PERSUASION WRITING OR SPEAKING THAT TRIES TO CONVINCE OTHERS TO AGREE WITH YOU OR TAKE ACTION THAT THEY MIGHT NOT HAVE TAKEN ON THEIR OWN.

PERSUASIONWRITING OR SPEAKING THAT

TRIES TO CONVINCE OTHERS TO AGREE WITH YOU OR TAKE

ACTION THAT THEY MIGHT NOT HAVE TAKEN ON THEIR OWN

PERSUASIVE ESSAY

PRESENTS YOUR POSITION ON AN ISSUE

URGES YOUR READER TO ACCEPT THAT POSITION

AND MAY ENCOURAGE

THEM TO TAKE ACTION

AN EFFECTIVE PERSUASIVE ESSAY…

EXPLORES AN ISSUE OF IMPORTANCE TO THE WRITER

ADDRESSES AN ISSUE THAT IS ARGUABLE

USES FACTS, EXAMPLES, STATISTICS, OR PERSONAL EXPERIENCES TO SUPPORT A POSITION

AN EFFECTIVE PERSUASIVE ESSAY…

TRIES TO INFLUENCE ITS AUDIENCE THROUGH APPEALS TO THE READERS’ KNOWLEDGE, EXPERIENCES, OR EMOTIONS

USES CLEAR ORGANIZATION TO PRESENT A LOGICAL ARGUEMENT

PREWRITINGCONSIDER AUDIENCE, PURPOSE,

ORGANIZATION, EVIDENCE, AND POINTS OF ELABORATION

USE A T-CHART, FLOW CHART, LIST, DIAGRAM, OR ANY OTHER FORM OF PREWRITING YOU ARE COMFORTABLE WITH USING

***IF YOU HAVE TROUBLE GETTING IDEAS, TRY DRAWING PICTURES

PREWRITING

RESEARCH MAY BE NECESSARY TO COMPLETE PERSUASIVE WRITING

WHEN THIS IS NOT POSSIBLE, MAKE UP THE INFORMATION TO THE BEST OF YOUR ABILITY

CONSIDER YOUR AUDIENCE & PURPOSE

THE FIRST STEP TO CONVINCING YOUR AUDIENCE IS KNOWING YOUR AUDIENCE

KNOW CHARACTERISTICS SUCH AS AGE, OCCUPATION, VALUES, & PRIOR KNOWLEDGE

THE SPECIFIC AUDIENCE YOU EXPECT TO ADDRESS WILL AFFECT THE WAY YOU PERSUADE THEM

GATHERING EVIDENCE

PROVIDE ARGUMENTS & EXAMPLES THAT SUPPORT YOU POSITION

ADDRESS COUNTER-ARGUMENTS THAT CAN BE USED TO ATTACK YOUR IDEAS

GATHERING EVIDENCE

USE INTERVIEWS OR SURVEYS – MAKE NOTE OF THE CONCERNS OF THE PEOPLE AROUND YOU

FIND OUT WHAT EXPERTS SAY THAT WILL SUPPORT YOUR POSITION

• REMEMBER: YOU CAN MAKE UP THIS INFORMATION WHEN NECCESSARY

DRAFTING

YOUR PERSUASIVE ESSAY

DEVELOP A THESIS STATEMENT

A CLEARLY WORDED STATEMENT OF THE POSITION YOU WILL PROVE

A MAIN IDEA STATEMENTA SINGLE, STRONGLY WORDED

SENTENCEALWAYS PRESENTED AS FACT, EVEN

WHEN IT STATES AN OPINIONTHE CONTROLLING IDEA

ORGANIZE INTRODUCTION WITH THESIS

STATEMENT

CONCLUSION - SAVE YOUR BEST ARGUMENT FOR A STRONG FINISH

(3 OR 4 PARAGRAPHS IS ENOUGH)

*You are limited to 2 pages for the GHSWT

Types of Organizational Patterns

Chronological Order of EventsComparison/Contrast Spatial OrderOrder of Importance of IdeasProblem/Solution Cause/Effect OrderClassification OrderDefinition/Description

