The GHSWT: The Persuasive Essay

1. The GHSWT:The Persuasive Essay If you want to graduate, you MUST pass this…

2. Essay Components A solid essay is made of the following parts. If you are missing one or more of these Essay Components, it will affect your structure and, almost certainly, your ability to pass the GHSWT. • The Introduction • The Thesis • The Body Paragraph featuring a Topic Sentence and Specific Evidence • Transitions • A Conclusion with a clincher

3. The Introduction & Thesis Statement • An introduction is the part of the essay where the writer sets up the topic for the reader. The introduction should be 4-5 sentences long. It is important to ease the reader into the topic by starting general and getting more and more specific until you close the introduction with the thesis statement.

4. The Introduction & Thesis Statement • For instance, if your topic is about the most dangerous animal in the ocean, and you want to write on the great white shark, you should have an introduction something like this: • There are many dangerous animals in the world. ------------------------------------------general start • Many of those hazardous creatures can be found in the oceans. ----------------a little more specific • The scariest breed in the ocean is definitely the shark. -----------------------------even more specific • The baddest of the bad when it comes to the shark world is great white shark. ----thesis statement

5. The Body Paragraph & Topic sentences • The body paragraph is the part of the essay where you give evidence to support your thesis. • The body paragraph begins with a topic sentence that gives the main idea of the entire paragraph. • All information in the paragraph should be directly connected to the topic sentence to ensure that you do not get off topic.

6. The Topic Sentence • Pretend you wanted to make the following points, what would be a good topic sentence? -Stephen King has won many Bram Stoker awards, showcasing his horror-writing talents.-However, Stephen King was also honored with the O. Henry short story award, which is the highest honor given to a short story writer, showing he is more than just a master of horror.-Most impressive, though, is the fact that Stephen King has also been awarded the Medal for Distinguished Contribution by the National Book Foundation.

7. The Topic Sentence • How about “Stephen King is an excellent writer” or even better (because it is more specific) “Stephen King is an award-winning writer.”

8. Specific Evidence • An argument MUST include specific evidence if it is going to be convincing. A broad claim is usually the beginning of a good argument, but you need to back it up with specific evidence that supports that claim. • For Example - Broad Claim: Mr. Smith is an awesome teacher because he helps students learn.Broad Claim w/ specific evidence: Mr. Smith is an awesome teacher because he incorporates humor and wit into his instruction to make it memorable. Also, his student activities reinforce his instruction in ways that are meaningful and useful in both the classroom and the real world.

9. Specific Evidence For each topic sentence you have, you need around 3 examples of specific evidence, which means every single body paragraph should be at least 4-5 sentences long. Any less and you aren’t being persuasive.

10. Transitions • A transition is a word or group of words that maintains the flow of a paper while moving from one subject to the next. Transitions are going to be used (almost always) in the first sentence of the 2nd and 3rd body paragraphs. A boring transition is better than none – like this: • First of all, topic sentence topic sentence topic sentence topic sentence topic sentence. Support and details in the body paragraph support and details in the body paragraph. Support and details in the body paragraph support and details in the body paragraph. Support and details in the body paragraph support and details in the body paragraph. Support and details in the body paragraph support and details in the body paragraph. • Another reason is topic sentence topic sentence topic sentence topic sentence topic sentence. Support and details in the body paragraph support and details in the body paragraph. Support and details in the body paragraph support and details in the body paragraph. Support and details in the body paragraph support and details in the body paragraph. Support and details in the body paragraph support and details in the body paragraph. • Yet another important reason is topic sentence topic sentence topic sentence topic sentence topic sentence. Support and details in the body paragraph support and details in the body paragraph. Support and details in the body paragraph support and details in the body paragraph. Support and details in the body paragraph support and details in the body paragraph. Support and details in the body paragraph support and details in the body paragraph.

11. Transitions • Each of the following is a transition word that can be used to make an essay more fluid: Also FurthermoreAdditionallyIn addition Next Another Second (or secondly) Likewise Similarly

12. Conclusion • The conclusion is the final paragraph in the essay. It should be 4-5 sentences long but really shouldn’t repeat the same points you’ve already made. This is tricky, but a good way to conclude without repeating is to focus on the importance of the subject. For example, if you were writing an essay about why Babe Ruth is the greatest athlete of all-time, you wouldn’t list his accomplishments; instead, you would talk about how his legacy has affected the world: Babe Ruth’s athletic prowess was unparalleled in his generation, and nothing has changed. He revolutionized the game of baseball from how it was played to the size of the stadiums it was played in. He has inspired young boys and candy bar makers alike. Although the world is full of good athletes, there is only one Great Bambino.

13. Conclusion • Notice that there is no repetition of specific details, statistics, or other information. There is just a general discussion of the importance of the topic. Also, the conclusion should end with a clincher. A clincher is a sentence meant to make the essay and its point memorable. It should “drive home” the point of the essay. Do your best to include this and make it creative.

14. Proofreading In order to do well in the conventions category of the Georgia High School Writing Test, you MUST learn to be a good proofreader. That means reading your essay three times. You will read it once to ensure that all the sentences make sense to the reader and that the subjects and verbs agree. You will read it a second time to make sure that punctuation is good – all commas are in the right place, all contractions and possessive words have apostrophes, etc. Then read it a third time because you love your teacher and he asked you to.

15. For More Help… Pick one of the following worksheets based on what you think you need help on and complete it: The Introduction Specific Evidence Connecting to the Thesis Transitions and Conclusions Good Writing Checklist Proofreading 101