Paragraph: Persuasion

Directions:

Write an argument paragraph that uses reasons to develop a point.

Your topic sentence will be something like: Television is one of the worst inventions of the century. Or, All cigarette and alcohol advertising should be banned.

You should begin by constructing a list of your reasons (usually three) to support the claim made by your topic sentence. Then, list at least one detailed example to illustrate each reason. Finally, construct your paragraph around your three reasons and associated examples.

The paragraph must be typed or word-processed, between 200 and 250 words long, double-spaced, with one-inch margins.

For this paragraph, you will want to consider the following:

______ Focus: Is there a clear opening statement of the point (topic sentence) of your paragraph? Is everything in your paragraph focused to support this point? Is there anything that “strays from the focus” and doesn't belong?

______ Support: Do all of the sentences after the topic sentence support the topic sentence? Are all of the details specific (not general)? Is there enough evidence given to support the point?

______ Coherence: Are all the sentences in the right order? Does the paragraph “flow” from beginning to end? Are there transitions and other connective devices to help create flow?

______ Sentence Structure / Mechanics: Is the paragraph free of sentence errors (particularly fragments, run-ons)? Are all sentences punctuated effectively (commas, periods, especially)? Are all words spelled correctly? Is the paper formatted as requested?

______ Total

Notes for Revision

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