1. The Elements of an Excellent Essay Some reminders for you as you begin composing your persuasive essay.

2. Before you begin… ASK YOURSELF: What is my purpose? (persuasion) What tone do I want to convey? Who is my audience? ** Keep these questions in mind as you write – always!

3. Don’t forget to use: FORMAL LANGUAGE! No Contractions! No “I” *** Also use your persuasive strategies throughout. Rhetorical Questions, repetition, parallelism.

4. TITLE Conveys the main point of the essay in 10 words or fewer. A creative way to attract the reader’s attention and interest. Capitalization rules always apply!. Do NOT simply state the subject!

5. The Introduction Captures the reader’s attention. Can give background information on the topic. Enhance the paragraph with an interesting example, surprising statistic, or other “hook.” Include the thesis statement. Thesis statement MUST be the last sentence in your introduction.

6. Thesis Statement States the main idea of the essay. It is a road map for your paper. It sets the expectation for your piece. It is specific, but restricted, and should be unified. More general than the supporting material. May mention the main point of each of the body paragraphs.

7. Thesis continued… It is usually one sentence long and found within the introduction. It must be an arguable point.

8. Any student who would like me to read a draft of their introduction with thesis statement may submit one to me by Wednesday morning. After that, you’re on your own…

9. Body Paragraph 1 Begin with a topic sentence that states the main point of the paragraph and relates it to the thesis statement. Use transitions within paragraph. Fill with well-organized examples, quotations, comparisons, analogies, and/or anecdotes. End with a transition statement.

10. Body Paragraph 2 Begin with a topic sentence that states the main point of the paragraph and relates it to the thesis statement. Use transitions within paragraph. Fill with well-organized examples, quotations, comparisons, analogies, and/or anecdotes. End with a transition statement.

11. Body Paragraph 3 Begin with a topic sentence that states the main point of the paragraph and relates it to the thesis statement. Use transitions within paragraph. Fill with well-organized examples, quotations, comparisons, analogies, and/or anecdotes. End with a transition statement.

12. Conclusion “Echo” the thesis statement without simply repeating it. May pose a question for future thought or suggest a course of action. Include a detail or example from the introduction to “tie up” the essay (loop) End with a strong image or a bit of wit. Leave a lasting impression!

13. MLA FORMAT 12 point font Times New Roman Double-spaced *** You received a handout on this information along with how to appropriately cite sources. MINIMUM of 3 in-text citations. Each source must be used one time.