Writing Argumentative Composition/Essay

1. Argumentative essays are written to present opinions that either agree or disagree with a controversial topic.
2. The writer must prove their viewpoint by supporting it with convincing facts and evidence from reliable sources.

1. The function of argumentative essays is to show that your assertion (theory, opinion, or hypothesis) about some phenomenon is correct or more truthful than others.
2. Argumentative writing involves forming reasons, making inductions, giving supporting examples, drawing conclusions, and applying them to the case of discussion.
3. It also involves a clear explanation of the reasoning process from the known or assumed to the unknown. Without this, you do not have an argument; you only have an opinion or theory.
4. Argumentative essays aim to convince, motivate, or persuade the reader to accept, change, or take the required action on a topic or subject that might affect society in one way or another.
5. Examples include political speeches or discussions on the uses of traditional medicine to treat diseases like HIV or malaria, which require convincing arguments and reasons.

Argumentative composition involves the use of contrastive words such as:

• Whereas
• Although
• On the other hand
• Yet
• However
• Nevertheless
• Despite
• But
• Meanwhile

1. Corruption is a major problem in African countries. On the other hand, it is one of the causes of poverty for the majority of citizens in most African countries.
2. Although people are always struggling to combat poverty, their economy is hampered by corruption, which denies them basic rights such as the right to employment.
3. On the contrary, the economy of most African countries is in the hands of a few minorities, whereas the majority suffers from poor conditions.
4. Consequently, children suffer from malnutrition caused by a lack of a balanced diet. However, African countries have many minerals and forests, but these resources are not fully utilized due to poor investment caused by corruption.
5. Furthermore, corruption has caused a lack of proper transport facilities, such as roads, which are one of the factors for speeding up development. In fact, many roads are not all-weather roads, and they are used only during dry seasons.
6. Therefore, these are the consequences of corruption in most African countries.