argument essay checker

Free Argument Generator

Generate persuasive arguments for any topic quickly and easily with our argument generator. Enhance essays and discussions with solid reasoning.

Start typing, paste or use

Sign up to get 3 Sparks per day or check out our paid plans to get even more.

We are unable to generate rephrasings for this text. Please try a different piece of text.

Why use our argument generator?

Generate arguments with the click of a button. If you're not satisfied with the result, simply try again.

Create high-quality content

Strengthen your writing with content that engages your readers and leaves them wanting more.

Explore AI capabilities

Paraphrase text, change between first and third person, add sensory detail, and more.

Discover ProWritingAid

ProWritingAid goes beyond generating arguments. It's the ultimate tool to elevate your writing.

Find the perfect words

Give AI Sparks a try for paraphrasing text, enhancing readability, summarizing content, adding descriptive detail, and much more.

Instantly correct errors

ProWritingAid identifies grammar, spelling, and style errors and offers suggestions to correct them in real time.

Get expert insights on your writing

ProWritingAid's reports help you gauge the effectiveness of your writing. Use them to improve readability, eliminate unnecessary words, clarify vague language, and more.

Ditch writer's block

Don't let writer's block hold you back. Use AI Sparks by ProWritingAid to discover new ideas for your writing. Generate analogies, examples, and explanations to maintain your writing momentum.

ProWritingAid is used by every type of writer

Join over 3 million users improving their writing.

I am continually impressed with the positive input this program offers me every time I sit down to write. My skills have improved immensely since I bought it, and I heartily recommend it to anyone who wants to have more confidence in their own writing.

Ginger Wakem

I've tried every free and paid writing/editing/grammar extension out there, and this by far is the best one my team and I have found. It's fast, accurate, and really helps improve your writing beyond simple grammar suggestions.

Joel Widmer

ProWritingAid has been a resource in my writer toolkit for many years. The program helps me to craft and clarify my stories for a better reader experience. Your editor will thank you for making their job easier.

Siera London

Works in all your favorite writing apps

Access all ProWritingAid's features directly in your writing app of choice.

Argument Generator FAQs

What is prowritingaid.

ProWritingAid is a digital toolkit that helps you craft your story and bring it to life.

ProWritingAid helps you unlock the full potential of your story by fixing grammatical errors, improving sentence clarity, and creating more engaging prose. Plus, it integrates with any writing app, so you can get support in whichever one you use.

It’s like having an English teacher, professional editor, writing buddy and honest critic sitting inside your favorite writing app.

Is ProWritingAid free?

A free account allows you to edit and run reports on up to 500 words. It also gives you ten Rephrases and three AI Sparks per day, which are needed to generate arguments. If you want more, you'll need to upgrade to a paid plan .

How do I generate arguments in-app?

Follow these steps:

Write a prompt that you want to generate an argument for.

Highlight the text and click " Sparks. "

Then choose "Continue" from the drop-down menu to continue your writing with an argument.

Does my ProWritingAid paid license work on this page?

This page is for demonstration only, so it doesn’t recognize Premium or Premium Pro licenses, and limits how many times you can use the tool here. To access the feature with your paid license, please log in and use the Web Editor or any of our integrations .

What software integrations does ProWritingAid offer?

ProWritingAid works in all major writing apps, like MS Word, Google Docs, Scrivener, Atticus, Apple Notes, and more. To access ProWritingAid in a computer-based writing app, you must install Desktop Everywhere. If you’re writing online, we offer browser extensions (Google Chrome, Firefox and Microsoft Edge). Click here to learn more.

Generate arguments with ease

Drop us a line or let's stay in touch via:

Essay Checker

With Ginger’s Essay Checker, correcting common writing errors is easier than ever. Try it free online!

Avoid Common Writing Mistakes with the World’s Top Essay Checker

The Ginger Essay Checker helps you write better papers instantly. Upload as much text as you want – even entire documents – and Essay Checker will automatically correct any spelling mistakes, grammar mistakes, and misused words. Ginger Essay Checker uses patent-pending technology to fix essays, improving your writing just like a human editor would. Take advantage of the most advanced essay corrector on the market. You’ll benefit from instant proofreading, plus you’ll automatically improve your writing skills as you view highlighted errors side by side with Ginger Essay Checker’s corrections.

Check Essays Fast with Ginger Software

You’ve selected a topic, constructed an outline, written your thesis statement, and completed your first draft. Don’t let your efforts go to waste. With Ginger Software’s Essay Checker, you’ll be the only one to see those little mistakes and perhaps even those glaring errors peppering your paper. The tedious task of checking an essay once had to be done by hand – and proofreading sometimes added hours of work to large projects. Where writers once had to rely on peers or editors to spot and correct mistakes, Essay Checker has taken over. Better yet, this innovative online paper checker does what other free essay corrector programs can’t do: Not only does it flag errors so you can learn from your mistakes, it automatically corrects all spelling and grammar issues at lightning speed.

Stop Wasting Time and Effort Checking Papers

You have a heavy workload, and the last thing you need to do is waste time staring at an essay you’ve just spent hours writing. Proofreading your own work – especially when you’re tired – allows you to find a few mistakes, but some errors inevitably go unnoticed no matter how much time you spend re-reading what you’ve just written. The Ginger Essay Checker lightens your workload by completely eliminating the need for hours of tedious self-review. With Ginger’s groundbreaking Essay Checker, a vast array of grammar mistakes and spelling errors are detected and corrected with unmatched accuracy. While most online paper checker tools claiming to correct essays simply flag mistakes and sometimes make suggestions for fixing them, Essay Checker goes above and beyond, picking up on such issues as tense usage errors, singular vs. plural errors, and more. Even the most sophisticated sentence structures are checked with accuracy, ensuring no mistake is overlooked even though all you’ve done is made a single click.

Essay Checker Paves the Way to Writing Success

Writing has always been important, and accuracy has always been sought after. Getting your spelling, grammar, and syntax right matters, whether your audience is online or off. Error-free writing is a vital skill in the academic world, and it’s just as important for conducting business. Casual bloggers need to maintain credibility with their audiences, and professional writers burn out fast when faced with mounds of work to proofread. Make sure your message is conveyed with clarity by checking your work before submitting it to readers – no matter who they are.

Checking essays has never been easier. With Ginger Essay Checker, you’ll save time, boost productivity, and make the right impression.

Enterprise Inquiry

Share your requirements with us and our team will respond to you promptly., essay checker, check your essay for grammar & language errors.

Students can write better essays quickly and confidently with Trinka AI—it finds and corrects language and grammar errors in real-time. 

Trusted by Global Leaders

Why Choose Trinka's Essay Checker

Trinka's essay checker identifies errors specific to academic writing that other AI grammar checkers may not. Everything from complex grammar errors to scientific style and tone is proofread by Trinka! Trinka's essay checker has learned to provide the most relevant suggestions by analysing published academic papers, articles, and studies across various disciplines.

With Trinka, you will always be able to produce quality academic writing. Trinka's free essay checker can help ensure that your essays are of the highest quality and are edited quickly.

• Save time with auto edits
• Professionalize your writing
• High data security
• Enjoy it for free

Key Features of Trinka’s Essay Checker

With Trinka's advanced essay checker, you will be able to correct spelling and grammatical errors in your essay and make it more logical and concise.

Overall Language Enhancement

Polish your writing with Trinka language tips on enhanced vocabulary, tone, syntax, and much more.

Retain Original Formatting

Revise your essay with all changes made in tracks and the original formatting retained.

Plagiarism Check

Maintain originality in your work with iThenticate, the most advanced text similarity detection algorithm that compares your work with the largest paid publication database covering all scientific fields.

Table of Revisions

View a detailed table of revisions categorized by type of language error for a quick understanding of the edits made in your essay.

Style Guide Preferences

Tailor the grammar and word choice of your essay to comply with popular academic style guides (AMA 11th, APA 7th, ACS 2nd, AGU 2017, IEEE).

Works on all Subject Areas

Customize Trinka to provide you with the most relevant suggestions based on your subject area and the topic of your essay.

Check Beyond Grammar and Spelling

Trinka's essay checker goes beyond grammar and spelling to holistically enhance your writing.

Style Guide Preference

Technical Phrasing

Word Choice

Word Count Reduction

Academic Tone

Usage and Style

Unbiased Language

Advanced Grammar

US/UK Style

Vague Language

Sentence Structure

Advanced Spelling

Testimonials, get trinka where you need it.

Safe, Secure, and Trusted

Trinka puts data safety and privacy at the forefront. All your data is strongly encrypted and securely stored - no one else has access to your data. We offer unique plans that completely eliminate saving any data once you receive writing suggestions.

About Trinka

Trinka uses the latest, state-of-the-art Machine Learning (ML) and Natural Language Processing (NLP) technologies to identify grammar errors and suggest language enhancements. It is trained on millions of well-written papers and articles covering 1300+ subject areas including medicine, life sciences, biology, physical sciences, engineering, humanities, business, and arts to give you the most relevant suggestions.

Trinka is developed by a team of linguists, medical editors, data scientists, and engineers with a deep desire to create a future with barrier-free communication.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. Trinka essay checker can be used across all subject areas. It provides contextual suggestions based on the chosen subject area.

There are positives and negatives of using an AI editor. With an AI editor, you have speed, control and the best part—it’s completely free! AI editors support human editors who can organize your writing into a clear, logical, elegant paper. After letting the AI editor edit your paper, if you feel you need a human check, we do have in in-house expert copyeditors who provide assistance with reviewing your final documents.

The Proofread File service gives you the following benefits:

• The edited file will display all changes in tracks. This means you can review the changes and accept or reject them using Microsoft Word or any other compatible word processor. This file will also include comments and explanations that can help you make your writing clear.
• You will also receive a detailed report which shows the number of revisions Trinka has made in each language category and an overall writing quality score.

We've tested Trinka's AI essay checker with leading online grammar checkers on five academic domains for accuracy, style guide compliance, conciseness, and contextual spelling check. Trinka stood out remarkably. To learn more, you can refer to our published whitepaper .

Free online proofreading and essay editor

A reliable proofreading tool and essay editor for any writer or student, a complete environment.

Typely is more than just a proofreading tool. It's a complete writing environment.

Thousands of checks

More than a thousand checks are being performed and we've only scratched the surface.

Inspired by the greatest writers

Gain access to humanity’s collective understanding about the craft of writing.

A proofreading tool that does not bark at every tree

Typely is precise. Existing tools for proofreading raise so many false alarms that their advice cannot be trusted. Instead, the writer must carefully consider whether to accept or reject each change.

We aim for a tool so precise that it becomes possible to unquestioningly adopt its recommendations and still come out ahead — with stronger, tighter prose. Better to be quiet and authoritative than loud and unreliable.

Relax, focus, write your next masterpiece...

Writing presumes more than simply laying out words on a paper. Typely helps you get in the mood and keeps you focused, immersed and ready to write your story.

Whether you need a distraction-free environment, some chill relaxing sounds or a pomodoro timer to manage your time we got you covered.

Got questions? We have answers.

No. Typely is completely free and we plan on keeping it that way. We are considering some advanced features however that might be available under a premium plan.

The only limit we have applied thus far is on the number of characters you can submit and that is being set at a maximum of 50,000.

In theory yes but that will require a lot of work and professionals dedicated for this job. We are considering a way of letting the community participate somehow.

Typely does not do grammar checking because it's hard and almost impossible to get right. The aim for Typely is to be precise and reliable.

Get Rid of Grammar Mistakes Instantly With Essay Checker

Need help with your essay?

Coming up with an idea for your next academic paper is a considerable challenge, but ensuring correct punctuation, coherent and cohesive essay structure, following the style, and complying with all grammar rules might be way more challenging. No matter how unique and brilliant your ideas are, the absence of appropriate structure and grammar might lead to the reader’s misinterpretation. Grammar is literally everything, and so it is critically important to follow all of its rules to get an A+.

The grammatically correct text delivers the essay’s message, enhances its tone, and gives you expertise. With grammar rules becoming so sophisticated, it is pretty challenging to keep all of them in mind at the same time. Thankfully, you can now access a convenient Essay Checker and run your text through the software and scan it for grammar mistakes. Using a Grammar Checker is an excellent way to securely detect any kind of grammar, punctuation, and stylistic mistakes. By providing accurate results within just a few seconds, a paper checker can let you improve the structure of your sentences and provide you with multiple hints to make the text sound more proficient.

Most importantly, a grammar checker is the best tool to keep your life stress-free. In fact, the tool isn’t just aimed at students who doubt their grammar skills. In reality, checking texts via essay check software has become an integral part of professional writers’, editors’, and publishers’ routine.

An Essay Checker does more than just correct standard grammar mistakes. An Essay Checker provides you with an overview of some good ways to empower the text by strengthening arguments, improving sentence structure, and cutting down on the amount of unnecessary, confusing information. If you are ready to boost your writing skills and bring your essay writing to a new level, don’t hesitate and check your paper online! What Makes Complying With Grammar Rules So Critical?

