Persuasive Essay Prewriting Worksheet

Some factual, logical, statistical, or anecdotal evidence should support the thesis.However, students must consider multiple points of view when collecting evidence.Expository essays are often used for in-class writing exercises or tests, such as the GED or GRE.

Some paragraphs will directly support the thesis statement with evidence collected during research.

It is also important to explain how and why the evidence supports the thesis (warrant).

It is not the student’s job to point out how other positions are wrong outright, but rather to explain how other positions may not be well informed or up to date on the topic.

It is at this point of the essay that students may begin to struggle.

As noted in the paragraph above, a successful and well-rounded argumentative essay will also discuss opinions not aligning with the thesis.

It is unethical to exclude evidence that may not support the thesis.

This is the portion of the essay that will leave the most immediate impression on the mind of the reader. Do not introduce any new information into the conclusion; rather, synthesize the information presented in the body of the essay.

Restate why the topic is important, review the main points, and review your thesis.

Summary: The Modes of Discourse—Exposition, Description, Narration, Argumentation (EDNA)—are common paper assignments you may encounter in your writing classes.

Although these genres have been criticized by some composition scholars, the Purdue OWL recognizes the wide spread use of these approaches and students’ need to understand and produce them.