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The 108 Most Persuasive Words In The English Language

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THE 108 MOST PERSUASIVE WORDS IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE

It’s a long known fact that the secret to persuasive writing isn’t in the adjectives, it’s in the verbs.

Copywriters know power verbs sell and convince.

Internally, we have a list of 108 verbs that we’ve been using for a good decade, and we recently thought we should share it with proper credit to the original author.

We found that although the list is being recirculated (and in many cases claimed as original by several different authors!), the original author is, in fact, nowhere to be found.

So, if anyone knows who wrote this, we’d love to know!

With or without the original author, it’s still a great list…here it is!

According to legendary advertising man, Leo Burnet, “Dull and exaggerated ad copy is due to the excess use of adjectives.”

To prove it, he asked his staff to compare the number of adjectives in 62 ads that failed to the number of adjectives in Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, and other age-old classics.

Here’s what he discovered:

Of the 12,758 words in the 62 failed ads, 24.1% were adjectives.

By direct comparison, Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address contains only 35 adjectives out of 268 immortal words – only 13.1% adjective-to-total-word ratio.

Winston Churchill’s famous “Blood, Sweat and Tears” speech rates even lower and has a 12.1% adjective ratio (81 adjectives from 667 words).

Burnett found that similar ratios applied to great works such as The Lord’s Prayer, the Ten Commandments, and the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution. Conclusion: Use more verbs, not adjectives.

Verbs increase the pulling-power and believability of ad copy.

That’s why it makes sense to keep this 108-VERB “CHEAT-SHEET” close-by whenever you begin to draft your next space ad, sales letter, Website, or email campaign.

Still unsure how to incorporate these verbs into your marketing campaign? Or, perhaps, you just don’t have the time?

Then consider hiring a team of professional copywriters to do it for you! Talented advertising and marketing writers can take mediocre content and use power verbs to turn it into engaging copy that meets goals and produces results.

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3 thoughts on “ The 108 Most Persuasive Words In The English Language ”

It is remarkable, very amusing piece

Hi there, love your website. I am a teacher and my kids love using your amazing verbs you have provided us with in their writing. Email me and I could send you some drafts of their writing – you’ll be blown away!

Catch up soon 🙂

Thanks, Hope Brown

Hi Hope! We are so happy to hear that our blog has helped you and your students. We would love to see some of their writing!

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• 40 Useful Words and Phrases for Top-Notch Essays

To be truly brilliant, an essay needs to utilise the right language. You could make a great point, but if it’s not intelligently articulated, you almost needn’t have bothered.

Developing the language skills to build an argument and to write persuasively is crucial if you’re to write outstanding essays every time. In this article, we’re going to equip you with the words and phrases you need to write a top-notch essay, along with examples of how to utilise them.

It’s by no means an exhaustive list, and there will often be other ways of using the words and phrases we describe that we won’t have room to include, but there should be more than enough below to help you make an instant improvement to your essay-writing skills.

This article is suitable for native English speakers and those who are  learning English at Oxford Royale Academy and are just taking their first steps into essay writing.

General explaining

Let’s start by looking at language for general explanations of complex points.

1. In order to

Usage: “In order to” can be used to introduce an explanation for the purpose of an argument. Example: “In order to understand X, we need first to understand Y.”

2. In other words

Usage: Use “in other words” when you want to express something in a different way (more simply), to make it easier to understand, or to emphasise or expand on a point. Example: “Frogs are amphibians. In other words, they live on the land and in the water.”

3. To put it another way

Usage: This phrase is another way of saying “in other words”, and can be used in particularly complex points, when you feel that an alternative way of wording a problem may help the reader achieve a better understanding of its significance. Example: “Plants rely on photosynthesis. To put it another way, they will die without the sun.”

4. That is to say

Usage: “That is” and “that is to say” can be used to add further detail to your explanation, or to be more precise. Example: “Whales are mammals. That is to say, they must breathe air.”

5. To that end

Usage: Use “to that end” or “to this end” in a similar way to “in order to” or “so”. Example: “Zoologists have long sought to understand how animals communicate with each other. To that end, a new study has been launched that looks at elephant sounds and their possible meanings.”

Adding additional information to support a point

Students often make the mistake of using synonyms of “and” each time they want to add further information in support of a point they’re making, or to build an argument . Here are some cleverer ways of doing this.

6. Moreover

Usage: Employ “moreover” at the start of a sentence to add extra information in support of a point you’re making. Example: “Moreover, the results of a recent piece of research provide compelling evidence in support of…”

7. Furthermore

Usage:This is also generally used at the start of a sentence, to add extra information. Example: “Furthermore, there is evidence to suggest that…”

8. What’s more

Usage: This is used in the same way as “moreover” and “furthermore”. Example: “What’s more, this isn’t the only evidence that supports this hypothesis.”

9. Likewise

Usage: Use “likewise” when you want to talk about something that agrees with what you’ve just mentioned. Example: “Scholar A believes X. Likewise, Scholar B argues compellingly in favour of this point of view.”

10. Similarly

Usage: Use “similarly” in the same way as “likewise”. Example: “Audiences at the time reacted with shock to Beethoven’s new work, because it was very different to what they were used to. Similarly, we have a tendency to react with surprise to the unfamiliar.”

11. Another key thing to remember

Usage: Use the phrase “another key point to remember” or “another key fact to remember” to introduce additional facts without using the word “also”. Example: “As a Romantic, Blake was a proponent of a closer relationship between humans and nature. Another key point to remember is that Blake was writing during the Industrial Revolution, which had a major impact on the world around him.”

12. As well as

Usage: Use “as well as” instead of “also” or “and”. Example: “Scholar A argued that this was due to X, as well as Y.”

13. Not only… but also

Usage: This wording is used to add an extra piece of information, often something that’s in some way more surprising or unexpected than the first piece of information. Example: “Not only did Edmund Hillary have the honour of being the first to reach the summit of Everest, but he was also appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire.”

14. Coupled with

Usage: Used when considering two or more arguments at a time. Example: “Coupled with the literary evidence, the statistics paint a compelling view of…”

15. Firstly, secondly, thirdly…

Usage: This can be used to structure an argument, presenting facts clearly one after the other. Example: “There are many points in support of this view. Firstly, X. Secondly, Y. And thirdly, Z.

16. Not to mention/to say nothing of

Usage: “Not to mention” and “to say nothing of” can be used to add extra information with a bit of emphasis. Example: “The war caused unprecedented suffering to millions of people, not to mention its impact on the country’s economy.”

Words and phrases for demonstrating contrast

When you’re developing an argument, you will often need to present contrasting or opposing opinions or evidence – “it could show this, but it could also show this”, or “X says this, but Y disagrees”. This section covers words you can use instead of the “but” in these examples, to make your writing sound more intelligent and interesting.

17. However

Usage: Use “however” to introduce a point that disagrees with what you’ve just said. Example: “Scholar A thinks this. However, Scholar B reached a different conclusion.”

18. On the other hand

Usage: Usage of this phrase includes introducing a contrasting interpretation of the same piece of evidence, a different piece of evidence that suggests something else, or an opposing opinion. Example: “The historical evidence appears to suggest a clear-cut situation. On the other hand, the archaeological evidence presents a somewhat less straightforward picture of what happened that day.”

19. Having said that

Usage: Used in a similar manner to “on the other hand” or “but”. Example: “The historians are unanimous in telling us X, an agreement that suggests that this version of events must be an accurate account. Having said that, the archaeology tells a different story.”

20. By contrast/in comparison

Usage: Use “by contrast” or “in comparison” when you’re comparing and contrasting pieces of evidence. Example: “Scholar A’s opinion, then, is based on insufficient evidence. By contrast, Scholar B’s opinion seems more plausible.”

21. Then again

Usage: Use this to cast doubt on an assertion. Example: “Writer A asserts that this was the reason for what happened. Then again, it’s possible that he was being paid to say this.”

22. That said

Usage: This is used in the same way as “then again”. Example: “The evidence ostensibly appears to point to this conclusion. That said, much of the evidence is unreliable at best.”

Usage: Use this when you want to introduce a contrasting idea. Example: “Much of scholarship has focused on this evidence. Yet not everyone agrees that this is the most important aspect of the situation.”

Adding a proviso or acknowledging reservations

Sometimes, you may need to acknowledge a shortfalling in a piece of evidence, or add a proviso. Here are some ways of doing so.

24. Despite this

Usage: Use “despite this” or “in spite of this” when you want to outline a point that stands regardless of a shortfalling in the evidence. Example: “The sample size was small, but the results were important despite this.”

25. With this in mind

Usage: Use this when you want your reader to consider a point in the knowledge of something else. Example: “We’ve seen that the methods used in the 19th century study did not always live up to the rigorous standards expected in scientific research today, which makes it difficult to draw definite conclusions. With this in mind, let’s look at a more recent study to see how the results compare.”

26. Provided that

Usage: This means “on condition that”. You can also say “providing that” or just “providing” to mean the same thing. Example: “We may use this as evidence to support our argument, provided that we bear in mind the limitations of the methods used to obtain it.”

27. In view of/in light of

Usage: These phrases are used when something has shed light on something else. Example: “In light of the evidence from the 2013 study, we have a better understanding of…”

28. Nonetheless

Usage: This is similar to “despite this”. Example: “The study had its limitations, but it was nonetheless groundbreaking for its day.”

29. Nevertheless

Usage: This is the same as “nonetheless”. Example: “The study was flawed, but it was important nevertheless.”

30. Notwithstanding

Usage: This is another way of saying “nonetheless”. Example: “Notwithstanding the limitations of the methodology used, it was an important study in the development of how we view the workings of the human mind.”

Giving examples

Good essays always back up points with examples, but it’s going to get boring if you use the expression “for example” every time. Here are a couple of other ways of saying the same thing.

31. For instance

Example: “Some birds migrate to avoid harsher winter climates. Swallows, for instance, leave the UK in early winter and fly south…”

32. To give an illustration

Example: “To give an illustration of what I mean, let’s look at the case of…”

Signifying importance

When you want to demonstrate that a point is particularly important, there are several ways of highlighting it as such.

33. Significantly

Usage: Used to introduce a point that is loaded with meaning that might not be immediately apparent. Example: “Significantly, Tacitus omits to tell us the kind of gossip prevalent in Suetonius’ accounts of the same period.”

34. Notably

Usage: This can be used to mean “significantly” (as above), and it can also be used interchangeably with “in particular” (the example below demonstrates the first of these ways of using it). Example: “Actual figures are notably absent from Scholar A’s analysis.”

35. Importantly

Usage: Use “importantly” interchangeably with “significantly”. Example: “Importantly, Scholar A was being employed by X when he wrote this work, and was presumably therefore under pressure to portray the situation more favourably than he perhaps might otherwise have done.”

Summarising

You’ve almost made it to the end of the essay, but your work isn’t over yet. You need to end by wrapping up everything you’ve talked about, showing that you’ve considered the arguments on both sides and reached the most likely conclusion. Here are some words and phrases to help you.

36. In conclusion

Usage: Typically used to introduce the concluding paragraph or sentence of an essay, summarising what you’ve discussed in a broad overview. Example: “In conclusion, the evidence points almost exclusively to Argument A.”

37. Above all

Usage: Used to signify what you believe to be the most significant point, and the main takeaway from the essay. Example: “Above all, it seems pertinent to remember that…”

38. Persuasive

Usage: This is a useful word to use when summarising which argument you find most convincing. Example: “Scholar A’s point – that Constanze Mozart was motivated by financial gain – seems to me to be the most persuasive argument for her actions following Mozart’s death.”

39. Compelling

Usage: Use in the same way as “persuasive” above. Example: “The most compelling argument is presented by Scholar A.”

40. All things considered

Usage: This means “taking everything into account”. Example: “All things considered, it seems reasonable to assume that…”

How many of these words and phrases will you get into your next essay? And are any of your favourite essay terms missing from our list? Let us know in the comments below, or get in touch here to find out more about courses that can help you with your essays.

At Oxford Royale Academy, we offer a number of  summer school courses for young people who are keen to improve their essay writing skills. Click here to apply for one of our courses today, including law , politics , business , medicine  and engineering .

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Master the Art of Convincing with Your Persuasive Essay: Top Tips

There are plenty of conspiracy theories circling around the net – aliens in Area 51 or that the Queen is a lizard. Now that's all wacky and fun, but let's be honest – the videos can be pretty convincing. This is because the people making these videos use special techniques to mess with evidence and convince you that their ridiculous ideas are valid. In a nutshell, this is the goal of persuasive writing.

This article will guide you on how to write a good persuasive essay. We will discuss topics and create an outline and arguments to persuade readers. Be sure to stick around for persuasive essay examples near the end, which you can download and use from our custom writing service for your reference.

What Is a Persuasive Writing

Persuasive writing is a common writing technique taught to students early on in school. This is an interesting and fun type of writing that strives to create a debate on a given topic. This writing technique challenges students to take a clear stance on a specific topic or cause and use compelling argument/s to persuade readers that the author's position is correct.

Now, what is a persuasive essay itself? According to the persuasive essay definition, it is a form of academic writing task, often assigned to students at schools, colleges, and universities, to persuade readers that a specific point of view is correct.

When forming a persuasive essay, students must thoroughly research the given topic, analyze it, and take a solid argumentative position. Then, with the help of logical arguments and convincing words, a student is expected to dispel biases and assure readers that there are no correct points of view other than the authors.

Why Is Persuasive Writing Important?

Persuasive papers are a common assignment in schools and colleges because they help keep students engaged and more involved in their classwork. Additionally, writing this type of assignment helps develop various essential skills, including research, critical thinking, the ability to form evidence-based conclusions, etc.

Argumentative vs Persuasive Essay

A persuasive essay is often referred to as an argumentative essay. This can create an illusion that these types of works are the same and can cause confusion. However, there is a difference between argumentative and persuasive writing approaches.

Although both writing styles aim to persuade readers of a certain position through logic and argument, a persuasive piece often appeals to readers' emotions in addition to giving them the facts. To persuade the reader of your point of view while simultaneously dealing with their emotions, you must employ compelling reasons in your persuasive essay.

You might also be interested in discovering what a process essay is and how to write one.