Grammar is one of the fundamentals of daily communication (both formal and informal), as well as writing. Even though people are often forgiven for tiny grammatical mistakes during a regular conversation, things are quite different with written communication. While grammar might not matter a lot while exchanging a few words with some close person, it matters in most life aspects. Below we provide multiple reasons on why we deem grammar crucial.

Clarity and proper tone

When we approach someone, we strive to make them understand the main message we are trying to convey. To ensure clarity, it is always critical to use appropriate punctuation. In a verbal conversation, people substitute punctuation with accents, pauses, and tone. But when writing to someone, one should know how and where to put a comma, dash, colon, or semicolon. For example, just a single comma can entirely change the meaning and the tone of the following message:

I’m sorry you’re right I’m sorry, you’re right

While the first sentence sounds quite rude and offensive, the second one with the comma is calm and neutral.

Missing a comma or placing a punctuation sign in a place where it does not fit aren’t the only ways to change the sentence’s meaning unintentionally. For instance, changing the word order forms up a sentence with a different sense:

I have found a green girl’s purse I have found a girl’s green purse

Accidentally mixing up the two words only leads to confusion: while the second sentence suggests that the narrator had found a green purse, the first one indicates that they had found a purse that belongs to some green girl.

Communication

How we communicate with people around us determines their image of us and the way we make them feel. Intuitively, we make facial expressions, use body language and different tones. However, we cannot make use of any of those instruments when we approach someone via email. Moreover, what we write to another person stays in their inbox, so you cannot keep your fingers crossed in the hope that they will forget the awkward thing you accidentally said. All in all, when writing emails to your professor, colleague, boss, or any public body representative, it is always a wise decision to run your text through an essay checker. It takes only a few minutes to check your work and make necessary adjustments.

Building trust

If you are just writing an essay or approaching some businessperson, your main task is to establish credibility. Demonstrating that you know how to write grammatically appropriate sentences, which arguments to use, and how to maintain the structure is critical for building trust. Be it a teacher, colleague, a potential employer – you will surely build trust with any of them provided that you use proper grammar.

Unintentional Plagiarism Checker

An essay checker can enhance your writing by correcting even the tiniest grammatical mistakes and helping you polish the essay structure. However, the functions of an essay corrector go far beyond dealing with grammatical issues. Namely, the software can easily detect plagiarism.

A lot of students and writers keep making the same mistake – forgetting or simply neglecting to use a plagiarism checker. Many people assume that running a text through plagiarism detection software isn’t necessary when writing a paper from scratch. Nevertheless, it is often the case that presumably the original text contains some percentage of plagiarism. How does this happen? It might happen that you accidentally used common long word combinations or sentences that contain more than four-five words. Moreover, some topics imply a very tight, specific vocabulary that limits one’s creativity and results in matches with already available texts on the Internet.

An Essay Checker is an irreplaceable tool for everyone who wants to ensure 100% originality of an essay before submitting it. The tool checks your paper against a billion sources available online and provides a detailed overview.

Online Plagiarism Checker: How Can it Help?

A plagiarism checker is quite a universal tool that allows you to check your texts thoroughly and comprehensively. If you are new to an essay checker, check out its main functions.

The basic check my paper tool analyzes a piece of information and tells you whether there was any plagiarism detected. If the text contains 5% of plagiarism, the software will notify you that the paper you submitted is 95% original.

While some basic tools simply generate a percentage of plagiarized content in your paper, more advanced tools analyze the text more extensively. For example, advanced check my essay tools identify the number of unique words and provide suggestions on how to modify the text to make it sound more organic and original.

A plagiarism checker usually provides you with a list of sources that might probably match some parts of your essay. Such a service usually helps writers to decide whether to change some particular part of the text or include a citation.

Start saving time on your work

What are the main principles of online plagiarism checker’s work.

The main idea of any online plagiarism checker implies checking one text against a multitude of sources simultaneously and detecting identical parts. The tool is highly on-demand among professors, researchers, students, and writers. Professors check students’ essays for plagiarism not because of trust issues but due to the rules of academia. Students, in their turn, run their essays through plagiarism checkers to avoid the troubles of unintentional plagiarism. Moreover, the tool is viral among researchers and writers who do not want accidental plagiarism to put their academic or professional careers at stake.

A plagiarism detector thoroughly scans your text while searching for phrases and passages similar to those in your text. If it happens that your paper does not contain plagiarism – the detector will notify you that the text’s originality equals 100%. However, if this isn’t the case, the software will find the match and show you the Internet source where the matching text is located. Later on, you can review the source and decide how to modify your text to make it plagiarism-free.

Why Would My Teacher Check My Writing Through a Plagiarism Detector?

Teachers at most educational institutions run students’ papers through plagiarism detection programs. First and foremost, the reasons have nothing to do with personal trust. When the entire class submits a paper, the teacher checks all students’ papers without any exception.

Universities and colleges are especially concerned about plagiarism: they cannot approve of even the slightest plagiarism since the latter would undermine the institution’s credibility. All in all, some teachers run papers through plagiarism checkers because the policy asks them to do so. However, those teachers who are not required to check all the essays for plagiarism may do it selectively. Below are some possible reasons why teachers use a plagiarism detector.

The format isn’t entirely consistent

The teacher might become rather suspicious when he or she notices differences in font and formatting within the paper. Namely, they might assume that some parts of the text have been copied. On the one hand, this might just be a coincidence. Nonetheless, the teacher will be likely to check the paper’s originality in such a case.

The difference in voice and style

Teachers are usually familiar with the writing styles of their students and thus are aware of what each of them is capable of. Once you submit a paper that is written in a totally new style, your teacher might doubt that it was you who wrote it.

Too old references

Academia usually requires students to use fresh sources that were published 5-10 years ago. So if most of your sources are pretty outdated, the teacher might assume that you’ve borrowed someone else’s paper and recycled their ideas.

It’s Not Just About Copying and Pasting: Common Plagiarism Types

Plagiarizing does not necessarily mean simply copying someone else’s work and pretending that it belongs to you. Moreover, plagiarizing might happen unintentionally due to an accidental match. However, there are even more types of plagiarism. Staying informed and updated about sources of plagiarism is critical to prevent this inconvenience from happening, so here are the following types of plagiarism:

Self-plagiarism

Being one of the most awkward and confusing types, self-plagiarism is pretty often the case. As one may tell from its name, self-plagiarism happens as a result of using your own research or essay as the basis for other papers. Using the same idea multiple times is considered plagiarism, even though the findings belong only to you. So, if you want to avoid this type of plagiarism but still consider that your previous research suits the current paper’s goals, you may talk to your professor.

Direct plagiarism

Direct plagiarism is what happens when you copy another person’s thoughts and paste them into your paper without changing anything. Such type of plagiarism can hardly be unintentional. To make sure that your paper has nothing to do with direct plagiarism, you may check whether you included all the in-text citations. Another solution against direct plagiarism would be to paraphrase long pieces of text into shorter ones and write them in your own words.

Invented source

The paper is deemed plagiarized if the citation you mentioned on a bibliography page does not exist. It sometimes happens that some students who want to fudge on the essay writing just make up random sources. Instead of backing on credible, relevant research, they decide to come up with their own ‘arguments’ and attribute them to non-existing authors. Even though such an essay does not look suspicious initially, the plagiarism detector will immediately tell if something went wrong.

To make sure you don’t get into trouble like this, it might help if you take your time and read at least ten credible sources. Making notes in parallel would also bring you huge benefits.

Incremental plagiarism

This type of plagiarism is undoubtedly the most common one. Such an issue occurs when one decides to copy parts of an author’s work and paste them into their own research or essay without mentioning the author’s name. Even if your entire paper contains only one directly copied sentence, it is considered to be the case of plagiarizing and might cost you your grades and academic reputation.

If you aren’t enthusiastic about the latter, you can always choose between paraphrasing the sentence or adding an in-text citation.

Patchwriting

Even though patchwriting is often confused with paraphrasing, these are the two completely different, if not polar, notions. First of all, paraphrasing is all about substituting words with their synonyms or changing the word order in a sentence. At the same time, paraphrasing means restating the material that you have just consumed. Paraphrasing requires you to read a few lines, digest the information, and explain it in your own words. An ability to do so signals your ability to comprehend what you read and analyze the text critically. In contrast, patchwriting is all about modifying parts of the original text by changing the ‘appearance’ of the original sentences.

Misleading citations

Misleading citations imply representing ideas that do not communicate the main idea of a source. In other words, such a type means using concepts that misrepresent the material itself. This can be the case when a student does not entirely comprehend the idea of a source and the way he or she interprets it simply does not correspond to reality.

Will the Consequences of Plagiarism be Adverse?

We don’t mean to scare you, but plagiarism is quite a severe issue that shouldn’t be ignored. As a type of intellectual property rights violation, plagiarism cannot be tolerated in the academic world. Here are some light to worst-case scenario consequences:

• You can get zero for the assignment without a right to redo the task.
• You may fail the entire course
• You might even get expelled from your educational institution
• Plagiarizing might affect your future too: since the plagiarism record might be mentioned on your transcript, you might not get enrolled at your preferred college or university.

Instantly Detect Plagiarism With Essay Checker

Overal, one should never underestimate the consequences of plagiarizing. However, you don’t need to worry as long as you can quickly check your paper in a matter of just a few seconds. Our essay checker free tool provides you with a range of convenient means to make sure that your grammar looks fine as well as guarantee 100% authenticity of the paper. The way it works is easy: you just copy the text and paste it in the essay checker software, then the tool checks your paper against similar sources, and finally provides you with suggestions on how to improve your writing.

Do not hesitate to contact our professional essay writer and get your paper checked.

What customers say about our essay writer team

Argumentative Essay Evaluator

Ai-powered evaluation of argumentative essays.

• Assess a student's essay: Evaluate the strength and coherence of a student's argumentative essay, providing detailed feedback to guide improvement.
• Improve your own writing: Submit your own argumentative essay for analysis to identify areas of strength and areas for improvement.
• Prepare for an exam: Use the tool to practice and improve your essay writing skills in preparation for an exam.
• Teaching tool: Educators can use this tool to provide comprehensive feedback to students, helping them understand how to improve their argumentative writing.

New & Trending Tools

Wedding toast generator, ai answer science questions, ai text analyzer and highlights.

Wipe out plagiarism & grammar errors

Get automatic paper help

• Expert Check

Check for unintentional plagiarism

Check your paper for unintentional plagiarism against thousands of sources.

Strengthen your writing

Give your paper an in-depth check. Receive feedback within 24 hours from writing experts on your paper's main idea, structure, conclusion, and more.

Find and fix grammar errors

Don't lose points over small mistakes. Our smart proofreader checks for grammar and writing mistakes so that you don't have to.

What students are saying about us

"Caught comma errors that I actually struggle with even after proofreading myself."

- Natasha J.

"I find the suggestions to be extremely helpful especially as they can instantly take you to that section in your paper for you to fix any and all issues related to the grammar or spelling error(s)."

- Catherine R.

Write with confidence with...

Personalized Writing Help When You Need it

Unintentional plagiarism, grammar mistakes, and uncited sources  can turn what you thought was a good paper into a poor one. When you’re writing a paper the last thing you want is for your message to get lost due to incorrect punctuation or confusing sentence structure. You know that the great ideas in your head would make for a standout paper, if only you could get them written clearly on the page. If this struggle sounds familiar, you’re not alone.

Great ideas may be an essential part of high-quality writing, but they’re not the only component. Excellent papers and essays clearly express strong ideas with good grammar, proper punctuation, spot-on spelling, and thorough, careful citations. While this may sound like a lot, your teachers and professors are grading you on your skills as both a writer and a researcher, which means your assignments will require an ethical and attentive approach. Luckily, there is no shortage of available tools to help you along your way.

You could use a plagiarism checker free, though, these tools often lack grammatical support. Given the high stakes and rigorous requirements, the aid of a plagiarism checker without the needed support of a grammar checker could mean the difference between an “A” paper and a “C” or even “D” paper.

Thankfully, the EasyBib Plus plagiarism tool provides all-in-one support to cover all your bases. Our premium essay checker is convenient, easy to use, and includes access to a grammar and spell checker, plus a plagiarism checker. With a single scan, you’ll receive personalized feedback to help identify potentially missing citations and help improve your sentence structure, punctuation, grammar, and more.

Not sure if that noun is spelled correctly, or if the preposition at the end of your sentence is grammatically correct? The EasyBib Plus plagiarism tool is your one-stop shop to help check plagiarism, get grammatical suggestions, correct spelling and punctuation errors, and help create polished papers you can be proud to turn in. And, we haven’t told you the best part yet: you can try our tool free and scan your work for grammar suggestions right now!

Access all the tools today!

