To persuade is to convince someone that a particular opinion or point of view is the correct one. Commercials, print ads, and election materials are persuasive in nature. Unlike (verbally) arguing, persuasive writing is very logical and rational. You must have legitimate Reasons why your argument is the right/best one. Be sure to have at least three (3) Reasons for your argument. Save your biggest or most important Reason for last.
Begin the Introduction paragraph with a clearly stated Thesis Statement, which clearly states what you are arguing for or against. Use words like should/should not, must/must not, ought/ought not, etc. in your Thesis Statement.
Do a bit of research to find Reasons to support your Thesis Statement/Main Point (facts, statistics, expert opinion, and other credible information) to include in the Introduction and the Body of your paper. DO NOT PLAGIARIZE (copy/cheat – you will receive an “F” and be reported to the college’s Admission’s Office). Use direct quotes (use quotation marks, in-text citations, and a Works Cited page) or you may paraphrase- restate in your own words (still use in-text citations and a Works Cited page). Be sure that each of the three (3) Reasons is stated clearly in a Topic Sentence. Remember to use Transitional Words/Phrases. You must have more than one piece of Evidence (these will be your Primary and Secondary Support Sentences) to support it.
Before stating your last/third Reason, you MUST address the opposition (in a separate short paragraph) – include a short refutation paragraph (2-3 sentences; does not count as one of the four paragraphs) which acknowledges the opposing view and summarizes their main points (think: what does the other side of this issue say?). THEN state last Reason. Remember to include a Concluding Paragraph at the end of the paper (yes, this does count as one of the paragraphs).
Be sure to also show your understanding of all of the information you learned in the Cengage chapters we have covered so far. Feel free to review that information. I will be grading your paper for proper use of those skills, as well as the essay techniques.
Again, this paper MUST be organized like this:
1. Introduction paragraph
2. Reason #1 paragraph(s)
3. Reason #2 paragraph(s)
4. Address the Opposition(s)
5. Reason #3 paragraph(s)
6. Conclusion
See the end of the chapter for the Suggested Topics for Persuasion Paragraphs. Based on the first letter of your last name, write a 6 paragraph Persuasion essay.
