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 The purpose of an Essay
The word essay comes from a French word meaning “to attempt” or “to try”.

Its purposes are the following :

Explain or discuss a topic and give personal opinion.

Identify a problem and its causes, and propose a solution.

Compare and contrast two or more things.

Persuade a reader to hold a certain opinion or take a certain action.

Respond to a reading or lecture.

Demonstrate understanding or writing skills by writing a timed essay in class.

 Persuasive essays

• In a persuasive essay, the writer attempts

to prove that his/her point of view is more
legitimate than any other.

• He/she tries to convince the reader to

think something or to take a certain
action.
 The structure of a persuasive essay
Introduction (Thesis) Body Conclusion
Persuasive essay
Introduction Hook
Background (transition)
Thesis
Body paragraphs (3) Topic sentence
Support (examples, statistics, facts)
Concluding idea (analysis)
Conclusion Thesis re-stated
Summary of the topic sentences
Concluding statement
 to a persuasive essay

The introductory paragraph to a persuasive essay usually describes a

problem. It begins with one sentence called hook that catches the
reader´s interest. Questions, quotations, interesting observations or
statistics are effective hooks.

The background (or transition) is the information needed to understand

the problem. It links the hook with the thesis and offers the readers the
necessary context to comprehend the situation.
The background includes two or three sentences.
The final part of the introduction is often the thesis statement, and it
introduces your position as a writer towards the topic.

What is a thesis statement?

Every paper you write should have a main point, a main idea, or central
message. The sentence that captures your position on this main idea is
what we call a thesis statement.
In a persuasive essay, the thesis statement contains the
following:
• The topic
• The claim
• The reason (s) the course of action is necessary.
 1. Is there a hook?
2. What is the problem? And where is it?
3. What is the thesis?
2
1
Japanese society is facing its most serious threat in recent years.
Japan´s birthrate keeps falling steadily and if it continues, the
population will get smaller. This is a national catastrophe because there
are fewer working-age people who pay in the national security system,
and there will eventually be too few workers. The only way to grow the
population is by bringing babies back to Japan. Japan’s baby deficit is a
problem that could be overcome if families, companies and the
government offer alternatives to working women. 3
 1. Identify the hook
2. Identify the background information
3. Identify the thesis statement

1 The right to live 2

People have been killing each other legally for years. A lot of countries
still have the policy of death penalty, which consists on killing the people
who are found guilty in a trial. This is applied to capital crimes; however,
some experts argue that nobody has the right to kill another human
being. Death penalty should not be legal because it is an archaic
3 punishment, it is cruel, and it could entail killing an innocent person.
 The Body

The following are important aspects of all

body paragraphs:

• The topic sentence

•Supporting ideas (examples, facts, statistics,

details)

•The concluding idea.

The body structure

1. The topic sentence is the main idea of the paragraph.

• It explains further the reasons given in the thesis statement.

For example:
Thesis statement: College students should improve their study habits by
studying in a quiet environment, paying attention in class and managing their
time well. T.S 1 T.S 2 T.S 3

All these three reasons will be addressed in the topic sentence. This means
that for each reason, there will be a paragraph that explains it.
 Analyze this thesis. Write the topic sentences for the following
paragraphs.

A universal health care program is a great idea for America since it would stop medical
bankruptcies, improve public health and reduce overall health care spending.

Topic sentence for body paragraph 1

A universal health care program would stop medical bankruptcies.
________________________________________________________________

Topic sentence for body paragraph 2

A universal health care program would improve public health.
__________________________________________________________________

Topic sentence for body paragraph 3

A___________________________________________________________________
universal health care program would reduce overall health care spending.
The body structure

2. The supporting sentences give more information about the topic

sentence and its controlling idea.

• They should be at least 3 sentences.

• They answer the questions Who? What? Where?

When? Why? and How? about the topic sentence.
Types of supporting sentences

Useful details

It is used to describe the topic sentence in more detail. It is

useful when the writer wants to add sensory descriptions to a
piece.
Types of supporting sentences

Useful details

Antarctica is a dangerous and lonely place. It is the

coldest and driest continent on the planet. It is far
away from hospitals and food supplies.
Unpredictable weather can cause sudden blizzards
which can trap people beneath several feet of
snow in a matter of hours.
Types of supporting sentences

Facts and statistics

It is a powerful means of convincing. They can derive from

your reading, observation, or personal experience.