A Grammar Check for Peace of Mind

You know that grammar plays a significant role in your assignments. Not only does it factor into your overall grade, but without clear and precise language, your ideas can lose their impact or might even be misunderstood entirely. Still, with so many different parts of speech and rules to learn and apply, it’s not uncommon to get them mixed up and find yourself questioning your knowledge now and again:

Can you use an adverb to modify a noun? (No. You need an adjective for that.)

Well, can you use it to modify a pronoun ? (Still no.)

What do they modify, then? (Almost everything else. Fun, right?)

Ugh. (That was an interjection .)

Does this have to be so difficult? (Nope!)

Scanning your paper with the EasyBib Plus writing tool delivers more than the basic punctuation and spell check functions that come standard in word processing programs. You’ll receive immediate, targeted feedback that can help improve the sentence structure and style of your writing. Not only can this help ensure that you don’t lose points off your grade for grammatical errors such as mismatched verb tense, but it can also help to clarify your meaning and strengthen your arguments by eliminating confusing punctuation and run-on sentences that confuse readers.

Reviewing your work to correct errors and refine the flow of your writing is a critical part of the revision process for novices and novelists alike. Even the most conscientious of wordsmiths might make mistakes, such as using a conjunctive adverb in place of a coordinating conjunction or pairing a plural determiner with an uncountable word. They likely appreciate a subscription-based or free grammar check as much as a beginning writer. That’s why the EasyBib Plus writing tool is designed for all writers, from students who are still learning the fundamentals to published professionals who get paid by the word.

The EasyBib Plus writing tool provides quick, targeted feedback that you can use to help improve your writing immediately. Also, our free resource library is available 24/7, just like the rest of our tools, to help you brush up on the areas that challenge you the most (Conjunctive what? Uncountable who?) That means you can continue to sharpen your skills and improve your writing over time, which will help make finishing your next project easier.

Ready to give your paper a boost? Sign up for EasyBib Plus or scan a paper right now for a free spell check—it’s easy!Just upload or copy and paste your paper to the online grammar check tool and, in a matter of seconds, you’ll be able to receive up to 5 feedback cards so you can begin polishing your draft.

To learn more about proofreading tools, you can find more info here. Or, for more tips on grammar, punctuation, and style, check out this useful reference .

Why is Grammar So Important, Anyway?

Why is grammar important? As long as others know what you mean, does it really matter if you use proper grammar? These are age-old questions, but the answers remain unchanged. Grammar is important for many reasons:

Communication:  Communication is about more than merely listening and talking. We communicate in myriad ways: with our voices, our mannerisms, our facial expressions, our actions, and frequently, our written words. Written communication is just as important as all the other ways we broadcast our thoughts and feelings. Unlike our other communication methods, though, written communication leaves a record. While most of us relax our style when talking to or texting friends, the fact remains that more formal venues require a more formal tone. Proper spelling, grammar, and punctuation are a necessary element of professional and academic writing, so running your work through a spelling and grammar check before you submit it is an absolute must.

Clarity:  Expressing your thoughts, ideas, and opinions is an uphill battle when you communicate them with less-than-stellar punctuation, spelling, and grammar. A missing or misplaced comma, for example, can entirely change your meaning:

• Call me Ishmael = My name is Ishmael.
• Call me, Ishmael = I want Ishmael to call me.

Spelling errors can result in similarly muddled meaning:

• Her shoes perfectly complemented her dress. = Her shoes and dress go well together.
• Her shoes perfectly complimented her dress. = Her shoes can both speak and engage in flattery.

Grammar deficiencies such as a dangling modifier yield similarly confusing results:

• I saw the girl’s purple backpack in the library. = The purple backpack belonging to the girl is in the library; I saw it.
• I saw the purple girl’s backpack in the library. = You know the girl who mysteriously turned purple? I saw her backpack in the library. This week has not been easy on her.

Credibility: Establishing your credibility is critical whether you’re writing for school or business. Proving that you can reliably communicate using proper grammar is essential to establishing and maintaining the trust of your teachers, professors, readers, customers, and colleagues.

To learn even more about the importance of English grammar in writing, check here .

What Happens After I Upload My Paper?

Once you upload a paper, the EasyBib Plus grammar checker scans your text and highlights grammar issues within your document so you can see it in context. For users running a grammar check and spell check using the grammar check free tool, up to the first 5 issues are shown. For subscription subscribers, all of the areas that require your review will be highlighted once the scan is complete.

No matter which version of the tool you’re using, your feedback will include detailed explanations so you can understand why the text was flagged. Other highlighted areas will include examples of how the issues can be fixed. Some will include a detailed explanation as to why the issue was flagged. This personalized feedback allows you to make an educated decision about whether to edit your text or dismiss the suggestion, so you’re always in control of your final draft.

Subscription users also have the plagiarism checker at their disposal when scanning their papers for style and grammar suggestions. Just as with our other writing tools, when you use the tool to check plagiarism, changes are never made without your review, so you are always in the driver’s seat. You can review each highlighted area as well as the sources of matching text and will always be given a choice to either accept or ignore both citation and grammar suggestions.

Whether you are a student or a professional, the EasyBib Plus tools are powerful allies that can help you improve your paper, establish credibility as a writer, and maintain an ethical writing process.

Try our checker free for 3 days to see what you think*. Trust us; you’ll wonder how you got along so far without it!

*See Terms and Conditions

Check for Unintentional Plagiarism

Persistent use of the best grammar checker and spell checker you can find will help to shape up the style and substance of your composition. However, to ensure the integrity of your work and root out unintentional instances of academic dishonesty, you’ll also need to incorporate a subscription-based or free plagiarism checker for students.

The ability to scan your paper and check plagiarism and grammar before submitting your work is an invaluable tool for students. It’s so valuable, in fact, that students are not the only ones who consistently use this type of software.

Many teachers and professors use a service to ensure that student papers are original and include properly formatted and sourced citations for all reference materials. For some, this may be a consistent element of their grading process, while others may utilize one only when they feel there is a reason to do so.

What Exactly Does a Plagiarism Checker Do?

If you’ve used an online plagiarism checker before, you may be familiar with the process that these tools employ. For those who have never used one, it can be helpful to understand how these tools work and what you should expect as a result of using one.

The most basic free tools will scan your paper and provide you with a percentage that indicates how much of your work is original. This feature can be useful to a point, as some instructors and institutions set a percentage for the amount of similar text that is considered acceptable. This policy does not mean that they are lenient about academic dishonesty but, instead, that they recognize that similar or even matching word choice is not always an indicator of copying.

However, some schools do not tolerate any form of incremental plagiarism, period. In these institutions, “check paper for plagiarism” is likely a standard action when grading all papers.

With a free plagiarism checker, the percentage of word-for-word plagiarism in your text may be the only feedback you receive. Moreover, some of these providers may wade in unethical waters, and offer essay writing services in conjunction with their checking services. This is why many students and teachers prefer subscription-based checkers that focus on integrity, such as the EasyBib writing tools.

With our premium tools, you get more than just supporting proof that your paper is original and in your own words. Your writing is scanned for potentially matching text and areas that needs your attention is highlighted. We’ll provide you with the source of the matching text so you can review it and decide how to proceed. If you agree that a citation is needed, our citation tools and resources will provide you with the information you need to help format and insert the new sources in your text as well as your works cited page.

How Does the EasyBib Plus Online Plagiarism Checker Work?

The EasyBib Plus writing tool provides an all-in-one spell check, grammar review, and plagiarism checker that not only helps you with the paper you’re writing now but enables you to gain new knowledge and improve your writing for the future, too.

Our essay checker searches online for phrases, sentences, or passages that are similar to those in your paper. If it returns matching text, this may indicate that you have passages that are missing citations.

Just as with many checkers, our tool will tell you how many instances of matching text it finds in your paper. Our plagiarism tool is designed to do more than most free tools, however.

When a portion of your paper is flagged for review, we provide you with the source that it matches. As with our online spell check tool, you have the power to review each area and choose how to proceed. If you decide to cite the flagged text, you can review the suggested source and access our citation tools to help create a proper citation and start building a bibliography for your paper. Or, you may determine that no citation is needed, in which case it’s simple to dismiss the suggestion and continue to the next section.

If you’re unsure about how to proceed, our library of resources can help you learn more and make an educated decision. In this way, you gain more than just the ability to correct your work; over time, you can learn how to avoid plagiarism altogether.

Reasons Your Teacher May Run Your Paper Through a Plagiarism Detector

As stated previously, your teachers and professors grade papers with a fixed process that includes “check paper for plagiarism” as a standard, across-the-board action. Others may check for plagiarism only when they feel there is cause to do so. There are a few red flags that may stand out to them while reviewing a paper that would lead to their running a plagiarism check, including:

Style/Voice:  Most teachers are familiar with the style and voice that you use in your writing. While most will hope that the feedback they provide when grading your work will help you to improve problem areas over time, a paper or essay that has a dramatically different style or voice than the work you’ve previously submitted can be a red flag.

Inconsistency:  Changes in the font, font size, formality, formatting, and more may indicate that portions of a paper have been copied and pasted. If these inconsistent passages are not presented as quotations or don’t include citations, this may further indicate to your teacher that there’s plagiarism in the paper.

Old References:  Part of a well-researched paper is verifying the legitimacy and relevance of your sources. While some older references may be acceptable depending on the topic, if all of your sources are outdated, it may lead your teacher to believe that you’ve recycled your own work or someone else’s.

Looking for a checker to try? With EasyBib Plus you get unlimited checks to give you peace of mind when turning in your papers!

What is Plagiarism?

If you’re looking for a free online plagiarism checker , you’re already aware that it’s not something you want to be found in your papers. However, you may still be wondering: what does plagiarism mean? It’s a reasonable question and one that merits exploring. After all, some of the actions and circumstances that fall within the plagiarism definition come as a surprise to those who only learn that they’ve committed them after it’s too late.

So what is plagiarism? To define plagiarism in the most basic sense, you might say that it is taking someone else’s ideas and words and passing them off as your own.

If your goal is avoiding plagiarism entirely, you’ll need to go beyond the basics to thoroughly define plagiarism, recognize it, and keep clear of it. Some examples of plagiarism that students find surprising include forgotten citations, poor paraphrasing, and re-submitting your own work in whole or in part for more than one assignment. This useful article provides more help in recognizing and understanding the different forms that academic dishonesty can take.

Of course, using your own words and ideas does not count as plagiarism, nor does using common knowledge . Basically, common knowledge is information that is well known by the average person. Examples of common knowledge:

• there are 12 months in a year
• the freezing point of Celsius is zero degrees
• Socrates was a Greek philosopher

So should you only include your original thoughts and common knowledge in your papers? Of course not! Research-based assignments are meant to demonstrate your skills as a researcher, after all, as well as your ability to build upon the work of others to formulate new ideas. To avoid accidentally committing an act that falls within the plagiarism definition when you’re using another person’s words or ideas, though, you need to give them proper credit. This means you’ll need to clearly identify direct quotations or properly paraphrase them when including them in your paper.

Regardless of your approach, you’ll also need to cite your sources according to the style your professor specifies. Generally, you will use MLA format for the arts and humanities and APA format for the sciences, but it’s always best to check with your instructor when you’re unsure.

If you know what style to use but still aren’t sure how to create your citations, don’t fret! Our library of resources includes free guides to help you learn about various styles so you can properly structure and place them. And our premium tools not only help you check grammar, spelling, and originality in your papers, but subscribers also enjoy access to our citation creation tools!

What are the Different Types of Plagiarism?

In addition to the question “what is plagiarism,” you may also be wondering, “why do students plagiarize?” While some students do intentionally plagiarize because they believe they can pass off someone else’s work as their own to avoid spending time on their assignments, many others do so accidentally. They may not understand how broad the plagiarism definition is or they haven’t learned how to research and cite their sources properly. That is why it is vital to recognize plagiarism in all of its forms if you wish to ensure the integrity of your work.

Examples of plagiarism & How to prevent it

Direct plagiarism:

Intentionally copying another person’s work without including a citation that gives credit to the source. When most students are asked to identify potential plagiarism examples and behaviors, this direct and deliberate act is what they think of first.

• Prevention: If you use an idea or quote from another source, cite it in the text. Make it clear that it was not your own words. 

Incremental plagiarism:

Copying parts of another person’s work, such as phrases, sentences, or paragraphs without crediting the source. When deciding which tools to use to check a paper for plagiarism , instructors often seek out those that will identify incremental forms as well as instances of direct copying and similar phrasing.

• Prevention : Decide to either directly quote the phrases or sentences you want to use, or write a good paraphrase. In both cases, be sure to add a citation. Using a plagiarism checker could also help you identify problematic passages.

Self-plagiarism:

Academic self-plagiarism occurs when a student submits the same paper or parts of a paper for more than one assignment. When your instructors are grading your papers, they’re assessing your research and writing skills in the present. When you submit work that you completed in the past, they are both unable to evaluate your current skills and unaware that you haven’t completed the assignment.

