Persuasive Essay Notes

1. Persuasive Essay Notes Midterm Exam

2. Prewriting and Organizing • Do I have strong feelings about this issue or topic? • Which of my reasons are most important in order to support my topic?

3. A good thesis statement will… • state your opinion and yours ONLY • not include the “other side” of the issue • not be stated as a question. • sometimes begin with “I believe” so the reader will not be mistaken as to what you are supporting

4. Sentence structure should… • be written in logical order of events • include the proper punctuation such as commas to separate logical order of events • Example: Once she decided to choose the book, it took a long time for the students to read it.

5. Supporting your reasons means you must include some of these… • evidence • anecdotes • statistics • interviews • examples • research or survey results

6. Evidence/Anecdote • When schools were closed after a recent flood and the school buses were not running, my father had to leave his job early to pick us up from school.

7. Evidence/Fact • My reasons for wanting an extended lunch period are not completely ridiculous. I am angry about not having enough time to eat my lunch due to the long line and wait time.

8. Reasons • Teenagers who spend excessive time on their iPhones playing games might miss out on personal relationships with friends and family.

9. Evidence/Fact • Memory loss is a real problem among older people. (evidence) Aging contributes to diseases such as Alzheimer’s Disease, a real disease that is diagnosed and can be treated.(fact)

10. Reaching the reader and acknowledging concerns… • It is acceptable to me when kids use the computer for worthwhile purposes. There are worthwhile reasons for kids to use the computers. (addressing reader’s concerns)

11. Restatement of Opinion • Should always “say what you mean and mean what you say” • Should not be stated the same way as introduced • Should briefly summarize reasons for supporting opinion

12. Call To Action • The reader should be reminded to “do” something or “act” on what you have persuaded them to do

13. Personal Narrative Essay Notes Midterm Exam

14. Prewriting and Organizing • Does my topic contain a conflict or a surprise? • Can I ask the 5W-How questions about the incident I plan to write about?

15. Attention Grabbers! • Grab your reader’s attention so that they will want to keep reading • Use creative ways to entice your reader • My family takes a vacation to the beach every summer. • The smell of the salty air lets me know we are getting closer to paradise.

16. Dialogue • When including dialogue in your essay don’t forget to include proper punctuation and capitalization. • Example: “Hey, Dad,” I said, “they have free balloon rides at the fair.”

17. Transitional Words • Use transitional words that “fit” • Reread the sentence so that you know “the point in time” • Commas are used after transitional words and phrases • Examples: • Finally, • Then, • Next, • However,

18. Precise Words • Use “precise words” to make your feelings known so that the reader understands exactly how you feel • Words like good, stuff, and got scareddon’t really represent a precise word • Good=Excellent • Stuff=belongings • Got scared=panicked

19. Sensory Details • Use sensory details to give the reader a better “picture” of what you are feeling, seeing, or touching • Sensory details make the reader want to read more because he/she can “visualize” the writer’s feelings • Example: In an instant, I felt like I was slowly and softly floating above the puffy white clouds.

20. Meaning of Experience • A meaning of experience must be included in the conclusion of a personal narrative • MOE gives the reader insight into the writer’s thoughts and feelings after experiencing an event that he/she has written about. • MOE gives purpose to your personal narrative writing