Writing the persuasive essay

Writing the
Persuasive Essay
David Estrella I., MTEFL

Persuasive essay
• Introduction: First paragraph
• Body: Three paragraphs after the introduction
• Conclusion: Last paragraph

Example Essay
• Cinderella and her odious household chores.
• Outline.

Persuasive essay: Introduction
• The hook
• Background information
• Thesis statement

The hook – catches the reader’s attention.
Types of hooks: Ask a question
Use a quote
Use statistics
Observation
Use a scenario

Ask a question but do not answer it.
If readers want the answer, they will read the essay.
How many people take medicine, even simple aspirin,
every day?

Use an interesting observation.
Ecuadorian economists are not sleeping well these days.
Why? To find out the readers needs to continue reading the
essay.

Use a unique scenario to attract the attention of your
reader.
Traveling at more tan one hundred miles an hour, he feels as
though he is not moving. For a momento he feels like he
entered another dimensión.

Use surprising or shocking statistics.
Over 1,000 people in Ecuador die, every year, in transit
related accidents.

Begin with a famous quote.
“I have a dream.”
What is this quote about?
It is actually about sleep patterns.

Background information – two or three sentences to
help connect the reader to the topic.
The following example comes from the essay example
about Cinderella.

Her daily routine was not glamorous. She did everything
from sweeping the floors to cooking the meals. If someone
had asked Cinderella which chores she did not particularly
like, she probably would have answered, “Why, none, of
course. House work is my duty!”

From reading this sentences, the reader has a good idea
of what the paragraph is about.
Unpleasant household chores.

Thesis statement– one or two sentences.
It tells the reader what to expect in the essay.
Two types – stated and implied.

Stated thesis statement – outlines the essay
The main problems Ecuador faces today are a lack of job
opportunities, the increasing demand for health care, and
limited access to university education.

Implied thesis statement – not explicitly declared
The important problems Ecuador faces today require
inmediate attention.

Persuasive essay: The body
The main part of the essay.
Three or four paragraphs between the introduction and
the conclusion

Every paragraph in the body contains the following types
of sentences.
Topic sentence Supporting sentences
Detail sentences Concluding sentence

The topic senctence is the first sentence in each
paragraph.
It derives from the thesis statement.
It controls the content of the paragraph.

It must contain two things – the topic (general) and the
controlling idea (specific).
Crime in poverty-stricken areas occurs as a result of a
systemic discrimination.

It must contain two things – the topic (general) and the
controlling idea (specific).
Crime in poverty-stricken areas occurs as a result of a
systemic discrimination.
Topic
Controlling idea

A good topic sentence must:
1. Guide the paragraph
You read it and you know what to expect.

2. Not be a general fact accepted by everyone.
Libraries have books.

3. Be specific.
Tea is delicious.
Green tea has many benefits for your health.

4. Not be too specific.
This dictionary contains 42,000 words.

5. Have a controlling idea.
Words or phrase that guide the content of the
paragraph.

The supporting senctences are related to the topic
sentence and its controlling idea.
They explain the topic sentence.
They answer to Who? What? Where? When? Why? and How?
and give details.

There are different types of supporting senctences, and
they are used for different purposes.
To explain:
The exploration was done to obtain the results to support
the research thesis.

To describe:
The country full of tres, chirping birds, and smell of clean
evoked in my mind my childhood years.

To give reasons:
The choice was made because of the time constrains the
Project had.

To give facts:
More tan ten percent of the students come from different
cities.

To give examples:
From those cities, Manta and Machala have more
students attending college.

To make dfinitions:
The Captain used a mochkhousen, which is a device used
to communicate with headquarters.

As you write your supporting sentences, keep looking at
the topic sentence, this will keep you on the same idea all
the time.
You should write between two and five supporting
sentences in your body paragraphs.

The detail sentences back up, illustrate, or give more
detail on what the supporting sentence says.

The concluding sentence is the last sentence of the
paragraph.
They link one paragraph to the next.

The concluding sentence has two main objecitves
1. They draw the information together.
2. They link the paragraphs together.

1. The concluding sentence draws together the information
presented to elaborate your controlling idea by:
• summarizing the points you have made.

• repeating words or phrases (or synonyms for them) from
the topic sentence.

• using linking words that indicate that conclusions are
being drawn, for example, therefore, thus, resulting.

2. The concluding sentence link the current paragraph
to the following by
• introducing a word/phrase or new concept which will then be picked up in
the topic sentence of the next paragraph.

Persuasive essay: The conclusion
The concluding paragraph summarizes the thesis
statement and the key arguments in about 3-5
sentences.

The first sentence should re-state the thesis statement
(the last sentence of the introduction).
Next re-state the topic sentences (the first sentence of
each paragraph).
Finally write a call to action.

Re-state = write the same idea using different
words.
Take the thesis statement from the introduction and
write it again (1 sentence).

The last sentence is the call to action.
You tell the reader to do something about the issue you
are discussing in your essay.

Typically the call to action might start with the following
expressions..
I encourage you to... I urge you to...
Take action against...by Do not hesitate to…

Additional reading
• How to write a hook
• Organizing Your Social Sciences Research Paper: Background Information
• Developing an Implied Thesis Statement and Topic Sentences
• Persuasive Essay Outline
• Academic essay writing
• How to Write a Great Topic Sentence
• How to Write a Concluding Paragraph for a Persuasive Essay in College

Additional reading
• What are Supporting Sentences?
• Body Paragraphs
• Write the Body Paragraphs
• How to Write a Concluding Paragraph for a Persuasive Essay in College
• The Secret to Writing a Call to Action in A Persuasive Speech

References
• Folse, K., Muchmore-Vokoun, A., & Vestri, E. (2010). Great Writings 4: Great
Essays, 3rd Edition. Boston, USA: Heinle Cengage Learning.
• Folse, K., Muchmore-Vokoun, A., & Vestri, E. (2010). Great Writings 3: Great
Paragraphs, 3rd Edition. Boston, USA: Heinle Cengage Learning.
• Odegaard Writing & Research Center. Developing the thesis statement.
• Perutz, V. (2010). Student Services A Helpful Guide to Essay
Writing! Cambridge: Anglia Ruskin University.
• Zemach, D. (2014). Writers at Work: The Essay. Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press. ISBN-10: 0521693020, ISBN-13: 9780521693028.

Writing the persuasive essay

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