An argument is a claim backed by reasons, and each reason is backed by support the reader can follow. Opinion pieces in composition are judged on how well the thinking is developed, not on how forceful the tone is.
This lesson belongs to first-language composition. It uses the reading skill of tracking reasons from first-language textual analysis, now turned around for your own writing.
How do you build one supported reason?
Use four moves in a paragraph.
- Claim: a topic sentence that states the reason.
- Explain: say why that reason matters.
- Support: an example or a cause and effect chain.
- Link back: one sentence that returns to your main view.
Not every paragraph needs all four in this order, but missing the third move is the most common weakness.
Worked example
Title: 学校应该每周安排一节阅读课。Invented classroom details.
Main view: yes, it should.
Reason 1: it builds a habit that homework does not.
阅读课可以帮助学生养成每天读书的习惯。许多同学平时只在考试前才翻开课本，是因为没人给他们一段安静的时间。如果每周有一节课，大家一起读，那段时间就变成固定的节奏。时间久了，这个节奏会带到课外。因此，一节阅读课不是浪费上课时间，而是在为学习打基础。
Here, the claim is the first sentence, the explanation is the cause (没人给他们一段安静的时间), the support is the weekly rhythm that carries over, and the last sentence links back.
The mistake to watch for
Mistaken paragraph: 阅读很重要，大家都知道读书有好处。所以学校应该安排阅读课。
The first sentence repeats the claim, and 大家都知道 asks the reader to accept it without a reason. There is no example and no cause.
Correction: replace 大家都知道 with a specific cause or scene, as in the worked paragraph. Ask “why would that be true?” until you can answer in a sentence.
Check yourself
1. Which is support, not claim: (a) 手机会让学生分心 (b) 上课时同学每隔几分钟就看一眼桌下的手机，老师讲到的重点就漏掉了?
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(b). It describes a situation that shows how the claim in (a) happens.
2. Add a link-back sentence to a paragraph arguing that students should help clean the school.
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Example: 由此可见，让学生参与打扫，不只是分担工作，更是培养他们爱护环境的责任感。
3. Rewrite 大家都知道运动有益健康 as a reason with support.
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Example: 运动能让人在长时间读书后放松下来。比如我每天晚饭后慢跑二十分钟，回到书桌前，注意力明显更集中。
A quick routine for exam time
Spend two minutes before you write. State your view in one sentence, list two reasons, and write one example next to each reason.
If you cannot write the example, the reason is not ready yet. Replace it with one you can support, because a short paragraph with real support reads better than a long one without it.
Where this leads next
A good argument still needs its paragraphs to connect. Continue with controlling transitions across paragraphs, then use the practice set. Teachers who work one to one can question your reasons live, as in our online Chinese tuition.