PEARSON ADULT LEARNING CENTRE
Literature and Composition Level 4
Writing a Persuasive Paragraph
February 15, 2002
The essay, "Thoughts on Peace in an Air Raid," is a piece
of persuasive writing. Virginia Woolf used both facts and opinions to
persuade us, the readers, to take action. Today, we will write our own
persuasive paragraph.
Writing Good Persuasive Paragraphs:
First: Write down at least one idea for BOTH SIDES of your
topic. For example, if your idea is, "fast food is bad for
us," then be sure to include:
a) It is a fact that fast food has higher fat than fresher, home made
food.
b) It is ALSO a fact that fast food is convenient when a person is in a
hurry.
Second: Make sure you have at least THREE facts to support
your opinion. Another fact on fast food is that it is higher in calories
due to frying, use of sugar and so on.
Third: Be clear on the ACTION you wish the reader to take. For
a paragraph on fast food, we may wish to say, "People would be wise
to eat less fast food every week to preserve their health."
This Week's Writing Assignment: (All
paragraphs are DUE Friday, February 22)
1. Write a 150 to 200 word paragraph on ONE persuasive topic.
2. Include at least one sentence with an opinion AGAINST you to show
that your idea is more persuasive.
3. Include at least three FACTS with your opinions. Make sure each fact
is true and can be checked by another person. Try to include one FACT
from a newspaper, Internet, or other reference book to make your
persuasion stronger.
Topics (Choose One):
Canadian cooking is better than (worse than) your country's
cooking.
Children today are less healthy (more healthy) than 20 years
ago.
People today drive their cars too much (too little).
It is a good idea (bad idea) for children to live with their parents
until they marry.
The transportation system in Greater Vancouver is good enough (not
good enough) for the public.
View the Teacher Sample Paragraph
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