A strong essay meets its strongest critic head-on, and sounds like someone who believes what they wrote.
Your paragraph (Writing #1), with feedback applied first.
Make the argument bulletproof, counter-arguments, and find your authorial voice.
Workbook Ch 17 & 19, counter-arguments (pp. 76 to 78) and authorial voice (83 to 86), plus the review do/don't list.
Ignoring the obvious objection doesn't make it go away, it makes the reader supply it for you. Answer it first, on your terms.
A writer who admits the other side has a point reads as fair and confident, someone who has considered the alternatives and still holds their ground.
A writer who pretends there's no objection reads as naïve or evasive.
Naming the strongest objection to your claim is the most persuasive thing you can do, because then you get to answer it.
“Critics argue that fast-tracking wind permits silences coastal communities.”
“Yet the current process gives those communities a veto, not a voice, and that veto is why no turbine has been built.”
Acknowledge honestly, respond decisively. The response must be longer and stronger than the concession.
| To concede | To pivot back |
|---|---|
| Admittedly… · Granted… · It is true that… | …yet · …even so · …this overlooks |
| Critics contend that… · One might object that… | …however · …but the evidence suggests |
| While X is the case… | …it does not follow that Y |
The pivot word is load-bearing. “Yet,” “however,” “but” tell the reader: here comes my answer.
Answer a weak, distorted version of the objection. Easy to knock down, and the reader notices the trick.
State the objection in its strongest form, then answer that. If you can beat the best version, you've won.
Would someone who holds the opposing view agree you stated it fairly? If not, you built a strawman.
What is the strongest objection to your thesis, and can you state it so its believers would sign it?
Voice is the difference between a paper that informs and one that persuades. It's confidence, calibrated, never timid, never inflated.
“This might possibly suggest a small effect, perhaps.”
“The data suggest a modest but consistent effect.”
“This proves, beyond any doubt, a massive effect.”
Strong evidence earns “demonstrates.” Partial evidence earns “suggests.” Claim exactly as much as you can defend, no more, no less.
| Limp | Strong |
|---|---|
| “There is a suggestion in the data that…” | “The data reveal…” |
| “It can be seen that prices went up.” | “Prices climbed 18%.” |
| “A decision was made by the firm to…” | “The firm chose to…” |
Prefer the active voice and a precise verb. Passive constructions hide who did what, and drain the sentence of force.
“You can clearly see the policy is bad, and I feel it should change.”
“The evidence indicates the policy fails on its own terms; I therefore argue it should change.”
By discipline: HASS allows I; STEM & IEEE prefer we or the passive; Business writes this report.
For your essay's thesis, write the steelman objection, then answer it.
Read your objection to a partner who disagrees with you. Did you state it fairly enough that they'd sign it?
Take one paragraph of your essay draft and tighten its voice.
If a sentence is hard to say with conviction, it's hard to read with trust. Rewrite until it sounds certain.
Introductions & conclusions, by discipline. How to open and close the full essay, the part most students rush.
Week 09 · Next, Introductions & Conclusions