Transitions are the mortar that holds the foundation of the essay together. Transitions should wrap up the idea from the previous section and introduce the idea that is to follow in the next section. Each paragraph should be limited to the discussion of one general idea. This will allow for clarity and direction throughout the essay.
It is important to note that each paragraph in the body of the essay must have some logical connection to the thesis statement in the opening paragraph. Some paragraphs will directly support the thesis statement with evidence collected during research. It is also important to explain how and why the evidence supports the thesis warrant.
However, argumentative essays should also consider and explain differing points of view regarding the topic. Depending on the length of the assignment, students should dedicate one or two paragraphs of an argumentative essay to discussing conflicting opinions on the topic. Rather than explaining how these differing opinions are wrong outright, students should note how opinions that do not align with their thesis might not be well informed or how they might be out of date.
The argumentative essay requires well-researched, accurate, detailed, and current information to support the thesis statement and consider other points of view. Some factual, logical, statistical, or anecdotal evidence should support the thesis. However, students must consider multiple points of view when collecting evidence. As noted in the paragraph above, a successful and well-rounded argumentative essay will also discuss opinions not aligning with the thesis. It is unethical to exclude evidence that may not support the thesis.
It is at this point of the essay that students may begin to struggle. This will place the issue in context and briefly weigh up some of the different opinions on the subject.
After surveying the topic in the first part of the introduction, it is now time for the student writer to express their own opinion and briefly preview the points they will make later in the essay. The number of paragraphs that will form this section of the essay will depend on the number of points the writer chooses to make to support their opinion.
Normally three main points will be sufficient for beginning writers to coordinate. For more advanced students, they can simply increase the number of paragraphs based on the complexity of their arguments, but the overall structure will largely remained intact. Be sure to check out our own complete guide to writing perfect paragraphs here. The TEEL acronym is a useful way for students to remember how to structure their paragraphs.
Read below for deeper understanding. The topic sentence states the central point of the paragraph. This will be in the form of one of the reasons in support of the thesis statement made in the introduction.
These sentences will build on the topic sentence by illustrating the point further, often by making it more specific. This evidence may take the form of statistics, quotations, or anecdotal evidence. The final part of the paragraph links back to the initial statement of the topic sentence, while also forming a bridge to the next point to be made.
This part of the paragraph provides some personal analysis and interpretation of how the student arrived at their conclusions and also connects together the essay as a cohesive whole. The conclusion weaves together the main points of the persuasive essay. It does not normally introduce any new arguments or evidence but rather reviews the arguments made already and restates them by summing them up in a unique way.
It is important at this stage to tie everything back to the initial thesis statement. Ending an essay well can be challenging, but, especially for persuasive essays, it is essential to end strongly. Encourage students to experiment with different types of endings, for example, concluding the essay with a quotation that amplifies the thesis statement.
Another method is to have the student rework their ending in simple monosyllabic words, as simple language often has the effect of being stronger in impact. The effect they are striving for in the final sentence is the closing of the circle. There are a number of persuasive writing techniques that can be used to in the conclusion, and throughout the essay, to amp up the persuasive power of the writing.
In this article, we have outlined a basic structure that will be helpful to students in approaching the organization of their persuasive writing. It will also be helpful for the students to be introduced to a few literary techniques that will help your students to present their ideas in a convincing manner. Here are a few of the more common ones:. Repetition: There is a reason why advertisements and commercials are so repetitive — repetition works! Students can use this knowledge to their advantage in their persuasive writing.
Storytelling: Humans tend to understand things better through stories. Think of how we teach kids the important values through time-tested fables like Peter and the Wolf. Whether through personal anecdotes or reference to third person experiences, stories help climb down the ladder of abstraction and reach the reader on a human level.
Dealing with Dissent: We live in a cynical age, so leaving out the opposing opinion will smack of avoidance to the reader. Encourage your students to turn into that opposing viewpoint and deal with those arguments in their essay too.
A Call to Action: A staple of advertising, a call to action can also be used in persuasive writing. When employed, it usually forms part of the conclusion section of the essay and asks the reader to do something, such as, recycle, donate to charity, sign a petition etc. A quick look around reveals to us the importance of the power of persuasion, whether, in product advertisements, newspaper editorials, or political electioneering, persuasion plays an important role in our daily lives.
Your teacher or professor will be using a specific rubric to set your grades for these kinds of assignments. The basic structural persuasive essay outline is, indeed, 5 paragraphs. It can be more, of course, and often will be, as you should try to keep each point supporting your main argument, or thesis , to one paragraph.
This is the fundamental layout: you will start with one paragraph as an introduction, then go on to write three or more paragraphs containing the body of your essay, then finally your conclusion, wrapping everything up with a neat little bow on top. You may have also heard of argumentative essays and wonder what the difference is from a persuasive essay.
Simply put, an argumentative essay must be based on cold hard facts which have been researched and are verifiable. It must be an essay devoted to the arguments in favour of a particular topic. However, a persuasive essay has a wider range of resources available, as its only goal is to persuade the reader of the thesis.
You can use appeals to emotion, social validation, stories and anecdotes, as well as of course facts and logic to persuade your audience. Think of the difference between a politician trying to persuade people to vote for him or her versus a scientist laying out the evidence they have gathered. This can take the form of a relevant quote, or perhaps a personal anecdote, an interesting statistic or fact, an outrageous statement, or a question. The third and final part of the intro should consist of your thesis.
This is not the time to be wishy-washy or half-hearted; you must take an active, bold stance on the issue of your choice. If you are not sure how to start persuasive essay, or feel you need prompts or samples of ideas, try looking at the news, whether local to your college or high school, or Aussie news in general. Use the techniques of making a checklist of questions or opinions you have about the world or about Australia, then proceed step by step through your worksheet.
Do some research about your topics and find out which one inspires you the most.
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