Persuasive Essay Format

The basic requirements for a persuasive paper are as follows:

• Fonts: Times New Roman or another easy-to-read font like Georgia or Arial
• Font Size: 16pt for the headline(s) and 12pt for the rest of the text
• Alignment: justified
• Spacing: double, or in some cases, 1.5
• Word count: as a rule, from 500 to 2000 words—check your teacher's guidelines to learn what word count applies to you

The List of Topics and How to Pick One

When thinking of persuasive essay ideas, choosing a topic with many contrasting opinions is best. Broad issues such as gun control and abortion rights can spawn novel-length essays. These best are avoided unless you're writing a dissertation.

Say you want to argue in favor of space exploration. It perfectly fits the description of a widely explored contemporary subject. Creating a structure where every body paragraph explores a different planet might be too much. Why not narrow it down and argue about building a base on the moon? This way, you can convince the audience of the benefits of creating a moon base and give them a small idea of what can be achieved from space exploration on a larger scale.

Hence, you have persuaded your reader on a small topic connected to a much broader one. This will leave them inspired with plenty of thoughts to feast on, allowing them to dive further into the world of space.

Remember This When Picking a Topic

The main focus of persuasive essays is the point of view. It's important to choose issues that you are knowledgeable about or that you can defend or refute. The best persuasive essays ever written use personal experiences to draw attention to significant social issues that most readers have chosen to overlook. Consider A Letter from Birmingham Prison by Martin Luther King Jr. or Women's Rights are Human Rights by Hillary Clinton as examples.

Topics for High School

Perhaps space exploration is long and tedious and makes your stomach turn. Don't worry — you can come up with plenty of simple persuasive essay topics for high school. Perhaps you have already debated some of these with your friends:

• Schools should restrict the use of tablets in the classroom, as it distracts students and causes difficulty in learning.
• The Velvet Underground is the most important and influential American rock band ever.
• Explain why advertisements should be banned from social media.
• Due to growing environmental concerns, eating meat should be banned within the next five years.
• Historically, businessmen in positions of power are a bad idea.

Topics for College

Persuasive essay topics for college get a bit more complicated. The finest essay subjects address moral, ethical, technical, and sustainability concerns while considering current events. Through their work, students can significantly change society and bravely give the past a fresh lease on life. For college, it is best to choose controversial persuasive essay topics. They challenge the writer to engage in relevant intellectual issues. Here are some examples:

• Media marketed for teenagers advertise morally and ethically wrong messages.
• Federal courtrooms must have live cameras that televise all trials.
• Beauty contests should not be encouraged.
• With the information available online, college education should be made significantly cheaper.
• Create a prisoner rehabilitation system using music and art.
• Arguing in favor of Net Neutrality.

Persuasive Essay Outline

Writing an outline is a big step for writing persuasive essays. An outline helps to get your thoughts well-organized and makes the writing process simpler.To write persuasive essays, you must first create an outline. Your thoughts will be more structured with an outline, facilitating writing.

There are three basic components to a typical persuasive essay format, which is relatively similar to other essays: an introduction, a body, and a conclusion. Every component has a specific function in the text. You must follow the persuasive essay format and cite it according to one of the common citation styles, such as APA or MLA.

Here is a brief note on what each part of this paper consists of and what purpose each part has:

• How to write a persuasive essay introduction? Employ a strong hook for persuasive essay that draws the reader in and introduces the subject. After that, give some background information on the topic you'll be discussing. Last, incorporate a clear thesis statement expressing your position on the subject and summarizing the key arguments you'll bring up throughout the body paragraphs.
• How to write a persuasive essay main body? Each body paragraph should begin with a topic sentence that enhances your argument. Present evidence, such as data or professional opinions, to support your claim. Finally, describe how the proof backs up your claim. Recognize and respond to any potential objections to your position. Lastly, provide the following point in the sentence that concludes each paragraph.
• How to write a persuasive essay conclusion? Summarize the key arguments and restate your thesis for persuasive essay in new words. You might conclude by urging the reader to act or continue to think about the subject. Finally, leave the reader with a last idea or comment that makes an impact.

To give you a better idea of how to write an outline for a persuasive essay, here is a template for persuasive essay on the topic 'Are Women Weaker Than Men Today':

1. Introduction

• Hook: 'In the 21st century, women are more than housewives.'
• Background Info: 'For ages, the debate on whether women are weaker or stronger than men has not faded.'
• Thesis: 'The era of male dominance has come to an end. Today women can do and be pretty much everything men can.'

2. Main Body

• Argument #1: The strength of a woman from a family perspective + supporting facts, stats, and evidence
• Argument #2: The strength from a work perspective + supporting facts, stats, and evidence
• Argument #3: The strength from a society perspective + supporting facts, stats, and evidence

3. Conclusion

• Summary of all arguments
• Thesis restatement: 'Women were perceived as the weaker sex for centuries. However, looking at modern women's examples today, we can mark this statement as false.'
• Food for thought: 'Over the past decades, women worldwide have proven that they can do anything a man can and succeed. Their success is the best indicator of their strength. And, even though there is nothing else to prove, women are still seeking to take a more active role in modern society.'

How to Use Arguments in Persuasive Essays

How to start a persuasive essay: first and foremost, you must understand the basic principles of persuasive writing to write an effective paper. Your main goal is to make readers accept and agree with your opinion. The only way to do it is by supporting your ideas with credible, reasonable, and convincing argument/s. You will also have to use emotional appeal and logic. Your text's right blend of rational and emotional elements makes it persuasive.

Now, let's get back to the basic elements of persuasive writing. Aristotle describes three elements of rhetoric that you should keep at the core of your writing:

• Ethos: an element that appeals to an author's credibility. It implies that readers will trust your opinion because they find you a credible author. If you don't have your ethos yet (meaning you are not a proven expert in a specific field), you can refer to opinions stated by credible organizations and personas. In this case, their ethos will help your arguments sound more solid.

Example: The National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America has conducted a study that has shown that women can survive for longer than men under extreme conditions such as epidemics, famines, enslavement, etc.

• Pathos: an element that appeals to emotions. The trick is to focus on the audience's values, morals, and beliefs and use them to: provoke the needed emotions and promote an agreement with the idea you have stated.

Example: This is a man's world, but where would we all be without a woman? A woman is a person that gives birth to us, a person who guides each of us through this world, and a person who inspires and motivates us. How can such a person be called weak?

• Logos: an element that appeals to reasoning. The last basic principle of persuasive writing, Logos, implies using evidence and logic to assure readers agree with your opinion.

Example: Numerous studies have confirmed that women are mentally stronger than men in numerous domains of cognition.

How to Shape a Powerful Persuasive Argument

Here are a few basic tips to help you generate convincing arguments for your paper:

• Research. You must be very well-informed about the chosen topic to form solid and convincing points. Research it thoroughly using trusted sources, collect expert opinions, and find facts.
• Make sure there are two sides to your topic. Your thesis must have two sides – the one with which you agree and the one you will oppose. You cannot create a good persuasive argument if the chosen topic is not debatable.
• Understand the contrasting opinion. Another vital factor in shaping powerful arguments is being able to understand the opposite position and being able to find solid counter arguments to disprove it.
• Use evidence. Finally, remember that a persuasive argument will look incomplete and invalid if you lack sufficient convincing evidence to support it.

Take Your Persuasive Writing to the Next Level!

Give us your task to amaze your readers with our tried-and-true methods

How to Support Your Argument

As you already know how to shape a good argument, let's look at the different ways to support it:

1. Statistics – an excellent way to support your ideas is to use all sorts of statistics. As a rule, stats look very convincing in the general context. However, be sure to only provide valid statistics from credible sources.

Example: Today, women represent 18% of the officer corps and about 16% of the enlisted military forces in the US, reinforcing that women can do anything men can.

2. Facts – proven facts are powerful means of persuasion for which you can rely on your paper.

Example: According to studies, when it comes to longevity, women are more likely to survive illness and cope with trauma.

3. Examples – providing examples from real life (including your own experiences), literature, or history can help enhance the effect of your persuasive paper and provide good support for your arguments.

Example: Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany, is a true, real-life example of a woman's strength. Merkel had the strength to enter the world of politics and compete against men. She has proven to the world that a woman can be a good politician. It is not without reason that she has held the first spot in Forbes' list of the most powerful women in the world for nine years in a row.

4. Quotes – another excellent way to support your ideas is to provide direct quotes that reflect the opinions of trusted and credible personas.

Example: 'To call woman the weaker sex is a libel; it is man's injustice to woman. If by strength, brute strength is meant, then indeed, a woman is less brute than a man. If moral power is meant by strength, then the woman is immeasurably man's superior. Has she not greater intuition, is she not more self-sacrificing, has she not greater powers of endurance, has she not greater courage? Without her, man could not be. If nonviolence is the law of our being, the future is with a woman. Who can make a more effective appeal to the heart than woman?' - Mahatma Gandhi

How to Write a Persuasive Essay: Step-by-Step

Once assigned to write a persuasive paper, many students make the mistake of heading straight to writing the essay, whereas some preparational steps shouldn't be skipped.

Here is a complete step-by-step guide that will help you navigate through the whole process:

Take a Stance

To get started, you need to define a clear position. To decide which side you will support, look at both sides of the topic and determine which one appeals to you and your personal beliefs. Also, don't forget to research to ensure you have enough evidence to back your ideas.

When you have established your position, you may continue to delve further into your subject. To develop compelling arguments, you must thoroughly know the subject.

When conducting your research, be careful with choosing your sources – they must be valid and trustworthy. Also, don't forget to take notes of the most interesting facts, stats, examples, and quotes. Later they will come in handy to back your arguments.

Evaluate and Prioritize Evidence

In the research, you will probably come across various proofs. Unfortunately, there is no way you can fit them all into a single paper. That's why your next step is to assess the collected evidence and identify the strongest facts that will add the most value to your work.

Make a Clear Outline

Use the tips and examples mentioned earlier to form a detailed and clear outline for your paper. A persuasive essay outline will help you cover all of the important details and ensure you won't get lost in the writing process.

Write Your First Draft

After setting the outline for your essay, start writing the rough draft. However, before you rush into it, consider looking through a few good persuasive writing examples to understand how it should look.

When writing, make sure to stick to the outline. It will assist you in maintaining a logical organization for your arguments.

Proofread and Edit Your Paper

Finally, the last steps to success are proofreading and editing. We recommend giving yourself a few days off after writing to restore your energy and get back to proofreading with a rested and fresh mind.

Remember that proofreading and editing is not just about detecting and fixing grammar mistakes. During this phase, you ought to find any areas for improvement in your paper and polish them.

Tips for Persuasive Writing

With all that being said, here are some final tips for writing a great persuasive essay:

• Avoid fancy vocabulary. Having some variety when it comes to vocabulary is fine, but don't expect your grade to be better because of some fancy synonyms. Find your style and write in a way that makes sense.
• Make logical transitions between different parts of your paper. Be sure to make your paper smooth and easy to read.
• Experiment with different persuasive writing techniques. We listed some of the basic elements of persuasive writing in this article, but even more are found in countless different mediums.
• Triple-check your work! Practice makes perfect, and so does proofreading. Check the assignment for readability, logic, style, tone of voice, etc. Make sure that everything flows in harmony with the thesis. Get a second pair of eyes by giving your essay to a friend for reading!
• Ask the right questions. After you have written and proofread your paper, take some time to ask yourself the following questions:
• Did I follow the teacher's guidelines?
• Did I answer the main question provided in the task (if any)?
• Is my essay structured well?
• Is the text clear and coherent?
• Is my choice of words throughout the paper good?
• Did I provide enough supporting evidence for my ideas?
• Is my paper free of errors?
• Can I further improve the quality of my paper?
• Does it look convincing?

This simple checklist will help you ensure that your persuasive essay is flawless. If you are overwhelmed with the tasks, feel free to contact us 24/7. Just leave us a message ' write my paper .'

Persuasive Essay Examples

Check out our persuasive essay examples below to get a better understanding of writing this type of paper.

Persuasive Essay Example: Are Women Weaker Than Men Today?

This is an example of a well-structured persuasive essay from our economic essay writing service. The author challenges the assumption that women are weaker than men and provides evidence to support his claim.

The question of whether women are weaker than men has often elicited raging debates, with conservationists arguing that women are certainly weaker than men. The converse is, however, true, and if the 21st-century woman is to be taken as an example, women are certainly as strong as men, if not stronger, across all comparable platforms. The era of male dominance came to an end with the rise of feminine power, and gone are the days when men were the more dominant of the human species. As the saying goes, "what men can do, women can do better," the women of today can do almost everything men can do and as just as good.

Persuasive Essay Example: Should People Who Download Music and Movies Illegally Be Punished?

This persuasive essay example from our essay service uses source material well and addresses a contemporary issue. The writer challenges the idea of online piracy and argues that sharing media has become a norm in society.

The United States government came up with the Copyright Act of 1976 to protect the works of art by different artists. The act outlines the punishable felonies concerning authenticity; for instance, illegally downloading music from the internet is a punishable offense. In addition, it sets specific fines for committing such crimes; for example, it says that one could pay a fine of up to $ 30,000 per piece of work (Burrell & Coleman, n.d.). Therefore, though downloading songs freely from the internet could sound normal, it is a felony. However, some questions exist on whether this act is worth the penalties. For this reason, a critical analysis of the transgression will determine whether or not it merits the charges.

This persuasive essay example from our essay service makes good use of source material and addresses a contemporary issue. The writer challenges the idea of online piracy, and argues that sharing media has become a norm in society.

See also our informative essay examples , perhaps they will be useful to you.

Final Words

Consider clauses used in a persuasive essay, including presenting solid evidence, acknowledging opposing arguments, and employing transitional words to link concepts in your paper. It is also critical to understand how to create a hook for a persuasive essay to grab the reader's interest and establish the essay's tone. These strategies enable students to produce persuasive essays that convince readers to agree with their particular point of view.

If you'd rather have a team of professionals craft you an effective persuasive essay or even provide ample informative essay examples , don't hesitate to contact us now and buy essay paper for immediate assistance. We have the skill and experience needed to create top-notch persuasive essays just for you. Therefore, if you need any further help to cope with your academic assignment(s) on time, don’t hesitate contact us to buy essay paper .

