26. Writing a Personal Essay based on "Why Rituals are Good for your Health" The best way to introduce a convincing argument is to provide a strong thesis statement. These are the words I usually use to start an argumentative essay: While written essays are not the same as verbal arguments, writing an argumentative essay — for a class, a news outlet, or just for funsies — can help you improve your understanding of an issue and sharpen your thinking on the matter. Using researched facts and data, you can explain why you or others think the way you do, even while other reasonable people disagree. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. Strong essays consist of reasons supported by evidence. Reasons can be thought of as the main points supporting your claim or thesis. Often they are the answers to the question, "Why do you make that claim?" An easy way to think of reasons is to see them as "because phrases." In order to validate your reasons and make your argument successful, support your reasons with ample evidence.