EL_Persuasive_Writing

A. Structure 1. Paragraph 1 ● Background information ○ To ease the reader into the topic and provide a hint to the stand ○ Can be elaborated on by stating factual observation (what you see in daily life), statistics, news report etc. ● Your stand: adopt one clear stand ● Scope: Give 3 reasons for supporting the stand and follow the order of the reasons when elaborating on them. 2. Paragraph 2 ● Counterpoint ○ To show that you are less defensive / more objective ● Rebuttal ○ Chosen Stand ● Use statements like “Some may argue that…” to show that the counterpoint is weak as it is supported by a minority ● Then use the connective “However” to show change in direction, leading to your adopted stand ● The rebuttal stand should be effective by being relevant to the counterpart and well-supported ● A counterpoint is weak if it contains flaws in logic / inaccurate assumptions /does not apply to most people / does not apply most of the time ● Don’t repeat point / idea 3. Paragraph 3 ● 1st Supporting Point (SP) + Elaboration (E) + Reiteration (R) ● Supporting Point - should be stated in the topic sentence ● Elaboration - How? Think about the following ○ Explain how / Explain why / Explain the cause & effect / Use analogies / Use anecdotes / State consequences / Compare & contrast / Ask rhetorical questions /Use quotes from reliable sources / Use news reports / Use factual observation / Use data & statistics / State advantage & disadvantage ● Reiteration - Summary of the main ideas in the paragraph 4. Paragraph 4 ● 2nd SP + E + R 5. Paragraph 5 ● 3rd SP + E + R 6. Paragraph 6 ● Summary of 3 SPs & repetition of stand B. Points To Note 1) Adopt 1 consistent stand throughout the essay 2) Do not introduce new SP in concluding paragraph 3) Adequate elaboration require for ideas to be convincing and have depth 4) The counterpoint should be weaker than the rebuttal 5) Introduce 2nd and 3rd SPs by using appropriate connectors such as “Furthermore”, “Besides” etc. 6) Other connectors - To show: a) Addition ​ - Moreover, In addition, Additionally, Also, Apart from that, Coupled with that, And b) Conclusion ​ - Therefore. In conclusion, In a nutshell, Finally, In short, On the whole c) Reinforcement ​ - Surely, Definitely, Indeed, To reiterate, Certainly, Undoubtedly d) Illustration / Example ​ - For example, For instance e) Cause & Effect ​ - Therefore, Thus, Consequently, Hence, Due to, As a result, Since, Because f) Counterpart ​ - Some may argue that, A few may claim that, A minority may assert that g) Rebuttal ​ - Although, Even though, Despite that, However, Yet, On the contrary h) Comparison ​ - Likewise, Similarly, In much the same way i) Contrast (To show some change in direction of argument) ​ - However, Conversely, Unlike, Nevertheless, On the other hand, In spite of this, On the contrary, In contrast, Although, Whereas, But