• Prevention: Write a new paper for each assignment you’re assigned. If you feel strongly that your past work could enhance your new paper, speak to your instructor and ask for permission first.

Misleading citations:

Including a citation for a quote or idea that misrepresents the source material. This can occur if a student does not understand the reference they are citing; if a student includes a citation for a disreputable source; or the source material simply does not align with the idea or argument that the student has attributed to it.

• Prevention: Carefully review your assignment to understand it. As you research, take the time to evaluate each source notes . Remember, it’s better to have quality citations over an abundance of citations.

Invented sources:

If a reference in a student’s bibliography is found not to exist, it is considered an invented source. This may occur if a student couldn’t find a reputable source to back their argument, or if they needed to include additional references to meet the requirements of the assignment and chose to take an unethical shortcut rather than completing the required amount of research. No matter the reason, this behavior ultimately hurts them in the long run. Not only will they fail to gain the experience they need to conduct research in the future properly, but they’ll also experience significant consequences if they’re caught.

• Prevention: Set aside time to do proper research so you can find enough sources. Start creating a list of sources as you’re researching and take good notes. This will help you keep track of your sources so none are forgotten. If you do end up forgetting where a quote came from, a paper checker could help you pinpoint the original source. 

Patchwriting/Spinning:

Patchwriting is often confused with paraphrasing, but there’s a significant difference. When you paraphrase, you demonstrate that you understand the topic well enough to restate it in your own words. When you patchwrite or spin, it is more akin to a word-swapping game; there’s no need to understand the subject, merely to have access to a thesaurus so you can substitute enough synonyms to mask the source material. This can be intentional, but it may also be a result of having a poor understanding of how to paraphrase.

• Prevention: Using your own words, write down the key points of the phrase or idea, and put them together in a sentence. Be sure to include a citation as well. 

A good way to test if you’re patchwriting or paraphrasing is to remove your sources from view. If you can write about what you’ve read without looking at the source material, you likely understand it well enough to paraphrase it. If you have to review the source material with each new sentence or consult a thesaurus while writing about it (except when you’re adding direct quotations), you may be spinning your sources instead of paraphrasing them.

Academic Integrity Policies and Statements

If you’re still uncertain about what counts as plagiarism, look for your school’s/ organization’s policies on academic integrity and plagiarism. The policies of academic institutions usually cover what is considered plagiarism, the consequences of committing it, and how to avoid it. One great example is Purdue University’s Academic Integrity statement .

What are the Consequences of Plagiarism?

No matter the setting, plagiarism is not taken lightly, and the consequences can be significant. For a good reason, too! Whether in an academic or professional setting, the plagiarism consequences reflect the seriousness of the act, which is ultimately a form of theft that hurts everyone involved.

Just as with the theft of a tangible object, there can be legal punishments for plagiarism. It is, after all, a form of copyright infringement in many instances. A quick search for plagiarism articles will reveal that professional instances of intellectual theft have resulted in civil lawsuits and can even be criminally prosecuted under rare circumstances. In addition to the possible legal consequences, professionals may lose their jobs or have to start over in a new field after their acts of fraud are uncovered.

As a student, you’re likely to wonder what happens if you plagiarize in college or high school. While there will almost always be consequences for this behavior, there is no one-size-fits-all plagiarism sentence. Depending on the circumstances, academic dishonesty could result in outcomes such as:

• You might get a zero for the assignment in which the infringement occurred.
• You may receive a failing grade for the class. If it is a required course, this could leave you without enough credits to move on to the next level until you can repeat it and, in some instances, postpone graduation.
• You may be expelled from your school or university.

The academic dishonesty may be noted on your transcript, which can lead to you not getting into your preferred college, graduate school, or Ph.D. program in the future.

Nobody wants to be known as a fraud or to have a reputation for dishonesty follow them through their career. And, given the consequences that can extend beyond just their reputation, it’s no wonder that professional and academic writers who wish to avoid them take the time to understand the complete definition of plagiarism and run their work through a plagiarism checker before sending it out into the world.

Even the vigilant can fall prey to inferior tools, unfortunately. Before selecting a plagiarism checker, you should understand how they work and what they can (and cannot) detect.

How We Check for Plagiarism

When exploring how to check for plagiarism, most students and professionals conclude that including a checking tool in their revision process is not only helpful but necessary. When you consider the Herculean task of checking each line of your paper against the text of each of your resources, the benefits of a checker are clear. Moreover, this manual approach would only alert you to matching text in the sources you’re aware of, after all, and leaves the sources you haven’t reviewed untouched.

But, hang on. Why would sources you haven’t reviewed factor into your review? The answer to this lies in the plagiarism definition you learned above. What is plagiarism? It’s presenting someone else’s work or ideas as your own, intentionally or otherwise. It is not uncommon to uncover an idea while you’re researching a topic and later misremember it as your own. This might even occur years after you originally came across it.

You might wonder: how can plagiarism be avoided if you have to account for the source of every thought you include in your work? A few exceptions minimize the scope of this. Common knowledge about your topic does not need to be supported by a citation, nor does knowledge that you gained through your personal experience. Using a subscription-based or free plagiarism checker will help you locate any passages that may fall into these categories so you can review them and decide for yourself whether a citation is needed.

EasyBib Plus writing tools provide easy, convenient, and reliable support to help you find potentially missed citations and can help you improve your paper into a high-quality paper with integrity. Simply upload your paper, select the checker, then sit back and relax as the site scans your document. In mere moments, we’ll search the web for passages of similar text and highlight duplicate content for your review.

Regardless of the tools you use to help you revise and polish your work, it’s ultimately your responsibility to ensure that you’re writing and submitting ethical work. That’s why our tools go beyond the basics and require your participation. The tool never automatically makes changes to your paper, but only flags sections that may need your attention and provides you with the matching source so you can to make an educated decision.

If you find that a citation is needed, our citation tools can help you create properly formatted citations and develop a complete bibliography. And, if you review the passage and determine that the match is coincidental, you can dismiss the alert and move on to the next.

Seamless Citation Creation

Professional writers and students alike can find creating citations incredibly confusing. Nevertheless, they are an integral part of a well-written and researched paper and a requirement in almost all academic settings. But, have you ever wondered why they are so important? Citations really do have a purpose—other than driving us crazy— that make it necessary always to cite our sources.

We cite our sources for a few important reasons:

We need to give credit where credit is due. When you use a quote from someone else’s work, you need to give credit for using their words and ideas. Research is often based on the works and ideas of others. However, to include the words and ideas of another without giving them proper credit is to plagiarize, even if the act was unintentional.

In addition, showing that you’ve done proper research by including in text & parenthetical citations and a comprehensive list of sources to back up your arguments gives your work a layer of credibility that can help you earn the trust of your reader or teacher.

Readers can find the sources you used.  When you’re writing high school or undergraduate papers, your only readers may be your instructors and peers. However, including citations at every level of writing helps to ensure that anyone who reads your work can access your sources to check their accuracy, learn more about your topic, and further their own research.

Sources can take your research and learning to the next level, too. When you are conducting research on a topic, checking the works cited or annotated bibliographies prepared by your sources can lead you down new avenues in your research to further develop your ideas and help you write your papers.

Correctly utilizing citations gives strength to your thoughts and opinions. Understanding the value of citations does not, unfortunately, make them any easier to create. We know how confusing it can be, but don’t throw in the towel on learning how to cite websites in MLA , create your APA citation website references, or format your works cited —this is where we come in!

While a free online plagiarism detector may tell you how much of your work is unoriginal and may even identify the passages that meet their plagiarize definition, a premium EasyBib Plus plagiarism checker account also gives you access to our powerful citation resources and generator so you can:

Scan your papers with the plagiarism tool to check for plagiarism-free work before you submit.

Review flagged passages to determine if they meet the plagiarism definition and create unlimited citations in APA format and MLA format for anything fitting the plagiarism meaning. Need more styles ? Check out our regular citation generator for thousands of choices and free resources to help you learn how to create an APA parenthetical citation , APA book citation , APA works cited , and so much more!

Build a full bibliography for your paper right along with your parenthetical or in-text citations, which can save you hours of work along the way compared to manually creating and formatting them.

How Else Do We Help You Improve Your Paper?

The EasyBib Plus plagiarism detector helps you check your content or paper for text that may be missing a citation—which may fall within the definition of plagiarism—to help ensure you don’t accidentally plagiarize. It also includes grammar check and spelling check tools to help identify errors and suggest grammatical tweaks that could help to elevate the level of your writing.

Running a plagiarism check couldn’t be easier! Just upload your paper to the online proofreader, and in a few moments we’ll have your writing and citing suggestions. And, there’s no need to worry about your paper after it’s been scanned.

Run a Grammar and Spell Check for Free!

There’s no denying that your schoolwork can be challenging at times, and your assignments can lead to some late nights even when you’ve started them early. The last thing you want is to submit assignments that don’t reflect your best effort, but it can occasionally be quite the juggling act to get everything done on time.

Why not let our plagiarism checker free up space on your calendar by helping you revise your papers quickly and efficiently? The EasyBib Plus paper checker is your one-stop shop to check for plagiarism, create citations, spot spelling mistakes, and receive feedback on your grammar and style.

When you proofread and do a manual spelling check on work that you’ve written, you’re more likely to overlook mistakes. This is even more likely if you’re pressed for time or trying to complete several different assignments at once. There are tricks to help minimize this, such as reading your work aloud to identify poor grammar or reading each sentence backward to find spelling errors. When time is of the essence, though, these solutions aren’t the most convenient or useful options. That’s why many students seek the assistance of online tools that will run a grammar and plagiarism check on their work.

Are you asking yourself, “ How do I check my grammar online ?” We’ve got the perfect checker for you! Our advanced tools help you find and correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation mistakes. Our targeted feedback and free writing and citing resources help you learn as you go to improve your writing over time.

The best part? You can use our grammar and writing tools any time of the day, any day of the year for! Looking to try it? Just upload or copy and paste your text into our online proofreader for a free grammar check with up to 5 suggestions, or sign up for EasyBib Plus today! EasyBib Plus gives you use of the plagiarism checker and unlimited access to suggestions that can help improve your spelling, sentence structure, punctuation, writing style, and grammar.

Published February 3, 2019. Updated April 9, 2020.

Written and edited by Michele Kirschenbaum and Melissa DeVrieze Meyer . Michele is a school library media specialist and the in-house librarian at EasyBib. You can find her here on Twitter. Melissa is a professional writer and editor based in New Jersey. She writes for academic brands and independent publishers about writing, grammar, and literature, and creates study and curriculum materials for ESL learners. You can find her on Twitter .

Visit our EasyBib Twitter feed to discover more citing tips, fun grammar facts, and the latest product updates.

• Link to facebook
• Link to linkedin
• Link to twitter
• Link to youtube
• Writing Tips

How to Write an Argumentative Essay

4-minute read

• 30th April 2022

An argumentative essay is a structured, compelling piece of writing where an author clearly defines their stance on a specific topic. This is a very popular style of writing assigned to students at schools, colleges, and universities. Learn the steps to researching, structuring, and writing an effective argumentative essay below.

Requirements of an Argumentative Essay

To effectively achieve its purpose, an argumentative essay must contain:

●  A concise thesis statement that introduces readers to the central argument of the essay

●  A clear, logical, argument that engages readers

●  Ample research and evidence that supports your argument

Approaches to Use in Your Argumentative Essay

1.   classical.

●  Clearly present the central argument.

●  Outline your opinion.

●  Provide enough evidence to support your theory.

2.   Toulmin

●  State your claim.

●  Supply the evidence for your stance.

●  Explain how these findings support the argument.

●  Include and discuss any limitations of your belief.

3.   Rogerian

●  Explain the opposing stance of your argument.

●  Discuss the problems with adopting this viewpoint.

●  Offer your position on the matter.

●  Provide reasons for why yours is the more beneficial stance.

●  Include a potential compromise for the topic at hand.

Tips for Writing a Well-Written Argumentative Essay

●  Introduce your topic in a bold, direct, and engaging manner to captivate your readers and encourage them to keep reading.

●  Provide sufficient evidence to justify your argument and convince readers to adopt this point of view.

●  Consider, include, and fairly present all sides of the topic.

●  Structure your argument in a clear, logical manner that helps your readers to understand your thought process.

Find this useful?

Subscribe to our newsletter and get writing tips from our editors straight to your inbox.

●  Discuss any counterarguments that might be posed.

●  Use persuasive writing that’s appropriate for your target audience and motivates them to agree with you.

Steps to Write an Argumentative Essay

Follow these basic steps to write a powerful and meaningful argumentative essay :

Step 1: Choose a topic that you’re passionate about

If you’ve already been given a topic to write about, pick a stance that resonates deeply with you. This will shine through in your writing, make the research process easier, and positively influence the outcome of your argument.

