4. DEFINITIONS OF
PERSUASIVE
IN DIFFERENT DICTIONARIES
• According to Dictionary.com – “ Persuasive is able, fitted, or intended to persuade”
• According to Oxforddictionaries.com – “ Persuasive is good at persuading someone to
do or believe something through reasoning or the use of temptation”
• According to Merriam-webster.com – “ Persuasive is tending to persuade”
• According to Yourdictionary.com – “ Persuasive is someone or something with the
power to convince”
6. WHAT IS PARAGRAPH?
Paragraphs are the building blocks of essay development and provide structure when
developing the thesis of a paper.
Development of a paragraph is necessary to avoid leaving the reader with any significant
unanswered questions.
A fully developed paragraph provides supporting detail and evidence, and follows a clear
pattern of development.
There are several different ways to develop effective paragraphs.
Narrative
Definitions
Descriptive
Persuasive
Exposition
7. • Persuasive Paragraphs
Encourage readers to take action or to change their thoughts and ideas
about a particular subject. When you are writing a persuasive
bear in mind that readers need all of the information about the topic,
including a complete analysis that will help them to formulate their own
judgments and opinions and cause them to take action. Persuasive
paragraphs are useful when writing columns and editorials.
8. • Persuasion means to convince someone that your opinion on a
subject is the right one. There are many forms of persuasion, you
not even know you are being persuaded. For example advertisements
are persuading you to buy a certain product. Or family is always trying
to convince you to do something or that they are always right.
• It is important to consider the audience as your write persuasively.
Directing your paragraph toward a particular audience can be helpful.
Consider what kind of evidence this audience would respond to. When
you take your audience into consideration, you will make your
persuasive paragraph more convincing.
9. METHODS OF PERSUASION
• Facts
- A statement of what is.
• Referring to authority
- An expert who can be relied on to give unbiased facts and information.
• Examples
- An example should clearly relate to the argument and should be typical enough
support it.
• Predicting the consequence
- Helps the reader visualize what will occur if something does or does not happen.
• Answering the opposition
- Answering possible critics shows you are aware of the opposing opinion and are
able to respond to it.
10. FACT
• They should appeal to the reader’s mind, not just to the emotions. The
source of your facts should be clear to the reader. If you wish to prove
that children’s eyesight should be check every year by a doctor. You
might look for supporting facts in appropriate books and magazines,
or you might ask your eye doctor for information. Your paper might
say:
“ Many people suffer serious visual impairment later than life because they receive
insufficient or inadequate eye care when they were children, according to an article in
Better Vision
(May 1983)”
Avoid…..
Avoid the vague “ everyone knows” or “ it is common knowledge” or “ they all
11. REFERRING TO AUTHORITY
• An authority is an expert, someone who can be relied on the given
unbiased fact and. If you wish to convince your readers that smoking is
a dangerous habit, you might use the statement that appears on every
pack of cigarettes: “ The Surgeon General has determine that cigarette
smoking is dangerous to you health.” the Surgeon General is an
excellent and knowledgeable authority whose opinion on medical
matters is considered valid and unbiased.
Avoid appealing to “authorities” who are interesting or glamorous but
who are experts.
12. EXAMPLES
• An examples should be clearly relate to the argument and should be
typical enough to support the argument. If you wish to convince your
reader that high school should provide more funds than they do for
women’s sports, you might say, “ Jefferson High School, for instance,
has received inquiries from sixty female students who would be willing
to join a women’s basket and baseball team if they could provide the
uniforms, the space, and a coach.
13. PREDICTING THE CONSEQUENCES
• Predicting the consequence help the reader visualize what will occur if
something does or does not happen. To convince your reader that
conserving energy is the duty of every citizen, you might say, “ If we do
not conserve our resources , we may soon face the time when school
and public building will be open only half a days because of the lack of
heating fuel.”
• Avoid exaggerating the consequences. For example : “ If you do not eat
fresh fruit everyday, you will be ill.” This exaggerates the consequences
of not eating fresh fruit everyday. Fresh fruit is important, but by
exaggerating its importance, you make the reader understandably
suspicious.
