1. Persuasive Writing

2. Persuasive Writing
Persuasive writing is writing that tries to convince a reader to do something or to believe what you believe about a certain topic.
It takes a position for or against something.

3. Persuasive Writing can be used to…
Purpose
Support a cause
Urge people to action
Make a change
Prove something wrong
Persuasive Statement
“Please support my football team by buying discount coupons.”
“Vote for Sarah!”
“The principal should let us wear hats.”
“Cell phones don’t cause brain cancer.”

4. Persuasive Writing can be used to…
Purpose
Stir up sympathy
Create interest
Get people to agree with you
Persuasive Statement
“If you don’t adopt this dog, it could have to live in a shelter.”
“Better grades get you a better job and more money.”
“I am sure you’ll agree that Milky Way is the best candy bar.”

5. Persuasive writing follows a certain format:
A catchy Title
INTRODUCTION with a “hook” and thesis statement
BODY where the argument
and counterargument are explained
CONCLUSION with a thesis, brief summarization, and clinching statement
Citation page

6. First…Know Your Audience…
Before you start writing, you should know your audience:
Who will read your writing? Who do you need to convince?
The audience may be your friends, your teacher, your parents, your principal, the readers of a newspaper or the President of the United States!
Will you be graded? On What?
Should you be casual or professional?

7. Second… Pick a side!
The writer must clearly state his/her position and stay with that position. Pick a side!
Generally, the position is stated in the opening paragraph or introduction.

8. Three: Do Your Research…
In order to convince the reader you need more than just an opinion; you need facts or examples to back your opinion. So, be sure to do the research!
Walsh Publishing Co. 2009

9. Four: MAKE A PLAN, then write!
The Essay:
1. Introduction-Hook/Thesis
2. Argument 1 with support
3. Argument 2 with support
4. Argument 3 with support
5. Counter argument
6. Conclusion- Thesis/clinching statement

10. The Great Introduction…
What makes a good introduction?
It includes a “hook” which is meant to grab the reader’s attention by using one or more strategies.
It tells how the writing will be organized.
The author’s position is clearly stated in a thesis statement.

11. Grabbing Your Audience…
Types of hooks:
Riddle
Strong statement
Quotation
Interesting fact
Anecdote
Fact/statistic
Question
Outrageous statement

12. You Could Start with a Riddle:
Get your reader’s attention with a challenging thought.
“What’s plain, and boring? What makes all students in a school building look the same and lose their individuality? If you guessed UNIFORMS, you’re correct!”

13. You Could Begin with a Strong Statement:
Example:
Fast food consumption has risen 500 percent since 1970 and today reaches nearly every part of society, including some public school cafeterias.

14. You Could Open with a Quotation:
Example:
University of Delaware professor states:
“Advertising, including television ads, billboards, and other advertising,
including toys in boxed meals, has had an effect upon children as never before.
Children these days are growing up with low concern for their health and
more concern for what tastes good.”

15. You Could Open with an interesting fact:
Example:
“Did you know that a typical child needs 2,000 calories for an entire day and Burger King’s Whopper with triple cheese has 1,230 calories?”

16. You Could Open with an Anecdote:
An anecdote can provide an amusing and attention-getting opening if it is short and to the point.
“My hands felt sticky after pulling open the doors to “Big Bobby’s Boisterous Burger Hut”. The odor smelled of fried everything. I ordered a Big Bobby Combo #2. There was enough food to serve a small third world country on my tray. I nibbled at the ¾ pound burger and my chin was covered in a mayonnaise and ketchup concoction. I asked the server if I could have a few fries with my salt. I left the place feeling like my stomach was mad at me.”

17. You Could Open with a Fact or Statistic:
Example:
Thirty percent of the children in the survey ate fast food on any given day during the survey, and they ate an average of 187 calories a day more than those who did not eat fast food. These additional calories could account for an extra six pounds of weight gain per year, according to Ludwig.

