Persuasive Essay - 1page (DUE 6HRS) / Reflective Letter - 1page/ English Course/ Max 2pages each/ No references needed

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Updated June 2012

Persuasive Essay Structure When you’re trying to convince your audience of an idea or argument

Introduction • Hook – interesting first sentence • Background information – give context to your argument/subject; familiarize the reader with the content • Definitions – define any terms that the reader might find usual/unfamiliar • Thesis – a clear, concise statement of your main argument; the overall idea you’ll be arguing. Your thesis

will also serve as a roadmap for the rest of your essay, giving the reader a general idea of the path your argument will follow.

Each Body Paragraph • Only one point to support your thesis per paragraph • Topic sentence

• reflects the main idea of the paragraph • links back to support the thesis

• Evidence – information from a reliable outside source (not your own opinion) that supports the main idea of the paragraph

• Analysis – show how your evidence supports your argument; build your argument

Conclusion • Tie up the essay – briefly sum up the main point • Establish significance (see “So What?” handout) • Bonus: give the reader food for thought

THESIS (Main Idea/ argument)

To pi

c +

Ev id

en ce

To pi

c +

Ev id

en ce

To pi

c +

Ev id

en ce