The assertion is one of the most crucial elements of an essay, especially an argumentative one, therefore knowing how to create them is critical. An assertion is when you make a claim and/or clearly describe your side of the argument. For example, "Crime does not pay; therefore, catching criminals should be done by the police." This is an assertion because it says that crime does not pay. Assertions can be formal or informal. Formal assertions are made up of words such as "therefore," "thus," and "so," while informal assertions are simply written statements that make claims about their topics. In order for your essay to be successful, you need to be able to make strong assertions that support your arguments. These supporting assertions should also be strong enough to stand on their own as separate pieces of information. If you cannot do this, then your essay will not be effective at putting forward its point of view. There are two types of assertions: categorical and comparative. Categorical assertions state two or more things are true or false about a single subject. Comparative assertions compare two or more subjects on a common characteristic. The author is making a categorical assertion because he or she is saying that crime does not pay and that catching criminals should be done by the police.