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Persuasive Essay: The Ultimate Guide on Writing It

Oh, no. Essays… Again!

image by Gratisography

Persuasion essay example are many, and students have to know them all, as well as understand the difference between them. What to do if a professor assigns a persuasive essay to you?

Here you’ll find the ultimate guide on writing persuasive essays, including the tips on choosing a topic, outlining your essay, structuring it step by step, representing strong arguments to convince readers of your position, and examples/additional resources to check for better essay writing .

So, here we go!

Table of Contents:

• Persuasive essay topics
• Persuasive essay structure
• Five elements of persuasion in your essay
• Choose your position
• Do research
• Identify the strongest evidence
• Write a persuasive essay outline
• Write a draft of your persuasive essay
• Proofread and edit
• Persuasive essay samples

What is a Persuasive Essay?

Persuasive essays are also known as argumentative. However, there’s a difference between these two essay types:

• In argumentative essays , you show both sides of the coin to readers. You describe all arguments and counterarguments, even if you don’t agree with some of them, and it’s up to readers to decide which works best.
• In persuasive essays , you choose a side and represent arguments only about this aspect to convince readers of the truth of your words.

Persuasive Essay Topics

For your writing persuasive essays  to succeed , its topic needs to be po lem ical rather than exp ository . It means you can ‘t argue about common knowledge such as “ People need air to breathe .” But something like “ People need marijuana for better health “ might work . For those looking for an essay maker to help craft an argument ative , po lem ical essay , you can take advantage of online tools and resources .

Sometimes professors assign a particular topic for you to write. But more often than not, they ask to choose a topic of your interest and craft a persuasive essay in a given time.

The best polemical issues to use for a persuasive essay include spheres like culture, politics, climate changes, gender issues, animal rights, and religion. But sure enough, you can choose anything that worries you if you enough arguments to persuade readers of your position.

Here goes the list of persuasive essay topics for you to consider (first appeared at ThoughtCo ):

Persuasive Essay Topics for Beginners

Intermediate

Persuasive Essay Topics for Intermediates

Persuasive Essay Topics for Advanced

Make sure to choose a persuasive essay topic that inspires but also gives you materials to research. If you can’t find any strong arguments to support your statement, your persuasive essay will hardly get an A.

Also, feel free to consider these topics when thinking of what to write in your essay. They are up-to-date, with tons of debates in literature and online, so you’ll cover any of them by all means.

Topics to Choose for Your Next Persuasive Essay

Every topic from the above is quite debatable and has both advocates and opponents. The Quad shares the links to them all , so if you decide to write a persuasive essay on any controversial topic from the list, you can learn arguments and find evidence from both sides of the fence.

Persuasive Essay Structure

The structure of your short persuasive essay is not that difficult to remember and follow.

Given that you need to convince a reader of your arguments, you’ll first need to state a thesis in your essay introduction, and then write a couple of paragraphs to share the evidence that support your thesis. Don’t forget to include counterarguments from your opponents but explain why you disagree with them.

And finally, write a conclusion restating your thesis and providing a reader with food for thought.

• Introduction: hook, background, thesis.
• Body: 1-2 paragraphs, each with an argument and supporting evidence.
• Body: 1 paragraph, with your opponent’s arguments and your counterarguments on why you still disagree.
• Conclusion: sum up your points, restate your thesis, and leave readers with food for thought.

In the introduction, describe the problem and state the point you’re trying to make. Also, think of a strong hook for readers to understand why they should care.

In body paragraphs, support your thesis with evidence from credible resources. Leave one paragraph for counterargument: what your opponents have to say on the issue and why you still disagree. Use logical arguments and research to convince readers .

In the conclusion, wrap up your persuasive essay by restating your thesis. You may end it with a question for readers to think about.

How to Use Arguments in Persuasive Essays

First and foremost, you need to understand the basic principles of persuasive writing and know the five elements of persuasion.

Given that you need to get others to accept your point of view, your arguments in the essay should be reasonable, verifiable, and credible enough. More than that, you need to appeal to human logic and emotions. The right combination of emotional and rational elements is what makes your essay persuasive.

How to reach that?

Remember the basic principles of persuasive writing, described by Aristotle many moons ago. He called them elements of rhetoric, and they were three:

■ Ethos (appealing to a writer’s character and credibility): use authoritative resources to prove your arguments.

Example: “I’m a Doctor of Dental Surgery, and I recommend this toothpaste to keep your teeth white.”

■ Pathos (appealing to emotions): focus on a reader’s morals, values, and beliefs.

Example: “You just can’t be cool in high school without a white smile! How to communicate with peers if you worry about your teeth and freshness? That’s where a good toothpaste will help.”

■ Logos (appealing to reason): use logic and evidence to persuade others to agree with you.

Example: “Recent studies conclude that this toothpaste removes 40% more plague and makes our teeth 20% whiter than all other types of toothpaste.”

The above and more examples: Your Dictionary

Ethos, Pathos and Logos

Unlike logos and pathos, ethos is not about writing itself but your reputation as a writer. For example, readers of your essay will trust you and agree with you because they know you as a good student who spends tons of time exploring this topic. Or, millions trust Kim Kardashian because she’s a world-famous media persona, not a random girl off the street. Her popularity is her ethos. In the context of essays, you can reference to credible personas and organizations in your work. Their ethos is what can help your arguments sound persuasive.

Five Elements of Persuasion in Your Essay

Persuasive essays have no paragraph limits. You can write one body paragraph to explain your position, and another paragraph – to describe counterarguments of your opponents and why you disagree. Or, you are welcome to write 2-3-4 paragraphs with arguments and counterarguments to persuade readers.

But here’s what matters:

For your persuasive essay to sound credible and argumentative, make sure it has the following five elements inside:

• Your clear position. Make your thesis narrow in focus. It can be a claim, a fact, a definition, a solution, or a call of judgment. Feel free to use our thesis statement generator to introduce the idea of your essay. It should present your position on the topic.
• Effective communication. Hook the audience’s attention with some background information on the topic. You can start with a question, inviting them to keep on reading to find out your opinion. Use straightforward language, don’t manipulate with readers’ emotions.

It’s all about pathos: your writing voice and style is more likely to persuade readers than boring and vague language with tons of grammar mistakes .

• Your solid (+ credible) argument. Make it logical, consistent, and fact-based. It should address the interests of those you want to persuade and be endorsed by authoritative third parties.

Consider your audience. What do they already know about the topic? What do they think of it? Do they agree or disagree, and what are the chances to change their opinion? Are there any sensitive issues about the topic?

Remember the formula: one paragraph = one argument + one reason why you think like that. And make each reason logically connected to your thesis statement.

What evidence can you use to support arguments?

• proven facts
• definitions
• quotes from experts
• examples to illustrate your point of view, including your personal experience
• relevant emotional appeals

This guy from Smrt English will help you get a better idea of what it’s all about. Perfect for those who choose watching over reading. 😉

• Clear structure. Organize your persuasive essay so every argument would relate to the thesis. Start with the weaker argument and build your essay up to the stronger point for readers to remember the most convincing information.And pay attention to transitions and connections between paragraphs to show the relationships between arguments in the essay and make it easy to follow.
• Strong conclusion. Restate your thesis in the light of the evidence you’ve provided in the essay. Make your conclusion logically draw from your arguments.

How to Write a Persuasive Essay: Step by Step

The most common questions students ask are how to start a persuasive essay and how to end a persuasive essay.

But they forget one tiny detail here:

They need to take at least four steps before the actual essay writing. Here it goes, the process of persuasive essay writing, step by step:

Source: Giphy

Step 1 – Choose Your Position

A persuasive essay is called so because the issue you describe there is polemical. It means you can argue both for and against it. But it’s crucial to decide which side you are going to support before writing your essay. In other words, you need to know the purpose of your persuasive essay.

Make sure you can find enough evidence to support it. For a persuasive essay, it should be based on solid research and credible arguments. Do you have them to back your cynicism about the climate change problem?

Step 2 – Do Research

To convince readers of your position, you need to know the topic inside out and understand it from multiple angles. And given that your persuasive essay should provide convincing evidence for your claims, you’ll have to do research to find them.

It’s not only about your personal experience and knowledge but also academic studies, historical examples, relevant media news, and expert opinions. To gather them, you might need to visit libraries or interview opinion leaders. Or, you might want to send them emails and ask for their expert thoughts to use as references in the essay.

When choosing evidence and resources to cite in your essay, consider the CRAAP test to evaluate them:

How to Evaluate Sources and Understand if You Can Use Them as References in Essays The CRAAP method:

Yes, it takes time. So make sure to save it for research and don’t cut it close the deadline. Vague assumptions and unverified information won’t work here.

Step 3 – Identify the Strongest Evidence

Once the research is ready, you may have many different aspects to cover the topic. But you can’t write about all of them. Choose the one with the strongest evidence that will help to support your position, and concentrate on it for stating the thesis of your persuasive essay.

Don’t hurry up to choose the most commonly argued aspect. If you’ve gathered enough evidence for a rarely discussed problem around your topic and essay purpose – focus on it.

Step 4 – Write a Persuasive Essay Outline

And now, for the most interesting part:

Outline writing.

Before you sit and start a persuasive essay, write its plan. It’s a kinda map for you to understand how your essay will look, and it helps you make sure you don’t miss anything from its structure.

Here is the template for you to use:

Persuasive Essay Outline

I. Introduction

a) Lead/Hook (quote, question, anecdote) b) Lead/Hook explanation c) Thesis Statement

II. Body. Paragraph-1

a) Topic Sentence (the first main point in the thesis) b) Quote (to support the point) c) Explanation of the quote d) Explanation of how this quote relates to the thesis

III. Body. Paragraph-2

a) Topic Sentence (the second main point in the thesis) b) Quote (to support the point) c) Explanation of the quote d) Explanation of how this quote relates to the thesis

IV. Body. Paragraph-3

a) Topic Sentence (the third main point in the thesis, or a counterargument to the thesis) b) Quote (to support the point) c) Explanation of the quote d) Explanation of how this quote relates to the thesis

V. Conclusion

a) Summary of all main points b) Thesis restatement c) Call to action or what you want readers to do after reading your essay

The outline allows you to specify all core components of your persuasive essay so you wouldn’t get lost in the writing process.

Step 5 – Write a Draft of Your Persuasive Essay

Once the outline is ready, just sit and write your essay . Don’t concentrate on spelling or grammar mistakes, and don’t get distracted from the process of writing itself. Just let your thoughts flow, don’t hurry up to edit.

After you’ve finished the draft, put it aside, and wait for a couple of hours or a day. You need some time between the writing process and proofreading/editing your essay: it helps to judge your work with a fresh eye and see if there are any weak points to revise.

Step 6 – Proofread and Edit

It’s not about spell check only. When editing a persuasive essay, you need to re-check arguments once again, make sure your language is appropriate (avoid pompous or jargon phrases), and the overall essay structure isn’t too complex.

Questions to answer when editing:

Editing Your Essay: Questions to Answer

Also, you can use free editing apps and tools to check your persuasive essay for errors. For example, the Hemingway App will help to make your writing concise; Grammarly will spot spelling, punctuation, and style mistakes; and ProWritingAid will count the words in your essay and also fix your grammar mistakes.

But if it still sounds difficult to you, feel free to ask academic writers and editors for the professional help. They’ll comment on your mistakes so you’ll improve writing skills and craft your future essay better.

Persuasive Essay Samples

All this is good, but is there an example of a persuasive essay?

Here go samples for your consideration.

(Note! Samples are aimed for assistance purposes only: don’t plagiarize them and don’t copy their parts to use in own papers. Instead, ask our writers for help – and you’ll get an A-worthy essay right away.)

Additional Persuasive Essay Resources:

• Persuasive Essay Format
• The Basic Principles of Persuasive Writing
• Persuasive Essay Elements
• How to Do Research for an Excellent Essay
• How to Start a Persuasive Essay and How to End a Persuasive Essay
• Lessons on Persuasive Essay Writing

Our Writing Guides

9 thoughts on “ persuasive essay: the ultimate guide on writing it ”.

Everything presents here is very helpful to me, and I’m grateful for that and wanna rate you by give you 5⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thanks for writing such an informative blog which will surely be a great help for the students writing their persuasive essay

Thanks for writing this post! Our English teacher used this link as resource for our Persuasive Essay assignment, and this has been very useful. I’m actually referencing it right now, as I write my essay!

Cheers, from a student who benefited greatly from this resource.

My teacher shared this article with our class when assigned persuasive essay last month. Very helpful. Thanks for examples and such a detailed explanation of this essay structure!

Hello guys, thanks for this cool guide! Waiting for your new informative posts 🙂

Could your writers help with a 4000 word essay in one day?

I am not sure where you get your information, but good topic! I need to spend some time learning more. Thanks for your work!

Could you please help me with how to start an argumentative essay example? Thanks!

Thanks for the comment and question! We have many guides here on the blog that will help you. Here go some:

– how to start an essay – how to write argumentative essays

Great Article!

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How to Write a Persuasive Essay

Last Updated: June 16, 2023 References

This article was co-authored by Christopher Taylor, PhD . Christopher Taylor is an Adjunct Assistant Professor of English at Austin Community College in Texas. He received his PhD in English Literature and Medieval Studies from the University of Texas at Austin in 2014. There are 16 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been viewed 4,262,427 times.

A persuasive essay is an essay used to convince a reader about a particular idea or focus, usually one that you believe in. Your persuasive essay could be based on anything about which you have an opinion or that you can make a clear argument about. Whether you're arguing against junk food at school or petitioning for a raise from your boss, knowing how to write a persuasive essay is an important skill that everyone should have.

Sample Persuasive Essays

How to Lay the Groundwork

• Look for language that gives you a clue as to whether you are writing a purely persuasive or an argumentative essay. For example, if the prompt uses words like “personal experience” or “personal observations,” you know that these things can be used to support your argument.
• On the other hand, words like “defend” or “argue” suggest that you should be writing an argumentative essay, which may require more formal, less personal evidence.
• If you aren’t sure about what you’re supposed to write, ask your instructor.

• Whenever possible, start early. This way, even if you have emergencies like a computer meltdown, you’ve given yourself enough time to complete your essay.