18. You Could Open with a Question:
How many times have you eaten fast food this month?

19. Open with an Outrageous Statement:
Example:
“Fast food is killing America!”

20. Next: Creating a Thesis Statement
A thesis statement is one sentence at the end of your introduction that states your opinion. It needs to be strong.
By reading this one sentence the reader knows what the entire essay will set out to prove.
First, choose 3 main focus points to discuss in your essay. These points will become the focus of three paragraphs in the body of your paper.
Let’s use fast food as an example again.
Fast food…(3 Discussion Points)
increases weight
causes high blood pressure
leads to sluggishness

21. Writing the Thesis Statement
Now take your three main focus points and summarize them. Put your completed thesis statement at the end of your first paragraph.
THREE MAIN FOCUS POINTS
I believe fast food is harmful because it increases weight, causes high blood pressure, and leads to sluggishness.

22. Parallelism in the thesis
Grammatical parallelism - maintaining balance by using the same part of speech (for instance, all adjectives) or the same part of the sentence (for example, all clauses)
Non-parallel: "She likes dancing, swimming, and to box."
Parallel: "She likes dancing, swimming, and boxing."
Non-parallel: "He admires people with strong convictions, forceful characters, and who think for themselves."
Parallel: "He admires people with strong convictions, forceful characters, and independent minds."
Parallel: "He admires people who have strong convictions, who have morals, and who think for themselves." (wordier but grammatical)

23. Parallelism in the thesis…continued
Conceptual parallelism - maintaining balance by keeping all three parts at the same level of generality.
Non-parallel: "She likes dancing, swimming, and breathing."
Parallel: "She likes dancing, swimming, and boxing."

24. Our Introductory Paragraph:
CATCHY TITLE
Fast Food Is Killing America!
Did you know that a typical child needs 2,000 calories for an entire day and Burger King’s Whopper with triple cheese has 1,230 calories? That is far more calories than anyone needs in one day! Fast food consumption has risen 500 percent since 1970 and today reaches nearly every part of society, including some public school cafeterias. Fast food is harmful because it rapidly increases weight, causes high blood pressure, and leads to sluggishness.
HOOK THE READER
THESIS STATEMENT
Walsh Publishing Co. 2009

25. Three Supporting Paragraphs:
Use each of the main arguments you used in your introductory paragraph and expand on each giving facts and reasons.
In our example, you would write one paragraph on how fast food increases weight, one paragraph on how it causes high blood pressure and one on how it leads to sluggishness.
Walsh Publishing Co. 2009

26. Counter-argument paragraph
An argument opposed to your thesis, or part of your thesis. It expresses the view of a person who disagrees with your position.
It gives you the chance to respond to your reader’s objections before they have finished reading. It also shows that you are a reasonable person who has considered both sides of the debate. Both of these make an essay more persuasive.

27. Conclude or End Your Essay…
What makes a good conclusion?
Restate your thesis
Last paragraph summarizes your main point.
End using one or more of the following Clinching statements:
Call the reader to action
Provide a solution
Make a Prediction
The last paragraph wraps up the writing and gives the reader something to think about.
Walsh Publishing Co. 2009

28. Strategies for Clinching Statement
Call to Action
Ask the reader to do something or to make something happen “I challenge you to watch what you eat and to avoid fast food.”
Provide a solution
Provide an answer to the problem “Fast food doesn’t have to be “bad food.” Make better choices like salads, fruit and low fat treats.”
Make a Prediction
Explain what might be the consequences of action or inaction “If people continue to eat lots of fast food, they put their health at risk. If kids don’t make better choices today, they won’t grow into healthy adults.”
Walsh Publishing Co. 2009

29. Concluding Paragraph:
Restate your thesis.
End with a clinching statement…
A comment (Don’t make your body suffer!)
A question (Are you willing to risk your health?)
A call to action (I highly recommend you consider your options the next time your faced with a decision about what to eat.)
In closing, it’s important to remember that too much fast food can have negative effects on your health. If not eaten in moderation, you can gain weight, suffer from high blood pressure and become slow and sluggish. Is it worth the risk to your body? Eat Healthy and Make good choices!
Walsh Publishing Co. 2009

30. Review: The Persuasive Essay:
A Catchy Title
Introductory paragraph with a “hook”
Thesis statement at the end of the introduction.
One paragraph for each of your three arguments.
One paragraph for the Counter argument
Conclusion that re-states your thesis and main points
Clinching Statement at the end of the conclusion.
Citation page
Walsh Publishing Co. 2009