MORE ORGANIZATION OPTIONS

1. INTRODUCTION

2. SUPPORT

3. CONCLUSION

1. ARGUMENT

2. COUNTER-ARGUMENT

3. CONCLUSION

1. INTRODUCTION

2. ONE SIDE OF THE ISSUE

3. ANOTHER SIDE OF THE ISSUE

4. CONCLUSION

ORGANIZATION

START WITH A BROAD STATEMENT IN YOUR INTRODUCTION

THEN MOVE INTO SPECIFICS IN YOUR BODY PARAGRAPHS

DON’T BE REPETITIVE

YOUR CONCLUSION SHOULD COME TO A NATURAL CLOSE

PROVIDING ELABORATION

GIVE THE FACTS:

INSERT NAMES, DATES, AND OTHER BACKGROUND INFORMATION IN SUPPORT OF YOUR TOPIC

PROVIDING ELABORATION

PROVIDE STATISTICS:

CITE NUMBERS THAT PROVE YOUR POSITION

“HOW MANY” “WHAT PERCENTAGE”

PROVIDING ELABORATION

MAKE A COMPARISON:

HOW DOES YOUR TOPIC MATCH OTHER TOPICS YOUR READER MAY ALREADY KNOW

PROVIDING ELABORATION

SHARE A PERSONAL EXPERIENCE – TRY INCLUDING A SHORT NARRATIVE STORY IN YOUR INTRODUCTION OR CONCLUSION

INCLUDE DETAILS:• SPECIFICS THAT CLARIFY THE

GENERAL POINT YOU ARE MAKING

OTHER…USE STANDARD AMERICN ENGLISH

NO POETRY, RAP, OR BULLETED ITEMS

USE DESCRIPTIVE, FIGURATIVE, AND TECHNICAL LANGUAGE

TIE YOUR PAPER TO THE PROMPT – BE SURE TO FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS FOR WRITING

REVISING

LOOK FOR WAYS TO MAKE IT BETTERCHECK THAT YOUR AGRUEMENT IS

CLEARCHECK THAT YOUR ESSAY IS WELL-

ORGANIZEDREVIEW THE DETAILS LIKE WORD

CHOICE AND VARIED SENTENCE TYPES

REVISING

STRENGTHEN YOUR INTRODUCTION

GRAB THE READER’S INTEREST IN YOUR TOPIC FROM THE BEGINNING

THIS IS YOUR LEAD – YOUR ONCE-IN-AN-ESSAY OPPORTUNITY TO BUILD INTEREST

YOU CAN ADD AN OPEN ENDED QUESTION TO THE FIRST PARAGRAPH, BUT TRY NOT TO MAKE IT THE FIRST SENTENCE… THIS IS FORMULAIC

REVISING YOUR PARAGRAPHS

ELIMINATE ERRORS IN FAULTY LOGIC WITH UNREASONABLE APPEALS

DON’T SIMPLY RESTATE YOUR IDEAS OVER AND OVER

DON’T OVERSIMPLIFY THE ISSUE BY OFFERING ONLY TWO EXTREMES – THERE ARE OFTEN OTHER POSSIBILITIES

REVISING YOUR SENTENCES USE TRANSITIONS TO IMPROVE CLARITY

TO SHOW A CONTRAST POINT: HOWEVER, ALTHOUGH, DESPITE

TO POINT TO A REASON: SINCE, BECAUSE, IF TO SIGNAL A CONCLUSION: THEREFORE,

CONSEQUENTLY, SO, THEN

AVOID STARTING PARAGRAPHS WITH TRANSITIONS INSTEAD USE THEM WITHIN A PARAGRAPH OR

WITHIN A SENTENCE

REVISING WORD CHOICE

CHECK THE DENOTATION OF WORDS DENOTATION IS A WORD’S DIRECT ,

EXPLICIT MEANING OR DICTIONARY DEFINITION

MEASURE A WORD’S CONOTATION CONOTATION IS THE INFORMAL MEANING

A READER ATTACHES TO A WORD EXAMPLES: CLEVER VS. SLY

INQUISITIVE VS. NOSYAROMA VS. STENCH

REVISION

IF YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT A WORD MEANS, DON’T USE IT IN YOUR WRITING

BIG WORDS ARE NOT ALWAYS BETTER

YOUR WRITING SHOULD SHOW SOME OF YOUR PERSONALITY

REVISION STRATEGY

IF POSSIBLE, TRY USING A THESAURUS TO FIND SYNONYMS

USE STRONG WORDS THAT MAY HELP SWAY YOUR READER

WHEN YOU CAN, UTILIZE PEER REVIEW AND SHARE YOUR DRAFT WITH A PARTNER

Sweet Sixteen RevisionIdeas1. Unity: You have one clear thesis that responds to

the assigned task, and all the ideas in your essay help to support that thesis.

2. Insight: Your ideas are thoughtful and stimulating, yet reasonable and true to the material.

