A Persuasive Essay
A persuasive essay has as its purpose the goal
of convincing someone of something or to do
something. Usually a persuasive essay is written
to convince the reader to think a certain way about
a certain topic. A persuasive essay uses a formal
register of language and is normally centered around
three main arguments with supporting details.
Step 1
Think of the topics we have seen so far in this module.
Choose one that you feel particularly passionate
about to write your persuasive essay. It has to be
a topic that has arguments on both sides. Your teacher
must approve your topic before you start writing.
Step 2
Once your teacher has approved your topic, you can
begin to write ideas for each of the five paragraphs
you will write. Remember that each paragraph
should be centered around one main idea, and all the
sentences in that paragraph should be related to that
idea. Remember to support your opinion with FACTS
(statistics, quotes from experts, etc.) Write down some
of your ideas here.
Introduction
(here you introduce your point of view and briefly
mention your supporting reasons):
Conclusion
(Here you basically repeat what you had said in your
introduction, but using other words):
You should also anticipate possible counterarguments
and present your arguments against them. In other
words, let's say your topic is that women should
be the breadwinners. Someone on the other side
of the debate could say that women should stay
home because children are usually closer to their
mothers and need them more. What can you present
as an argument against this point?
Step 3
Using what you wrote above, begin to develop a draft
(first version) in your notebook. Your essay should
have five paragraphs and be between 100-120 words.
Try to avoid the first person ("I") as much as possible
Instead of saying, "I think" or "I believe women should
be the breadwinners of the family", simply state it as.