1. 1 Chapter 13 Persuasion

2. 2 To persuade is to convince someone that a particular opinion or point of view is the correct one. Any time you argue with a friend, you are each trying to persuade or convince the other that your opinion is the right one. Commercials and advertisements are another form of persuasion. You will often have to persuade in writing. Once you learn how to persuade logically and rationally, you will be less likely to accept the false, misleading, and emotional arguments that you hear and read every day. Persuasion is vital in daily life, in nearly all college courses, and in most careers.

3. 3 Passengers should refuse to ride in any vehicle driven by someone who has been drinking. First and most important, such a refusal could save lives. The National Council on Alcoholism reports that drunk driving causes 25,000 deaths and 50 percent of all traffic accidents each year. Not only the drivers but the passengers who agree to travel with them are responsible. Second, riders might tell themselves that some people drive well even after a few drinks, but this is just not true. Dr. Burton Belloc of the local Alcoholism Treatment Center explains that even one drink can lengthen the reflex time and weaken the judgment needed for safe driving. Other riders might feel foolish to ruin a social occasion or inconvenience themselves or others by speaking up, but risking their lives is even more foolish. Finally, by refusing to ride with a drinker, one passenger could influence other passengers or the driver. Marie Furillo, a student at Central High School, is an example. When three friends who had obviously been drinking offered her a ride home from school, she refused, despite the driver’s teasing. Hearing Marie’s refusal, two of her friends got out of the car. Until the laws are changed and a vast re-education takes place, the bloodshed on American highways will probably continue. But there is one thing people can do: they can refuse to risk their lives for the sake of a party. Persuasive Paragraph

4. 4 Persuasive paragraphs either can begin with the most important reason and then continue with less important ones, or they can begin with the least important reasons, saving the most important for last.

5. 5 The following transitional expressions are helpful in persuasive paragraphs. Transitional Expressions for Persuasion Give Reasons Answer the Opposition Draw Conclusions another, next granted that consequently first (second, third) of course hence importantly on the other hand therefore last, finally some may say thus

6. 6 The drinking-and-driving example showed the basic kinds of support used in persuasive paragraphs:  Facts—statements of what is.  Referring to an authority—an expert.  Examples—should clearly relate to the argument and be typical.  Predicting the consequences—helps the reader visualize what will occur if something does or does not happen.  Answering the opposition—answering possible critics. Methods of Persuasion

7. 7 In addition to providing adequate proof for your argument, pay special attention to the audience as you write persuasively. Consider just what kind of evidence this audience would respond to. When you take your audience into consideration, you will make your persuasive paragraph more convincing. Considering the Audience

8. 8 A group called Adbusters creates stylish spoof ads for real products. The goal is to expose the truth that real-life ads often hide. What is the persuasive message of this ad? Persuade Through Humor Adbusters Media Foundation

9. 9 © Cengage Learning 2014

10. 10 1.Companies should not be allowed to read their employees’ e-mail. 2.Occasional arguments are good for friendship. 3.A required course at this college should be (Great American Success Stories, Survey of World Art, How to Manage Money, or another). 4.The families of AIDS patients are the hidden victims of AIDS. 5.Condom machines should be permitted on campus. 6.The death penalty should (or should not) be used to punish certain crimes. 7.Expensive weddings are an obscene waste of money. 8.Gay people should be allowed to marry. 9.Smoking marijuana should be legal for adults over the age of 21. 10. Drunk drivers who cause accidents with fatalities should be charged with murder. 11. ( ) is the most (hilarious, educational, mindless, racist) show on television. 12. To improve academic achievement, this town should create same-sex high schools (all boys, all girls). 13. No one under the age of 21 should be allowed to have body piercing (tattoos, cosmetic surgery, or other). 14. (Writer, singer, or actor) has a message that more people need to hear. 15. Writer’s choice Suggested Topic Sentences for Persuasive Paragraphs

11. 11 EXPLORING ONLINE http://www.readwritethink.org/materials/persuasi on_map/ This online persuasion map helps you create your argument. http://www.tesoltasks.com/ArgVocab.htm Practice using the vocabulary of argument.