Step 2: Conduct ample research to prove the validity of your argument

To write an emotive argumentative essay , finding enough research to support your theory is a must. You’ll need solid evidence to convince readers to agree with your take on the matter. You’ll also need to logically organize the research so that it naturally convinces readers of your viewpoint and leaves no room for questioning.

Step 3: Follow a simple, easy-to-follow structure and compile your essay

A good structure to ensure a well-written and effective argumentative essay includes:

Introduction

●  Introduce your topic.

●  Offer background information on the claim.

●  Discuss the evidence you’ll present to support your argument.

●  State your thesis statement, a one-to-two sentence summary of your claim.

●  This is the section where you’ll develop and expand on your argument.

●  It should be split into three or four coherent paragraphs, with each one presenting its own idea.

●  Start each paragraph with a topic sentence that indicates why readers should adopt your belief or stance.

●  Include your research, statistics, citations, and other supporting evidence.

●  Discuss opposing viewpoints and why they’re invalid.

●  This part typically consists of one paragraph.

●  Summarize your research and the findings that were presented.

●  Emphasize your initial thesis statement.

●  Persuade readers to agree with your stance.

We certainly hope that you feel inspired to use these tips when writing your next argumentative essay . And, if you’re currently elbow-deep in writing one, consider submitting a free sample to us once it’s completed. Our expert team of editors can help ensure that it’s concise, error-free, and effective!

Share this article:

Post A New Comment

Got content that needs a quick turnaround? Let us polish your work. Explore our editorial business services.

5-minute read

Free Email Newsletter Template

Promoting a brand means sharing valuable insights to connect more deeply with your audience, and...

6-minute read

How to Write a Nonprofit Grant Proposal

If you’re seeking funding to support your charitable endeavors as a nonprofit organization, you’ll need...

9-minute read

How to Use Infographics to Boost Your Presentation

Is your content getting noticed? Capturing and maintaining an audience’s attention is a challenge when...

8-minute read

Why Interactive PDFs Are Better for Engagement

Are you looking to enhance engagement and captivate your audience through your professional documents? Interactive...

7-minute read

Seven Key Strategies for Voice Search Optimization

Voice search optimization is rapidly shaping the digital landscape, requiring content professionals to adapt their...

Five Creative Ways to Showcase Your Digital Portfolio

Are you a creative freelancer looking to make a lasting impression on potential clients or...

Make sure your writing is the best it can be with our expert English proofreading and editing.

Choose Your Test

• Search Blogs By Category
• College Admissions
• AP and IB Exams
• GPA and Coursework

3 Key Tips for How to Write an Argumentative Essay

General Education

If there’s one writing skill you need to have in your toolkit for standardized tests, AP exams, and college-level writing, it’s the ability to make a persuasive argument. Effectively arguing for a position on a topic or issue isn’t just for the debate team— it’s for anyone who wants to ace the essay portion of an exam or make As in college courses.

To give you everything you need to know about how to write an argumentative essay , we’re going to answer the following questions for you:

• What is an argumentative essay?
• How should an argumentative essay be structured?
• How do I write a strong argument?
• What’s an example of a strong argumentative essay?
• What are the top takeaways for writing argumentative papers?

By the end of this article, you’ll be prepped and ready to write a great argumentative essay yourself!

Now, let’s break this down.

What Is an Argumentative Essay?

An argumentative essay is a type of writing that presents the writer’s position or stance on a specific topic and uses evidence to support that position. The goal of an argumentative essay is to convince your reader that your position is logical, ethical, and, ultimately, right . In argumentative essays, writers accomplish this by writing:

• A clear, persuasive thesis statement in the introduction paragraph
• Body paragraphs that use evidence and explanations to support the thesis statement
• A paragraph addressing opposing positions on the topic—when appropriate
• A conclusion that gives the audience something meaningful to think about.

Introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion: these are the main sections of an argumentative essay. Those probably sound familiar. Where does arguing come into all of this, though? It’s not like you’re having a shouting match with your little brother across the dinner table. You’re just writing words down on a page!

...or are you? Even though writing papers can feel like a lonely process, one of the most important things you can do to be successful in argumentative writing is to think about your argument as participating in a larger conversation . For one thing, you’re going to be responding to the ideas of others as you write your argument. And when you’re done writing, someone—a teacher, a professor, or exam scorer—is going to be reading and evaluating your argument.

If you want to make a strong argument on any topic, you have to get informed about what’s already been said on that topic . That includes researching the different views and positions, figuring out what evidence has been produced, and learning the history of the topic. That means—you guessed it!—argumentative essays almost always require you to incorporate outside sources into your writing.  

What Makes Argumentative Essays Unique?

Argumentative essays are different from other types of essays for one main reason: in an argumentative essay, you decide what the argument will be . Some types of essays, like summaries or syntheses, don’t want you to show your stance on the topic—they want you to remain unbiased and neutral.

In argumentative essays, you’re presenting your point of view as the writer and, sometimes, choosing the topic you’ll be arguing about. You just want to make sure that that point of view comes across as informed, well-reasoned, and persuasive.

Another thing about argumentative essays: they’re often longer than other types of essays. Why, you ask? Because it takes time to develop an effective argument. If your argument is going to be persuasive to readers, you have to address multiple points that support your argument, acknowledge counterpoints, and provide enough evidence and explanations to convince your reader that your points are valid.

Our 3 Best Tips for Picking a Great Argumentative Topic

The first step to writing an argumentative essay deciding what to write about! Choosing a topic for your argumentative essay might seem daunting, though. It can feel like you could make an argument about anything under the sun. For example, you could write an argumentative essay about how cats are way cooler than dogs, right?

It’s not quite that simple . Here are some strategies for choosing a topic that serves as a solid foundation for a strong argument.

Choose a Topic That Can Be Supported With Evidence

First, you want to make sure the topic you choose allows you to make a claim that can be supported by evidence that’s considered credible and appropriate for the subject matter ...and, unfortunately, your personal opinions or that Buzzfeed quiz you took last week don’t quite make the cut.

Some topics—like whether cats or dogs are cooler—can generate heated arguments, but at the end of the day, any argument you make on that topic is just going to be a matter of opinion. You have to pick a topic that allows you to take a position that can be supported by actual, researched evidence.

(Quick note: you could write an argumentative paper over the general idea that dogs are better than cats—or visa versa!—if you’re a) more specific and b) choose an idea that has some scientific research behind it. For example, a strong argumentative topic could be proving that dogs make better assistance animals than cats do.)

You also don’t want to make an argument about a topic that’s already a proven fact, like that drinking water is good for you. While some people might dislike the taste of water, there is an overwhelming body of evidence that proves—beyond the shadow of a doubt—that drinking water is a key part of good health.  

To avoid choosing a topic that’s either unprovable or already proven, try brainstorming some issues that have recently been discussed in the news, that you’ve seen people debating on social media, or that affect your local community. If you explore those outlets for potential topics, you’ll likely stumble upon something that piques your audience’s interest as well.  

Choose a Topic That You Find Interesting

Topics that have local, national, or global relevance often also resonate with us on a personal level. Consider choosing a topic that holds a connection between something you know or care about and something that is relevant to the rest of society. These don’t have to be super serious issues, but they should be topics that are timely and significant.

For example, if you are a huge football fan, a great argumentative topic for you might be arguing whether football leagues need to do more to prevent concussions . Is this as “important” an issue as climate change? No, but it’s still a timely topic that affects many people. And not only is this a great argumentative topic: you also get to write about one of your passions! Ultimately, if you’re working with a topic you enjoy, you’ll have more to say—and probably write a better essay .

Choose a Topic That Doesn’t Get You Too Heated

Another word of caution on choosing a topic for an argumentative paper: while it can be effective to choose a topic that matters to you personally, you also want to make sure you’re choosing a topic that you can keep your cool over. You’ve got to be able to stay unemotional, interpret the evidence persuasively, and, when appropriate, discuss opposing points of view without getting too salty.

In some situations, choosing a topic for your argumentative paper won’t be an issue at all: the test or exam will choose it for you . In that case, you’ve got to do the best you can with what you’re given.

In the next sections, we’re going to break down how to write any argumentative essay —regardless of whether you get to choose your own topic or have one assigned to you! Our expert tips and tricks will make sure that you’re knocking your paper out of the park.

The Thesis: The Argumentative Essay’s Backbone

You’ve chosen a topic or, more likely, read the exam question telling you to defend, challenge, or qualify a claim on an assigned topic. What do you do now?

You establish your position on the topic by writing a killer thesis statement ! The thesis statement, sometimes just called “the thesis,” is the backbone of your argument, the north star that keeps you oriented as you develop your main points, the—well, you get the idea.

In more concrete terms, a thesis statement conveys your point of view on your topic, usually in one sentence toward the end of your introduction paragraph . It’s very important that you state your point of view in your thesis statement in an argumentative way—in other words, it should state a point of view that is debatable.

And since your thesis statement is going to present your argument on the topic, it’s the thing that you’ll spend the rest of your argumentative paper defending. That’s where persuasion comes in. Your thesis statement tells your reader what your argument is, then the rest of your essay shows and explains why your argument is logical.

Why does an argumentative essay need a thesis, though? Well, the thesis statement—the sentence with your main claim—is actually the entire point of an argumentative essay. If you don’t clearly state an arguable claim at the beginning of your paper, then it’s not an argumentative essay. No thesis statement = no argumentative essay. Got it?

Other types of essays that you’re familiar with might simply use a thesis statement to forecast what the rest of the essay is going to discuss or to communicate what the topic is. That’s not the case here. If your thesis statement doesn’t make a claim or establish your position, you’ll need to go back to the drawing board.

Example Thesis Statements

Here are a couple of examples of thesis statements that aren’t argumentative and thesis statements that are argumentative

The sky is blue.

The thesis statement above conveys a fact, not a claim, so it’s not argumentative.

To keep the sky blue, governments must pass clean air legislation and regulate emissions.

The second example states a position on a topic. What’s the topic in that second sentence? The best way to keep the sky blue. And what position is being conveyed? That the best way to keep the sky blue is by passing clean air legislation and regulating emissions.

Some people would probably respond to that thesis statement with gusto: “No! Governments should not pass clean air legislation and regulate emissions! That infringes on my right to pollute the earth!” And there you have it: a thesis statement that presents a clear, debatable position on a topic.

Here’s one more set of thesis statement examples, just to throw in a little variety:

Spirituality and otherworldliness characterize A$AP Rocky’s portrayals of urban life and the American Dream in his rap songs and music videos.

The statement above is another example that isn’t argumentative, but you could write a really interesting analytical essay with that thesis statement. Long live A$AP! Now here’s another one that is argumentative:

To give students an understanding of the role of the American Dream in contemporary life, teachers should incorporate pop culture, like the music of A$AP Rocky, into their lessons and curriculum.

The argument in this one? Teachers should incorporate more relevant pop culture texts into their curriculum.

This thesis statement also gives a specific reason for making the argument above: To give students an understanding of the role of the American Dream in contemporary life. If you can let your reader know why you’re making your argument in your thesis statement, it will help them understand your argument better.

An actual image of you killing your argumentative essay prompts after reading this article! 

Breaking Down the Sections of An Argumentative Essay

Now that you know how to pick a topic for an argumentative essay and how to make a strong claim on your topic in a thesis statement, you’re ready to think about writing the other sections of an argumentative essay. These are the parts that will flesh out your argument and support the claim you made in your thesis statement.  

Like other types of essays, argumentative essays typically have three main sections: the introduction, the body, and the conclusion. Within those sections, there are some key elements that a reader—and especially an exam scorer or professor—is always going to expect you to include.

Let’s look at a quick outline of those three sections with their essential pieces here:

• Introduction paragraph with a thesis statement (which we just talked about)
• Support Point #1 with evidence
• Explain/interpret the evidence with your own, original commentary (AKA, the fun part!)
• Support Point #2 with evidence
• Explain/interpret the evidence with your own, original commentary
• Support Point #3 with evidence
• New paragraph addressing opposing viewpoints (more on this later!)
• Concluding paragraph

 Now, there are some key concepts in those sections that you’ve got to understand if you’re going to master how to write an argumentative essay. To make the most of the body section, you have to know how to support your claim (your thesis statement), what evidence and explanations are and when you should use them, and how and when to address opposing viewpoints. To finish strong, you’ve got to have a strategy for writing a stellar conclusion.

This probably feels like a big deal! The body and conclusion make up most of the essay, right? Let’s get down to it, then.

How to Write a Strong Argument

Once you have your topic and thesis, you’re ready for the hard part: actually writing your argument. If you make strategic choices—like the ones we’re about to talk about—writing a strong argumentative essay won’t feel so difficult.

