How to Write a Persuasive Essay
The Elements of a Persuasive Essay
The act of trying to convince a reader of the
What is persuasion? validity of a reasonable position on a controversial issue
What is a position?
A position is a clear statement of supported opinion on a topic
Validity is the idea that,
What is “validity”?
What is “reasonable”?
What is “controversial”? while the reader may not agree with the position, he or she can see that it has merit
A position is reasonable when reasonable people can support it – unreasonable is when the position requires people to act on things that aren’t true, moral, or ethical
A controversial issue is one on which reasonable people can disagree. Here’s an

example. Reasonable people agree that teens should not abuse drugs, but may disagree on the best ways to prevent teen drug abuse.
Adapted from Webster’s Third New International
Dictionary
On what subjects can I write a successful persuasive essay?
As it says above, it will need to be controversial. It will also need to be complex. By complexity, we mean the following:
 There are shades of grey in the issue that you will be able to explain and give clarity to
 There is a lot of information available and accessible to you that will allow you to create a substantial argument that is supported by ample, relevant evidence.
 You must care enough about the issue to be able to write about it with feeling.
 You must know what you feel about the issue with enough clarity that you can easily see which evidence which supports your position and which contradicts it.
What are the types of persuasive essays?

Type
Argumentation
Essay
Description
This form of persuasive writing has the three basic parts of any essay:
I.
Introduction/Thesis Statement
II.
Body
A.
Evidence
B.
Refute Opposition
III.
Extension of Argument
IV.
Conclusion
Then, in section III the argument is extended using one or more of the following techniques:
I.
Deductive Argument
II.
Inductive Argument
III.
Rogerian Argument

Persuasive
Essay
Editorial Style
This form of persuasive writing begins with the three basic parts of any essay:
I.
Introduction/Thesis Statement
II.
Body of Evidence
III.
Conclusion
Persuasion is done in the Body of
Evidence section by using one or more of the following techniques:
I.
Appeal to emotion
II.
Appeal to reason/sense of fairness
III.
Appeal to logic
IV.
Inductive Argument
V.
Deductive Argument
VI.
Rogerian Argument
Writing Strategies for a Persuasive Essay
1.
Read the question or essay prompt. Identify your position. You may need to do a little research to be clear on your position.
2.
Develop a thesis statement. Remember that a thesis statement can be more than a simple “yes” or “no” to an issue. It can be a “yes, with these provisions” for example. Or a “no, unless the following things are addressed”. Those are the

grey areas that give an essay more complexity.
3.
Research what those who disagree with you think.
Find out their three main arguments
4.
Research! Find relevant, credible publications, web sites, and individuals that offer the arguments that support your position and the evidence to back them up.
5.
Develop your arguments. In an ideal situation, your arguments directly attack the arguments of your opponents. This is not always possible though. Sometimes the two sides aren’t the opposite sides of the same coin. Sometimes you are talking about two different coins.
6.
Develop a proposal for what should be done.
Should people vote for a particular candidate, write to their congressional rep, boycott a product, or just pause to reflect? Define an action you want your readers to take.
7.
Align your evidence with your arguments. Each argument should have at least two pieces of direct evidence to support it. Be sure that your evidence supports the argument, not just the thesis.
8.
Decide which style to use.
9.
Write!

The style in which persuasive essays are written
Persuasive essays are a little different from other essays in a couple key ways:
Point of view
Level of personal voice
Point of View and Personal Voice in Persuasive Essays
A persuasive essay is a formal academic essay in which the writer presents a thesis, or position on a subject. In most formal academic writing, the proper point of view for the essay is third person (using the pronouns he, she, it, they). It is OK to use first person (I, me, we) in the conclusion
INCORRECT: First Person
I think that smoking should be banned in all public places in King County.
CORRECT: Third Person
Smoking should be banned in all public places in King
County.
Evidence & Citations
Persuasive essays rely on a lot of direct evidence from several sources. You will need to quote

extensively to be successful.
Why use quotes?
1. They demonstrate you read the available information closely.
2. They serve as concrete evidence to support your position
3. They demonstrate a deeper level of understanding, which is persuasive to readers.
Where can evidence come from? What can I quote from?
Books, films, newspaper articles, credible websites, newscasts, etc.
What can’t I use?
Wikipedia, encyclopedias, other student essays, interviews with non-experts, etc.
How should I weave in quotes and evidence?
The S-C-C-C Format 1. Set it up. Set up the
This is a very useful format for citations if you are not context that the quote is from, so that the reader knows when and where the quote is from and who is doing the speaking/writing.