3. Argument: You prove your ideas clearly, logically, and completely. You fully prepare the reader to understand each sentence and its purpose in your paper.

4. Evidence: The quality and quantity of evidence strongly supports your ideas and shows thorough knowledge of the material.

Sweet Sixteen Revision, continued

Organization5. Introduction: Your first paragraph engages the

reader and introduces a clear thesis or purpose. 6. Paragraphing: Each body paragraph sticks to one

idea, and each idea is discussed in only one body paragraph.

7. Flow: Your main ideas are presented in a logical and effective order, made clear via topic sentences, paragraph conclusions, and transitions.

8. Conclusion: You conclude with a graceful reminder of your thesis.

Sweet Sixteen Revision, continued

Style

9. Conciseness: You express ideas simply and clearly without wasted words or unnecessary repetition.

10. Vocabulary: Your choice of words is interesting and precise but not pretentious.

11. Sentence Structure: Your sentences are strong, graceful, and suitably varied in length and structure.

12. Vividness: You enliven your writing with concrete language, fresh and specific detail, and metaphor without cliché.

Sweet Sixteen Revision, continued

Grammar13. Sentence Sense: Your writing is free of run-on

sentences and fragments.14. Grammar and Usage: You follow the rules of

Standard English.15. Mechanics: Your spelling, capitalization, and

punctuation are accurate.16. Format: You follow the conventions of

documentation

Jago, Carol. (2005). Papers, papers, papers. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

EDITING & PROOFREADINGDOUBLE-CHECK SPELLING,

PUNCTUATION, & GRAMMAR TO ELIMINATE ERRORS

FOCUS ON COMMAS COMMAS SHOULD SHOW YOUR READER

WHEN TO PAUSE USE COMMAS TO SEPARATE ITEMS IN A

SERIES USE COMMAS TO SET OFF

INTRODUCTORY MATERIAL

PUBLISHINGYOUR FINAL DRAFT SHOULD BE NEAT &

POLISHED

IF YOUR GHSWT ESSAY IS ILLEGIBLE, IT WILL NOT BE SCORED!

Formulaic Writing: Abundance in Redundancy

Characteristics of A Formulaic Paper1. The writer announces his or her thesis and three

supporting ideas in the opening paragraph.

2. The writer restates one supporting idea to begin each of the three body paragraphs.

3. The writer repeats or restates his/her controlling idea and supporting points in the final paragraph.

4. Entire sentences may be repeated verbatim from the introduction, used as topic sentences in each of the body paragraphs, and repeated in the conclusion.

Formulaic Writing: Abundance in RedundancyAvoid starting each paragraph with a

transition: first, second, third, or in conclusion

Avoid starting the first paragraph with a question; instead, move that question to the middle of your introductory paragraph

Avoid repeating any words or phrases DON’T DON’T REPEAT REPEAT

YOURSELF YOURSELF!!!!!

Ways to Avoid Formulaic Writing…Ways to Avoid Formulaic Writing…Organizes strategy appropriate to topic

and genre and one which guides the reader through the text

Sequences ideas and groups appropriately and logically

Sets stage in the introduction (writer’s controlling idea)

Creates a sense of closure without repetition

Uses good transitioning