Essays and Arguments: A Handbook for Writing Student Essays

by Ian C. Johnston

How does one help undergraduate students learn quickly how to produce effectively organized, persuasive, well-reasoned essays? This book offers a straightforward, systematic introduction to some of the key elements of the construction of arguments in essay form. The focus here is on practical advice that will prove immediately useful to students―recommended procedures are emphasized, and detailed examples of academic and student writing are provided throughout. The book introduces the basics of argumentation before moving on to the structure and organization of essays. Planning and outlining the essay, writing strong thesis statements, organizing coherent paragraphs, and writing effective introductions and conclusions are among the subjects discussed. A separate section concisely explores issues specific to essays about literary works.

336 pages, Paperback

Published April 28, 2015

About the author

Ian C. Johnston (MA, English, University of Toronto, 1969) is a professor emeritus at Vancouver Island University, and a prolific translator of classics from Greek, Latin, German, and French to English.

Reviews

[Wouter · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book contains a lot of information about writing essays and using arguments, though reading it might be tedious at times.