Writing the Beginning Paragraph

The beginning first needs to grab the reader's attention. Then it introduces the topic and provides background leading up to your position statement. To get started with your beginning paragraph, you can experiment with different lead-writing strategies.

1. Ask a provocative question.

   What if Waterford had more dining options, including exotic foods from Africa, the South Pacific, and the Middle East?

2. Provide a fascinating quotation.

   “If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life, it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast.” 
   ― Ernest Hemingway, A Moveable Feast

3. Provide a surprising fact.

   Food trucks have evolved from ice cream and hot dogs to Kobe steaks and calamari.

4. Directly address the issue.

   Most people would agree that special interest lobbies meant to restrict competition result in unfair laws—except when the topic is "food trucks."

Writing the Middle Paragraphs

Prewriting to Consider Controversies

In the warm-up to this unit, you thought about three different types of controversial positions: opinions, proposals, and hypotheses. You thought about controversies you encountered among friends, family, and teachers. In search of a topic for your argument essay, you should also consider controversies farther afield.

One student thought about the following controversial positions that he encountered at school, read about in local and national newspapers, and discovered on Google News.

Controversies

Write down one controversial position that interests you:

I'm interested in the food-truck controversy. People at school are talking about it, and the local paper had a long article about a city council meeting where the topic blew up.

What reasons do people give to support this position?

Young people want food trucks for new, affordable food options. Restaurants don't want them because of competition and parking.

Do you agree or disagree with this position? What reasons do you have?

I don't know my position yet. I like the idea of more options for eating and attracting more people to our city, but I also see the point of restaurant owners who have a big investment here. I'll have to do further research to make up my mind.

Reading an Argument Essay

To understand how an argument essay works, you can read an example written by another student. He uses logic to build his case, and his voice shows investment in his position but at the same time fairly treats the views of others.

Reading a Student Model

Read the following argument essay and respond to the reading afterward. In the beginning paragraph, the student grabs the reader's attention and delivers the position statement. The middle paragraphs provide strong reasons in support of the position and answer objections from opponents. The ending paragraph sums up the argument and encourages the reader to agree with the position. Click on the side notes to study the features of this essay.

Warm-Up for Argument Writing

Not all arguments are created equal. Some involve people screaming at each other and throwing chairs. Others involve people rationally and logically analyzing an issue in order to come to an effective conclusion. When you write an argument essay, you need to do the latter, not the former. Tantrums only convince readers that you are a child. A logical argument that recognizes all sides but presents and supports a specific position can convince readers about an important issue.

Editing for Pronoun Agreement

A pronoun is used in place of a noun or another pronoun. The word that the pronoun refers to is called an antecedent. Pronouns and antecedents must agree. This means that they must both be singular or they must both be plural. It also means that the gender should match. Here are some examples.

1. That linebacker should pay more attention to their diet. That linebacker should pay more attention to his diet.
2. Teenagers think that he or she can eat poorly and not get sick. Teenagers think that they can eat poorly and not get sick.
3. My friends believe they can eat chips for breakfast and lunch. My friends believe they can eat chips for breakfast and lunch.
4. Tess knows junk food affects their health. Tess knows junk food affects her health.
5. Sickly people may get well just by changing his or her diet. Sickly people may get well just by changing their diet.
6. Doctors tell patients to put fruits and vegetables on their plates every day. Doctors tell patients to put fruits and vegetables on their plates every day.
7. Those boys put too much food on his plates. Those boys put too much food on their plates.
8. Bev trusted his own diet plan. Bev trusted her own diet plan.
9. Many people try to watch his weight. Many people try to watch their weight.
10. Charlie always eats the food he takes. Charlie always eats the food he takes.

Revising to Appeal to Readers

You can't convince people to buy your product by showing how it will help you. You must convince them by showing how your product helps them. To do so effectively, you need to think about the needs of your audience.

The American psychologist Abraham Maslow created a pyramid that showed different levels of human need. At the bottom, you'll find basic needs: air, water, food, and so on. On the next level, you'll find needs that build on those, and so on, going up to morality, creativity, and problem solving at the top. You can use this pyramid to connect your product to the needs of your readers.

1. How does your product connect with readers' basic needs (bottom-level)?
2. How does your product connect with readers' intermediate needs (middle three levels)?
3. How does your product connect with readers' upper-level needs (top triangle)?
4. Choose three needs from the list above. For each one, write a sentence that appeals to your reader, showing how the person benefits from the product.

Writing the Beginning Paragraph

The first sentence is the lead. It should capture your reader’s interest, getting people interested in your product.

1. Ask the reader a question.

   What weighs less than a pound and could save your life?

2. Start with a story.

   After school, you walk out the door and throw on your backpack. You unlock your bike from the bike rack. Then you hop on and ride off. What’s missing from this picture?

3. Begin with an important quotation.

   "Wear a helmet now. Finish living later." That's just one slogan of many submitted to the recent Bicycle Helmet Safety Slogan Contest.

4. Make a surprising statement.

   When bike fatalaties occur, 97 percent of the time, the rider had no helmet.

Lead Sentence

Detail Sentences

Opinion Statement

Prewriting to Select a Topic

The topic of your advertisement essay should be a product that you want to promote. For example, imagine that a malware-fighting program helped clean up your computer, and you want others to know about it.

Reading an Advertisement Poster and Essay

Before you create your own advertisement for a product, you should see how other writers persuaded their audiences to buy. Study the poster and essay below and think about how the writer convinced others to purchase the product.

Reading an Advertisement Poster

A persuasive poster uses visuals and words to connect a product to the needs of the audience. The graphics on the poster should not only grab the attention of the reader but also begin persuading the person. The slogan continues convincing readers by connecting to their desires. The call to action completes the persuasive pitch, asking the viewer to do something specific (buy the product!).

Sample Poster

1. How does the slogan get your attention?
2. How does the image help to persuade?
3. What action does the poster call you to do? What reason does it give you to take that action?

Reading an Advertisement Essay

A persuasive essay has three main parts. The beginning paragraph starts with a lead that grabs the reader's attention and ends with an opinion statement. The middle paragraphs give reasons to support the opinion. The ending paragraph restates the opinion and provides an important final thought or a call to action.

Warm-Up for Advertising a Product

The world around you is filled with advertisements, from click-bait on Web sites to com