• Try using stasis theory to help you examine the rhetorical situation. This is when you look at the facts, definition (meaning of the issue or the nature of it), quality (the level of seriousness of the issue), and policy (plan of action for the issue).
• To look at the facts, try asking: What happened? What are the known facts? How did this issue begin? What can people do to change the situation?
• To look at the definition, ask: What is the nature of this issue or problem? What type of problem is this? What category or class would this problem fit into best?
• To examine the quality, ask: Who is affected by this problem? How serious is it? What might happen if it is not resolved?
• To examine the policy, ask: Should someone take action? Who should do something and what should they do?

• For example, if you are arguing against unhealthy school lunches, you might take very different approaches depending on whom you want to convince. You might target the school administrators, in which case you could make a case about student productivity and healthy food. If you targeted students’ parents, you might make a case about their children’s health and the potential costs of healthcare to treat conditions caused by unhealthy food. And if you were to consider a “grassroots” movement among your fellow students, you’d probably make appeals based on personal preferences.

• It also should present the organization of your essay. Don’t list your points in one order and then discuss them in a different order.
• For example, a thesis statement could look like this: “Although pre-prepared and highly processed foods are cheap, they aren’t good for students. It is important for schools to provide fresh, healthy meals to students, even when they cost more. Healthy school lunches can make a huge difference in students’ lives, and not offering healthy lunches fails students.”
• Note that this thesis statement isn’t a three-prong thesis. You don’t have to state every sub-point you will make in your thesis (unless your prompt or assignment says to). You do need to convey exactly what you will argue.

• A mind map could be helpful. Start with your central topic and draw a box around it. Then, arrange other ideas you think of in smaller bubbles around it. Connect the bubbles to reveal patterns and identify how ideas relate. [6] X Research source
• Don’t worry about having fully fleshed-out ideas at this stage. Generating ideas is the most important step here.

• For example, if you’re arguing for healthier school lunches, you could make a point that fresh, natural food tastes better. This is a personal opinion and doesn’t need research to support it. However, if you wanted to argue that fresh food has more vitamins and nutrients than processed food, you’d need a reliable source to support that claim.
• If you have a librarian available, consult with him or her! Librarians are an excellent resource to help guide you to credible research.

How to Draft Your Essay

• An introduction. You should present a “hook” here that grabs your audience’s attention. You should also provide your thesis statement, which is a clear statement of what you will argue or attempt to convince the reader of.
• Body paragraphs. In 5-paragraph essays, you’ll have 3 body paragraphs. In other essays, you can have as many paragraphs as you need to make your argument. Regardless of their number, each body paragraph needs to focus on one main idea and provide evidence to support it. These paragraphs are also where you refute any counterpoints that you’ve discovered.
• Conclusion. Your conclusion is where you tie it all together. It can include an appeal to emotions, reiterate the most compelling evidence, or expand the relevance of your initial idea to a broader context. Because your purpose is to persuade your readers to do/think something, end with a call to action. Connect your focused topic to the broader world.

• For example, you could start an essay on the necessity of pursuing alternative energy sources like this: “Imagine a world without polar bears.” This is a vivid statement that draws on something that many readers are familiar with and enjoy (polar bears). It also encourages the reader to continue reading to learn why they should imagine this world.
• You may find that you don’t immediately have a hook. Don’t get stuck on this step! You can always press on and come back to it after you’ve drafted your essay.

• Put your hook first. Then, proceed to move from general ideas to specific ideas until you have built up to your thesis statement.
• Don't slack on your thesis statement . Your thesis statement is a short summary of what you're arguing for. It's usually one sentence, and it's near the end of your introductory paragraph. Make your thesis a combination of your most persuasive arguments, or a single powerful argument, for the best effect.

• Start with a clear topic sentence that introduces the main point of your paragraph.
• Make your evidence clear and precise. For example, don't just say: "Dolphins are very smart animals. They are widely recognized as being incredibly smart." Instead, say: "Dolphins are very smart animals. Multiple studies found that dolphins worked in tandem with humans to catch prey. Very few, if any, species have developed mutually symbiotic relationships with humans."
• "The South, which accounts for 80% of all executions in the United States, still has the country's highest murder rate. This makes a case against the death penalty working as a deterrent."
• "Additionally, states without the death penalty have fewer murders. If the death penalty were indeed a deterrent, why wouldn't we see an increase in murders in states without the death penalty?"
• Consider how your body paragraphs flow together. You want to make sure that your argument feels like it's building, one point upon another, rather than feeling scattered.

• End of the first paragraph: "If the death penalty consistently fails to deter crime, and crime is at an all-time high, what happens when someone is wrongfully convicted?"
• Beginning of the second paragraph: "Over 100 wrongfully convicted death row inmates have been acquitted of their crimes, some just minutes before their would-be death."

• Example: "Critics of a policy allowing students to bring snacks into the classroom say that it would create too much distraction, reducing students’ ability to learn. However, consider the fact that middle schoolers are growing at an incredible rate. Their bodies need energy, and their minds may become fatigued if they go for long periods without eating. Allowing snacks in the classroom will actually increase students’ ability to focus by taking away the distraction of hunger.”
• You may even find it effective to begin your paragraph with the counterargument, then follow by refuting it and offering your own argument.

• How could this argument be applied to a broader context?
• Why does this argument or opinion mean something to me?
• What further questions has my argument raised?
• What action could readers take after reading my essay?

How to Write Persuasively

• Persuasive essays, like argumentative essays, use rhetorical devices to persuade their readers. In persuasive essays, you generally have more freedom to make appeals to emotion (pathos), in addition to logic and data (logos) and credibility (ethos). [15] X Trustworthy Source Read Write Think Online collection of reading and writing resources for teachers and students. Go to source
• You should use multiple types of evidence carefully when writing a persuasive essay. Logical appeals such as presenting data, facts, and other types of “hard” evidence are often very convincing to readers.
• Persuasive essays generally have very clear thesis statements that make your opinion or chosen “side” known upfront. This helps your reader know exactly what you are arguing. [16] X Research source
• Bad: The United States was not an educated nation, since education was considered the right of the wealthy, and so in the early 1800s Horace Mann decided to try and rectify the situation.

• For example, you could tell an anecdote about a family torn apart by the current situation in Syria to incorporate pathos, make use of logic to argue for allowing Syrian refugees as your logos, and then provide reputable sources to back up your quotes for ethos.
• Example: Time and time again, the statistics don't lie -- we need to open our doors to help refugees.
• Example: "Let us not forget the words etched on our grandest national monument, the Statue of Liberty, which asks that we "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.” There is no reason why Syrians are not included in this.
• Example: "Over 100 million refugees have been displaced. President Assad has not only stolen power, he's gassed and bombed his own citizens. He has defied the Geneva Conventions, long held as a standard of decency and basic human rights, and his people have no choice but to flee."

• Good: "Time and time again, science has shown that arctic drilling is dangerous. It is not worth the risks environmentally or economically."
• Good: "Without pushing ourselves to energy independence, in the arctic and elsewhere, we open ourselves up to the dangerous dependency that spiked gas prices in the 80's."
• Bad: "Arctic drilling may not be perfect, but it will probably help us stop using foreign oil at some point. This, I imagine, will be a good thing."

• Good: Does anyone think that ruining someone’s semester, or, at least, the chance to go abroad, should be the result of a victimless crime? Is it fair that we actively promote drinking as a legitimate alternative through Campus Socials and a lack of consequences? How long can we use the excuse that “just because it’s safer than alcohol doesn’t mean we should make it legal,” disregarding the fact that the worst effects of the drug are not physical or chemical, but institutional?
• Good: We all want less crime, stronger families, and fewer dangerous confrontations over drugs. We need to ask ourselves, however, if we're willing to challenge the status quo to get those results.
• Bad: This policy makes us look stupid. It is not based in fact, and the people that believe it are delusional at best, and villains at worst.

• Good: While people do have accidents with guns in their homes, it is not the government’s responsibility to police people from themselves. If they're going to hurt themselves, that is their right.
• Bad: The only obvious solution is to ban guns. There is no other argument that matters.

How to Polish Your Essay

• Does the essay state its position clearly?
• Is this position supported throughout with evidence and examples?
• Are paragraphs bogged down by extraneous information? Do paragraphs focus on one main idea?
• Are any counterarguments presented fairly, without misrepresentation? Are they convincingly dismissed?
• Are the paragraphs in an order that flows logically and builds an argument step-by-step?
• Does the conclusion convey the importance of the position and urge the reader to do/think something?

• You may find it helpful to ask a trusted friend or classmate to look at your essay. If s/he has trouble understanding your argument or finds things unclear, focus your revision on those spots.

• You may find it helpful to print out your draft and mark it up with a pen or pencil. When you write on the computer, your eyes may become so used to reading what you think you’ve written that they skip over errors. Working with a physical copy forces you to pay attention in a new way.
• Make sure to also format your essay correctly. For example, many instructors stipulate the margin width and font type you should use.

Expert Q&A

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• ↑ https://www.grammarly.com/blog/how-to-write-a-persuasive-essay/
• ↑ https://www.hamilton.edu/academics/centers/writing/writing-resources/persuasive-essays
• ↑ https://tutoring.asu.edu/sites/default/files/Persuasive%20Essay%20Structure.pdf
• ↑ https://www.hamilton.edu/writing/writing-resources/persuasive-essays
• ↑ https://www.adelaide.edu.au/writingcentre/sites/default/files/docs/learningguide-mindmapping.pdf
• ↑ https://examples.yourdictionary.com/20-compelling-hook-examples-for-essays.html
• ↑ https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/transitions/
• ↑ https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/common_writing_assignments/argument_papers/rebuttal_sections.html
• ↑ http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/lesson_images/lesson56/strategy-definition.pdf
• ↑ https://stlcc.edu/student-support/academic-success-and-tutoring/writing-center/writing-resources/pathos-logos-and-ethos.aspx
• ↑ https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/editing-and-proofreading/
• ↑ https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/revising-drafts/
• ↑ https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/the_writing_process/proofreading/proofreading_suggestions.html

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To write a persuasive essay, start with an attention-grabbing introduction that introduces your thesis statement or main argument. Then, break the body of your essay up into multiple paragraphs and focus on one main idea in each paragraph. Make sure you present evidence in each paragraph that supports the main idea so your essay is more persuasive. Finally, conclude your essay by restating the most compelling, important evidence so you can make your case one last time. To learn how to make your writing more persuasive, keep reading! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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Persuasive Essay Guide

Persuasive Essay Examples

32 Persuasive Essay Examples to Help You Get Started

Published on: Jul 25, 2018

Last updated on: Feb 22, 2023

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Are you seeking to improve your persuasive writing skills? 

Reading essay examples is a great way to help you become a better writer. Reading sample essays can provide valuable insight into how to effectively construct your argument.

But searching for good examples to read is not easy. However, you need not worry, as we have gathered the most helpful persuasive essays right here!

So, if you are looking for some good persuasive essay examples to write your essay, look no further. Continue reading this blog and explore various examples to help you get started.

Persuasive Essay Writing Examples

A persuasive essay aims to convince the reader of the author’s point of view. 

It is always beneficial to go through different examples to get the proper direction of your essay. Similarly, good essay examples also help to avoid any potential pitfalls and offer clear information to the readers to adopt.

Here are some easy persuasive writing essay examples for you to master the art of persuasion. These are divided into several categories according to the grade levels and subjects.

3rd-grade Persuasive Essay Example

Persuasive Essay Example for 3rd-grade

4th-grade Persuasive Essay Example

Persuasive Essay Example for 4th-grade

Persuasive Essay Example 5th-grade pdf

Persuasive Essay Example for 5th-grade

Persuasive Essay Examples for 6th Grade pdf

7th-grade Persuasive Essay Example

Persuasive Essay Example for 7th-grade

8th-grade Persuasive Essay Example

Persuasive Essay Example for 8th-grade

10th-grade Persuasive Essay Example

Persuasive Essay Example for 10th-grade

11th-grade Persuasive Essay Example

Persuasive Essay Example for 11th-grade

Persuasive Writing Example for Kids

Persuasive Essay Examples for High School

The following are good persuasive essay examples for high school. Having a look at them will help you understand better.

Persuasive Essay Example for High-school

Examples of Persuasive Essay in Everyday Life

Persuasive Essay Examples for Middle School

Check out these persuasive essay examples for middle school to get a comprehensive idea of the format structure.

Middle School Persuasive Essay Example

Short Persuasive Essay Example

Persuasive Essay Examples for College

Essay writing at the college level becomes more difficult and complicated. We have provided you with top-notch college persuasive and argumentative essay examples here. Read them to understand the essay writing process easily.

Persuasive Essay Example for College

English Persuasive Essay Example

Persuasive Essay About Smoking

Argumentative and Persuasive Example

Persuasive Essay Examples for University

It becomes even more challenging to draft a perfect essay at the university level. Have a look at the below examples of a persuasive essay to get an idea of writing one.

Persuasive Essay Example for University

5 Paragraph Persuasive Essay Example

Paper Due? Why Suffer? That's our Job!

Persuasive Essay Examples for Different Formats 

A persuasive essay can be written in several formats. For instance, you can write the usual 5-paragraph essay, or even something longer or shorter. Below are a few sample essays in various common formats.

These examples tell you how to remain convincing and persuasive regardless of the essay format you use.

Persuasive Essay Examples 5 Paragraph

Persuasive Essay Examples 3 Paragraph

Short Persuasive Essay Examples

Persuasive Essay Outline Examples

Creating an impressive outline is the most important step for writing a persuasive essay. It helps to organize thoughts and make the writing process easier.

A standard outline consists of the following sections.

• Introduction
• Body Paragraphs

Have a look at the following  persuasive essay outline  template examples.

Persuasive Essay Outline

Persuasive Essay Template

Writing a Persuasive Essay - A Detailed Example

Writing a persuasive essay requires good research and writing skills. Similarly, it also demands a good understanding of both sides of an issue. Only then, a writer will be able to justify why his opinion is correct, and the opposing view is incorrect.

Below is an example that will help you to write a persuasive essay in no time.

Writing A Persuasive Essay - A Detailed Example

How to Start a Persuasive Essay Examples

The introduction is the first paragraph of any essay. It also serves as a first chance to impress the audience. Thus, it should have a clear purpose and structure.

