INTRODUCTION TO PERSUASIVE WRITING

 REACTION

It is a response particularly what the writer thinks about a certain source of information and the information or context itself versus how the writer feels. Here are some tips in making a good reaction.

1.      Discuss how the text is constructed.

2.      Agree or disagree to the arguments.

-          If you agree, supply more supporting information.

-          If you disagree, challenge the author’s stance by providing counter arguments.

3.      Connect to your own personal experiences, beliefs and values.

-          How does the text affect you personally?

-          What memories are triggered?

For starters, you can use the following persuasive phrases:

I am certain. . . I’m sure that you can see that . . . What needs to be done/what we need to do. . . I ask you to think about . . . I am writing in order to . . . Nevertheless . . . On the other hand . . . It has come to my attention that . . . If you move forward with . . . Obviously. . . Surely . . . Regardless . . . If [ ] were to happen, then . . . This can be fixed by . . . Although it may seem...

 

 

PERSUASIVE DEVICES

These are persuasive techniques used to support or back-up arguments in writing. There are 5 common persuasive strategies:

Persuasive Device	Meaning	Sample
PATHOS	Uses emotional language to draw the readers in to make them feel what the author feels.	If I won’t get a raise this year, I might not be able to send my eldest to college.
BIG NAMES	Uses names of experts or well-known personalities to support an argument or claim.	Even Socrates would be so pleased to see how well you have crafted your questions.
RESEARCH & LOGOS	Uses charts, data, studies, illustrations and logic to back up the author’s claims and arguments.	The line chart shows the decrease of the monthly income.
ETHOS	Uses language to confirm the author’s trustworthiness and credibility.	As you may recall, I have always been here to walk with you for this annual rally against animal cruelty.
KAIROS	Uses a sense of urgency to convince the readers that this is the right moment to act.	If you call the shop today, you will get 50 percent discount on all items.

 

WRITING A GOOD THESIS

A persuasive piece must always begin with a thesis thus, it has to be something debatable; something that people may have differing opinions about.  A persuasive thesis statement contains an opinion and the reason why the opinion should be deemed true. It should tie together the main idea of any argument.

Here are some verbs to help you craft your thesis statement.

abolish accelerate achieve act adopt align anticipate apply assess avoid boost break bridge build burn capture change choose clarify comprehend confront connect conquer

come conquer convert create cross decide define defuse deliver deploy design develop diagnose discover drive eliminate ensure establish evaluate exploit explore filter

finalize find focus foresee gain gather generate grasp help hurry identify ignite illuminate implement improve increase innovate inspire intensify join lead learn leverage manage

master maximize   measure mobilize motivate must need overcome penetrate persuade plan position prepare prevent profit raise realize reconsider reduce refresh replace resist respond retain

save scan segment shatter shave-off sidestep simplify solve stimulate stop stretch succeed supplement take train transfer transform understand unleash use  whittle-down win

 

·         The school should implement stricter rules on dress code due to the increased cases of rape. ·         Senior High school has not really bridged high school to college because of the apparent repetition if not absence of continuity in terms of subject matter.

Here are some adjectives to help you craft your thesis statement.

latest easy unbelievable

only remarkable

proven surprising

tested amazing

quick startling

 

·         It is easier to believe that people want to be vaccinated because they want to be able to go outside than because they are scared of the virus. ·         It is amazing how easily the children’s minds can absorb languages but it is not fair to force them into learning things they cannot enjoy at an early age.

Here are some adjectives to help you craft your thesis statement.

 

now immediately

today

tomorrow

consequently

instantly

·         People have become so over-dependent on technology, consequently,   they have struggled to think for themselves. ·         People have been taking nature for granted, now, we are suffering the consequences of such negligence.

_____________________________________________

·         Let the students identify the well-crafted thesis statement and explain why.

A	B
A college education is not the right choice for everyone, as many students graduate with a large amount of student debt and limited job opportunities.	A college education is not necessary in order to succeed.

 

·         Let the students transform their reaction into a strong thesis statement.

·         Challenge students to share their thesis to the class.

You can learn more about persuasive and argumentative writing by watching this video.

References:

30 Persuasive Thesis Statement Examples That Are…Persuasive https://www.kibin.com/essay-writing-blog/persuasive-thesis-statement-examples/

Developing Strong Thesis Statements https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/academic_writing/establishing_arguments/index.html

How to Write a Strong Thesis Statement https://www.easybib.com/guides/writing-guides/parts-of-a-paper/how-to-write-a-strong-thesis-statement/

Words, Phrases, and Arguments to Use in Persuasive Writing https://www.thoughtco.com/words-to-make-a-persuasive-argument-2086735

The 108 Most Persuasive Words In The English Language https://www.thewritersforhire.com/108-persuasive-words-english-language/

37 Words and Phrases That Immediately Increase Your Credibility https://www.inc.com/minda-zetlin/38-convincing-words-and-phrases-to-adopt-immediately-.html

INTENSIVE AND REFLEXIVE PRONOUNS MATRIX

 

Watch this video to learn more about these compound pronouns and their positions in sentences.

