In this article, you will find some working tips on how to make your persuasive essay a convincing and well-structured piece.
Table of Content:
- What Is a Persuasive Essay?
- The Elements of Persuasive Essay
- Persuasive Essay Format
- How to Write a Persuasive Essay Outline
- How to Write a Persuasive Argument: Step by Step Guide
- Persuasive Essay Examples
- Persuasive Essay Rubric
- To Sum Up
What Is a Persuasive Essay?
What is a persuasive essay? First and foremost, you need to figure out the premise of the task you are assigned to prepare. The aim of persuasive essays is to convince the reader of the stance that you are taking on a particular subject.
While presenting an argument, the writer must use sources, research, present well-formulated ideas. If you want to know how to write a good persuasive essay, better get to know all there is on an argumentative essay because you should persuade the reader using strong arguments.
Seek to employ logic and sound reasoning while writing a persuasive essay, as this is going to help you win over the audience.
The Elements of Persuasive Essay
Persuasive essay format bases itself on establishing a position and defending it. The opposing argumentation should also be taken into consideration. This type of writing can take many forms and perform many functions ranging from plain informative pieces to more complicated forms.
Evidence is of crucial importance for making a competent claim. The collection, analysis, and generation of pertinent evidence are fundamental. All types of informative essays require a well-structured thesis statement and knowledge on how to write a persuasive argument.
The thesis statement is usually only one sentence long. It propels the whole composition forward and sets it into a clear direction for the readers.
Persuasive Essay Format
When you have picked a topic among the given suggestions (or formulated your own), it is time to get to writing. A persuasive essay format presupposes three sections: introduction, body, and conclusion.
The body should include an additional section with the paragraph presenting an opposing view. Below you will find a brief description of the format. To outline persuasive essay briefly, here is the summing up:
If you want to get a better understanding of how to start a persuasive essay and finish such a piece, keep reading.
How to Write a Persuasive Essay Outline
The persuasive essay outline does not differ much from any other essay task you might be getting. The purpose of an outline for an argumentative essay is to figure out what you are going to cover in the text itself.
There are three parts in it: an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Also, one of the most important sections is a list of references that is to be presented at the end of the work.
The width of the topic will influence the number of body paragraphs, so keep that in mind when choosing a topic. In the conclusion of your persuasive essay, remind the reader of the main issue in question and your thesis statement in particular.
Instead of providing a thesis statement in the shape of the sharp argument, the author should stress the importance of the issue.
How to Write a Persuasive Essay Introduction
The persuasive essay introduction should grab the reader's attention and provide background information about the subject. At this point, the author should introduce an overview of the argument. It should close with a clear thesis statement clearly presenting the author's stance.
What About Body Paragraphs?
The body of your piece of writing is a vital part of the essay. It should contain paragraphs that directly support the thesis. Each such paragraph should begin with a clear and concise topic sentence that focuses on one key point and provides a strong argument.
The body part of the essay should be composed of quotes, facts, and examples that base themselves on research to clarify the author's position. Every paragraph should end with a transitional sentence that wraps up the previous thought and introduces the next section.
The basic concept of a persuasive paragraph lies in its intention. It reveals bias and attempts to sway the reader in a certain favor. Explaining relevancy is also important, as well as leaving the reader with a clearly formulated conclusion.
At least one part of the essay should acknowledge the opposing viewpoint. To write a good persuasive essay, the author needs to choose a strong conflicting claim and present counter-arguments. Similarly, it can cover inconsistencies in logic and give contradictory evidence to a certain viewpoint.
The conclusion summarizes the essay and restates the main argument and supporting reasons that compel a reader to do what the writer suggests. Most authors prefer to close their persuasive essay with a personal comment or a question as if in ib extended essay.
Such a trick can prompt the reader to think about the issue more and draw one's own conclusions. The paragraph should enable the reader to consider the author's viewpoint and get to know it in detail.
This format is similar to that of a persuasive speech. One of the most important functions of this paragraph is to bring in a necessary insight. Some questions to consider when writing your conclusion are:
- What are real-world applications of this paper's argument?
- Am I writing about something important?
- What are some of the questions that this paper's argument raises?
- What are the implications of this paper's argument?
How to Write a Persuasive Argument: Step by Step Guide
Understanding your audience is exactly what will help you write not just a good persuasive essay but an excellent one. Awareness of whether the public agrees, disagrees, or is neutral to a particular issue. Making a compelling argument and structuring your piece well are crucial aspects.
Along with engaging the audience, there are several important steps you need to go through before being ready for writing. Let's consider a persuasive essay as a more "gentle" type of a strong argumentative essay.