Remember, if you do not know how to start an essay, you will never be able to get an A grade. 

A compelling persuasive essay introduction must have the following elements.

• Hook statement + Topic
• A strong thesis statement
• Your arguments

Check out the below document to explore some sample persuasion essay introductions.

A Good Start for a Persuasive Essay - Short Example

Introduction Persuasive Essay Example

Persuasive Essay Thesis Statement Examples

Persuasive Essay Hook Examples

How to End a Persuasive Essay Examples

Just like the introduction, the conclusion of the persuasive essay is equally important. It is considered as the last impression of your writing piece to the audience.

A good conclusion paragraph must include the following aspects.

• Restate the  thesis statement  or hypothesis
• Summarize the key arguments
• Avoid being obvious
• Include a call to action

Have a look at the document to explore the sample conclusions of a persuasive essay.

Conclusion Persuasive Essay Example

Catchy Persuasive Essay Topics 

Now that you have read some good examples, it's time to write your own persuasive essay.

But what should you write about? Here is a list of ten persuasive essay topics that you can use to grab your reader's attention and make them think:

• Should the government increase taxes to fund public health initiatives?
• Is the current education system effective in preparing students for college and the workplace?
• Should there be tighter gun control laws?
• Should schools have uniforms or a dress code?
• Are standardized tests an accurate measure of student performance?
• Should students be required to take physical education courses?
• Is undocumented immigration a legitimate cause for concern in the United States?
• Is affirmative action still necessary in today’s society?
• How much, if any, regulation should there be on technology companies?
• Is the death penalty an appropriate form of punishment for serious crimes?

Check out two examples on similar topics:

Political Persuasive Essay Examples

Persuasive Essay Example About Life

You can also check our blog about persuasive essay topics for more interesting topics.

Summing up,

Essay examples and samples are indeed the best way to learn to write any type of essay. They help students to write a well-organized and perfect piece of writing. 

However, there are cases when people require further help in the essay writing process. Therefore, it is strongly recommended to choose a  persuasive essay writing service .

MyPerfectWords.com offers professional  writing services  to help with your academic assignments. Our team of  persuasive essay writers  is highly qualified, knowledgeable, and experienced to produce well-written essays. 

Place your order now to hire our  essay writer !

Caleb S. (Literature, Marketing)

Caleb S. has been providing writing services for over five years and has a Masters degree from Oxford University. He is an expert in his craft and takes great pride in helping students achieve their academic goals. Caleb is a dedicated professional who always puts his clients first.

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Sat / act prep online guides and tips, 113 perfect persuasive essay topics for any assignment.

General Education

Do you need to write a persuasive essay but aren’t sure what topic to focus on? Were you thrilled when your teacher said you could write about whatever you wanted but are now overwhelmed by the possibilities? We’re here to help!

Read on for a list of 113 top-notch persuasive essay topics, organized into ten categories. To help get you started, we also discuss what a persuasive essay is, how to choose a great topic, and what tips to keep in mind as you write your persuasive essay.

What Is a Persuasive Essay?

In a persuasive essay, you attempt to convince readers to agree with your point of view on an argument. For example, an essay analyzing changes in Italian art during the Renaissance wouldn’t be a persuasive essay, because there’s no argument, but an essay where you argue that Italian art reached its peak during the Renaissance would be a persuasive essay because you’re trying to get your audience to agree with your viewpoint.

Persuasive and argumentative essays both try to convince readers to agree with the author, but the two essay types have key differences. Argumentative essays show a more balanced view of the issue and discuss both sides. Persuasive essays focus more heavily on the side the author agrees with. They also often include more of the author’s opinion than argumentative essays, which tend to use only facts and data to support their argument.

All persuasive essays have the following:

• Introduction: Introduces the topic, explains why it’s important, and ends with the thesis.
• Thesis: A sentence that sums up what the essay be discussing and what your stance on the issue is.
• Reasons you believe your side of the argument: Why do you support the side you do? Typically each main point will have its own body paragraph.
• Evidence supporting your argument: Facts or examples to back up your main points. Even though your opinion is allowed in persuasive essays more than most other essays, having concrete examples will make a stronger argument than relying on your opinion alone.
• Conclusion: Restatement of thesis, summary of main points, and a recap of why the issue is important.

What Makes a Good Persuasive Essay Topic?

Theoretically, you could write a persuasive essay about any subject under the sun, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you should. Certain topics are easier to write a strong persuasive essay on, and below are tips to follow when deciding what you should write about.

It’s a Topic You Care About

Obviously, it’s possible to write an essay about a topic you find completely boring. You’ve probably done it! However, if possible, it’s always better to choose a topic that you care about and are interested in. When this is the case, you’ll find doing the research more enjoyable, writing the essay easier, and your writing will likely be better because you’ll be more passionate about and informed on the topic.

You Have Enough Evidence to Support Your Argument

Just being passionate about a subject isn’t enough to make it a good persuasive essay topic, though. You need to make sure your argument is complex enough to have at least two potential sides to root for, and you need to be able to back up your side with evidence and examples. Even though persuasive essays allow your opinion to feature more than many other essays, you still need concrete evidence to back up your claims, or you’ll end up with a weak essay.

For example, you may passionately believe that mint chocolate chip ice cream is the best ice cream flavor (I agree!), but could you really write an entire essay on this? What would be your reasons for believing mint chocolate chip is the best (besides the fact that it’s delicious)? How would you support your belief? Have enough studies been done on preferred ice cream flavors to support an entire essay? When choosing a persuasive essay idea, you want to find the right balance between something you care about (so you can write well on it) and something the rest of the world cares about (so you can reference evidence to strengthen your position).

It’s a Manageable Topic

Bigger isn’t always better, especially with essay topics. While it may seem like a great idea to choose a huge, complex topic to write about, you’ll likely struggle to sift through all the information and different sides of the issue and winnow them down to one streamlined essay. For example, choosing to write an essay about how WWII impacted American life more than WWI wouldn’t be a great idea because you’d need to analyze all the impacts of both the wars in numerous areas of American life. It’d be a huge undertaking. A better idea would be to choose one impact on American life the wars had (such as changes in female employment) and focus on that. Doing so will make researching and writing your persuasive essay much more feasible.

List of 113 Good Persuasive Essay Topics

Below are over 100 persuasive essay ideas, organized into ten categories. When you find an idea that piques your interest, you’ll choose one side of it to argue for in your essay. For example, if you choose the topic, “should fracking be legal?” you’d decide whether you believe fracking should be legal or illegal, then you’d write an essay arguing all the reasons why your audience should agree with you.

Arts/Culture

• Should students be required to learn an instrument in school?
• Did the end of Game of Thrones fit with the rest of the series?
• Can music be an effective way to treat mental illness?
• With e-readers so popular, have libraries become obsolete?
• Are the Harry Potter books more popular than they deserve to be?
• Should music with offensive language come with a warning label?
• What’s the best way for museums to get more people to visit?
• Should students be able to substitute an art or music class for a PE class in school?
• Are the Kardashians good or bad role models for young people?
• Should people in higher income brackets pay more taxes?
• Should all high school students be required to take a class on financial literacy?
• Is it possible to achieve the American dream, or is it only a myth?
• Is it better to spend a summer as an unpaid intern at a prestigious company or as a paid worker at a local store/restaurant?
• Should the United States impose more or fewer tariffs?
• Should college graduates have their student loans forgiven?
• Should restaurants eliminate tipping and raise staff wages instead?
• Should students learn cursive writing in school?
• Which is more important: PE class or music class?
• Is it better to have year-round school with shorter breaks throughout the year?
• Should class rank be abolished in schools?
• Should students be taught sex education in school?
• Should students be able to attend public universities for free?
• What’s the most effective way to change the behavior of school bullies?
• Are the SAT and ACT accurate ways to measure intelligence?
• Should students be able to learn sign language instead of a foreign language?
• Do the benefits of Greek life at colleges outweigh the negatives?
• Does doing homework actually help students learn more?
• Why do students in many other countries score higher than American students on math exams?
• Should parents/teachers be able to ban certain books from schools?
• What’s the best way to reduce cheating in school?
• Should colleges take a student’s race into account when making admissions decisions?
• Should there be limits to free speech?
• Should students be required to perform community service to graduate high school?
• Should convicted felons who have completed their sentence be allowed to vote?
• Should gun ownership be more tightly regulated?
• Should recycling be made mandatory?
• Should employers be required to offer paid leave to new parents?
• Are there any circumstances where torture should be allowed?
• Should children under the age of 18 be able to get plastic surgery for cosmetic reasons?
• Should white supremacy groups be allowed to hold rallies in public places?
• Does making abortion illegal make women more or less safe?
• Does foreign aid actually help developing countries?
• Are there times a person’s freedom of speech should be curtailed?
• Should people over a certain age not be allowed to adopt children?

Government/Politics

• Should the minimum voting age be raised/lowered/kept the same?
• Should Puerto Rico be granted statehood?
• Should the United States build a border wall with Mexico?
• Who should be the next person printed on American banknotes?
• Should the United States’ military budget be reduced?
• Did China’s one child policy have overall positive or negative impacts on the country?
• Should DREAMers be granted US citizenship?
• Is national security more important than individual privacy?
• What responsibility does the government have to help homeless people?
• Should the electoral college be abolished?
• Should the US increase or decrease the number of refugees it allows in each year?
• Should privately-run prisons be abolished?
• Who was the most/least effective US president?
• Will Brexit end up helping or harming the UK?

• What’s the best way to reduce the spread of Ebola?
• Is the Keto diet a safe and effective way to lose weight?
• Should the FDA regulate vitamins and supplements more strictly?
• Should public schools require all students who attend to be vaccinated?
• Is eating genetically modified food safe?
• What’s the best way to make health insurance more affordable?
• What’s the best way to lower the teen pregnancy rate?
• Should recreational marijuana be legalized nationwide?
• Should birth control pills be available without a prescription?
• Should pregnant women be forbidden from buying cigarettes and alcohol?
• Why has anxiety increased in adolescents?
• Are low-carb or low-fat diets more effective for weight loss?
• What caused the destruction of the USS Maine?
• Was King Arthur a mythical legend or actual Dark Ages king?
• Was the US justified in dropping atomic bombs during WWII?
• What was the primary cause of the Rwandan genocide?
• What happened to the settlers of the Roanoke colony?
• Was disagreement over slavery the primary cause of the US Civil War?
• What has caused the numerous disappearances in the Bermuda triangle?
• Should nuclear power be banned?
• Is scientific testing on animals necessary?
• Do zoos help or harm animals?
• Should scientists be allowed to clone humans?
• Should animals in circuses be banned?
• Should fracking be legal?
• Should people be allowed to keep exotic animals as pets?
• What’s the best way to reduce illegal poaching in Africa?
• What is the best way to reduce the impact of global warming?
• Should euthanasia be legalized?
• Is there legitimate evidence of extraterrestrial life?
• Should people be banned from owning aggressive dog breeds?
• Should the United States devote more money towards space exploration?
• Should the government subsidize renewable forms of energy?
• Is solar energy worth the cost?
• Should stem cells be used in medicine?
• Is it right for the US to leave the Paris Climate Agreement?
• Should athletes who fail a drug test receive a lifetime ban from the sport?
• Should college athletes receive a salary?
• Should the NFL do more to prevent concussions in players?
• Do PE classes help students stay in shape?
• Should horse racing be banned?
• Should cheerleading be considered a sport?
• Should children younger than 18 be allowed to play tackle football?
• Are the costs of hosting an Olympic Games worth it?
• Can online schools be as effective as traditional schools?
• Do violent video games encourage players to be violent in real life?
• Should facial recognition technology be banned?
• Does excessive social media use lead to depression/anxiety?
• Has the rise of translation technology made knowing multiple languages obsolete?
• Was Steve Jobs a visionary or just a great marketer?
• Should social media be banned for children younger than a certain age?
• Which 21st-century invention has had the largest impact on society?
• Are ride-sharing companies like Uber and Lyft good or bad for society?
• Should Facebook have done more to protect the privacy of its users?
• Will technology end up increasing or decreasing inequality worldwide?

Tips for Writing a Strong Persuasive Essay

After you’ve chosen the perfect topic for your persuasive essay, your work isn’t over. Follow the three tips below to create a top-notch essay.

Do Your Research

Your argument will fall apart if you don’t fully understand the issue you’re discussing or you overlook an important piece of it. Readers won’t be convinced by someone who doesn’t know the subject, and you likely won’t persuade any of them to begin supporting your viewpoint. Before you begin writing a single word of your essay, research your topic thoroughly. Study different sources, learn about the different sides of the argument, ask anyone who’s an expert on the topic what their opinion is, etc. You might be tempted to start writing right away, but by doing your research, you’ll make the writing process much easier when the time comes.

Make Your Thesis Perfect

Your thesis is the most important sentence in your persuasive essay. Just by reading that single sentence, your audience should know exactly what topic you’ll be discussing and where you stand on the issue. You want your thesis to be crystal clear and to accurately set up the rest of your essay. Asking classmates or your teacher to look it over before you begin writing the rest of your essay can be a big help if you’re not entirely confident in your thesis.

Consider the Other Side

You’ll spend most of your essay focusing on your side of the argument since that’s what you want readers to come away believing. However, don’t think that means you can ignore other sides of the issue. In your essay, be sure to discuss the other side’s argument, as well as why you believe this view is weak or untrue. Researching all the different viewpoints and including them in your essay will increase the quality of your writing by making your essay more complete and nuanced.

Summary: Persuasive Essay Ideas

Good persuasive essay topics can be difficult to come up with, but in this guide we’ve created a list of 113 excellent essay topics for you to browse. The best persuasive essay ideas will be those that you are interested in, have enough evidence to support your argument, and aren’t too complicated to be summarized in an essay.

After you’ve chosen your essay topic, keep these three tips in mind when you begin writing:

• Do your research
• Make your thesis perfect
• Consider the other side

What's Next?

Need ideas for a research paper topic as well?   Our guide to research paper topics has over 100 topics in ten categories so you can be sure to find the perfect topic for you. 

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Our vetted tutor database includes a range of experienced educators who can help you polish an essay for English or explain how derivatives work for Calculus. You can use dozens of filters and search criteria to find the perfect person for your needs.

