Argumentative vs. Persuasive Essays: What’s the Difference?
The difference between an argumentative and persuasive essay isn’t always clear. If you’re struggling with either style for your next assignment, don’t worry. The following will clarify everything you need to know so you can write with confidence.
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First, we define the primary objectives of argumentative vs. persuasive writing. We then compare the best strategies for starting the writing process. In both cases, the key is knowing your audience, which we will discuss later in this article by Custom-Writing.org experts.
- 🎯 Primary Objectives
- 🎬 Starting Your Essay
- ✍️ Writing Technique
- 👁️ Point of View
- ❓ So, what’s the difference?
🔗 References
🎯 persuasive vs. argumentative writing: primary objectives.
Both argumentative and persuasive essays require you to present your point of view on a specific topic. However, your approach will differ between the two. The words “argumentative” and “persuasive” should help you recognize what you are expected to achieve. Let’s see how.
For the argumentative essay, it is sufficient to present your point of view and nothing more. That said, the information you present should come across as being reliable enough for the readers. They don’t need to agree with your take on the issue at hand. The reader need only acknowledge that your point of view is worth considering.
In a persuasive essay, however, your goal is to get the reader on your side. And so, in addition to presenting sensible information, you want the reader to share your opinion.
Here are some examples to show you the difference. For more examples try and use a thesis statement generator for persuasive essay and for argumentative one, and you’ll clearly see what sets them apart.
Additionally, you can take a look at any example of term paper for college , which will clearly show you the differences between the types. Remember, though, that the more controversial your topic is, the more likely it is that the reader will disagree with you!
🎬 Argumentative vs. Persuasive Essay: How to Start
For either type of essay, the foundation is generally the same. Before even thinking about your introduction, settle on a topic that genuinely interests you. What follows will differ for argumentative and persuasive essays.
In the case of argumentative writing, it’s crucial to have all the information you need to build up a strong set of arguments and examples. Therefore, don’t forget to spend some time researching your topic in earnest. Once you have all the data, you can easily choose which side to take. Never force a paper to align with your personal opinion if you don’t have enough supporting evidence.
In the case of a persuasive essay, your job is to make sure you have a decent topic and identify which side to support. The starting point is a bit less complicated.
✍️ Persuasive vs. Argumentative Essays: Writing Technique
This is where things get interesting in the clash between persuasive and argumentative writing. For college-level writing, it’s never enough to follow a general essay outline . Getting that coveted higher mark requires that you know the unique yet subtle features of both writing styles.
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Topical and relevant reasons are the backbone of any argumentative text. This is where preliminary research comes in. Having requisite evidence and facts from credible sources ensures the worthiness of your essay. That way, the reader can validate your point of view.
As with argumentative writing, persuasive essays should include some measure of supporting facts. What distinguishes persuasive writing is that you must also engage the reader on an emotional level. Moreover, there’s no need to present opposing opinions. Your goal is to make the reader take your side. All’s fair in love and war!
👁️ Persuasive vs. Argumentative Essays: Point of View
Let’s talk more about presenting different opinions. You were probably taught that an academic essay includes at least three arguments and an additional counterargument . Keep in mind, however, that this rule applies only to argumentative essays, in which you introduce three or more arguments with evidence to support your point of view. You then offset that point of view by including an opposing opinion. By doing so, you allow the reader to choose a side, even though the facts, as you’ve presented them, are in favor of your opinion. This is a logic-based approach.
In a persuasive essay, you’re not likely to entertain the opposition. Your conviction is the very essence of the essay. Your take on the issue in question must come across as the only sensible approach. If you’re feeling confident, you’re welcome to include a counterargument, but only if you decimate it right away!
👏 The Audience of Argumentative vs. Persuasive Essays
We’ve seen the differences and similarities between argumentative and persuasive writing and walked you through the technical aspects of both. But there’s one final piece of the puzzle to be considered: the question of your audience. This is the biggest difference of them all.
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When writing an argumentative essay, remember that you don’t need to convince anyone. There is no audience. You’re simply presenting the information you gathered without expecting anything in return (except maybe a pat on the back from your teacher).
Without an audience, there’s no one to persuade. This touches on another crucial element of the writing process : understanding what and how your readers think. This allows you to pick the best strategy to convince them to join your side.