Statistics are facts expressed in numbers, based on data from

samples and populations. They might be the product of
experiments or surveys.
 Types of supporting sentences

Facts and statistics

High fructose corn syrup is bad for your health. It

has been linked to 75% of cases of the obesity
epidemic, mostly because of its use in soft drinks. It
is also digested by your body more quickly than
natural sugars, and puts a tremendous strain on
your liver.
Types of supporting sentences

Examples

They make your ideas concrete and illustrate your points using
particular scenarios.

They can give context to the situation you are explaining.

 Types of supporting sentences

Examples

American culture truly is a melting pot of cultures from

around the world. As groups of people immigrate here,
they bring with them bits of their home culture, such as
the amazing variety of ethnic foods that Americans enjoy.
Pasta dishes from Italy, salsa from Mexico, and sushi from
Japan have all become part of America’s dining culture.
The body structure

3. The concluding sentence or analysis

• This is the last sentence of the paragraph.

• It helps you summarize everything you have said in the paragraph about
the topic sentence.

• Use linking words that indicate that conclusions are being drawn, for
example, therefore, thus, resulting.

• This idea also introduces a new concept that will be picked up in the topic
sentence of the next paragraph.
 1. Identify the topic sentence
2. Identify the support
3. Identify the analysis

1
Companies must offer alternatives for women to return to the workforce
after having a baby. Japanese women want to work either for money or for
their own interests. Some businesses, for example, could offer women the
chance to work part-time or take a maternity leave and then go back to their
jobs. Therefore, companies should set up ways for female workers both to
2 work and to have children, and the government must also look for ways to
make it happen at workplaces.
3
 The

The concluding paragraph restates the thesis statement and

summarizes the key arguments in about 3-5 sentences. It finishes
with the concluding statement.

• The first sentence should restate the thesis statement.

• The next summarizes the topic sentences (the first sentence of
each paragraph).
• Finally, the last sentence presents the concluding statement.
 Types of concluding statements
• A question
Now that you know what meditation can offer, are you willing to give it a try?

• A call to action
It is recommended that everybody tries to schedule a specific time for meditation
at least three times a week.

• An interesting quotation
As Mark Twain said, “Never regret anything that made you smile”.

• A prediction about the future

As people meditate more, there will be wiser decisions and less negative
consequences to regret about.
 1. Identify the restated thesis.
2. Identify the summary of the topic sentences.
3. Identify the concluding statement.
2
1
Families, companies and government need to contribute to Japan’s low
birthrate. Families must support women in their endeavors, companies have
to be flexible with the mothers and the government must create policies to
protect them. We had better take matters seriously for a bright Japanese
future by joining all society sectors together and come up with urgent plans
to save the country.
3
 Structure of the persuasive essay

Introduction:
- Hook:
- Background
- Thesis
Body: (3 paragraphs)
-Topic sentence
- Supporting idea
- Concluding idea
Conclusion:
- Rephrased thesis
-Summary of the topic sentences
- Concluding statement
 Writing an Outline
An outline is a general plan of what you are going to write in the finished
paper. It will show the order of your information, what each paragraph will
discuss.

An outline…
• Helps you organize your ideas.
• Presents your material in a logical form.
• Shows the relationships among ideas in your
writing.
• Constructs an ordered overview of your writing.
Introduction:
- Background (2 reasons) The outline in
- Thesis a persuasive
Body: (3 paragraphs) essay
-Topic sentence
- Supporting ideas (2 ideas)
Conclusion:
- Concluding statement
Introduction:
- Background (2 reasons) 1. Japan is experiencing a baby deficit/ 2. Working women do not
longer seem interested in having babies.
- Thesis: Japan’s baby deficit is a problem that could be overcome if families, companies
and the government offer alternatives to working women.

Body: (3 paragraphs)
-Topic sentence (P1): Families must offer women the chance to go back to work.
- Supporting ideas (P1): 1. Husbands must support their wives in their endeavors/2. 68% of
women who have families' support are able to work and have children
- Topic sentence (P2) - Supporting ideas (P2) 1. _____________ 2.________________
- Topic sentence (P3) - Supporting ideas (P3) 1. _____________ 2.________________
Conclusion:
Concluding statement: We had better take matters seriously for a bright Japanese future
by joining all society sectors together and come up with urgent plans to save the country.
 References

Folse, K., Muchmore-Vokoun, A., & Vestri, E. (2010). Great Writings 4: Great Essays,
3rd Edition. Boston, USA: Heinle Cengage Learning.

Folse, K., Muchmore-Vokoun, A., & Vestri, E. (2010). Great Writings 3: Great
Paragraphs, 3rd Edition. Boston, USA: Heinle Cengage Learning.

Zemach, D & Stafford-Yilmaz, L. (2008). Writers at work: The essay students’ book.
Cambridge University Press