There are three main areas where you want to focus your energy as you develop a strategy for how to write an argumentative essay: supporting your claim—your thesis statement—in your essay, addressing other viewpoints on your topic, and writing a solid conclusion. If you put thought and effort into these three things, you’re much more likely to write an argumentative essay that’s engaging, persuasive, and memorable...aka A+ material.

Focus Area 1: Supporting Your Claim With Evidence and Explanations

So you’ve chosen your topic, decided what your position will be, and written a thesis statement. But like we see in comment threads across the Internet, if you make a claim and don’t back it up with evidence, what do people say? “Where’s your proof?” “Show me the facts!” “Do you have any evidence to support that claim?”

Of course you’ve done your research like we talked about. Supporting your claim in your thesis statement is where that research comes in handy.

You can’t just use your research to state the facts, though. Remember your reader? They’re going to expect you to do some of the dirty work of interpreting the evidence for them. That’s why it’s important to know the difference between evidence and explanations, and how and when to use both in your argumentative essay.

What Evidence Is and When You Should Use It

Evidence can be material from any authoritative and credible outside source that supports your position on your topic. In some cases, evidence can come in the form of photos, video footage, or audio recordings. In other cases, you might be pulling reasons, facts, or statistics from news media articles, public policy, or scholarly books or journals.

There are some clues you can look for that indicate whether or not a source is credible , such as whether:

• The website where you found the source ends in .edu, .gov, or .org
• The source was published by a university press
• The source was published in a peer-reviewed journal
• The authors did extensive research to support the claims they make in the source

This is just a short list of some of the clues that a source is likely a credible one, but just because a source was published by a prestigious press or the authors all have PhDs doesn’t necessarily mean it is the best piece of evidence for you to use to support your argument.

In addition to evaluating the source’s credibility, you’ve got to consider what types of evidence might come across as most persuasive in the context of the argument you’re making and who your readers are. In other words, stepping back and getting a bird’s eye view of the entire context of your argumentative paper is key to choosing evidence that will strengthen your argument.

On some exams, like the AP exams , you may be given pretty strict parameters for what evidence to use and how to use it. You might be given six short readings that all address the same topic, have 15 minutes to read them, then be required to pull material from a minimum of three of the short readings to support your claim in an argumentative essay.

When the sources are handed to you like that, be sure to take notes that will help you pick out evidence as you read. Highlight, underline, put checkmarks in the margins of your exam . . . do whatever you need to do to begin identifying the material that you find most helpful or relevant. Those highlights and check marks might just turn into your quotes, paraphrases, or summaries of evidence in your completed exam essay.

What Explanations Are and When You Should Use Them

Now you know that taking a strategic mindset toward evidence and explanations is critical to grasping how to write an argumentative essay. Unfortunately, evidence doesn’t speak for itself. While it may be obvious to you, the researcher and writer, how the pieces of evidence you’ve included are relevant to your audience, it might not be as obvious to your reader.

That’s where explanations—or analysis, or interpretations—come in. You never want to just stick some quotes from an article into your paragraph and call it a day. You do want to interpret the evidence you’ve included to show your reader how that evidence supports your claim.

Now, that doesn’t mean you’re going to be saying, “This piece of evidence supports my argument because...”. Instead, you want to comment on the evidence in a way that helps your reader see how it supports the position you stated in your thesis. We’ll talk more about how to do this when we show you an example of a strong body paragraph from an argumentative essay here in a bit.

Understanding how to incorporate evidence and explanations to your advantage is really important. Here’s why: when you’re writing an argumentative essay, particularly on standardized tests or the AP exam, the exam scorers can’t penalize you for the position you take. Instead, their evaluation is going to focus on the way you incorporated evidence and explained it in your essay.

Focus Area 2: How—and When—to Address Other Viewpoints

Why would we be making arguments at all if there weren’t multiple views out there on a given topic? As you do research and consider the background surrounding your topic, you’ll probably come across arguments that stand in direct opposition to your position.

Oftentimes, teachers will ask you to “address the opposition” in your argumentative essay. What does that mean, though, to “ address the opposition ?”

Opposing viewpoints function kind of like an elephant in the room. Your audience knows they’re there. In fact, your audience might even buy into an opposing viewpoint and be waiting for you to show them why your viewpoint is better. If you don’t, it means that you’ll have a hard time convincing your audience to buy your argument.

Addressing the opposition is a balancing act: you don’t want to undermine your own argument, but you don’t want to dismiss the validity of opposing viewpoints out-of-hand or ignore them altogether, which can also undermine your argument.

This isn’t the only acceptable approach, but it’s common practice to wait to address the opposition until close to the end of an argumentative essay. But why?

Well, waiting to present an opposing viewpoint until after you’ve thoroughly supported your own argument is strategic. You aren’t going to go into great detail discussing the opposing viewpoint: you’re going to explain what that viewpoint is fairly, but you’re also going to point out what’s wrong with it.

It can also be effective to read the opposition through the lens of your own argument and the evidence you’ve used to support it. If the evidence you’ve already included supports your argument, it probably doesn’t support the opposing viewpoint. Without being too obvious, it might be worth pointing this out when you address the opposition.

Focus Area #3: Writing the Conclusion

It’s common to conclude an argumentative essay by reiterating the thesis statement in some way, either by reminding the reader what the overarching argument was in the first place or by reviewing the main points and evidence that you covered.

You don’t just want to restate your thesis statement and review your main points and call it a day, though. So much has happened since you stated your thesis in the introduction! And why waste a whole paragraph—the very last thing your audience is going to read—on just repeating yourself?

Here’s an approach to the conclusion that can give your audience a fresh perspective on your argument: reinterpret your thesis statement for them in light of all the evidence and explanations you’ve provided. Think about how your readers might read your thesis statement in a new light now that they’ve heard your whole argument out.

That’s what you want to leave your audience with as you conclude your argumentative paper: a brief explanation of why all that arguing mattered in the first place. If you can give your audience something to continue pondering after they’ve read your argument, that’s even better.

One thing you want to avoid in your conclusion, though: presenting new supporting points or new evidence. That can just be confusing for your reader. Stick to telling your reader why the argument you’ve already made matters, and your argument will stick with your reader.

A Strong Argumentative Essay: Examples

For some aspiring argumentative essay writers, showing is better than telling. To show rather than tell you what makes a strong argumentative essay, we’ve provided three examples of possible body paragraphs for an argumentative essay below.

Think of these example paragraphs as taking on the form of the “Argumentative Point #1 → Evidence —> Explanation —> Repeat” process we talked through earlier. It’s always nice to be able to compare examples, so we’ve included three paragraphs from an argumentative paper ranging from poor (or needs a lot of improvement, if you’re feeling generous), to better, to best.

All of the example paragraphs are for an essay with this thesis statement: 

Thesis Statement: In order to most effectively protect user data and combat the spread of disinformation, the U.S. government should implement more stringent regulations of Facebook and other social media outlets.

As you read the examples, think about what makes them different, and what makes the “best” paragraph more effective than the “better” and “poor” paragraphs. Here we go:

A Poor Argument

Example Body Paragraph: Data mining has affected a lot of people in recent years. Facebook has 2.23 billion users from around the world, and though it would take a huge amount of time and effort to make sure a company as big as Facebook was complying with privacy regulations in countries across the globe, adopting a common framework for privacy regulation in more countries would be the first step. In fact, Mark Zuckerberg himself supports adopting a global framework for privacy and data protection, which would protect more users than before.

What’s Wrong With This Example?

First, let’s look at the thesis statement. Ask yourself: does this make a claim that some people might agree with, but others might disagree with?

The answer is yes. Some people probably think that Facebook should be regulated, while others might believe that’s too much government intervention. Also, there are definitely good, reliable sources out there that will help this writer prove their argument. So this paper is off to a strong start!  

Unfortunately, this writer doesn’t do a great job proving their thesis in their body paragraph. First, the topic sentence—aka the first sentence of the paragraph—doesn’t make a point that directly supports the position stated in the thesis. We’re trying to argue that government regulation will help protect user data and combat the spread of misinformation, remember? The topic sentence should make a point that gets right at that, instead of throwing out a random fact about data mining.

Second, because the topic sentence isn’t focused on making a clear point, the rest of the paragraph doesn’t have much relevant information, and it fails to provide credible evidence that supports the claim made in the thesis statement. For example, it would be a great idea to include exactly what Mark Zuckerberg said ! So while there’s definitely some relevant information in this paragraph, it needs to be presented with more evidence.

A Better Argument  

This paragraph is a bit better than the first one, but it still needs some work. The topic sentence is a bit too long, and it doesn’t make a point that clearly supports the position laid out in the thesis statement. The reader already knows that mining user data is a big issue, so the topic sentence would be a great place to make a point about why more stringent government regulations would most effectively protect user data.

There’s also a problem with how the evidence is incorporated in this example. While there is some relevant, persuasive evidence included in this paragraph, there’s no explanation of why or how it is relevant . Remember, you can’t assume that your evidence speaks for itself: you have to interpret its relevance for your reader. That means including at least a sentence that tells your reader why the evidence you’ve chosen proves your argument.

A Best—But Not Perfect!—Argument  

Example Body Paragraph: Though Facebook claims to be implementing company policies that will protect user data and stop the spread of misinformation , its attempts have been unsuccessful compared to those made by the federal government. When PricewaterhouseCoopers conducted a Federal Trade Commission-mandated assessment of Facebook’s partnerships with Microsoft and the makers of the Blackberry handset in 2013, the team found limited evidence that Facebook had monitored or even checked that its partners had complied with Facebook’s existing data use policies. In fact, Facebook’s own auditors confirmed the PricewaterhouseCoopers findings, despite the fact that Facebook claimed that the company was making greater attempts to safeguard users’ personal information. In contrast, bills written by Congress have been more successful in changing Facebook’s practices than Facebook’s own company policies have. According to The Washington Post, The Honest Ads Act of 2017 “created public demand for transparency and changed how social media companies disclose online political advertising.” These policy efforts, though thus far unsuccessful in passing legislation, have nevertheless pushed social media companies to change some of their practices by sparking public outrage and negative media attention.

Why This Example Is The Best

This paragraph isn’t perfect, but it is the most effective at doing some of the things that you want to do when you write an argumentative essay.

First, the topic sentences get to the point . . . and it’s a point that supports and explains the claim made in the thesis statement! It gives a clear reason why our claim in favor of more stringent government regulations is a good claim : because Facebook has failed to self-regulate its practices.

This paragraph also provides strong evidence and specific examples that support the point made in the topic sentence. The evidence presented shows specific instances in which Facebook has failed to self-regulate, and other examples where the federal government has successfully influenced regulation of Facebook’s practices for the better.

Perhaps most importantly, though, this writer explains why the evidence is important. The bold sentence in the example is where the writer links the evidence back to their opinion. In this case, they explain that the pressure from Federal Trade Commission and Congress—and the threat of regulation—have helped change Facebook for the better.

Why point out that this isn’t a perfect paragraph, though? Because you won’t be writing perfect paragraphs when you’re taking timed exams either. But get this: you don’t have to write perfect paragraphs to make a good score on AP exams or even on an essay you write for class. Like in this example paragraph, you just have to effectively develop your position by appropriately and convincingly relying on evidence from good sources.

Top 3 Takeaways For Writing Argumentative Essays

This is all great information, right? If (when) you have to write an argumentative essay, you’ll be ready. But when in doubt, remember these three things about how to write an argumentative essay, and you’ll emerge victorious:

Takeaway #1: Read Closely and Carefully

This tip applies to every aspect of writing an argumentative essay. From making sure you’re addressing your prompt, to really digging into your sources, to proofreading your final paper...you’ll need to actively and pay attention! This is especially true if you’re writing on the clock, like during an AP exam.

Takeaway #2: Make Your Argument the Focus of the Essay

Define your position clearly in your thesis statement and stick to that position! The thesis is the backbone of your paper, and every paragraph should help prove your thesis in one way or another. But sometimes you get to the end of your essay and realize that you’ve gotten off topic, or that your thesis doesn’t quite fit. Don’t worry—if that happens, you can always rewrite your thesis to fit your paper!

Takeaway #3: Use Sources to Develop Your Argument—and Explain Them

Nothing is as powerful as good, strong evidence. First, make sure you’re finding credible sources that support your argument. Then you can paraphrase, briefly summarize, or quote from your sources as you incorporate them into your paragraphs. But remember the most important part: you have to explain why you’ve chosen that evidence and why it proves your thesis.

What's Next?

Once you’re comfortable with how to write an argumentative essay, it’s time to learn some more advanced tips and tricks for putting together a killer argument.

Keep in mind that argumentative essays are just one type of essay you might encounter. That’s why we’ve put together more specific guides on how to tackle IB essays , SAT essays , and ACT essays .

But what about admissions essays? We’ve got you covered. Not only do we have comprehensive guides to the Coalition App and Common App essays, we also have tons of individual college application guides, too . You can search through all of our college-specific posts by clicking here.