Here are some tips when and when not to use intensive and reflexive pronouns.

You can use these dialogues to practice your usage of intensive and reflexive pronouns.

THINGS TO LEARN ABOUT ADJECTIVES | POSITION, RULES, ORDER

 

Adjectives are words that modify nouns or pronouns.

That is a beautiful dress.

BEAUTIFUL is the adjective that modifies the noun “dress”. Hence, “beautiful” describes the dress.

I pity the Santoses. I couln’t believe they are

 really poor.

POOR is the adjective that modifies the pronoun “they”. Hence, “poor” describes “they” which refers to the Santoses. Thus, it simply means that the Santoses are poor which caused the speaker to pity them.

POSITIONS OF ADJECTIVES

·         Adjectives could be found directly before the noun it modifies. These adjectives are called the ATTRIBUTIVE ADJECTIVES.

That is a beautiful dress.

BEAUTIFUL is the adjective which is found before the noun “dress”.

·         Adjectives could also be found after a linking verb. These adjectives are called PREDICATIVE ADJECTIVES.

I couln’t believe they are really poor.

POOR is an adjective that is found after the linking verb “are” but it still modifies or describes the pronoun “they”.

·         Adjectives could also be found immediately after the noun. These adjectives are called POSTPOSITIVE ADJECTIVES.

I got you the best seats available.

AVAILABLE is the postpositive adjective as it is found immediately after the noun “seats”. “Best”, on the other hand, is an attributive adjective as it is found before the noun “seats”.

ORDER OF ADJECTIVES

Yes, there is a uniform or shall we say, acceptable order of adjectives depending on whether they cumulatively describe a noun or is it that multiple adjectives modify the same noun.

RULES

1.      OPINION FIRST BEFORE A FACT

•     delicious Korean barbecue

 

“Delicious” is opinion because how delicious food is depends on the person’s food preferences. So, it should come before the proper adjective “Korean”, which is a fact since it indicates the origin of the said barbecue; no one can argue with that.

 

General ideas first before

 specific ideas

•     Long wooden bench
•     Old black and white films
•     New leather jacket

“Long, old and new” are general ideas. We don’t really know how long it is we are talking about, or how old exactly and object is, or even how new it is. “Wooden, black and white, leather” are very specific adjectives. Specifically, the bench is made of wood but we don’t know how long it is. We know for sure that the films are black and white but we do not know exactly how long it has existed. We know the jacket is made of leather but we do not know for sure how many days has it been since it was acquired by the owner.

When two or more adjectives describe the same noun, therefore these adjectives are called COORDINATE ADJECTIVES. These adjectives should be separated by commas, or joined by “and” but it does not follow a specific order. In other words, the order can be reversed without changing the meaning.

Here comes our smart, funny leader.
Here comes our smart and funny leader.
Here comes our funny, smart leader.

 

CUMULATIVE ADJECTIVES on the other hand, does follow a specific order. Here’s how:

DETERMINER	OPINION	SIZE	PHYSICAL QUALITY	AGE	SHAPE	COLOR	ORIGIN	MATERIAL/ TYPE	PURPOSE	NOUN
his			wrinkled	old	thin			widowed		mother
the	obedient			young						son
	cruel			young			Japanese			ruler

 

DETERMINER. This includes the pronominals. These are pronouns that are used as adjectives, mostly dubbed as determiners.

      Article: a, an, the

      Number: one, two, three, etc.

      Ordinal: first, second, third, etc.

      Demonstrative: this, that, those, these

      Indefinite: some, several, many, all

      Distributive: each, every

      Possessive:  his, her, my, their, its

OPINION. This refers to one’s observation or description which is mostly subjective, thus opinionated.

clever, funny, wonderful, acceptable, innocent, talkative

 

SIZE. The over-all dimension or magnitude which shall determine how big or small something or someone is.  

big, small, massive, huge, colossal, gigantic, tiny

 

PHYSICAL QUALITY. This includes what you see in the physical aspect or the appearance of something or someone.  

Messy, cluttered, murky, rough, thin, untidy, neat, clean

 

AGE. The length of time a person has lived or the length of existence of something.

young, old, youthful, ancient

SHAPE. The quality of a certain object, body or surface that consist of an outline to create a form or figure.  

Square, round, long, rectangular, triangular, spherical

COLOR. The quality of an object or substance with respect to how light is reflected by the object which then is caught by the eyes of the on-looker.

Red, blue, purple, pinkish, bluish, green

ORIGIN. This refers to where someone or something came from. It could also refer to someone’s religion. They are also called PROPER ADJECTIVES.

Catholic, British, American, Thai, Buddhist, Singaporean, Spanish, Chinese

MATERIAL. This refers to that something is made from. This also could include the type of material the object is made from.  

Metal, plastic, leather, two-sided, wooden, gold, silver

PURPOSE. This refers to the special usage of an object. This could also refer to an ATTRIBUTIVE NOUN, a noun that comes before the head noun.  

big, small, massive, huge, colossal, gigantic, tiny