❓ What’s the Difference between a Persuasive Essay and an Argumentative Essay?
The main difference between a persuasive essay and an argumentative essay comes down to your audience. For persuasive writing, it’s necessary to feel out your audience and wield that knowledge to prove the efficacy of your perspective. For argumentative writing, opt for a logical approach and just present the facts with no intent to persuade anyone.
- Argumentative Essays // Purdue Writing Lab
- Argumentative Essay Structure (University of Washington)
- Suggestions for Developing Argumentative Essays (UC Berkeley)
- Argumentative essay | Quick guide (article) | Khan Academy
- Persuasive Essay Structure (Arizona State University)
- Persuasion (UMN Libraries)
- Persuasive Writing – Georgetown Law
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Argumentative vs Persuasive Essay: What’s The Difference?
by Antony W
September 10, 2021
It’s easy to assume that an argumentative essay is synonymous to persuasive essay writing because they both convince your audience to agree with your point of view.
But the two are different not only in terms of purpose but also in terms of the tone used in writing and the expected results.
In this comparison post, we’ll tell you the difference between persuasive and argumentative essay , our goal being to help you approach both assignments the right way.
What is an Argumentative Essay?
An argumentative essay writing is an assignment that requires students to pick a topic, investigate it, collect and evaluate evidence, choose a position, and then defend their stand.
For an essay to be considered argumentative, it must be clear and concise and feature a logical transition between the introduction , body paragraphs , and the conclusion .
Argumentative essays require evidential support, which can be either factual, statistical, historical, or logical.
What is a Persuasive Essay?
A persuasive essay is an assignment written to persuade.
An author uses first and second person point of view to express their conviction in a way that shows their thinking is the best.
Persuasive writing tends to be somewhat aggressive in approach, but in most cases, it tends to be emotional, passionate, and personal.
Argumentative vs Persuasive Essay
Let's take a closer look on argumentative vs persuasive essay below.
Keep in mind that this guide focuses mostly on the differences between the two types of essays .
Differences in Starting Point
You’re going to put very little work to persuasive essay writing and therefore you’ll find it easier to write. That’s because it has quite a simpler starting point.
When it comes to writing this essay, all you have to do is to identify the topic you’d like to cover and choose your side.
An argumentative essay is completely different in terms of its starting point. You have to choose a topic, research it in-depth, and then decide which side you’d like to support using reasonable and sufficient evidence.
Differences in Writing Technique
Difference in tone.
Argumentative essay writing requires an authoritative tone in order to make your ideas clear.
To demonstrate your authoritativeness on the topic, and to prove to the reader that you can argue your points, you need to use a formal tone as well as the right language to complete the essay.
More often than not, your arguments have to reflect a consistent use of a somewhat complex language, as it’s necessary to fill the assignment with the technical terms related to the subject.
It’s a completely different case in persuasive writing.
Here’s where you write as if you’re talking a friend, and therefore you can use a more relaxed tone that identifies with your readers’ emotions, sense of humor, intelligence, and sometimes ego.
Difference in Purpose
The purpose of persuasive writing is to express your thoughts and beliefs in hope to convince your audience to share your point of view.
You may have a claim in persuasive writing, but there are often no solid and undeniable facts to present so as to defend your position.
For what it’s worth, especially since the primary goal is to sway the reader in hope that they either agree with you or take an action, often a persuasive essay tends to use a non-formal kind of debate and emotional appeal.
The purpose of an argument is completely different. Authors need to invest in research and come up with compelling arguments to defend their positions.
Instead of swaying your audience, you present the evidence for or against an argument and let your audience decides whether to take your stand or to write off your argument completely.
Difference in Conclusion
In argumentative essay writing, your conclusion should demonstrate two things.
First, demonstrate the position you take in the argument, and second, let the reader know that they can recognize other point of view.
By doing so, you not only demonstrate that you put effort in researching your topic but also establish that your stand is the best among all in relation to the topic in question.
The conclusion of a persuasive essay isn’t as robust and may not even be as convincing.
First, the end of the essay tries to put a reader in the position to accept that an author’s thoughts are the only source of information on the subject in question.
In a way, the assumption is that the author expects the reader will recognize and agree with their stand.
Argumentative vs Persuasive Essay: Get Writing Help
Let’s face it:
Writing an argumentative or persuasive essay isn’t always as easy, especially if you have so many other assignments to complete.
