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Different types of arguments can both shape arguments in a particular way and help writers generate ideas in a particular direction.Regardless of the types of arguments，most rhetoricians recognize five parts of arguments：introduction，narration，confirmation， refutation， and conclusion.The classical argument， which targets a friendly audience with a certain degree of skepticism， is often structured in the following order：introduction→narration→confirmation→refutation→conclusion.When the target audience is very uncomfortable with the writer’s argument， resistant， or even hostile， it is more effective to make some adjustment to this classical structure and organize the argument in the following order： introduction→narration→refutation→confirmation→conclusion．Regardless of which order to follow to structure the argument， the five components of arguments are common.The following section will introduce each component， with focus on its purpose as well as strategies used to develop each component．
The introduction serves two major purposes：（ a） to inform the audience of the subject of the writer／ speaker’s argument， and （b） to render the audience amenable to the writer／ speaker’s argument.To achieve the two-fold aim， the introduction needs to establish the speaker’ s/writer’ s ethos.Some introductions may also use narratives or shocking statements to create certain pathos in the audience if the audience is very indifferent or hostile to the subject or the writer／ speaker.In general， introduction needs to devote more attention to ethos than pathos.Introductions can be opened in any of the following ways：
A.make an inquisitive introduction：“Does history repeat itself？”
B.make a paradoxical introduction：“As I type this， highly civilized men are flying above， trying to kill me．”（George Orwell）
C.make a corrective introduction：“The peanut is in fact a fruit．”
D.make a preparatory introduction：“Beginnings are apt to be shadowy， and so it is with the beginnings of that great mother of life， the sea”（Rachel Carson）.This unusual mode of introducing the subject or issue prepares the audience in a certain mood．
E.make a narrative introduction： Reciting an anecdote， describing a scenario， telling a personal story， or quoting a news story．
No matter which way we use to open our introduction， it is important to remember that the logic of the introduction follows either the pattern of moving from the local，specific， individual， or concrete case， situation， scenario to the global， collective， or general status of the issue， or the pattern of presenting the overall and general situation first and then zooming on into some specific， individual， or concrete case or scenario．Either way， the introduction needs to provide the audience with some knowledge， both general and specific， of the subject or issue in the argument．
The main goal of narration is to inform the audience of the circumstances that must be known before the formal argument is presented.In this section， the argument may provide background knowledge about the subject， define some terms， summarize the major controversies， or review previous discussions.This section is generally brief and mentions only information that is highly relevant to understanding the following argument.However， in case the audience is unfamiliar with background information or controversies， or when the controversies are too complicated or nuanced to be explained in a few sentences， the writer may choose to devote more space to the narration part and make the audience more prepared for the kind of position that the writer wants to argue．
This major section presents the central argument in a logical and reasonable manner．Logical appeal is especially important here.As the most important part of the whole argument， this section needs to provide both sub-claims and the supporting evidence.It is important to consider the particular disposition of the audience or the nature of the subject when deciding which sub-claim goes first and which goes last.More importantly，writers/speakers need to consider what type of argument this section intends to make．As previous sections have emphasized， the choice of the type of argument determines not only the kind of evidence writers/speakers need to provide， the process of presenting evidence but also the overall structure of this section．
The refutation section serves multiple purposes：（ a ） to address possible and relevant counterarguments；（b） to strengthen writers’ own arguments；（c） to create a broad-minded ethos.Therefore， both logical appeal and credibility appeal are very important here.It is often common to present counterarguments and then refute them．There are many ways to refute counterarguments， such as offering counter examples，identifying fallacies， biases or limitations in counterarguments.Sometimes， making mild concessions to counterarguments to a certain degree may enhance the writer’ s ethos，and refutations that are too aggressive， too outspoken， or too one-sided may hurt the writer’s ethos more than poor logical reasoning from the writer．
The conclusion needs to accomplish the following things： summarize the arguments，strengthen the central argument， diminish counterargument， inspire audience through ethos， and rouse strong， appropriate， and relevant emotions conducive to your arguments.Logical appeal， credibility appeal， and emotional appeal are all important here， but emotional appeal plays a more crucial role in stirring up and enhancing the audience’ emotions， changing audience’s mind， and mobilizing them to take actions．