Christine graduated from Michigan State University with degrees in Environmental Biology and Geography and received her Master's from Duke University. In high school she scored in the 99th percentile on the SAT and was named a National Merit Finalist. She has taught English and biology in several countries.

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100 Persuasive Essay Topics

• M.Ed., Education Administration, University of Georgia
• B.A., History, Armstrong State University

Persuasive essays are a bit like argument essays and persuasive speeches , but they tend to be a little kinder and gentler. Argument essays require you to discuss and to attack an alternate view, while persuasive essays are attempts to convince the reader that you have a believable argument. In other words, you are an advocate, not an adversary.

A Persuasive Essay Has 3 Components

• Introduction : This is the opening paragraph of your essay. It contains the hook, which is used to grab the reader's attention, and the thesis, or argument, which you'll explain in the next section.
• Body : This is the heart of your essay, usually three to five paragraphs in length. Each paragraph examines one theme or issue used to support your thesis.
• Conclusion : This is the final paragraph of your essay. In it, you'll sum up the main points of the body and connect them to your thesis. Persuasive essays often use the conclusion as a last appeal to the audience.

Learning how to write a persuasive essay is an essential skill that people use every day in fields from business to law to media and entertainment. English students can begin writing a persuasive essay at any skill level. You're sure to find a sample topic or two from the list of 100 persuasive essays below, sorted by degree of difficulty.

Watch Now: 12 Ideas for Great Persuasive Essay Topics

• Kids should get paid for good grades.
• Students should have less homework.
• Snow days are great for family time.
• Penmanship is important.
• Short hair is better than long hair.
• We should all grow our own vegetables.
• We need more holidays.
• Aliens probably exist.
• Gym class is more important than music class.
• Kids should be able to vote.
• Kids should get paid for extra activities like sports.
• School should take place in the evenings.
• Country life is better than city life.
• City life is better than country life.
• We can change the world.
• Skateboard helmets should be mandatory.
• We should provide food for the poor.
• Children should be paid for doing chores.
• We should populate the moon .
• Dogs make better pets than cats.

Intermediate

• The government should impose household trash limits.
• Nuclear weapons are an effective deterrent against foreign attack.
• Teens should be required to take parenting classes.
• We should teach etiquette in schools.
• School uniform laws are unconstitutional.
• All students should wear uniforms.
• Too much money is a bad thing.
• High schools should offer specialized degrees in arts or sciences.
• Magazine advertisements send unhealthy signals to young women.
• Robocalling should be outlawed.
• Age 12 is too young to babysit.
• Children should be required to read more.
• All students should be given the opportunity to study abroad.
• Yearly driving tests should be mandatory past age 65.
• Cell phones should never be used while driving.
• All schools should implement bullying awareness programs.
• Bullies should be kicked out of school.
• Parents of bullies should have to pay a fine.
• The school year should be longer.
• School days should start later.
• Teens should be able to choose their bedtime.
• There should be a mandatory entrance exam for high school.
• Public transit should be privatized.
• We should allow pets in school.
• The voting age should be lowered to 16.
• Beauty contests are bad for body image.
• Every American should learn to speak Spanish.
• Every immigrant should learn to speak English.
• Video games can be educational.
• College athletes should be paid for their services.
• We need a military draft .
• Professional sports should eliminate cheerleaders.
• Teens should be able to start driving at 14 instead of 16.
• Year-round school is a bad idea.
• High school campuses should be guarded by police officers.
• The legal drinking age should be lowered to 19.
• Kids under 15 shouldn't have Facebook pages.
• Standardized testing should be eliminated.
• Teachers should be paid more.
• There should be one world currency.
• Domestic surveillance without a warrant should be legal.
• Letter grades should be replaced with a pass or fail.
• Every family should have a natural disaster survival plan.
• Parents should talk to kids about drugs at a young age.
• Racial slurs should be illegal.
• Gun ownership should be tightly regulated.
• Puerto Rico should be granted statehood.
• People should go to jail when they abandon their pets.
• Free speech should have limitations.
• Members of Congress should be subject to term limits.
• Recycling should be mandatory for everyone.
• High-speed internet access should be regulated like a public utility.
• Yearly driving tests should be mandatory for the first five years after getting a license.
• Recreational marijuana should be made legal nationwide.
• Legal marijuana should be taxed and regulated like tobacco or alcohol.
• Child support dodgers should go to jail.
• Students should be allowed to pray in school.
• All Americans have a constitutional right to health care.
• Internet access should be free for everyone.
• Social Security should be privatized.
• Pregnant couples should receive parenting lessons.
• We shouldn't use products made from animals.
• Celebrities should have more privacy rights.
• Professional football is too violent and should be banned.
• We need better sex education in schools.
• School testing is not effective.
• The United States should build a border wall with Mexico and with Canada.
• Life is better than it was 50 years ago.
• Eating meat is unethical.
• A vegan diet is the only diet people should follow.
• Medical testing on animals should be illegal.
• The Electoral College is outdated.
• Medical testing on animals is necessary.
• Public safety is more important than an individual's right to privacy.
• Single-sex colleges provide a better education.
• Books should never be banned.
• Violent video games can cause people to act violently in real life.
• Freedom of religion has limitations.
• Nuclear power should be illegal.
• Climate change should be the president's primary political concern.
• Arizona State University Writing Center staff. " Persuasive Essay Structure ." ASU.edu, June 2012.
• Collins, Jen, and Polak, Adam. " Persuasive Essays ." Hamilton.edu.
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The Persuasion Map is an interactive graphic organizer that enables students to map out their arguments for a persuasive essay or debate. Students begin by determining their goal or thesis. They then identify three reasons to support their argument, and three facts or examples to validate each reason. The map graphic in the upper right-hand corner allows students to move around the map, instead of having to work in a linear fashion. The finished map can be saved, e-mailed, or printed.

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The Essay Map is an interactive graphic organizer that enables students to organize and outline their ideas for an informational, definitional, or descriptive essay.

This Strategy Guide describes the processes involved in composing and producing audio files that are published online as podcasts.

This strategy guide explains the writing process and offers practical methods for applying it in your classroom to help students become proficient writers.

Through a classroom game and resource handouts, students learn about the techniques used in persuasive oral arguments and apply them to independent persuasive writing activities.

Students analyze rhetorical strategies in online editorials, building knowledge of strategies and awareness of local and national issues. This lesson teaches students connections between subject, writer, and audience and how rhetorical strategies are used in everyday writing.

Students examine books, selected from the American Library Association Challenged/Banned Books list, and write persuasive pieces expressing their views about what should be done with the books at their school.

Students will research a local issue, and then write letters to two different audiences, asking readers to take a related action or adopt a specific position on the issue.

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35 Strong Persuasive Writing Examples (Speeches, Essays, Ads, and More)

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The more we read, the better writers we become. Teaching students to write strong persuasive essays should always start with reading some top-notch models. This round-up of persuasive writing examples includes famous speeches, influential ad campaigns, contemporary reviews of famous books, and more. Use them to inspire your students to write their own essays. (Need persuasive essay topics? Check out our list of 60 interesting ideas here! )

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Persuasive Speech Writing Examples

Many persuasive speeches are political in nature, often addressing subjects like human rights. Here are some of history’s most well-known persuasive writing examples in the form of speeches.

I Have a Dream by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Sample lines: “And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.”

Woodrow Wilson’s War Message to Congress, 1917

Sample lines: “There are, it may be, many months of fiery trial and sacrifice ahead of us. It is a fearful thing to lead this great peaceful people into war, into the most terrible and disastrous of all wars, civilization itself seeming to be in the balance. But the right is more precious than peace, and we shall fight for the things which we have always carried nearest our hearts—for democracy, for the right of those who submit to authority to have a voice in their own governments, for the rights and liberties of small nations, for a universal dominion of right by such a concert of free peoples as shall bring peace and safety to all nations and make the world itself at last free.”

Chief Seattle’s 1854 Oration

Sample lines: “I here and now make this condition that we will not be denied the privilege without molestation of visiting at any time the tombs of our ancestors, friends, and children. Every part of this soil is sacred in the estimation of my people. Every hillside, every valley, every plain and grove, has been hallowed by some sad or happy event in days long vanished. Even the rocks, which seem to be dumb and dead as they swelter in the sun along the silent shore, thrill with memories of stirring events connected with the lives of my people, and the very dust upon which you now stand responds more lovingly to their footsteps than yours, because it is rich with the blood of our ancestors, and our bare feet are conscious of the sympathetic touch.”

Women’s Rights Are Human Rights, Hillary Rodham Clinton

Sample lines: “What we are learning around the world is that if women are healthy and educated, their families will flourish. If women are free from violence, their families will flourish. If women have a chance to work and earn as full and equal partners in society, their families will flourish. And when families flourish, communities and nations do as well. … If there is one message that echoes forth from this conference, let it be that human rights are women’s rights and women’s rights are human rights once and for all.”

I Am Prepared to Die, Nelson Mandela

Sample lines: “Above all, My Lord, we want equal political rights, because without them our disabilities will be permanent. I know this sounds revolutionary to the whites in this country, because the majority of voters will be Africans. This makes the white man fear democracy. But this fear cannot be allowed to stand in the way of the only solution which will guarantee racial harmony and freedom for all. It is not true that the enfranchisement of all will result in racial domination. Political division, based on color, is entirely artificial and, when it disappears, so will the domination of one color group by another. … This then is what the ANC is fighting. Our struggle is a truly national one. It is a struggle of the African people, inspired by our own suffering and our own experience. It is a struggle for the right to live.”

The Struggle for Human Rights by Eleanor Roosevelt

Sample lines: “It is my belief, and I am sure it is also yours, that the struggle for democracy and freedom is a critical struggle, for their preservation is essential to the great objective of the United Nations to maintain international peace and security. Among free men the end cannot justify the means. We know the patterns of totalitarianism—the single political party, the control of schools, press, radio, the arts, the sciences, and the church to support autocratic authority; these are the age-old patterns against which men have struggled for 3,000 years. These are the signs of reaction, retreat, and retrogression. The United Nations must hold fast to the heritage of freedom won by the struggle of its people; it must help us to pass it on to generations to come.”

Freedom From Fear by Aung San Suu Kyi

Sample lines: “Saints, it has been said, are the sinners who go on trying. So free men are the oppressed who go on trying and who in the process make themselves fit to bear the responsibilities and to uphold the disciplines which will maintain a free society. Among the basic freedoms to which men aspire that their lives might be full and uncramped, freedom from fear stands out as both a means and an end. A people who would build a nation in which strong, democratic institutions are firmly established as a guarantee against state-induced power must first learn to liberate their own minds from apathy and fear.”

Harvey Milk’s “The Hope” Speech

Sample lines: “Some people are satisfied. And some people are not. You see there is a major difference—and it remains a vital difference—between a friend and a gay person, a friend in office and a gay person in office. Gay people have been slandered nationwide. We’ve been tarred and we’ve been brushed with the picture of pornography. In Dade County, we were accused of child molestation. It is not enough anymore just to have friends represent us, no matter how good that friend may be.”

The Strike and the Union, Cesar Chavez

Sample lines: “We are showing our unity in our strike. Our strike is stopping the work in the fields; our strike is stopping ships that would carry grapes; our strike is stopping the trucks that would carry the grapes. Our strike will stop every way the grower makes money until we have a union contract that guarantees us a fair share of the money he makes from our work! We are a union and we are strong and we are striking to force the growers to respect our strength!”

Nobel Lecture by Malala Yousafzai

Sample lines: “The world can no longer accept that basic education is enough. Why do leaders accept that for children in developing countries, only basic literacy is sufficient, when their own children do homework in algebra, mathematics, science, and physics? Leaders must seize this opportunity to guarantee a free, quality, primary and secondary education for every child. Some will say this is impractical, or too expensive, or too hard. Or maybe even impossible. But it is time the world thinks bigger.”   

Persuasive Writing Examples in Advertising Campaigns

Ads are prime persuasive writing examples. You can flip open any magazine or watch TV for an hour or two to see sample after sample of persuasive language. Here are some of the most popular ad campaigns of all time, with links to articles explaining why they were so successful.

Nike: Just Do It

The iconic swoosh with the simple tagline has persuaded millions to buy their kicks from Nike and Nike alone. Teamed with pro sports star endorsements, this campaign is one for the ages. Blinkist offers an opinion on what made it work.

Dove: Real Beauty

Beauty brand Dove changed the game by choosing “real” women to tell their stories instead of models. They used relatable images and language to make connections, and inspired other brands to try the same concept. Learn why Global Brands considers this one a true success story.

Wendy’s: Where’s the Beef?

Today’s kids are too young to remember the cranky old woman demanding to know where the beef was on her fast-food hamburger. But in the 1980s, it was a catchphrase that sold millions of Wendy’s burgers. Learn from Better Marketing how this ad campaign even found its way into the 1984 presidential debate.

De Beers: A Diamond Is Forever

A diamond engagement ring has become a standard these days, but the tradition isn’t as old as you might think. In fact, it was De Beers jewelry company’s 1948 campaign that created the modern engagement ring trend. The Drum has the whole story of this sparkling campaign.

Volkswagen: Think Small

Americans have always loved big cars. So in the 1960s, when Volkswagen wanted to introduce their small cars to a bigger market, they had a problem. The clever “Think Small” campaign gave buyers clever reasons to consider these models, like “If you run out of gas, it’s easy to push.” Learn how advertisers interested American buyers in little cars at Visual Rhetoric.

American Express: Don’t Leave Home Without It

AmEx was once better known for traveler’s checks than credit cards, and the original slogan was “Don’t leave home without them.” A simple word change convinced travelers that American Express was the credit card they needed when they headed out on adventures. Discover more about this persuasive campaign from Medium.

Skittles: Taste the Rainbow

These candy ads are weird and intriguing and probably not for everyone. But they definitely get you thinking, and that often leads to buying. Learn more about why these wacky ads are successful from The Drum.

Maybelline: Maybe She’s Born With It

Smart wordplay made this ad campaign slogan an instant hit. The ads teased, “Maybe she’s born with it. Maybe it’s Maybelline.” (So many literary devices all in one phrase!) Fashionista has more on this beauty campaign.