An argumentative essay strives to nullify the opposing view, while the persuasive essay merely provides reliable information that mainly supports the established thesis.
Deciding on a Topic
Unless you have a particular persuasive essay prompt that you need to follow, you probably are absolutely free on what to write about. Deciding on the issue is the hardest part, but the topic section of this post will give you plenty of ideas to consider.
Just remember that a too broad topic may very well leave your argument underdeveloped. On the other hand, picking something too specific may turn out to lack strong argumentation.
When you have decided on a direction, it is best to start to scour the Internet and all the available sources for making sure you are proficient in the subject.
You must search every available website (that is relevant to the subject, of course), which may lead you to other sources that could potentially expand the scope of your argument.
Save Potential Resources
When you think you have found what you were looking for, don't forget to archive or bookmark the material for later. You will most likely need to cite it later on. Be ready to pull it up at a moment's notice because you will need every bit of information you can get.
Work on the Outline
Formulating a persuasive essay guide is not very difficult. Just follow the provided format (if available) and devise key points. This will be sufficient for writing a sound persuasive essay.
Work on the Draft
With enough preparation, working on the draft may become the easiest part of the process. Putting ideas on paper with the sources prepared beforehand, and a well-structured outline at hand won't take much time. Also, a strong thesis is an important component of the establishment of your argument.
Persuasive Essay Examples
Adequate phrasing is really important for the purposes of a persuasive essay. Keep in mind that the issue must be debatable, both sides must be presented, and the opposing viewpoint is to be disputed.
This can be possible only if you are well informed about the subject matter. Here are a few samples of good persuasive essay topics that may engage the public.
- Is the Bible a rational source of morality and ethics in modern society?
Things connected with religion are bound to creating controversy, especially if there are extremes debating. The argument could be that the holy writings are, to an extent, outdated and no longer fit into the context of the ever-evolving human civilization. The opposite viewpoint could reflect beliefs and history. There can also be a focus on the importance of holy writings throughout the millennia.
- Is a vegan lifestyle better than that of a meat-eater?
With the increasing evidence of global warming and overpopulation, champions of self-sustainable living try to promote a vegan diet. Pros and cons are apparent; it is just a matter of taking a side and getting a bit more precise about it.
- Is the electoral college flawed?
This is a very trendy topic, considering the current events. Diving deeper in it will allow for historical engagement and expansion of an argument through the use of sources and historical background.
- The feasibility of cloning and the ethical side
This is one of many persuasive essay topics for high school that is considered a classic already. With enough research, this example can go a long way in structuring a cohesive claim. It requires extensive research and application of opinion, and better present it in a neutral fashion.
- Is knowledge of music theory required to create quality art?
There are many examples of musicians who had no background in theoretical music and still managed to make a career in this sphere. This begs the question, is formal education even necessary in the context of success?
Persuasive Essay Rubric
Most of the tutors will base their grades on a persuasive essay rubric. Here are the general guidelines to follow when synthesizing your reasoning.
The introduction should hook readers, have a strong thesis, and propel the rest of the essay in a logical order. The conclusion should be a well-structured restatement of the main idea.
This crucial part identifies the main viewpoint chosen by the author.
- Reasoning/Supporting the Ideas
At least three reasons (within body paragraphs) should be presented. They must be supported by sources.
Consider the audience and possible reception of the ideas each time you work on the text.
- Word Choice
Be creative in your presentation, strive to sound fluent, and engaging.
- Grammar and Syntax
There should be no errors regarding grammar, spelling, syntax, etc.
To Sum Up
When you have chosen the topic, it is high time to think of where to begin with a persuasive essay. We advise you to start with a body part. Introduction and conclusion are easier to complete, especially after you make sure that the basis of your essay is logical and understandable to the reader.
The final part should summarize what is written in the main part. Conclusions should relate to the issues outlined in the introductory part. They should be brief and evolve around the thesis.
The conclusion should not literally repeat the sentences from the main part. You should also try to abstain from using template phrases (such as "I have come to the following conclusions," "Based on the foregoing, we can draw the following conclusions").
Following these steps when writing a persuasive essay, you can avoid common mistakes and create an interesting and compelling piece. It is easy enough to find a sample of writing on the Internet, but you need to remember that not all freely available works are performed at a high level.
Most students may face the load of academic assignments. However, whenever you may feel too down to work on something, there is a way out. After all, you can always buy an essay from professionals.
You can pick an essay writer and describe the specifics of your assignment. Or, you can prepare the text and order proofreading assistance only. Pick your own variant, act in a manner that suits you best. After all, the main idea is simple - having an outstanding persuasive essay to hand in!