicago Manual of Style, including footnotes/endnotes, bibliography entries, and parenthetical citations.

Sep 22, 2026

Upload by Aran