Coca-Cola: Share a Coke

Seeing their own name on a bottle made teens more likely to want to buy a Coke. What can that teach us about persuasive writing in general? It’s an interesting question to consider. Learn more about the “Share a Coke” campaign from Digital Vidya.

Always: #LikeaGirl

Talk about the power of words! This Always campaign turned the derogatory phrase “like a girl” on its head, and the world embraced it. Storytelling is an important part of persuasive writing, and these ads really do it well. Medium has more on this stereotype-bashing campaign.   

Editorial Persuasive Writing Examples

Source: New York Daily News

Newspaper editors or publishers use editorials to share their personal opinions. Noted politicians, experts, or pundits may also offer their opinions on behalf of the editors or publishers. Here are a couple of older well-known editorials, along with a selection from current newspapers.

Yes, Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus (1897)

Sample lines: “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! How dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus. It would be as dreary as if there were no Virginias.”

What’s the Matter With Kansas? (1896)

Sample lines: “Oh, this IS a state to be proud of! We are a people who can hold up our heads! What we need is not more money, but less capital, fewer white shirts and brains, fewer men with business judgment, and more of those fellows who boast that they are ‘just ordinary clodhoppers, but they know more in a minute about finance than John Sherman,’ we need more men … who hate prosperity, and who think, because a man believes in national honor, he is a tool of Wall Street.”

America Can Have Democracy or Political Violence. Not Both. (The New York Times)

Sample lines: “The nation is not powerless to stop a slide toward deadly chaos. If institutions and individuals do more to make it unacceptable in American public life, organized violence in the service of political objectives can still be pushed to the fringes. When a faction of one of the country’s two main political parties embraces extremism, that makes thwarting it both more difficult and more necessary. A well-functioning democracy demands it.”

The Booster Isn’t Perfect, But Still Can Help Against COVID (The Washington Post)

Sample lines: “The booster shots are still free, readily available and work better than the previous boosters even as the virus evolves. Much still needs to be done to build better vaccines that protect longer and against more variants, including those that might emerge in the future. But it is worth grabbing the booster that exists today, the jab being a small price for any measure that can help keep COVID at bay.”

If We Want Wildlife to Thrive in L.A., We Have To Share Our Neighborhoods With Them (Los Angeles Times)

Sample lines: “If there are no corridors for wildlife movement and if excessive excavation of dirt to build bigger, taller houses erodes the slope of a hillside, then we are slowly destroying wildlife habitat. For those people fretting about what this will do to their property values—isn’t open space, trees, and wildlife an amenity in these communities?”   

Persuasive Review Writing Examples

Source: The New York Times

Book or movie reviews are more great persuasive writing examples. Look for those written by professionals for the strongest arguments and writing styles. Here are reviews of some popular books and movies by well-known critics to use as samples.

The Great Gatsby (The Chicago Tribune, 1925)

Sample lines: “What ails it, fundamentally, is the plain fact that it is simply a story—that Fitzgerald seems to be far more interested in maintaining its suspense than in getting under the skins of its people. It is not that they are false: It is that they are taken too much for granted. Only Gatsby himself genuinely lives and breathes. The rest are mere marionettes—often astonishingly lifelike, but nevertheless not quite alive.”

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (Washington Post, 1999)

Sample lines: “Obviously, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone should make any modern 11-year-old a very happy reader. The novel moves quickly, packs in everything from a boa constrictor that winks to a melancholy Zen-spouting centaur to an owl postal system, and ends with a scary surprise. Yet it is, essentially, a light-hearted thriller, interrupted by occasional seriousness (the implications of Harry’s miserable childhood, a moral about the power of love).”

Twilight (The Telegraph, 2009)

Sample lines: “No secret, of course, at whom this book is aimed, and no doubt, either, that it has hit its mark. The four Twilight novels are not so much enjoyed, as devoured, by legions of young female fans worldwide. That’s not to say boys can’t enjoy these books; it’s just that the pages of heart-searching dialogue between Edward and Bella may prove too long on chat and too short on action for the average male reader.”

To Kill a Mockingbird (Time, 1960)

Sample lines: “Author Lee, 34, an Alabaman, has written her first novel with all of the tactile brilliance and none of the preciosity generally supposed to be standard swamp-warfare issue for Southern writers. The novel is an account of an awakening to good and evil, and a faint catechistic flavor may have been inevitable. But it is faint indeed; novelist Lee’s prose has an edge that cuts through cant, and she teaches the reader an astonishing number of useful truths about little girls and about Southern life.”

The Diary of Anne Frank (The New York Times, 1952)

Sample lines: “And this quality brings it home to any family in the world today. Just as the Franks lived in momentary fear of the Gestapo’s knock on their hidden door, so every family today lives in fear of the knock of war. Anne’s diary is a great affirmative answer to the life-question of today, for she shows how ordinary people, within this ordeal, consistently hold to the greater human values.”   

Persuasive Essay Writing Examples

From the earliest days of print, authors have used persuasive essays to try to sway others to their own point of view. Check out these top examples.

The American Crisis by Thomas Paine

Sample lines: “These are the times that try men’s souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value.”

Politics and the English Language by George Orwell

Sample lines: “As I have tried to show, modern writing at its worst does not consist in picking out words for the sake of their meaning and inventing images in order to make the meaning clearer. It consists in gumming together long strips of words which have already been set in order by someone else, and making the results presentable by sheer humbug.”

Letter From a Birmingham Jail by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Sample lines: “We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed. Frankly, I have yet to engage in a direct action campaign that was ‘well timed’ in the view of those who have not suffered unduly from the disease of segregation. For years now I have heard the word ‘Wait!’ It rings in the ear of every Negro with piercing familiarity. This ‘Wait’ has almost always meant ‘Never.’ We must come to see, with one of our distinguished jurists, that ‘justice too long delayed is justice denied.'”

Civil Disobedience by Henry David Thoreau

Sample lines: “Even voting for the right is doing nothing for it. It is only expressing to men feebly your desire that it should prevail. A wise man will not leave the right to the mercy of chance, nor wish it to prevail through the power of the majority. There is but little virtue in the action of masses of men.”

Go Gentle Into That Good Night by Roger Ebert

Sample lines: “‘Kindness’ covers all of my political beliefs. No need to spell them out. I believe that if, at the end of it all, according to our abilities, we have done something to make others a little happier, and something to make ourselves a little happier, that is about the best we can do. To make others less happy is a crime.”

What are your favorite persuasive writing examples to use with students? Come share your ideas in the WeAreTeachers HELPLINE group on Facebook .

Plus, the big list of essay topics for high school (100+ ideas) ..

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Transition Words for Persuasive Essays

Persuasive essays are those in which you must convince a reader that your position on an issue is the correct one. Thus, you may want to convince an audience that animal testing is immoral or that genetically modified foods are harmful. Perhaps you want to convince someone that the proposed Canadian pipeline or fracking poses dangers to our environment; maybe you believe that there is too much money spent on political campaigns. Whatever your topic and whatever your position, you must organize an essay that flows logically from one point to the next.

Good Transitions to Improve Logical Flow

You may have done great research and you may have great arguments in favor of our position. If they are not presented well, though, your essay will fall flat and your reader will not be convinced.

Part of a good presentation means than you understand how to use transition words for persuasive essays. So, let’s first look at what a transition is and then take a look at good transition words and phrases for essays .

Definition of Transitions: These are words or phrases that connect one thought or idea to the next. They can be used to connect thoughts in two sentences or to move the reader on to the next paragraph in a logical way. They can be single words, phrases, or complete sentences. Typical examples might include the following:

• Words: Clearly, Definitely, Obviously, Furthermore, However, Notwithstanding, First (Second, etc.)
• Phrases: Without question, What is more, In reality, In fact, Yet another, For example (instance), In other words, According to,
• Sentences: These usually occur at the end of a paragraph as you are trying to move your reader into the point that will be covered in the next paragraph. For example, if you are writing a persuasive essay about money in politics, and you have just completed a paragraph on the Supreme Court “Citizens United” decision, you might end that paragraph with something like, “This decision has impacted campaign and elections in many ways.” Now, your reader is prepared for what is to come next – the ways in which that decision has affected campaigns/elections.

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Now, your next paragraph in such an essay will speak to one impact that the decision has had – perhaps the establishment of PAC’s into which donors can throw a much money as they wish. At the end of that paragraph, you will want to transition into the next point you will be making, so your transition sentence might read something like, “And once a campaign has been successful because of all of the donated money, the elected official will have certain obligations to those who have provided that campaign funding.” This sentence contains great a lead in to the next paragraph which will discuss how an elected official is then obligate to vote and make decisions based upon the desires of those who provided the funding.

Whether you are using persuasive essay transition words between sentences or entire phrases or sentences between paragraphs, your transitions connect your arguments and allow the reader to see where you are going next. If you don’t use these transitions, the reader cannot follow your argument!

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Primary Uses for Transition Words and Phrases of Essays that Attempt to Persuade

You have to think about the flow of your essay and what you are trying to do with your use of transitional words, phrases and sentences. Basically, the purposes of your transitions are any one of the following:

• Adding to a Point You Have Made: You will use such words/phrases as: Furthermore, What is more, In addition to, Likewise, Moreover
• Providing Examples: Use such phrases as, for instance, for example, in other words
• Providing Lists: Use any of the following: First, second, third (etc.), yet another, the following.
• Same Point Stated in a Different Way: Good phrases include, in other words, with this in mind, another way to look at this, etc.

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Transitions Can Be Tricky

You know that you need to use transitional words correctly, especially when you are trying to make points that will persuade someone to accept your point of view. Without them, your essay loses clarity and logic. If you are having trouble with transitions, you can get great help at GrabMyEssay, just ask us “ write an essay for me .” These pros can either write your persuasive essay in its entirety or provide a review and edit, adding the words, phrases, and/or sentences that should be included in order to achieve your persuasive purose.

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With my perpetual studies (my parents wonder if it will ever stop), I have become a bit of an expert on college life – academic, social, and financial – and love sharing my experiences and my methods of “circumventing the system” with others.  I will be sharing all of these great tips and strategies with my readers, so stay tuned!

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Using Persuasive Essay Transition Words to Craft a Perfect Piece

In academic writing and persuasive essays, transition words are used extensively. These transition words connect not only two paragraphs but two different concepts as well. Students must learn how to use persuasive essay transition words to make a  perfect essay writing .

Table of Contents

What are Transition Words Anyways?

You often read words like ‘next’, ‘accordingly’, ‘therefore’, and more in an article or an essay. Most of the time, they are used at the beginning of a new sentence which tells that they are being used to connect this sentence with the previous one.

Hence the reader’s concentration is not compromised. For your understanding, these are essential transition words you can use in your persuasive essay. These include “and,” “but,” and “but also,” as well as therefore, however, and more.

Persuasive Essay Transition Words That You Must Use

The point of a persuasive essay is to persuade a reader to your point of view. To do this effectively, you need to transition from one topic to another elegantly and logically. Transition words are those words that help move from one idea to the next. Let’s look at common transition words and how they are used in essays.

Here’s how you can use sum up in the persuasive essay. To sum up, the conclusion is different from the summary. Summarizing does not mean repeating what you have already said in your essay but rather summarizing it by stating the main points and how they relate to each other to make sense of your ideas.

Summarizing the main points of your essay is a great way to end it. This can be done in several ways:

• Use a transition at the end of each paragraph, such as “In summary…” or “Finally….”
• Use a transition at the end of each section, such as “In conclusion…” or “And so on….”
• Use a transition at the end of your entire essay (such as “Conclusion”)

As has been said

As has been said, the above statement is a quote from an author.

In this transition, you can use the exact words in a typical sentence: “As has been said” or “As has been written.” You can also add other things like “according to” or “in accordance with.”

The better way to understand how you can use ‘therefore’ is with an example like this. Suppose you are writing a persuasive essay on why bacterias are not the main reason for tooth decay. This is how you will use this transition word along with ‘however.’

‘Therefore, as you can see, I have no intention of advocating such a policy. But what about my response to your assertion that “bacteria cause tooth decay”? Well, I will say this: bacteria indeed cause tooth decay; however, the fact that they do so does not mean we should do anything about it.

Consequently

Consequently means “as a result.” As in, “Consequently, if you don’t do this, then I’ll be angry with you.” This can be used to connect two ideas. Mostly used in a cause and effect relationship essay. For example:

Suppose you are trying to say that if your audience is bored during the presentation, you will walk out of there.

• Consequently, if my audience is bored during my presentation, I will walk out of there.

‘Thus’ is a good transition word to use if you want to introduce a conclusion. It’s also helpful if you are writing about a cause-and-effect relationship, as it can help readers focus on the main point of your essay. However, this word should never be used as part of an introduction because it can feel like an attempt at persuasion rather than simply stating what happened in your story.

In conclusion

In conclusion, you should reiterate the main idea of the essay.

Suppose you are writing a persuasive essay on education as an essential factor for economic growth. Here’s how you will use this transition word. Education helps individuals attain higher levels of knowledge and develops their talents and skills. In conclusion, it is essential for people who want careers in these fields to finish high school or college at least.

To conclude

The final sentence of a persuasive essay should be the strongest, most powerful one. It should be short but also powerful and convincing. It could be a summary statement summarizing all the information you’ve presented in your argumentative essay (or maybe just one part). Or it could be a conclusion that ties everything together: This is how you can use the transition word here. “To conclude, I think this is what we can learn from this conversation about love and friendship.”

For this reason

This transition tells what has made you act in such a way. Or what has made you decide this? For example, you can say. For this reason, the best way to move forward is through education.

It is used when the writer wants to conclude a paragraph or an essay.

This is how it is used:

Finally, I would like to conclude by stating that the main points of my essay are:

• Persuasive writing is an art form.
• It requires skill and creativity to be done correctly.

This blog uncovers some of the best examples to use as persuasive essay transition words. Students need to learn and use them to enhance the writing effects of their persuasive essays. By doing this, they have a good chance of taking top grades. Students can also use an affordable  college paper writing service  to awestruck their professors with their creative skills.