Trending Now

How to Get Into Harvard and the Ivy League

How to Get a Perfect 4.0 GPA

How to Write an Amazing College Essay

What Exactly Are Colleges Looking For?

ACT vs. SAT: Which Test Should You Take?

When should you take the SAT or ACT?

Get Your Free

Find Your Target SAT Score

Free Complete Official SAT Practice Tests

How to Get a Perfect SAT Score, by an Expert Full Scorer

Score 800 on SAT Math

Score 800 on SAT Reading and Writing

How to Improve Your Low SAT Score

Score 600 on SAT Math

Score 600 on SAT Reading and Writing

Find Your Target ACT Score

Complete Official Free ACT Practice Tests

How to Get a Perfect ACT Score, by a 36 Full Scorer

Get a 36 on ACT English

Get a 36 on ACT Math

Get a 36 on ACT Reading

Get a 36 on ACT Science

How to Improve Your Low ACT Score

Get a 24 on ACT English

Get a 24 on ACT Math

Get a 24 on ACT Reading

Get a 24 on ACT Science

Stay Informed

Get the latest articles and test prep tips!

Ashley Sufflé Robinson has a Ph.D. in 19th Century English Literature. As a content writer for PrepScholar, Ashley is passionate about giving college-bound students the in-depth information they need to get into the school of their dreams.

Ask a Question Below

Have any questions about this article or other topics? Ask below and we'll reply!

Best Essay and Paper Checker – Free and Paid Options

| Candace Osmond

| Writing Tools

Candace Osmond

Candace Osmond studied Advanced Writing & Editing Essentials at MHC. She’s been an International and USA TODAY Bestselling Author for over a decade. And she’s worked as an Editor for several mid-sized publications. Candace has a keen eye for content editing and a high degree of expertise in Fiction.

Plagiarism and poor grammar can make you lose your credibility as a writer. Your readers will stop visiting your website and citing your academic papers because they do not trust you. That’s where a writing editor can help you.

You might ask, what is the best essay and paper checker for me? This guide will give you a list of free and paid options to consider. 

Comparison Table of the Best Writing Checkers

English grammar and spelling checks, tone detection, clarity-focused rewrites, plagiarism checker.

Starts at $12 per month.

Mozilla Firefox, Chrome, Safari, Microsoft Edge.

ProWritingAid

Spell and grammar correction, check, length, writing style reports.

Starts at $6.58 per month.

Spelling, grammar, plagiarism checks, citation assistant.

Starts at $9.95 per month.

Virtual Writing Tutor

Spelling and grammar checks, essay outliner, paraphrase. 

Plagiarism detection, grammar and spell checker, automated scoring.

Starts at $7.95 per month.

Basic spelling and grammar corrections.

Chrome, Firefox, Safari, edge.

My Assignment Help

Spelling and grammar checker, expert assistance on assignments.

Starts at $47.30.

Citation Machine

Built-in citation generator, spelling and grammar checks, plagiarism detector.

Starts at $9.95.

Paraphraser, summarizer, spelling, and grammar checker.

Starts at $8.33 per month.

Spelling and grammar corrector, dictionary, syntax guide.

Starts at $5.00 per month.

Most Popular Essay Checkers

Grammarly is my favorite tool and the most popular essay checker that corrects any mistake in spelling and grammar to improve the quality of your content. The software helps correct your essays and research papers through its in-depth suggestions.

I use it for all my content writing as well as proofing my works of fiction before sending to my editor. I highly recommend it for any type of writer.

Aside from spotting spelling and grammar errors, this grammar tool also corrects your sentence structure, repetitive words, and lengthy sentences. It also improves the consistency of your tone in your writing assignments.

These suggestions come with detailed explanations that will make you understand why you made a mistake. Pay attention to these explanations to improve your writing skills in your future academic paper.

Grammarly has other features that enhance your delivery, engagement, and clarity. There’s also a personal dictionary and thesaurus for vocabulary enhancement.

You also have the option to conduct plagiarism checks on this tool. Subscribe to Grammarly’s premium version so you can perform unlimited checks on its plagiarism tool. It will scan your work against billions of sources, then provide links to duplicate content. 

The premium version prices are higher than other popular essay checkers, starting at $12 per month. But you indeed get more than your money’s worth.

• Provides explanations for its correction suggestions.
• Multiple platform availability.
• Checks your essay for plagiarism.
• Most popular AI-powered writing assistant.
• Expensive premium version.
• Heavy advertising on email.

ProwritingAid

Another online tool you can use for editing essays is ProWritingAid . I also use this program, not for papers but as a second line of defense on my content work and fiction.

This complex grammar software has multiple functions to help you achieve your writing goals. Although special functions are dedicated to creative writing, it’s also suitable for academic writing.

ProWritingAid uses artificial intelligence to spot spelling mistakes and grammar issues in your work. The accurate essay checker detects your over-reliance on adverbs, subject-verb disagreement, overused words, and repeated sentence starts.

Its 20+ functions include reports for sticky sentences, transitions, and dialogue tags, which you won’t find in other essay checkers. ProWritingAid is also one of the best plagiarism checkers on the internet that can effectively spot plagiarism issues in your work.

But as with Grammarly, you must make monthly or yearly subscriptions to access the premium features. ProWritingAid starts at only $6.58 per month. But if you want to save more money, try the lifetime subscription for only $399.

• 20+ advanced features for grammar.
• Affordable premium service.
• Includes a plagiarism checker.
• Unnecessary writing reports.
• Messy interface.

EasyBib is an underrated online essay checker for students and professional writers. While checking your paper for spelling and grammar mistakes, EasyBib also helps you improve your writing style.

Once you upload your document on EasyBib, it will give you targeted feedback on your communication, credibility, and clarity. You can also access a free resource library that will sharpen your writing skills.

EasyBib checks your work for unintentional plagiarism to ensure the integrity of your composition. You will see a percentage that displays how much of your work is original. You can use this to make the proper citation, but teachers may also use it to evaluate your paper.

What makes EasyBib one of the best essay checker apps is its ability to help you with different citation styles. Online plagiarism checkers are incomplete without these tools.

Beyond this program’s basic features, it can help you cite using the seventh and eighth editions of MLA. It can also generate citations for APA 7th edition , Chicago 16th, and 18th edition, etc. The Citation Styles Language powers these styles.

• Helps create a list of sources.
• Includes a free resource for beginners.
• Has basic correction facilities for spelling and grammar.
• Spelling and grammar corrections are limited. 

Are you looking for a free paper checker that performs the usual grammar check on your document? Virtual Writing Tutor provides all the essential features of a writing assistant. It checks for your spelling, style, and punctuation errors.

But it’s not your average editing software. Virtual Writing Software also has an essay outliner to make academic assignments easier. It helps you write your entire content as the tool outlines your argumentative papers, opinion essays, and prioritized list essays. 

The competent paper writer gives students a smoother experience with its paraphrasing feature. Virtual Writing Tutor helps you avoid being accused of plagiarism. It works by scanning your work against other sources, then suggesting changes. 

Other helpful features of Virtual Writing Tutor include the word counter, cliches, power words, and a vocabulary checker. It’s perfect for English learners, content editors, and students. 

• Helps spot ESL grammar mistakes.
• Includes an essay outliner for students.
• Free online tool.
• Limited grammar-checking tools.

Paper Rater

PaperRater is one of the essay checker platforms you should check out for your university essays and regular writings. It foxes basic grammatical errors, like subject-verb disagreement and inappropriate use of “your” and “you’re.” 

The automated proofreader also corrects contextual spelling and punctuation mistakes. It generates results in seconds without all the unnecessary signups and logins. On top of that, PaperRater is also free.

The online writing corrector features unique feedback and writing instructions for users. You’ll see many modules that analyze your text and compare it with students of the same education level.

For example, PaperRater offers a vocabulary score based on the quantity and quality of your words. It indicates a percentage of users you did better than in your work. 

Other feedback forms include your sentence length and variability, passive voice, and sentence starts. It can also perform plagiarism checks on your paper to guarantee academic honesty.

PaperRater recently launched its premium packages that let you check longer documents and plagiarism scans. The pricing starts at $7.95 per month. 

• Specifically marketed toward essayists and students.
• Works well on your browser.
• Includes a free and affordable premium version. 
• Not comprehensive and accurate.
• No browser extension or mobile application.
• Has many distracting ads.

Scribens is a free essay checker which requires no subscription to access its multiple editing tools. I’d recommend this to students of any level.

Like other tools, it can correct your spelling errors and grammatical mistakes. It features 250 tools that scan your nouns, verbs, prepositions, punctuations, and typos.

It also has basic editing features for your writing style. This AI-based essay scanner tool claims to correct ten times more mistakes than MS Word on your English language document. Thanks to Scribens’ dictionary, you can look for appropriate synonyms for your words.

Scribens also checks for cliches, redundancy, run-on sentences, and comma splices. Click on any part of your work, and it will instantly highlight all issues. Although free, this online writing tool doesn’t have strict limitations, making it a friendly Grammarly alternative.

The only downside to Scribens is its lack of a plagiarism and paraphrasing checker. It won’t evaluate the originality of your work nor recommend alternative sentences. 

If you want to try using plugins for different browsers, you can subscribe to the premium version of Scribens. This version also offers ad-free corrections and a bigger capacity for texts.

• Complete spelling, grammar, and punctuation checker.
• Straightforward interface.
• Free features with no strict limitations.
• Inaccurate grammar checker.
• No paraphrasing and plagiarism tools.
• No options for multilingual corrections.

My Assignment Help is a website where you can seek help for your college application essays and other documents. The essay checker service has a default grammar checker you can use for your general papers, custom essays, and more.

But its primary function is to help every user receive an expert review of their work from those with professional experience. My Assignment Help’s professional writers all have Ph.D. credentials to give you writing assistance. 

It offers grammar and style correction for all subjects. Regardless of your educational level, the platform can give you the exemplary service you need. These experts also review your work for plagiarism using software programs like Turnitin.com.

Pricing starts at $47.30, depending on the deadline of your work. It features a 100% money-back guarantee through PayPal and free SMS updates about your assignment status.

• Includes online spell and grammar checker.
• Ideal for college assignments.
• Real people will give your work expert assistance.
• 100% money-back guarantee.
• Difficult to use for new users. 

If you need an APA, MLA, and Chicago Style Citation Generator, Citation Machine can help you. The comprehensive tool helps college students and other academicians avoid citation mistakes so they can maintain their credibility,

The tool also helps observe proper citation no matter the type of your source. For instance, citing video materials differs from citing books, even if you only use one style. This software offers innovative technology to resolve these issues.

Citation Machine’s new plagiarism and grammar checker are game-changers, making it competitive against other essay checkers. It can finally spot over 50 errors in grammar using its advanced technology while helping you avoid duplicate content.

This online citation generator is affordable, starting at $9.95 per month.

• Good usability for spelling and grammar checks. 
• Features citations for APA, MLA, and Chicago styles.
• Affordable.
• Not as accurate as Grammarly.
• No human reviews.
• Limited device compatibility. 

Quillbot is an AI-based software that students and content writers use to paraphrase and summarize their work. The tool also brings together a plagiarism detector and a grammar checker. I found it easy to navigate and very user-friendly, so this is an excellent option if you’re not tech savvy.

Its unique selling point is the paraphrase, which content publishers use to remove complicated language and duplicate parts. You can choose between different writing modes that will serve as a basis for the rewrites, like formal, simple, and creative.

Quillbot also helps users produce the perfect paper through its summarizer tool. It starts at $8.33, a reasonable price for its advanced features. 

• Provides different writing modes.
• Rephrases and summarizes your writing.
• Offers affordability for students and content writers.
• Inaccurate paraphrasing feature.
• Limited browser extensions.

AntiDote is ideal for writers who want to learn as they write and edit their essays. Its approach to your essay is more educational, convincing you to analyze your spelling, grammar, and structure issues.

This online writing tool underlines any potential issue in your text, then explains why it’s a problem. All you need to do is hover on the section, and it will give you the explanation you need. 

You can either accept or reject AntiDote’s suggestions. The AI software also features a dictionary that lets you know the meaning of the word you use. AntiDote has an Android and iOS version, allowing you to edit your work from a mobile device.

Pricing starts at $5.00/ month, but you can opt for a one-time purchase of $129.95 and have the program forever.

• Decent proofreading software.
• Secure writing tool.
• Slow loading time.
• No mobile apps.

Can Grammarly Check Essays?

Grammarly Free is a reliable essay-checking software that evaluates all text types for grammar and spelling errors. It checks sentences for clarity, proper diction, engagement, and inclusive language. 

There’s also a premium version that offers more grammar suggestions plus a plagiarism checker. Grammarly Premium scans your work against billions of websites and articles to avoid intentional and accidental plagiarism.

