Words, language and the way we communicate have incredible power, both in real life and on the internet. Mastering the different ways of presenting a text is essential in terms of marketing, and that is why today we want to talk about argumentative texts. It is a technique that we must master when making our content.
Do you want to persuade your readers while making search engines fall in love? Then you should know what an argumentative text is, what its main characteristics are and how to write them step by step. If you are interested in all this, continue reading this article.
What are argumentative texts?
An argumentative text is one that presents its own arguments in order to defend an initial premise. That is, in this type of text a thesis or opinion based on certain facts and/or evidence is presented. The more solid the evidence or arguments presented, the greater the chances that the reader will be convinced and/or satisfied.
What are argumentative texts for?
The intention of an argumentative text is to present information in a valid and consistent way, something that is undoubtedly increasingly important in a world full of fake news. The idea is that the reader agrees with us when they finish reading the text or, at least, has changed their original opinion.
If we transfer this to the world of the internet and search engines like Google, we can realize the importance of mastering the writing of argumentative texts. We are talking about complying with the famous search intention, offering something of value to the user and, ultimately, persuading them to stay and read our text until the end.
Characteristics of argumentative texts
Argumentative texts are characterized mainly by being informative, although they may also have other intentions, such as sales. To try to convince the reader, we must present the arguments in a well-ordered manner, but above all, show objective facts that cannot be easily refuted.
Usually the first person singular is used, as it has more power when presenting a thesis or opinion. As we will see later, the arguments are expressed in an orderly manner in a classic structure of introduction, development and conclusion. It is important to follow this structure, as it offers the necessary order to convince the reader.
Argumentative texts must also be impartial, that is, we must avoid expressing our opinion clearly and unequivocally. If we want to convince a reader, we must do it with objective arguments and not with subjective opinions. Otherwise, we risk losing our credibility.
In addition, this type of text must appeal to the emotions of the reader, since its ultimate goal is to persuade him. For this, different linguistic resources are used, such as analogy, prolepsis (anticipation of objections), comparisons or analogies, logic, common sense, etc. We may also use illustrations or images, statistical data, studies or reports.
Likewise, the authority of the editor or medium that supports the text is also important. It is not the same for an economics article to be signed by a renowned economist with long experience than by a little-known person. The authority can also fall on a brand or an institution (for example, the Ministry of Consumption). The lower the authority, the fewer arguments needed, and vice versa.
Types of argumentative texts
Although it is usually a written text, we can also talk about oral argumentative texts. In this case, the person presenting the arguments is the one who maintains eye contact with the audience and uses appropriate body language.
As for the written texts, depending on the subject they deal with or their function, we can find different types of argumentative texts.
1. Newspaper text
The objective of this text is to inform the reader, but also to persuade him. Although the main function of journalism is to make the facts known, the truth is that these must always be based on a series of evidences and/or tests.
2. Essay
It is a text that aims to present ideas and opinions on a specific topic. However, unlike an opinion article, the essay must present arguments for and against the subject matter.
3. Letter of opinion
In this case, what is intended is to make known the author’s opinion on a specific topic. It is a written text where the arguments are presented to defend an idea, but without the need to refute the opponent’s objections.
4. Memory
A report is a document in which the results of a work carried out are presented. The objective of this document is to inform the reader about the work carried out, as well as to convince him of the goodness of our methods and/or conclusions.
5. Advertising
It is a text whose sole objective is to convince the reader of something. It is a biased text, where only the arguments in favor of what is to be sold or transmitted are presented, without presenting objections or counterarguments.
6. Advertising
Although it is a text very similar to advertising, in this case what we want is to sell a product or service. In other words, the objective of advertising texts is mainly to convince the reader of why they should buy our product or what advantages it offers compared to the competition.
7. Treaty
It is a written text that collects the conclusions that have been reached in a study or investigation on a specific topic. It is characterized by being a very technical and complex text, where all the data and evidence obtained are presented.
8.legal
It is a specific interpretation of legal laws, which aims to defend a specific cause or fact. It is commonly used in the legal or judicial world.
