Persuasive Essay Tips

essay writing promptsIn many ways writing a persuasive essay is very similar to presenting a case in a courtroom. In the same way that a lawyer delivers his defense to a jury, a persuasive essay presents a situation to the reader and attempts to persuade them to agree with it. Basically, when a student is asked to write a persuasive essay they are expected to take sides with a specific issue and compose a presentation that is both convincing and insightful. A successful persuasive essay should make a fact-base argument for why the author’s perspective is correct and why the opposing point of view is incorrect. We often find examples of persuasive writing in everyday life- marketing materials, newspaper articles and bloggers often share many of same qualities as a persuasive essay. It is quite common for persuasive essays to be written regarding controversial ideas because it is an effective narrative structure for presenting an opinion on a matter that is often debated. To help students become better at writing in this format we have included a helpful list of persuasive essay tips.

Before You Begin, Choosing A Side

When you first sit down to write your persuasive essay it is a good idea to begin by brainstorming different ideas in order to help you choose your position. One way to do this is with a two-sided chart where you list all of the arguments that you can think of supporting both sides of the issue.

Once you have done this you can select a side to write about using one of two methods.

  1. Emotional selection: choose your position based on your own personal opinions and thoughts regarding the given topic
  2. Logical selection: choose your position based on strongest evidence points and most “logical” perspective

After you have determined side you will be persuading the reader to take, choose your supporting evidence points based on the strongest examples that you have included in your list. You may have to do a bit of preliminary research to make sure that there is enough fact-based evidence to use for your essay

Understand Your Audience

essay writing guidesAnother persuasive essay tip for students to consider is the second most important part of the writing process. Anticipating the perspective of your audience. Typically, there are two types of people who will read a persuasive article; people who already understand the issue and agree with the perspective being presented in thesis or individuals who disagree and have adopted the opposite perspective. A great persuasive essay should address both. This means that your persuasive essay should not come across patronizing to the reader. Instead, compose your essay as if they person reading already understand the basis of the problem being presented and is interested in hearing your perspective. Try not to press your own opinions into the essay, instead back all of your examples of up with strong supporting evidence examples.

More Advice For Persuasive Writing

editing my essayAlong with presenting a specific side of an issue your persuasive essay should also be interesting enough to keep a readers attention. This is why it is important to use good “hooks” and a strong vocabulary that is expressive. It is a good idea to write with enthusiasm when you compose an essay like this but try to stay away from “ranting” or going on a tangent. Make sure that each supporting paragraph reflects back to the original thesis, is clearly explained and is not redundant. In some cases it will be enough to ask 'write an essay for me' and wait for results.

Remember, persuasive essay writing is all about convincing the reader to understand and possibly adopt the same point of view as the author. It should be an enjoyable read that presents facts and ideas in a way that can be easily understood by whomever the information is presented to.

 
 

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