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How to succeed with your persuasive essay

A persuasive essay can be likened to the work of a lawyer in front of a jury. The lawyer takes a stand on the matter that they is in front of the court and argues their stand with the strongest possible defense. The writer’s job in a persuasive essay is to convince the person reading to see the world as they see it. They have to convince the reader to take some action or steps according to what they argue in the paper. Here are some helpful tips when writing a persuasive essay.

Prewriting

In this stage of the writing process, the student should identify the point that they want to take in the paper. They should then do their research on the topic that they are discussing, especially if they will present their argument live, with the possibility of receiving questions from the audience. When researching, they should look for the most convincing points that they can use to bring the members of the audience to their side. They should also think about their audience when making their argument, and know their strengths and weaknesses.

Actual writing

Topic and introduction

The topic and the introduction should grab the attention of the writer. In the introduction section, the writer should give an overall account of the argument without being biased towards any side. They should then state the side they are taking in the argument, most likely posing a question to the audience when concluding with a thesis or topic sentence.

Body

In the body of the writing, the writer should make sure each paragraph focuses on a single point they are trying to put across. In each paragraph, the points should come across as clearly as possible. They should avoid repetitions and being redundant in the way they present their work. They should also acknowledge the opposing points, explain them briefly, or as widely as the paper allows. In this section, they should tell the audience why the opposing views are not viable. Sometimes, if the topic is one that is famous, many writers assume that the audience has background information. Writers should refrain from this and define all the complex terms.

Proofreading

The value of proofreading should not be underestimated. A paper with mistakes distracts the audience from the message, instead focusing their attention on the mistakes that are in the paper. One should especially be careful to avoid mistakes in grammar, spelling and punctuations.