14. ANSWERING THE OPPOSITION
• Answering possible critics shows that you are aware of the opposition’s
argument and able to respond to it. If you wish to convince your
readers that your candidate is the best on the ballot, you might say, “
Some have criticized him for running a low-keyed campaign, but he
feels the issue and his stand on them should speak for themselves.
• Avoid calling the opposition “ fool” or “ crooks.” Attack their ideas, not
them.
16. Answer the Opposition
• of course
• some may say
• nevertheless
• on the other hand
Draw Conclusions
• therefore
• thus
• hence
• consequently
17. EXAMPLE OF A PERSUASIVE PARAGRAPHon the left below is a well -developed persuasive paragraph from the essay "the end of an
illusion," which was written by jamie fast when she was a student in an english composition 1 course.
the topic of jamie's essay is the short story "miss brill," by katherine mansfield. the paragraph is
color coded to highlight how the different parts of the paragraph work together to help the writer
support and develop her ideas effectively.
• Miss Brill's ritual of visiting the park every Sunday helps her to
cope with loneliness. It is clear how much enjoyment the old
woman derives from the simple activity as the narrator
states, "Oh, how fascinating it was! How she enjoyed it! How
she loved sitting [t]here, watching it all!" The weekly outing
provides an opportunity for Miss Brill to place herself in the
company of others and to leave behind "the little dark
room" in which she lives. Miss Brill employs the tactics of
listening and watching to passively include herself in the
activities of the park crowd. She is expert at "sitting in other
people's lives for just a minute" by eavesdropping. This habit
of "listening as though she didn't listen" helps her to feel
included. Being an avid people watcher, Miss Brill pays rapt
attention to those who surround her. By the same care she
takes in noticing others, she hopes that "no doubt somebody
would have noticed if she hadn't been there" in
attendance. This thought allows her to feel a sense of
community with the strangers at the park. Miss Brill seizes
every opportunity she can to imagine herself as having some
connection with the individuals she observes in attempt to
garner a sense of belonging. She even likens herself to being a
part of the "family" that the band plays to. In effect, the weekly
outing provides a means to escape the isolation felt in her
solitary existence for a period of time by engaging herself in
the happenings at the park. However, as Miss Brill observes
and listens, she prefers to view her world through a proverbial
set of rose colored glasses to protect herself from confronting
the truth of her lonely existence.
• Text highlighted in red indicates the primary claim of the
paragraph, the main idea that the writer attempts to
prove in the paragraph.
• Text highlighted in light yellow indicates the writer's
development of the main idea that begins the paragraph,
usually the writer's explanation of how the evidence she
presents supports the main idea.
• Text highlighted in light green indicates supporting
evidence, facts that the writer uses to support the idea
that begins the paragraph.
• The final sentence is a transitional sentence that takes
readers to the main idea in the next body paragraph.
18. • Notice how well the writer stays focused on developing the main idea that begins the
paragraph and how well she uses plenty of specific evidence to support and develop
her interpretation. The writer has succeeded in her main objective in this paragraph:
proving the truth of the claim that appears in the topic sentence at the beginning of
the paragraph: "Miss Brill's ritual of visiting the park every Sunday helps her to cope
with loneliness."
19. ANOTHER EX.
• Laughter the Medicine
• Laughter is one of the greatest healing devices known to man. Laughter is powerful and
help people in many different ways. It has the power to cure something as little as a bad
day or to heal the wounds of a terminally ill person. Laughing has helped create the smile
which is the universal sign of well being. Generally, individuals who do not laugh live
miserably and have unhappy lives. Dr. Robert Holden found out that smiling and laughing
releases endorphins in the brain which gives people a overall happy well being. Using
comedy, many doctors have stimulated the healing process in manic depressants and
fatally ill patients giving them hope and ambition. In many clinics laughter is being used in
replacing anti depressants and reduces the need for pain killers.(Dr. Gael Crystal). Take
comedians for example, they usually live long and happy lives. Putting a smile on faces
laughs in souls is what makes life complete. Laughter helps heal people and brightens
spirits for a better and healthier life . Laughing is a sign of joy and hope and keeps people
normal and the world happy. Using the techniques of laughter and happiness is the best
medicine known to man. Laughter is the universal sign of well being and happiness within
health. Laughing brightens the spirit and heals the mind and body of people who allow it
overcome them. So try a smile and laugh on for size and live a longer happier life with