Check Your Essay Before Submitting

Spelling, grammar, and plagiarism mistakes make your writing look unprofessional. But this list of the best essay and paper checkers will help you reduce these writing flaws. It includes both free and paid options you can choose from.

Pick the best tool that will solve all your writing issues. But never take human judgment for granted when editing your work.

Grammarist is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. When you buy via the links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission at no cost to you.

2024 © Grammarist, a Found First Marketing company. All rights reserved.

Home > Blog > 7 Argumentative Essay Hooks

7 Argumentative Essay Hooks

• Smodin Editorial Team
• Updated: September 24, 2024
• General Guide About Content and Writing

The opening sentences of an argumentative essay hold immense power. They’re the gateway through which readers enter your world of ideas and perspectives. Writing these initial sentences—known as essay hooks—requires a lot of skill and creativity.

You should think carefully about how you begin your essay, as it engages the reader from the outset.

There are plenty of hook types at your disposal, each offering a unique approach to captivate your audience. We’re providing seven examples below, so keep reading!

What Is an Argumentative Essay Hook?

An argumentative essay hook is a sentence at the beginning of your essay . This hook should pull readers into your writing and make them want to read more. It sets the tone for your whole paper and introduces the topic in a unique way.

There are different kinds of hooks that you can use. Some examples include:

• Anecdotes – These are short stories illustrating a point about your topic.
• Quotes – Using someone else’s words as part of your own argument.
• Questions – Ask thought-provoking questions related to your topic.
• Facts or statistics – Provide surprising factors or numbers that intrigue people to continue reading.
• Bold statements – Make strong claims early on to get people thinking.

Whatever type you choose, remember: its purpose is to make others curious.

Image from Unsplash

What Makes Argumentative Essay Hooks Good?

A good essay hook will instantly capture the reader’s attention. It should set the stage for the rest of the argumentative essay and make a punchy first impression.

Here are some features to look out for when writing catchy hooks:

• It’s relevant and relates to your essay topic. It should give the reader an idea of what the essay will be about without giving away too much.
• It’s engaging and interesting. It sparks the reader’s curiosity. It should make them want to continue reading to find out more.
• The quote is clear. It’s easy to understand. Avoid overly complex language or concepts that might confuse the reader. Also, ensure your writing flow is good .
• The opening sentence is original and stands out. Think about fresh angles or perspectives that might intrigue the reader.
• It has emotional appeal. This could be through a touching anecdote or a startling fact.
• It’s relevant to your essay. Your hook leads smoothly into your thesis statement. There should be a logical connection between the hook and the main argument or purpose of your work.
• It’s quick and concise. Your starting sentences entice the reader quickly without taking up too much space.

Why Do You Need To Use Argumentative Essay Hooks?

Using an essay hook is essential to catch and keep the reader’s attention right from the start. In the age of information, we’re often overloaded with facts and research. A good hook sets you apart and encourages people to engage with your paper and argument.

Selecting your hook carefully not only attracts readers but also directs where they should go next. It sets the tone and direction of the essay.

Effective essay hooks can help writers leave unforgettable impressions on their audience. They demonstrate your writing skills and authority on the subject.

7 Argumentative Essay Hook Examples You Should Use in Your Next Assignment

An argumentative essay hook should pack a punch and intrigue readers from the offset. Consider the type of argument you’re making. Make sure your hook leads smoothly into the rest of your paper.

We’ve included seven types of essay hooks with examples below so you can get an idea of what might work.

1. Quotation Hook

Quotations can draw readers in and act as a compelling hook for philosophical or educational essays. You’ll want to use a quote from a famous person, relevant to your subject.

Your first sentence might look like this:

“Imagination is more important than knowledge” – Albert Einstein

This is a great way to set a thoughtful tone for exploring abstract ideas and concepts.

In your second and third sentences, explain the significance of the quote in the context of your essay. Make sure to reference the quote to avoid plagiarism .

2. Anecdote Hook

An anecdotal hook lets you recall a personal experience that relates to your essay’s topic. This hook serves to engage readers emotionally and makes complex issues more relatable.

You only want to use an anecdotal hook in a narrative/personal essay where connecting on a human level is key. It would be an effective hook for a personal statement, for example.

An example of an anecdotal opening hook could be:

“Two summers ago, I went on a backpacking trip through the remote valleys of Nepal. There, I stumbled on a tiny village where the locals welcomed me with open arms. Their stories illuminated their resilient spirit amidst adversity.”

This is a poignant personal story hook that piques the reader’s interest very early on. The vivid imagery described in the personal anecdote allows the reader to relate to the writer.

3. Description Hook

Using descriptive imagery can make for a persuasive hook if done properly. Let’s say you’re writing an argumentative essay about implementing stricter environmental regulations. You could begin your paper with a description hook, like this:

“The sun-kissed waves lap gently against the golden sands.”

This description can vividly depict the beauty and fragility of coastal environments, evoking emotion in the reader. This could make your compare-and-contrast essay about climate change even punchier. Obviously, a descriptive hook doesn’t work for all essay types. Be careful if using it in a research paper.

4. Question Hook

An interesting question hook will quickly get the reader’s attention and get them thinking. Research papers in particular can benefit from a question hook, as it makes for a strong introduction.

An example of a compelling hook at the very beginning of your paper might be:

“What if the cure for cancer lies within the mind of a child who cannot afford an education?”

This question encourages readers to ponder a problem or scenario. This makes it suitable for persuasive or argumentative essays that aim to provoke thought and discussion.

5. Story Hook

A short story hook is a fantastic way to set the scene for your argumentative essays in an interesting way. This works particularly well for expository essays, where you can play with the tone and style.

Let’s say you’re writing a historical essay and you’re trying to write a hook. You could write something like:

“In the quiet cobblestone streets of 17th-century London, there are whispers of a clandestine meeting echoed through the shadows. It was here, under the cloak of night, that a spy traded secrets that could sway the fate of empires.”

This introductory paragraph allows the reader to place themselves in this historically significant moment. It’s a captivating story that leaves a lasting impression.

6. Statistic Hook

Some of the best attention-grabbing hooks are statistical. They effectively engage the reader and set the scene, especially for research papers. They also give context to your essay and its importance.

An example statistic hook could be:

“Over 80% of marine pollution comes from land-based activities.”

Statistic essay hooks get straight to the point and set up the basis of your argument. They work in any and all academic papers.

7. Metaphor Hook

A metaphor uses figurative language to evoke a deeper meaning. It’s an ideal hook for abstract essays and themes. It doesn’t typically work for research papers and essays, but it might work in English class.

An example of a metaphor is:

“Time is a river that flows ceaselessly, carrying our lives in its currents.”

All the example hooks we provided above will work well in different types of essays. Choosing the right one for your essays can attract attention and establish the background needed. A persuasive first line can make all the difference.

Is it possible to use different kinds of hooks in one essay?

You can apply diverse types of hooks in an essay especially if it is lengthy. Or, if there are a lot of sections. Just ensure the transition between each hook into the next part of your paper is smooth.

Can I use all types of hooks in my argumentative essay?

The choice of a hook should depend on the purpose and style of writing. For instance, a personal anecdote may be appropriate for narrative papers. But, it might not work well for technical research articles.

What’s the best length for an essay hook?

An effective essay hook should be brief but powerful; typically, it consists of one or two sentences only. Its main aim is to grab attention quickly and lead smoothly into the main body sections of your work.

Get Help With Your Essays Using Smodin AI

Would you love to take your essay writing to another level? Discover the power of captivating essay hooks with Smodin AI, the best homework helper.

Register now and get unlimited access to resources that will boost your writing skills while also grabbing your readers’ attention. Unlock your potential as an essay writer today by signing up for Smodin AI !

Have a language expert improve your writing

Run a free plagiarism check in 10 minutes, generate accurate citations for free.

• Knowledge Base
• How to Write a Thesis Statement | 4 Steps & Examples

How to Write a Thesis Statement | 4 Steps & Examples

Published on January 11, 2019 by Shona McCombes . Revised on August 15, 2023 by Eoghan Ryan.

A thesis statement is a sentence that sums up the central point of your paper or essay . It usually comes near the end of your introduction .

Your thesis will look a bit different depending on the type of essay you’re writing. But the thesis statement should always clearly state the main idea you want to get across. Everything else in your essay should relate back to this idea.

You can write your thesis statement by following four simple steps:

• Start with a question
• Write your initial answer
• Develop your answer
• Refine your thesis statement

Instantly correct all language mistakes in your text

Upload your document to correct all your mistakes in minutes

Table of contents

What is a thesis statement, placement of the thesis statement, step 1: start with a question, step 2: write your initial answer, step 3: develop your answer, step 4: refine your thesis statement, types of thesis statements, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about thesis statements.

A thesis statement summarizes the central points of your essay. It is a signpost telling the reader what the essay will argue and why.

The best thesis statements are:

• Concise: A good thesis statement is short and sweet—don’t use more words than necessary. State your point clearly and directly in one or two sentences.
• Contentious: Your thesis shouldn’t be a simple statement of fact that everyone already knows. A good thesis statement is a claim that requires further evidence or analysis to back it up.
• Coherent: Everything mentioned in your thesis statement must be supported and explained in the rest of your paper.

Here's why students love Scribbr's proofreading services

Discover proofreading & editing

The thesis statement generally appears at the end of your essay introduction or research paper introduction .

The spread of the internet has had a world-changing effect, not least on the world of education. The use of the internet in academic contexts and among young people more generally is hotly debated. For many who did not grow up with this technology, its effects seem alarming and potentially harmful. This concern, while understandable, is misguided. The negatives of internet use are outweighed by its many benefits for education: the internet facilitates easier access to information, exposure to different perspectives, and a flexible learning environment for both students and teachers.

You should come up with an initial thesis, sometimes called a working thesis , early in the writing process . As soon as you’ve decided on your essay topic , you need to work out what you want to say about it—a clear thesis will give your essay direction and structure.

You might already have a question in your assignment, but if not, try to come up with your own. What would you like to find out or decide about your topic?

For example, you might ask:

After some initial research, you can formulate a tentative answer to this question. At this stage it can be simple, and it should guide the research process and writing process .

Prevent plagiarism. Run a free check.

Now you need to consider why this is your answer and how you will convince your reader to agree with you. As you read more about your topic and begin writing, your answer should get more detailed.

In your essay about the internet and education, the thesis states your position and sketches out the key arguments you’ll use to support it.

The negatives of internet use are outweighed by its many benefits for education because it facilitates easier access to information.

In your essay about braille, the thesis statement summarizes the key historical development that you’ll explain.

The invention of braille in the 19th century transformed the lives of blind people, allowing them to participate more actively in public life.

A strong thesis statement should tell the reader:

• Why you hold this position
• What they’ll learn from your essay
• The key points of your argument or narrative

The final thesis statement doesn’t just state your position, but summarizes your overall argument or the entire topic you’re going to explain. To strengthen a weak thesis statement, it can help to consider the broader context of your topic.

These examples are more specific and show that you’ll explore your topic in depth.

Your thesis statement should match the goals of your essay, which vary depending on the type of essay you’re writing:

• In an argumentative essay , your thesis statement should take a strong position. Your aim in the essay is to convince your reader of this thesis based on evidence and logical reasoning.
• In an expository essay , you’ll aim to explain the facts of a topic or process. Your thesis statement doesn’t have to include a strong opinion in this case, but it should clearly state the central point you want to make, and mention the key elements you’ll explain.

If you want to know more about AI tools , college essays , or fallacies make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples or go directly to our tools!

• Ad hominem fallacy
• Post hoc fallacy
• Appeal to authority fallacy
• False cause fallacy
• Sunk cost fallacy

College essays

• Choosing Essay Topic
• Write a College Essay
• Write a Diversity Essay
• College Essay Format & Structure
• Comparing and Contrasting in an Essay

 (AI) Tools

• Grammar Checker
• Paraphrasing Tool
• Text Summarizer
• AI Detector
• Plagiarism Checker
• Citation Generator

A thesis statement is a sentence that sums up the central point of your paper or essay . Everything else you write should relate to this key idea.

The thesis statement is essential in any academic essay or research paper for two main reasons:

• It gives your writing direction and focus.
• It gives the reader a concise summary of your main point.

Without a clear thesis statement, an essay can end up rambling and unfocused, leaving your reader unsure of exactly what you want to say.

Follow these four steps to come up with a thesis statement :

• Ask a question about your topic .
• Write your initial answer.
• Develop your answer by including reasons.
• Refine your answer, adding more detail and nuance.

The thesis statement should be placed at the end of your essay introduction .

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.

McCombes, S. (2023, August 15). How to Write a Thesis Statement | 4 Steps & Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved September 27, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/academic-essay/thesis-statement/

Is this article helpful?

Shona McCombes

Other students also liked, how to write an essay introduction | 4 steps & examples, how to write topic sentences | 4 steps, examples & purpose, academic paragraph structure | step-by-step guide & examples, what is your plagiarism score.