PERSUASIVE ESSAY

HOW TO WRITE A PERSUASIVE ESSAY

The broadness of persuasive writing is what makes it extremely valuable to learn. It is taught early on in schools. Students learn how to dissect political speeches, advertisements, and various other media. Most persuasive writing addresses contemporary issues. It challenges writers to take a stance and provide an educated opinion. So what is a persuasive essay?HELP WITH MY ESSAY

The persuasive essay definition is an academic piece of writing aimed to persuade the reader to agree with a specific point of view. When writing a persuasive essay, the writer must conduct solid research and analysis to understand their subject to the fullest extent. They must be aware of their own (and the readers’) biases. Upon finishing reading a persuasive essay, the reader must be convinced that there is no other correct point of view.

Our custom essay writers have crafted this definitive guide to help you write an outstanding persuasive essay!

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Correct Format

In schools and colleges, persuasive writing is taught using the five-paragraph essay structure. You will often be required to format your essay according to one of the common citation styles, such as APA or MLA.

The format of a persuasive essay relies on the way arguments are structured in the outline. For example, a typical body paragraph is the presentation and solidification of one argument. The section opens up with an introductory sentence which leads to the argument. After the argument is presented, the writer uses sources to prove that their argument is valid. Next, the writer transitions into the next argument, and so forth. The ‘outline’ section of this article provides further insight on how to format a persuasive essay.

Persuasive Essay Topics

When thinking of persuasive essay ideas, it is best to choose a topic with many contrasting opinions. Broad issues such as gun control and abortion rights can spawn novel length essays. These best be avoided unless you’re writing a dissertation.

Say you want to argue in favor of space exploration. It perfectly fits the description of a widely explored contemporary subject. Creating a structure where every body paragraph explores a different planet might be a bit too much. Why not narrow it down and argue in favor of building a base on the moon? This way, you can convince the audience of the benefits of creating a moon base, and giving them a small idea of what can be achieved from space exploration on a larger scale.

Hence, you have persuaded your reader on a small topic connected to a much broader one. This will leave them inspired with plenty of thoughts to feast on, allowing them to dive further into the world of space.

Topics For High School

Perhaps the concept of space exploration is long and tedious and makes your stomach turn. Don’t worry - you can come up with plenty simple persuasive essay topics for high school. Perhaps you have already debated on some of these with your friends:

• Should sex ed be taught in public schools?
• Should ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ be banned in school because its language makes some kids uncomfortable?
• Should cellphones be banned in classrooms?
• Should students wear uniforms in school?
• Should students influence the school curriculum?

Topics for College

Persuasive essay topics for college get a bit more complicated. The best essay topics are ones that take into account the events of contemporary life, discussing moral, ethical, technological, and environmental issues. Students have the opportunity to make a serious impact with their writing, fearlessly breathing new life into the old world. For college, it is best to choose controversial persuasive essay topics. They challenge the writer to engage in relevant intellectual issues. Here are some examples:

• Media marketed for teenagers advertise morally and ethically wrong messages.
• Federal courtrooms must have live cameras that televise all trials.
• Beauty contests should not be encouraged.
• With the amounts of information available online, college education should be made significantly cheaper.
• Create a prisoner rehabilitation system using music and art.
• Arguing in favor of Net Neutrality.

Crafting A Thesis Statement

The primary concern when writing a persuasive essay thesis should be the writer's position on the selected topic. The thesis must be brief and direct, providing a clear idea of the essay’s stance. The writer’s mission is to create a piece that will solidify the thesis, proving it as valid and unchallenged. Here are some examples to shed more light on how to write a thesis statement for a persuasive essay:

Bad Thesis Statements:

• Homeless people are becoming a nuisance in Chicago, and someone should take care of them.
• There are many pros of buying food from local markets.
• Life on Mars is possible if we make it so.

Good Thesis Statements:

• The government of Chicago must take the homeless problem more seriously, providing them access to services such as food donations, public restrooms, and camping facilities.
• Buying food from local markets is hugely beneficial in improving the economy of small towns and villages, and the country as a whole.
• Mars colonization might be the only hope left for humanity, as pollution levels on Earth will soon make the planet uninhabitable.

As you may have noticed, lousy thesis statements offer a generalized and neutral view. Good thesis statements take a stable position in the argument.

