Does your argumentative writing project a voice of complete and utter certainty, to the point that your readers feel you speak with zero room for doubt? While that might sound like a good way to make your case, it’s actually a lot less effective in practice. In fact, it’s that very attitude that could be leading your readers away from giving you work due attention.
Think about it. If a guy you’re talking to expresses full confidence in a claim that you believe to be false and won’t entertain reasonable doubts, would you really want to sit down and chat with him about it? Probably not. The frustration you’ll reap from someone so uncommunicative really makes any potential benefit not worth the trouble.
When a writer chooses to make his case in this manner, it’s akin to an oversimplification: Here is my case, this is the evidence, here’s why I’m right and there’s nothing you can do the change the facts. We call it simplifying because every claim is subject to rebuttal. The fact that it’s a claim actually eliminates any possibility that it can be a fact – those are two very different things.
If you’d like readers to give you due attention, it’s fine to be self-assured. However, don’t force them to either accept your point of view or go elsewhere. Majority of the time, their likely reaction will be the latter. And that’s never good for you.
Crafting a good argument is as much about giving the reader space as it is putting your ideas forward. As such, it’s best to avoid flat-footed and unsophisticated language the same way you steer clear of bad grammar (with the help of an essay writing software). Acknowledge the complexity of issues by leaving room for doubt, all while making the best case you can manage.