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75 Persuasive Essay Topic Ideas

The persuasive essay is one type of writing that you will likely come across in your academic career. A persuasive essay, if you're unfamiliar, is one in which you have to make an argument. You need to choose a side and prove why you're correct by using hard evidence and convincing language. The idea is that you want to convince the reader that your argument is the right one, so you'll definitely want to pick a topic that you're passionate about and something that you'll get excited about researching and writing. This exercise is designed so that you can clearly articulate your opinion and understand why it's important to have evidence to back up your claim.

Your teacher or instructor will probably have specific guidelines on what your essay should entail, but you might have a little bit of free reign on what kinds of topics you can explore and argue about in your essay. With so many things to argue about and for, it might be a little overwhelming to come up with a topic on your own. When you feel like you're stuck on brainstorming ideas, take a look at the following list of 75 persuasive essay topics. You may find something you can use, or something you can adapt for the specific guidelines of your paper. Happy writing!

Educational persuasive essay topics

There are so many things that can be discussed when it comes to education. In our country (and globally), there are many different opinions on how education should be handled and what tactics teachers or academic administrators should use. Here are a few topics on education (which could be expanded or changed to fit your teacher's guidelines) that might be of interest to you.

• Should soda be offered in school cafeterias?
• Should schools teach abstinence-only education?
• Why should schools teach financial literacy?
• Do all students need to go to college?
• Should students take a gap year after high school?
• Do all students need to learn a foreign language?
• Is online or homeschool an effective way to learn?
• Should standardized tests determine whether or not you go on to another grade level?
• Should all students be required to participate in the arts?
• Should a college education be free?
• Should high school journalists be protected under the First Amendment?
• Some universities just have pass/fail grades instead of letter grades. How do you feel about this?
• Should teachers/professors be unbiased in the classroom?
• Should you still learn cursive in elementary school? What are the disadvantages/ advantages?
• Many college campuses have speakers come in occasionally. These speakers can range in political opinion and some can be controversial. Should you let speakers come to schools that have controversial rhetoric or ideas to uphold free speech?

Political persuasive essay topics

They say that you should never talk about politics or religion because it's not polite. But in a persuasive essay, that rule is completely extinguished. Politics and religion are hotbed subjects for a reason—because so many people have radically different ideas of how a society and a country should operate. What side of these political persuasive topics are you on? Take a stab at one of these and the paper will likely fly out onto the keyboard.

• Should protesters be allowed to block traffic? Do they pose a threat to public safety?
• Why should you vote?
• Should same-sex marriage be legal?
• What is your opinion on protecting religious liberties?
• What is your opinion on separating church and state?
• Why has the country become so divided politically over the past few years? Can it be fixed?
• Many industries (like coal and manufacturing) are tough to find a job in and many Americans are out of work. How should we solve this problem?
• Should citizens under 18 be able to vote?
• Should a National Voter ID law be passed to avoid voter fraud?
• What does the phrase "fake news" mean?
• Local newspapers are dwindling. What should be done, if anything, about this problem?
• Should local municipalities do more to combat global warming? If so, how?
• How should we reduce the threat of terrorism in the United States?
• Females have traditionally lower participation in politics. Why do you think that is?
• Some people say that the top 1% of earners don't pay enough taxes. How do you feel about this?
• Will a huge wall on the southern border with Mexico solve the United States' immigration problem?
• How should we solve the United States' immigration problem?
• The voter turnout for the 2016 presidential election was less than 60%, which is much lower than in other democratic societies. Why do you think this is and what can be done about it (or should anything be done about it)?
• Millennials are graduating college with a lot of student loan debt. What should be done to avoid a debt crisis?
• Many say that minimum wage jobs are low skill and the workers in them shouldn't be compensated more for their work, but others claim that a minimum wage job isn't enough money to live off of. Which side do you land on?
• What do you think of celebrities who are vocal about environmental issues but who frequently fly on private, and not commercial, jets?

Crime and legal persuasive essay topics

Crime in any society is an unfortunate inevitability. Why does crime happen and what should be done about it? These are just a few of the things to explore in these crime/legal persuasive essay topics.

• What should we do about a city with a high crime rate like Chicago?
• Should guns be allowed on college campuses?
• Should gun laws be more restrictive?
• Do we have a right to privacy?
• Trends have shown that many recent terrorists have been convicted or accused of domestic violence. What should be done and how do you feel about this?
• Should we have the death penalty? If so, when should it be used?
• Many prisoners are incarcerated for minor drug charges (such as possession of drugs or drug paraphernalia). Should we try to rehabilitate these prisoners or should they serve their full sentences?
• Colorado has legalized marijuana for recreational purposes. What is your opinion of this?
• Do you think marijuana is a gateway drug which leads some users to harder drugs?
• Can criminals be rehabilitated?
• Many prisoners who enter the system are likely to have a high recurrence of criminal activity. What can be done to solve this?
• Many people are starting to use drones for recreational activity. Should there be restrictions on where and how you can use your personal drone?
• Self-driving cars are expected to become increasingly used on city roads. If a self-driving car gets into an accident, whose fault is it? The engineer's?

Health persuasive essay topics

Health is something that we all have to worry about. Whether it's our own health or the health of a loved one, there are many things to think about and research on. What's your opinion on the healthcare system in our country? Should we treat drug addiction like a disease? How should we handle end-of-life care? Try out one of these essay topics to research and gain insight on some of the biggest challenges and questions that our society faces when it comes to health.

• Opioid addiction is at an all-time high in states like Ohio. What should we do to combat this?
• Should healthcare be universal?
• How do you feel about paternity leave?
• Should women get guaranteed maternity leave?
• The state of California requires that you display nutrition facts about menu items in restaurants. Should all states do this?
• Should fast food be "sin taxed" like cigarettes are?
• There is an effort to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. Should we do this or not? If we should, what improvements can be made to a replacement act?
• Many soldiers are coming back from warfare with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. What should we do to help them?
• Many Americans are overweight. What has caused this health crisis and what can be done about it?
• Should vitamins and supplements be more tightly regulated?
• Should health insurance companies provide more financial incentives for subscribers to work out and eat more healthfully?

Women's and gender persuasive essay topics

Are there inherent differences between men and women or is that just a societal myth? Women have gained a lot more rights over the last 100 years in America, but some say they still have a long way to go before they achieve equal rights. How do you feel about this and other women's and gender issues? Explore the following fascinating topics.

• Women have what is known as the "second shift" (meaning that as soon as they get home from work they have additional responsibilities that require their attention immediately). What do you think about this concept and should anything be done about it?
• There are many women's rights and minority rights advocates. Should there be men's rights advocacy groups? What about Caucasian advocacy groups?
• Some people say that gender is a socially constructed norm. What do you think?
• Women who participate in body building competitions are trying to build the "ideal" figure, which some claim is an outdated, sexist idea. But some argue that building muscles is considered a sport and a traditionally "masculine" idea. Which side do you agree with?
• Some people think that beauty pageants are outdated and anti-feminist and shouldn't be televised anymore. How do you feel?
• New wave feminism is the idea that feminism can encompass many different ideas of what it is to be a feminist. It's the idea that you can have choices (whether that's staying at home with children or trying to be a CEO). How do you feel about new wave feminism?

Miscellaneous persuasive essay topics

Of course, there are more categories of essay topics than what are listed above. Here are some additional essay topics if you haven't found one yet that captures your interest.

• Does social media improve or hurt our society?
• Is it important or frivolous to travel the world?
• Many Americans watch a lot of reality TV shows. Why do you think this is?
• With many people reading digital copies of books, are libraries necessary anymore?
• Should anything be done to curb the rise in offensive lyrics in music?
• Should pregnant women be allowed to park in handicapped parking spots?
• Recent studies have shown that pets improve the mental and the physical health of their owners. Should pet-related expenses be tax-deductible?
• What do you think about net neutrality?
• With the rise in selfies and Instagram photo filtering apps, do you think we have become a more self-obsessed society?

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Writing help, paraphrasing tool, brutus’s speech analysis in julius caesar: persuasion and argumentation.

• Julius Caesar , Rhetoric

How it works

• 1.1 Brutus’s Speech Analysis
• 1.2 Antony’s Speech Analysis
• 1.3 Comparison and Impact of Speeches
• 2.1 References:

Introduction: The Power of Persuasive Speeches

Persuasive speeches are quite a tool in order to sway the opinion of an uneducated individual. These speeches must have the power to reform a certain community’s opinion on such a topic that the giver of the speech presents. This form of essay writing follows a strict guideline that must be effective yet, at the same time, subtle in design and composition. They are formed using three such parts of any fundamental argument: the claim, the data, and the warrant. Toulmin’s Analysis perfectly configures this idea of using these parts of an argument instead of basing it on fellow logical models. This philosophy applies in The Tragedy of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare. In this play, two of the main characters, Brutus and Mark Antony, give powerful speeches utilizing, to the tea, Toulmin’s Analysis.

Brutus’s Speech Analysis

As a persuasive speaker, Brutus incorporates the third piece of Toulmin’s Analysis to bring his speech from incomplete into a valid argument. In his warrant, Brutus asks the plebeians a simple yet effective question on the entire ordeal: “Had you rather Caesar were living, and die all/ slaves, than that Caesar was dead, to live all free men?” In this quote, Brutus taps right into the ignorance of the plebeians. The plebeians, in their delusion of seeing Caesar as “mighty and powerful” and wanting to make him king, do not take into account what would truly become of them. Brutus presents this idea so that their eyes may be opened to a harsh reality that would be set in stone if Caesar lived with such high power right in the palm of his hand. As such, all the parts of Brutus’s arguments are clearly identified and solidified using Toulmin’s Analysis.

Antony’s Speech Analysis

Going further with this quite powerful analytical tool, one other speech may be dissected into fundamental argumentative points: Mark Antony’s speech. After Brutus gives his speech, the plebeians are all praising Brutus, saying that he will be the next king. Antony, with a solemn look, brings in the body of Caesar. For about the next seven pages, from when he brings in the body towards the end of the scene, Antony gives a very powerful speech to those in attendance. In all his rambling and sympathetic mess of words, Antony has a distinguishable claim to his argument: Caesar is truly a great and honorable man without ambition existing in Caesar’s very nature. He has several forms of data to support his claim about Caesar; however, the most important piece of evidence that Antony gives is Caesar’s lifeless and blood-induced corpse: “Look, in this place ran Cassius’ dagger through; / See what a rent the envious Casca made; / Through this the well-beloved Brutus stabbed…/Quite vanquished him. Then burst his mighty heart…”

Antony, in his attempt at cajoling the crowd, shows them the hideous image of what truly transpired between Caesar and the conspirators. As easily as a pigeon feeds on a piece of bread, so does Antony feed on the crowd’s ignorance and present himself as the defender of a man with too many stab wounds to count. He seals off the argument with the warrant. In order to justify the fault in killing Caesar, Antony needs to validate his data; therefore, he uses Caesar’s will, which symbolizes the warrant in Toulman’s Analysis. Antony goads the crowd in him, reading the will. At this point, the crowd has become restless and wants him to read the will to them, which he eventually pursues: “Here is the will, and under Caesar’s seal. /To every Roman citizen he gives, /To every several men, seventy-five drachmas.” The commoners, upon hearing this decree, are now infuriated. They see how valiant and honorable Caesar was, and Julius’s death was one of unjustifiable precautions. As such, Antony successfully completes the job he came to do, shed a bad light on the conspirators in order to make Caesar look favorable. He does all this using the basic principles found in Toulmin’s Analysis.

Comparison and Impact of Speeches

He makes valid points on how Caesar did what he did not for the benefit of his power but for the benefit of Rome itself, which is now a destroyed dream because of Brutus’s and the conspirator’s violent actions. Another scene in which Brutus’s argument comes to a complete crumble is where Antony begins to characterize himself, with a noticeable motive behind it: “But (as you know me all) a plain blunt man/ That love my friend…/ For I have neither wit, nor words, nor worth…nor the power of speech/ To stir men’s blood…/ Show you sweet Caesar’s wounds…/ In every wound of Caesar that would move/ The stone of Rome will rise and mutiny.” Unlike Brutus, who makes himself seem like a person of righteous value for protecting Rome from an inevitable dictatorship, Antony uses a different tactic: make himself seem as if the commoners and he is on equal terms. He flat-out claims that he is no orator like Brutus but a plain man who simply loves Caesar as the commoners all deeply inside do. The motive behind Antony’s words is to light a violent and emotional response in the commoners, which he mentions by saying that Rome “will rise and mutiny.” With him presenting his speech in such a way that presents himself as a fellow Roman instead of a “high and valiant man” as Brutus does, Antony’s speech surpasses Brutus’s, as Antony masterfully creates a ripple effect among the citizens that has a much more significant influence over the crowd, which makes Brutus’s speech look weak in comparison.

Conclusion: Toulmin’s Analysis in Action

Though these two speeches vary greatly, they both follow the strict guidelines constituted by Toulmin’s Analysis. Persuasion and evidence are always key in any argument, which Brutus and Antony try to utilize in order for others to perceive them in a respectable manner. In conclusion, analyzing these two speeches really sets forth the ideals of the modern rhetorician Stephen Toulmin and his now-famous Toulmin’s Analysis, which can be easily seen in Antony’s and Brutus’s speeches through careful Analysis and observation.         

References:

• Shakespeare, William. “The Tragedy of Julius Caesar.” Project Gutenberg, 1990, www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1120.
• Toulmin, Stephen E. “The Uses of Argument.” Cambridge University Press, 2003.
• Woodward, David. “Rhetoric and Persuasion in Julius Caesar.” Literature/Film Quarterly, vol. 7, no. 1, 1979, pp. 15-26. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/43798168.
• Miller, Arthur G. “The Nature of Persuasion: A Study of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar.” Theoria: A Journal of Studies in the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, vol. 19, no. 1, 1962, pp. 69-77. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/41800984.
• Bevington, David M. “The Art of Shakespeare’s Verse.” Harvard University Press, 1992.
• Dilworth, Thomas J. “Shakespeare and Aristotle: Overlapping Forms and Ways of Thinking in Julius Caesar.” Studies in Philology, vol. 101, no. 1, 2004, pp. 41-56. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/4174654.
• Harkins, Richard P. “Rhetorical Philosophy and Rhetorical Method in Julius Caesar.” College English, vol. 35, no. 6, 1974, pp. 663-676. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/375601.

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