Part A - Developing An Outline For A Persuasive Essay - A Handout For E4

E4 PAO1-2022
DEVELOPING AN OUTLINE FOR A PERSUASIVE ESSAY

PART A – THE INTRODUCTORY PARAGRAPH

1. The Introductory Paragraph

Its purpose is to inform your audience about the topic of your essay, and to state your
opinion or stance about the stated topic. Your introduction is your essay's 'first
impression' on your audience, and as such, it is very important!
An introductory paragraph for an essay has three important parts:
a. HOOK / ATTENTION GETTER

b. BACKGROUND/CONNECTING INFORMATION
c. THESIS STATEMENT
Task 1 – Watch the following video about the parts of an introductory

paragraph.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msaynBwwxkA
Task 2– Right or wrong
1. Must contain an attention grabber for the reader or at least make the essay sound interesting,
may begin with a quote about the topic.
2. Ensures that the intro moves from the general to the specific regarding the topic.
3. Provides the reader with a “road map” of the essay in a logical order.
4. At the end there should be what is called a thesis statement, arguably the most important
component of the intro.
5. The thesis statement states the aim of the paper and may give insight into the author’s
examples and evidence.
PARTS OF AN INTRODUCTORY PARAGRAPH
A. the HOOK (or attention getter) is the opening sentence of an essay.

It grabs the reader’s attention.
Developing an Outline for a Persuasive Essay – Part A: The Introductory Paragraph/ Edited,
formatted, and generated by Jenny Villarreal H., MTELF-CELTA
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Type of hook Example hook
Strong/Shocking statement/fact
Each year thousands of teenagers die in driving accidents.
The dictionary defines “gossip” as “casual conversation,” but gossip is in reality a
Definition much more negative interaction.
Quote from a famous person The poet Emily Dickinson once said: “Saying nothing…sometimes says the most.”
Do you think students should be forced to wear sweaters when it is over 35

Rhetorical Question degrees?
After college, I had to decide between a low-paying job that seemed like fun and a
Dilemma more mundane job that paid well.
"According to 2008 figures from the Pew Research Centre, 97% of today's K-12
Striking numbers and statistics students spend many hours each week playing video games."(Keith Devlin,
Learning Math with a Video Game)
1. Being the victim of bullying is one of the worst things
that can happen to a teenager.
_______________________________ .
2. Over two million students are victims of bullying in

schools all over the country each year.
________________________________ .
3. Just imagine, how would you feel if you were

picked on at school day in and day out?
________________________________ .
4. Aleya said, "Mr. Brown helped me when I was being

bullied at school. I overcame it thanks to him."
________________________________ .
Task 1 –
Write the type of hook next to each one. The hooks are all related to the topic of bullying.
Task 2
Read the question and write a hook.
Q: Universities should have challenging entry exams so that only those who have enough knowledge
can have access to the university. Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Use specific reasons
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and examples to support your opinion.
Rhetorical question hook
Statistics hook
Quotation hook
Strong/Shocking statement hook
Once you have written down your hook, it is now time to start working on the background
information section of the introduction.
B. BACKGROUND CONNECTING INFORMATION

 Mentions the topic or subject of the essay in a general form.
 It is a bridge between the hook and the thesis statement. The background
information, depending on the topic that you are going to discuss, can include:
 A historical, geographical, or social context.
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 Definitions of unfamiliar terms.
 A summary of current information on the topic
The information you include in this section of the introduction needs to be general but focused
and relevant to the idea that you intend to defend in the body paragraphs. Remember not to give too
much detail, and do not include evidence at this point as you will do it when you are writing the body
paragraphs.
Some notes about the background information

Before you start writing the background information you need to think about your reader and
try to imagine what they know about the topic. Then you can start writing the information
needed to bridge this knowledge gap. Always keep in mind who your reader is when you write
an academic essay.
Finally, your background information should go anywhere between three to five sentences.
Long enough to give the reader a good idea of what you will discuss. But not too long so that you do not
have anything else to talk about in the body of the essay.
Let’s look at the following example, which includes the hook also.
Q: Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? It is better to

