3 - Argumentative writing - email

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• havo, vwo
• Leerjaar 3

3 - Formal email writing

The structure of a good argumentative email (on paper...)

Lesson goals

- I know what the structure of a good argumentative email is.

- I can describe what makes an email strong/weak, good/bad.

Just to be clear: What is the purpose of an argumentative email?

1. to compare and contrast two different or similar things.
2. to convince the reader by using logic and evidence
3. to answer a question through research of the relevant literature
4. to analyze a piece of literature from different angles

Argumentative Email Structure

• Different structures are possible. Usually 3 - 4 paragraphs.
  
•  Your test will be a three paragraph email.

- Salutation (aanhef)

- 1. Introduction

- 2. Main argument 

(Counterargument)

- 3. Conclusion

- Closing

Introduction

Reason for writing

• Thank you for your letter informing me that …

• I am contacting you to enquire about …

• I am contacting you to ask for …

• In response to your email informing me that …

• In response to your email about …

• In response to the article I read about …

Starting the email politely

• Dear Sir, if it’s a man and you don’t know his name

• Dear Madam, if it’s a woman and you don’t know her name

• Dear Mr + surname if it’s a man and you’ve got his surname

• Dear Mrs + surname if it’s a married woman and you’ve got her surname

• Dear Ms + surname it it’s an unmarried woman / you’re not sure

Thesis statement / main argument

• The thesis statement is that one sentence that contains the focus of your email and tells your reader what the email is going to be about.

• Example: There should be an absolute ban against smoking in public because second-hand smoke endangers the health of non-smokers.
  

• Your main argument should be: 
• clear, concrete
• without using first person singular (I).
  
• affirmative or negative sentence sentence. Not a question!!! 

Why is or isn't this a good thesis statement:

Junk food should not be banned in schools 

because it tastes good.

Discuss in your group

Why is or isn't this a good thesis statement:

Junk food should be banned in schools because 

it contributes to childhood obesity rates.

Discuss in your group

Why is or isn't this a good thesis statement:

Grades should be eliminated because they cause anxiety and put unnecessary pressure on students.

Discuss in your group

The Body

• Each paragraph is focused on one (counter)argument
• Structure for each paragraph:   
• PEEL (see next slide)

Try to link your paragraphs with content and linking words to create flow.

How to structure your body paragraphs using the PEEL method? 

Point: start your sentence with a clear topic sentence that establishes what your paragraph is about. 

Evidence/ Example: here you should use a piece of evidence that helps to reaffirm your iniitial point and develop the argument. 

Explain: next you need to explain exactly how your evidence supports your point. 

Link: you need to link the point you have just made back to your thesis or the following paragraph using a linking word

Linking words

Conclusion

• Thesis and arguments restated in a different, interesting manner. (ability to reformulate)
• Preserve, modify or reject the thesis statement. 
• Possibly call to some sort of action or response. 
• Thought -provoking ending. 

Do not ...

...simply repeat your introduction or thesis.

...introduce any new or significant evidence or example for your main argument. 

Ending your email

Call-to-action

• Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any further questions.

• I look forward to discuss this matter in person.

• I look forward to receiving your reply soon.

• I look forward to receiving your feedback.

• I look forward to meeting you.

• I look forward to your response.

• I await your response with interest.

Closing the email politely

• Yours sincerely, 

[your name]

if you know the name of the person you’re writing to

• Yours faithfully, 

[your name]

if you don’t know the name of the person you’re writing to

Language use

• avoid slang, colloquialisms, clichés
  
• no abbreviations or contractions 
• I'm > I am - can't > cannot - didn't did not
• full sentences
• no bullet points/lists
• No first person singular
• 1 font
• skip a line between §s

Grammar

4.2: Future Forms

- Lunch break starts at 12:30.

- They are giving prizes to the winners tomorrow in the Town Hall.

- Wait for me! I will help you peel the carrots.

- Shall we have a barbecue this evening?

- You can come home later, but your dad will probably be mad about it.

- What are you going to prepare for dinner?

- The sky is getting very cloudy. It is going to rain.

4.5: Future Continuous & Future Perfect

- You will have graduated secondary school in four years.

- You will be studying at university in a few years.

4.7: Indirect questions

- I would also like to know whether I need to bring anything else. 

Rubric

Let's practice!

Read the article on the next page. 

Write your argumentative email in 150-160 words

Is breakfast really the most important meal of the day?

We’ve all heard that healthier, fitter people don’t skip breakfast. But does that mean breakfast makes us healthier and thinner – or is it something else?

Along with old classics like ‘carrots give you night vision’ and ‘Santa doesn’t bring toys to misbehaving children’, one of the most well-worn phrases in the arsenal of tired parents everywhere is that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Many of us grow up believing that skipping breakfast is a dietary travesty – even if only two thirds of adults in the UK eat breakfast regularly, according to the Association of UK Dieticians (BDA), and around three-quarters of Americans.

The clue for why breakfast is supposed to be important is in its name: we’re advised to eat it to break our overnight fast.

“The body uses a lot of energy stores for growth and repair through the night,” explains dietician Sarah Elder. “Eating a balanced breakfast helps to up our energy, as well as protein and calcium used throughout the night.”

But there’s widespread disagreement over whether breakfast should keep its top spot in the hierarchy of meals. As well as the rising popularity of fasting diets, there have been concerns around the sugar content of cereal and the food industry’s involvement in pro-breakfast research – and even one claim from an academic that breakfast is “dangerous”.

So what’s the reality? Is breakfast a necessary start to the day… or a marketing ploy by cereal companies?

Is breakfast really the most important meal of the day?

source

Linking word