Persuasive Essay Outline

After getting well-versed in your topic, it is essential to create an outline. The outline will assist you in organizing your argument. Every body paragraph presents an argument and backs it up with sources. These arguments and references used will all be placed in your outline which you can always refer to when writing your essay. The end of this section contains a persuasive essay outline example to help you get it done.

Introduction

There are plenty of ways how to start a persuasive essay. The introduction of the essay must begin with a hook to grab the audience’s attention. You can start with a humorous statement to break the ice and suggest a less formal writing approach. Alternatively, you may begin with a robust controversial statement. Put the reader straight into the action!

Any opener or headline serves as a tool to paint a broad picture of the work, leading to the main point. The same goes for a persuasive essay introduction. While it seems like a small structural element without any reliable info, the opening is crucial to capturing and maintaining the reader’s interest. It is best to write the introduction in the end. Knowing the content that follows will help you lead into it.

Body Paragraphs

Here’s where the heavy artillery comes into play. The persuasive essay body paragraphs are where the viewpoint is backed by hard facts and evidence. Good persuasive writers know the topic inside out. They can anticipate any opposing views and provide counter-arguments. Here are ways you could support an argument in a persuasive essay body paragraph.

• Use Facts. Factual information will come from reading and observation, as well as personal experience. These facts always have to be backed up by sources to make them credible.
• Quotes. “If I have seen further than others, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants.” It is highly likely that there have been writers who already tackled your topic. Referring to them, and solidifying your argument with quotes can have a tremendous impact.
• Statistics. Some things just can’t be argued with. Always have statistics from a reliable scientific source to make your argument solid.
• Examples. These can include all of the above. Painting a specific scenario as an example could also work - depending on how it’s written. A good essay writer can persuade on just about any point.
• Concessions. An excellent way to prove your expertise in the field is by accepting part of your opponent's argument as valid. Creating a concession will put you in a right place from an ethical perspective. It will help you find common ground with your opponent. “True, building a border wall will help keep drugs out of the country. However, people who fully rely on it are missing the point…”

Conclusion

It is precious to know how to end a persuasive essay efficiently. The persuasive essay conclusion does not delve far from the introduction. However, certain elements are exclusive for conclusions. Restating the thesis and summarizing main points is the obvious first thing to do.

To make a conclusion effective, one must write a meaningful personal comment. This could be a call for action to leave the reader with something to ponder about. This can be a prediction based on the information presented in the essay. It could be a quote that you believe perfectly summarizes the piece and its main points. Perhaps you’ve already found the solution to the problem, and you want to use the conclusion to suggest a way to solve it? Whatever the case, your mission here is to get creative and leave an impact.

The final version of your outline should look something like this.

Grading System

There are specific things instructors will look for in your essay. Following this persuasive essay rubric will help you win the praise of your professors.

• Focus: The thesis statement, as with the whole paper, must state a concrete point of view instead of being neutral. Every piece of writing in the paper exists to defend that thesis statement.
• Supporting the thesis: The thesis is well defined through solid arguments and references to credible sources. There is a minimum of 3 supporting points, which are organized in the essay outline.
• Organization: Every transition from one idea to the next is executed smoothly. There are transitional sentences which help the essay flow. Arguments are presented in the most suitable order.
• Conclusion: After reading the essay - the reader must have understood the writer’s point of view. The point of view is unbiased and educated and presented in a way that challenges the writer to take part in the argument.
• Conventions: Punctuation and grammar rules are supported. The essay isn’t hard to read due to a balance between short and long sentences.

Having ticked off these points, you can rest assured you’ve done everything correctly.

Beneficial Tips

With all being said, here are some final tips for writing a persuasive essay.

• Avoid fancy vocabulary: Having some variety when it comes to vocabulary is fine - but don’t expect your grade to go up because of some fancy synonyms. Find your style and write in a way that makes sense.
• Search for different persuasion techniques. There are plenty of them in countless different mediums. Perhaps doing some research on persuasion might help you with your essay.
• Triple check your work! Practice makes perfect, and so does proofreading. Check the essay for readability. Make sure that everything flows in harmony with the thesis. Get a second pair of eyes by giving your essay to a friend for reading!
• Every paragraph is a mini-essay: This is the best out of all the persuasive essay tips you will find. Take the essay outline, compress it, and apply it to every paragraph. This way, every section has an introduction with a hook, a mini-thesis, a sustained argument, and final concluding sentence. The structure is everything!

Persuasive Essay Examples

Check out our persuasive essay examples below. To get a better understanding with writing this type of paper.