The Persuasive Essay

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The Persuasive Essay

• Pick either of the following two formats.

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Traditional Format

• Five paragraph, three point essay
• Paragraph 1 Introduction
• Clearly state your opinion!
• Lay out the three points you will cover.
• 5-7 sentences

3
Body ParagraphsPar. 2, 3, 4

• Paragraph 2Point or Reason 1
• Paragraph 3Point or Reason 2
• Paragraph 4Point or Reason 3
• Each of these paragraphs should be 5 to 7
  sentences long.

4
Conclusion

• Paragraph 5 restates your opinion and points
  contains basically the same information as the
  introduction, but is worded differently.
• 5-7 sentences
• A strong conclusion is
• the perfect finishing touch!

5
Alternative Format

• Paragraph 1 Introduction
• State your opinion and lay out the two points you
  plan to cover.
• 5 to 10 sentences
• NOTE Since there are only four paragraphs,
  they must be
• longer and more developed!

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Body Paragraphs Par. 2 3

• Paragraph 2 Point 1
• Paragraph 3 Point 2
• Each of these paragraphs should be at least 10
  sentences long you must go into more detail
  since you are only writing four paragraphs total.

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Conclusion

• Paragraph 4restates your opinion and points
  contains basically the same information as the
  introduction, but is worded differently.
• 5 to 10 sentences

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Tips

• Introductions must do two things
• Grab or Hook Your Reader First impressions
  count! You need to make your work stand out from
  the rest.
• Lay out Your Points you dont go into great
  detail, but you do give your reader an idea of
  what you will cover.

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Your Pointsback them up with

• Examples
• Anecdotes (a short account of a particular
  incident or event of an interesting or amusing
  nature, often biographical)
• Details

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Conclusion

• Has to be STRONG!
• A common mistake is letting your conclusion just
  kind of trail off the page

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VERY IMPORTANT TIP

• Argue only one side!!
• Do not be wishy-washy!
• You cannot have it both ways! Pick a side and
  stick to it.
• If you dont, you lose points.

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To go from a 4 to a 5 or 6

• Stretch your vocabulary show off a little! Flex
  your word power.
• Eliminate tired, old words like
• good, a lot, interesting,
• great, pretty, nice, cute,
• awesome
• Garbage Words
• Trash Them!

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Time Management

• First Five Minutes Brainstorm Pre-write
• Next Twenty-Five Minutes Write!
• Last Five Minutes Reread and proof for careless
  errors
• USE YOUR ENTIRE TIME!! If you finish early, go
  back and make it better.

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Going for 5s 6s

• Be specific. Instead of writing dog, write a
  three-year old Beagle.
• If you know statistics, use them. Example
• Sixteen-year-old teenagers have more auto
  accidents than any other age group.

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Pushing Your Score UP

• One of the things that elevates a 5 into a 6
  is using a quotation.
• (Obviously, this only works if you know a
  quotation that fits the situation!)

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Ways to hook your reader

• Say something unusual.
• Create a sense of drama.
• Use a quotation.
• Use action words.
• Use humor.
• Ask a question.
• Use an anecdote.
• State something controversial.