very familiar with citations and need to practice a tried and true method. As writers become experienced with citations, they can move away from this format and mix elements up as they see fit.
2. Citation. Write the quote out, in quotation marks.
3. Commentary: Explain how the quote supports your argument. (Commenting on the quote.)
4. Commentary: further commenting on the quote
EXAMPLE:
According to a recent article in the Seattle
Times,” ...[t]he seemingly sure bet that higher education will pay off can be upended by any number of factors: broken marriages, illnesses, lost jobs, substandard schools and unrealized dreams.”
(With no way out of trouble, more students likely to default, October 6,
2008). Students used to feel that borrowing for college was always going to pay off, no matter what happened. Now, many are

The Embedded Citation
This is useful when you would prefer to pick out very small phrases to prove your points. finding it harder to pay it back due to many factors.
Write your own sentence beginning, include the quote, and write your own sentence ending. The quote flows into and out of the sentence.
EXAMPLE: Borrowing to pay for higher education used to be seen as a “sure bet” but now some students are finding that their plans to repay student loans can be disrupted by “… broken marriages, illnesses, lost jobs, substandard schools and unrealized dreams.”
(With no way out of trouble, more students likely to default, October 6,
2008). These unexpected obstacles may repayment difficult if not impossible

How to Write Commentary
Of all the skills students must learn in writing, writing commentary is considered the most difficult. Writing commentary means giving your own opinion and interpretation about something, which requires a higher level of thinking than most students are used to using.
Using commentary makes an essay interesting to read and shows that you can analyze and evaluate information.
When you write commentary, you are commenting on a point you have made with evidence.
Synonyms for commentary:
 analysis – breaking an idea into its parts
 interpretation – reading between the lines of an idea
 insight – adding personal experience to the explanation of an idea
 evaluation - judging the quality or validity of an idea
 explication/explanation – explaining what an idea means
 discussion - – explaining what an idea means
 speculation – trying to predict what will happen if an action is taken or an idea is accepted
Source: Jane Schaeffer Publications, Style Analysis
(1998)

The Basic Outline for a Persuasive Essay
Introduction
1.
Hook (Catching the reader’s attention)
2.
Context of the subject (any background info needed to understand the thesis/position)
3.
Thesis Statement/Position
Antithesis
Body
1.
State who disagrees with you and what their position is.
2.
State their arguments
3.
Refute their arguments. You must either show that they are based on the wrong values, the wrong evidence, or the wrong interpretation of the evidence
Body Paragraphs and their topics should be ordered in the same order that the topics were introduced in the introduction (if they were enumerated in the thesis)
A. Major Point #1
1. supporting evidence/commentary

Conclusion
2. supporting evidence/commentary
3. supporting evidence/commentary
B. Major Point #2
1. supporting evidence/commentary
2. supporting evidence/commentary
3. supporting evidence/commentary
C. Major Point #3
1. supporting evidence/commentary
2. supporting evidence/commentary
3. supporting evidence/commentary
A minimum of two pieces of evidence per major point is required for proficiency. More is better!!!
 Restate or reemphasize the thesis.
 A “call to action” - Develop a proposal for what should be done.
Should people vote for a particular

candidate, write to their congressional rep, boycott a product, or just pause to reflect?
Define an action you want your readers to take.
 End with a final observation that leaves the reader thinking. What will happen if your position isn’t acted on or adopted?
Transitions
Think of a transition as a bridge from one thought or idea to another. It shows how one sentence or idea relates to another and also directs the thinking to a new focus. A transition may be one word, a short phrase, a sentence or entire paragraph. The following list cites several transition words and phrases and their meaning.
Meaning Transitions

Along the same direction of thought
Contrast
Condition
Comparison
Affirmative alternative
Negative alternative
Cause, result, reason and, also, besides, furthermore, in addition, for the same reason, whereupon, moreover, whereby, indeed, similarly, likewise, but but, yet, instead, nevertheless, notwithstanding, still, although, whereas, on the contrary, not only, but also in fact, indeed, moreover, than, as...as, so...as.
or, anyhow, moreover, still, else, whereas, whether, either...or.
nor, neither, however, instead, otherwise, on the contrary, nevertheless, except that, only, whereas, neither...nor.
for, so, accordingly, as a result, hence, as, consequently, thereby, therefore, thus, that, so that, inasmuch as, in order that, since, whereas, why.
although, as if, as though,

though, provided, providing, unless, if, lest, once.
Example
Exception for example, in fact, indeed, for instance, namely although, in so far as, though, unless, while, notwithstanding, in fact that.
Time henceforth, meanwhile, than, next, once, as long as, as soon as, before, once, since, until, when, whenever, while, at length, first...second...third, till.
Source: Donna Griffith’s The Many Faces of Truth
(1994).