If we’re being honest, sometimes the best way to beat your deadline is to seek academic writing help.
At Help for Assessment, we invest a lot of time and resources to help students understand, complete, and submit their essays on time.
So if you don’t have the time to complete the papers yourself, and you need help from an academic writing service that has written thousands of essays already, you can count on us to help you complete the work.
About the author
Antony W is a professional writer and coach at Help for Assessment. He spends countless hours every day researching and writing great content filled with expert advice on how to write engaging essays, research papers, and assignments.
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What is the similarities between persuasive and argumentative?
Table of Contents
- 1 What is the similarities between persuasive and argumentative?
- 2 What is the similarities between informative and persuasive communication?
- 3 What is the difference between informative persuasive and argumentative?
- 4 What is the difference between persuasive communication and argumentative communication?
- 5 How are informational and argumentative writing similar?
- 6 What is the difference of informative persuasive and argumentative?
A persuasive essay, also known as an argumentative essay, takes a stance on a topic or point and argues it, usually using research to back it up. Persuasive essays are usually written in third person point of view.
What is the similarities between informative and persuasive communication?
An informative speech aims to inform the audience about a specific topic. A persuasive speech aims to persuade the audience to perform a certain action or convince the audience to adopt the belief or opinion of the speaker. Many speeches will combine features of informative and persuasive speeches.
What is the similarities of argumentative text and expository text?
In order to successfully make an argument, both persuasive and expository essays make use of an informational tone and a nonfiction style of writing. Relying on facts rather than subjective opinions makes an essay more convincing and professional, enhancing the legitimacy of its argument.
What is the difference between persuasive and argument?
An argument explains what someone believes, while persuasion attempts to change someone else’s opinion. Arguments usually look at both sides of an issue and then form a final opinion based on the evidence. Persuasion is more one-sided because you want others to believe that your idea is the best.
What is the difference between informative persuasive and argumentative?
The main difference between argumentative essays and informative essays is that argumentative essays try to convince the reader to accept the writer’s point of view, while informative essays provide information and explanations in a straightforward manner to the readers.
What is the difference between persuasive communication and argumentative communication?
Argumentative writing uses logic, reason, and comparison to prove a point; persuasion appeals to the reader’s emotions rather than reason.
What is the difference between argumentative persuasive and informative?
What are the similarities and differences of exposition and argumentation?
Persuasive / argumentative essays take a position on an issue and try to convince their readers to accept your arguments. In other words, the major difference between expository and argumentative essays is that argumentative essays try to convince, while expository essays do not.
How are informational and argumentative writing similar?
Informative essays are a type of writing that explains a certain issue or a topic. An argumentative essay contains a combination of facts and writer’s personal ideas. A writer preparing to start an argumentative essay has to do a lot of research and gather evidence to prove and defend his point.
What is the difference of informative persuasive and argumentative?
How is persuasive essay similar to argumentative essay?
while persuasive essays are a genre of writing that attempts to convince the readers to agree with the writer, by using emotions, personal ideas, etc. In other words, an argumentative essay is based on logic and reasons while a persuasive essay is based on emotions and personal opinions.
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Informative texts: give information. The reader can accept or not accept them. Persuasive texts: want to get the reader to accept a new belief or to do something. The reader can accept or reject the message or request. Argumentative texts: expect the reader to change their way of thinking or behaviour.
The argumentative essay may have a counterclaim for each of the reasons supporting the thesis while the persuasive essay may group the counterclaims in a separate paragraph. The thinking, however, in both essays is the same. Informative is expository. It explains/describes something. It does not seek to convince.
Both argumentative and persuasive essays require you to present your point of view on a specific topic. However, your approach will differ between the two. The words “argumentative” and “persuasive” should help you recognize what you are expected to achieve. Let’s see how.
An author uses logic to write the essay so that it’s easily debatable. Based on emotions. In argumentative essay writing, the author recognizes the possibility of opposing claims. In persuasive writing, an author completely ignores the possibility of counter claims. A writer will evaluate and compare several ideas and use the relevant ones to ...
An argument explains what someone believes, while persuasion attempts to change someone else’s opinion. Arguments usually look at both sides of an issue and then form a final opinion based on the evidence. Persuasion is more one-sided because you want others to believe that your idea is the best.