Last week we read a for and against essay about reality tv-shows and you got to think of a topic for an argumentative text. During today's English lesson you are going to start to write your own texts.
How to write an argumentative text:- Consider both sides of your topic and take a position. An example is to first write down pros and cons about your topic. Then choose which "side" you´re on.
- Gather evidence providing proof to support your claim. In an arguement essay you will have to provide evidence without providing too much drama. You´ll explore two sides of a topic (briefly) and provide proof as to why one side or position is the best one.
Introduce your topic and declare your side!
As in any essay, the first paragraph of your arguement essay should contain a brief explanation of your tpoic and some background information.
Present both sides of your topic!
The body of your essay will contain the meat of your arguement. You should go into more detail about the two sides of your topic and state the strongest points of the counter-side of your issue.
After describing the "other" side, you will present your own viewpoint and then provide evidence to show why your position is the correct one.
Select your strongest evidence and present your point one by one.
Tips for your essay:
- Avoid emotional language - I feel, damn you, I think, it was horrible, it was great etc.
- Know the difference between a logical conclusion and an emotional point of view - connect your claims with evidence and clear explanations and NOT what you feel or think.
- Don´t make up evidence.
- Cite your sources.
- Be prepared to defend your side by knowing the strongest arguements for the other side.
You might be challenged by me or by another student!
Examples of topics to write about:
- Death penalty
- Euthanasia
- Abortion
- Harsher punishment
- All students should wear uniforms in school.
- School must start two hours later, because students are very tired
- Parents must limit how much time their children spend on tech devices - two hours per day is enough
- Mobile phones should be banned during the whole school day
- Grades are not necessary - children study anyway
- Homework should be forbidden
If you would like to write about something that you can't find on the list - feel free to do so!
Addition: And, furthermore, what is more, in addition, also, as well as
Reason: For this reason, because of, the main reason why, since, therefore
Order: First, firstly, in the first place, to begin with, second, after that,
Example: For example, for instance, such as
Summary: Finally, in conclusion, to sum up, to conclude
Avoid making these mistakes:
There: där, their: deras, they’re = they are: de är
Much: mycket, many: många
How: hur, Who: vem
No: nej, Know: veta
Want to: vill, will: ska
Where: var (plats), were: var
And mind the spelling of these words: with, because, of course, beautiful, couldn’t, wouldn’t
·
Any grammar mistakes?
Det finns: There is (1) There are (2->)
Det fanns: There was (1) There were ( 2->)
Example of an arguementative text:
Why animal testing is essential
There is a hot debate about whether animal testing should be used or not. As this is a very
controversial topic there is a lot of misinformation. Society has painted this image of
suffering rodents getting injected with chemicals, which is something far from the truth in the
scientific method of using animal testing. I love animals and I see their value in having a
good life, but when it comes to finding cures for deadly diseases and animal testing is the
only method available now, I think we may use it. In my opinion, this only applies to testing
for medical reasons, as I believe that animal testing for cosmetics and skincare products is
completely horrible and nothing I stand behind.
A lot of people believe that animals and humans are equal, I must say that it isn't. We need to
ask ourselves the question if one of our loved ones' lives were at risk and animal testing is the
only option, would you still oppose it? If we care about the animals so much then there is a
bigger problem we should highlight, like the global warming that affects and endangers
animal species or the poaching in southern Asia and Africa. These are things that don't do
good for any life in the world, unlike animal testing does.
This method comes with a lot of benefits both to humans and animals, we have also gotten a
bigger perspective about our origin and how similar humans and animals are.
Animal tests are used for scientific purposes, mainly in medical research. The goal is to
develop new medicines, new treatment methods or to increase our knowledge of how the
human body works. When you do an animal experiment, an incredible amount of permission
is required and laws must be followed carefully. The tests must also be approved by an
animal test ethics committee. All the animals need to be bred for research purposes. Animal
tests may also only be used if the research purpose cannot be achieved by other methods.
Research is done by “The California Biomedical Research Association”, shows that
practically every medical breakthrough in the last century has occurred directly from animal
studies. The majority of all antitoxins we get are from animals. If you get bitten by a
venomous snake, you will get the medicine that we have obtained by milking the snake.
Milking snakes are seen as a form of animal testing, a type that doesn't hurt the animal if it's done correctly.
Another huge discovery made by animal testing was of the saliva of the Gila monster could
be produced into medicine for diabetes. The venom from this lizard has since been modified
in laboratories and it has since been possible to produce it chemically, which has led to the
lizard no longer being needed to produce the substance. A positive effect that this brings is
that endangered animals are preserved much more if they are under research because they are
of great benefit to us humans.
Another argument as to why animal testings are needed is because it has also helped us to get
a better picture of the animal's anatomy and their history. We need them to understand how
genetics work and how different species are related to one another. Animal and human
biology work in a very similar way, such as breathing, digestion, sight, and reproduction.
Systems, such as the nervous system and immune system, follow the same structure and
function in all animals. This means that even small animals can be used to study these
systems. Our understanding of brain disease comes from research done by animals too small
for the human eye to see! Woods Hole Marine Biological Laboratory has done many
discoveries on humans neurological disorders by studying the giant squid.
You may think that we can replace animal experiments with something else and you are right,
but not in all cases. Studies from Harvard and AstraZeneca have shown you can replace
certain types of animal testing. The reason why you can't do this completely is that there are
not enough resources and it is not completely safe yet.
Lastly, animals benefit a lot from animal testing. It is not just us humans that are served, but
the animals as well. A large part of the research is to make the animals feel better and for us
to learn more about their behavior and how to take care of them. The animals also need
vaccines and medicines. To develop this the animals may need to be included in drug studies.
Research is needed to protect wild, endangered species. In this way, we can gain more
knowledge about how animals live and how different environmental factors affect them.
In summary animal testing is a highly discussed subject with a lot of opinions. It’s a method
that helps us to find cures and vaccines for deadly diseases. We have gained a lot of
knowledge about our bodies and the history of all life surrounding us. There may be other
options but there aren't any safe yet. Lastly, animal testing is something that has affected all
our lives whether we know it or not and something that we humans cannot live without.
References
California Biomedical Research Association (2020). CBRA Fact Sheet: Why Are Animals
Necessary in Biomedical Research?. https://ca-biomed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/FSFAQs.pdf [09-11-2021]
National Geographic (2021). Untangling mysteries of the brain—with the remarkable biology
of squid. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/untangling-mysteries-of-thebrain-with-the-remarkable-biology-of-squid [11-11-2021]
Fierce Biotech (2013). Harvard, AstraZeneca partner to replace animal testing with 'organson-chips'. https://www.fiercebiotech.com/deals/harvard-astrazeneca-partner-to-replaceanimal-testing-organs-on-chips [11-11-2021
