Spaeng - Persusive - Notes Pp

Persuasive Essay Notes Take notes on these terms. You will need to understand them in order to write your essay.

Opinion Statement • your opinion statement will be: – the most important sentence in your essay – the heart of your essay – at the end of your intro paragraph

• topic + position = opinion statement

Purpose • since this is a persuasive essay, your purpose will be – to convince readers to share your opinion, or – to take the action you suggest

• Keep your purpose in mind, but do not directly write it in your paper!

3 Reasons • support your opinion statement: – logical appeals: make sense – emotional appeals: aim at hearts – ethical appeals: address right and wrong

• Each reason will become one body paragraph. • Your essay will include all three reasons.

Evidence • You will support each reason with at least two pieces of evidence. • You will need to research factual evidence. • Use a variety of evidence to be completely effective.

6 Types of Evidence • anecdotes: personal examples or stories • analogies: compare between two otherwise unlike things

• facts: statements that can be proven • examples: specific instances of illustrations • case studies: scientific research • expert opinions: statements made by proven authorities

Audience • ask yourself three questions: – What will make my audience care about this issue? • connect directly to their lives

– What concerns might my audience have? • use biases and other concerns to create counterarguments

– What will my audience expect from my essay? • well-rounded argument with evidence

• Keep your audience in mind, but do not mention them in your paper!

Counterclaims • Address your audience’s concerns. • Think about what your reader could argue against each thing that you say. • Then, give an example to prove that you are right. • Counterclaims will be addressed in each paragraph.

Organize Your Paragraphs Introduction Body – second best reason Body – worst reason Body – best reason Conclusion

Introduction Paragraph 1. Engaging opening 2. Background 3. Opinion statement

word count: at least 75 words

Body Paragraphs 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

Topic sentence Evidence Explanation Counterclaim Evidence Explanation Closing sentence word count: at least 100 words

Conclusion Paragraph 1. Restatement of opinion statement 2. Summary of reasons 3. Tell the reader what to do

word count: at least 75 words

We’re finished! • Adapted from Holt Literature and Language Arts: Third and Fourth Course • See your textbook for more information: – English 9, pages 320-327 – -English 10, pages 294-301