A persuasive essay is a form of academic writing that is built
around a central argument. These essays are sometimes called argumentative
essays because of this. In this category of composition, the writer aims to
persuade the reader to accept his or her point of view.
1.
Decide on the issue
you will discuss. It needs to be a topic you have a solid opinion on, and also
a topic people disagree about.
2.
Research the issue to be aware of how to
best prove your point. Consider what your possible opponents can object to each
point you make.
3.
Make an outline, listing your strongest arguments that
will help you prove your point. Look for statistics, factual data and quotes of
famous people to support your arguments.
4.
Write an introduction, stating how debated the issue is
and why it is important to reach consensus on the matter. Finish the
introduction with a thesis statement, indicating your personal
position on the discussed subject.
5.
Argue your point,
introducing a new reason or fact in every paragraph. There should be no less
than three strong arguments to support your point of view.
6.
Make a conclusion. Here you may express your
understanding as to why the matter is so difficult to agree on, but conclude
that the position you support is the best possible (or most likely to be true)
variant based on the evidence you provided earlier in the essay.
Topic Selection
There are limitless opportunities for great
topics, since there are many debated issues you can discuss in your persuasive essay.
Here are just a few examples of topics for your argumentative essay:
·
Is a boarding school a
reasonable idea for your child?
·
Should there be a
division between male and female sports?
·
The death penalty
should be abolished in the USA.
·
People should not be
allowed to keep guns at home.
·
It is inappropriate to
let a gay couple adopt a child of the same gender.
·
The only difference
between organic and non-organic food is its cost.
·
If we want to stop the
global warming process, we need to stop driving cars.
·
Is wearing school
uniforms a sound idea?
·
Children should not be
allowed to play computer games.
·
Introducing cell
phones to children under the age of fifteen is an imprudent idea.
·
Should all children
under the age of 18 have a 10pm curfew?
·
Does the majority of
the world population overuse computers?
Key Points to Consider
1.
There are various persuasion techniques that have been
proven to be the most effective in an argumentative essay. Three basic
persuasion techniques are: appeal to emotions, appeal to facts and evidence,
and appeal to logic. Try to combine and mix them to make a stronger point.
2.
Build your argument
based on your audience and its qualities. Think of whom you are appealing to,
envision your audience’s main characteristics and build your arguments based on
what your audience most values.
3.
An approach to
persuasion is when a writer is aware of the point of view of an opposing side,
and then argues about its weaknesses. Use parenthetical clauses like however, nevertheless,despite
the fact that, on the other hand, and so on to link the two
opposing points together.
4.
Combine the main
points with minor points that also contribute to the general idea. Start each
paragraph with its major point, then go on to explain it, and introduce a minor
point closer to the end of the paragraph to support your initial major point.
5.
Using rhetorical
questions and appealing to common truths is a sound way to make a point.
Do and Don’t
|
Do
·
Do prove your points with factual data. Stating something
without factual basis is considered a weak point, so a successful essay
should have statistics and quotes that serve as supporting evidence.
·
Do be certain about your position.
·
Do appeal to the emotions of your readers. This can have more
of an effect than raw facts.
·
Do make sure to review the points of both sides of the
argument before you start making your outline.
·
Do remain tolerant of other people’s opinions, even if you
strongly disagree with them.
|
Don’t
·
Don’t be too flat and determined in trying to prove your
point, ignoring counter arguments. Recognizing the fact that a lot of people
might not agree does not mean that you expose your argument’s weak side.
·
Don’t choose a topic that you are hesitant about which side to
take. You should be solid and steady in what you are trying to prove,
otherwise it will be almost impossible to persuade your reader.
·
Don’t try to introduce another argument in the conclusion. The
conclusion should be about summarizing and reiterating why your main message
is important.
·
Don’t appeal to subjective personal or religious beliefs –
this is crossing the line. Try to remain objective and focus on facts.
|
Common Mistakes When
Writing a Persuasive Essay
- Building a whole essay based on just the
disproof of your opponents’ arguments. You need to introduce your own points as
well in order to show the alternative perspective.
- Becoming too aggressive while trying to
prove your point only shows weakness. A persuasive essay should be thoroughly
based on cold-hearted arguments, even though it may apply to emotions as well.
- Changing your mind as you develop your
arguments. This is why you need to get acquainted with both sides of the issue
you are planning to discuss.
- Overloading your essay with facts and
arguments without a clear structure or a general, logical idea. This is why you
need to make a plan or an outline for your persuasive essay before you start
writing it.
Now that you have acquainted yourself with the
basic persuasive essay writing tips and rules, you can check out our persuasive and argumentative essay samples to
link theory with practice.
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