use printed materials such as books and articles to do research than it is to
use the Internet. Use specific reasons and examples to support your
answer.
Drew Barrymore once said “I have no Internet savvy whatsoever, but I love doing
research. The Internet is my library. Beyond that, I’m completely intimidated by it.”
Just like Miss Barrymore, many people believe that doing research in Internet is
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fairly simple, and any monkey could do it, no offense to monkeys. The world wide
web has given us hundreds of possibilities to find information there. Some sources
are good, others, not so much. But you can take your time and obtain what you
need for your research in the digital libraries.
HOOK BACKGROUND
Task 3
Read the following hook and background information. Then circle correct or incorrect. If you circle
incorrect, write a corrected background information.
a. Wolfgang Puck once said, "For me, cooking is an expression of the land where you are and the
culture of that place." When we think of cooking, as well as of the different cultures and sub-cultures
of food around the world and the reason why we cook, the answer is nourishment. Great cooking
produces lasting memories. Food memories can come from something as humble as a beautiful piece
of toasted bread or a wonderful cherry. At the highest levels, we make food memories by balancing
nourishment with joy and excitement.
Correct Incorrect
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
b. My neighbourhood, in my humble opinion, is a lovely one. People chat with each other and meet at
the pool for a refreshing time. The gym we have in the community is also a gathering place for the
young and not so young. My neighbourhood is pretty, and I really like the people with whom I live.
Correct Incorrect
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_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
c. If I could change one thing about my neighborhood, it would be the pollution problem. I will
give the following reasons to explain why this is a problem that we need to resolve.
Correct Incorrect
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
C. THE THESIS STATEMENT
When you write an essay, no matter which type of essay, you should always need a
main point or idea, your central message. This main idea that you have is what you must reflect on your
paper. The sentence you use to tell the reader what your position on the topic is should go at the end of
your introductory paragraph, and it is called the thesis statement.
The thesis statement can be either one or two sentences long. It depends on you and how you put your
ideas together. In any case, the thesis statement should have two parts. First, you must declare your
position on the topic. Second, you need to point out three ideas that are going to support your opinion.
These two sections have their purpose. Your position tells the reader what your opinion on the topic is.
Tell them whether you agree or not with the statement made in the question. The second section tells the
reader what to expect in the body of the essay. You should always keep looking at the three ideas as they
will keep you focused on the content of your essay. Remember, everything you write in the body of your
essay will be about these three ideas.
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Some notes about the thesis statement
This is the last thing you write in the introduction, and it serves as a conductor in an orchestra.
Every element of your essay must be true to the thesis statement.
Let’s look at the following example, which includes the hook also.
Q: Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? It is better to

use printed materials such as books and articles to do research than it is to
use the Internet. Use specific reasons and examples to support your
answer.
Drew Barrymore once said “I have no Internet savvy whatsoever, but I love doing research.
The Internet is my library. Beyond that, I’m completely intimidated by it.” Just like Miss
Barrymore, many people believe that doing research in Internet is fairly simple, and any
monkey could do it, no offense to monkeys. The world wide web has given us hundreds of
possibilities to find information there. Some sources are good, others, not so much. But
you can take your time and obtain what you need for your research in the digital libraries.
While books have their own potential, people should use internet rather than books to
do research because it is fairly inexpensive, it easy to use, and there is a great deal of
information.
HOOK BACKGROUND THESIS

STATEMENT
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Let us look at the thesis statement a little closer and see if it complies with the requirements of a
good thesis. So, the first thing is to state your opinion on the topic of the essay.
The first part of this thesis says, "While books have their own potential, people should use
the Internet rather than books to do research." The question asked if I agreed or not that books
are better than the Internet to do research.
The opinion is clear and to the point, and I start my thesis by recognising the other option,
and then I tell you what I think.
The second part of the thesis statement asserts, "because it is fairly inexpensive, it easy to use,
and there is a great deal of information." The three reasons that I have written after the word because
will be the support for my opinion. Additionally, these three ideas will form part (each idea) of the topic
sentences I will write in each of the paragraphs of the body.
Task 4
Read the paragraph below and see if you can identify the key features of an introduction:
hook, background, and thesis information.
This is an introduction written in response to the essay question: Do you think students should
be forced to wear school uniforms when it is over 30 degrees in the Coast of Ecuador? Yes/No?
Supply your reasons.
We should not have to wear school uniforms because they limit

our ability to express our individuality. What I mean by this is
that students have the right to express who they are and how they
are feeling. One of the most important ways they do this is
through dress. This is how we show the world who we are,
particularly in an environment where we are forced to be quiet for
90% of the day. Our fashion makes a unique statement. If students
are forced to wear uniforms, their ability to express themselves
will be severely limited, they may try to rebel against the system
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and their academic performance will not improve by wearing
uniforms. Because of this we should not have to wear uniforms.
Task 5
Read the following thesis statements. Circle the opinion and underline the three supporting ideas.
1: Smartphones are tools these days, which are beneficial to people in every
aspect, especially as they keep you communicated, organized, and updated with
information.
2: These mammals are the best of the sea animals because they are intelligent,
funny, and interesting.
3: The Internet is not your best friend, as many people intend us to think.
You can find tons of information, true. Still, it is also true that you can be
cyberbullied, find inappropriate content, and you can also be a victim of
phishing.
Task 6
Complete the following thesis statements by adding a third supporting point that will parallel the two
already provided.
Example: Because I never took college preparatory courses in high school, I entered college deficient in
mathematics, study skills, and science.
a. A good entrepreneur needs to like people, be aggressive, and _________________ .

b. Instead of blaming myself for failing the course, I blamed the instructor, my adviser, and even
_____________.
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c. Our old car uses too much gas, makes funny noises, and________________ .
d. My mother, my boss, and ____________are three people who are very important in my life
right now.
e. Getting married at 21 was a mistake because we hadn't finished our education, we weren't ready
for children, and _____________________ .
 This exercise was taken from college writing skills with readings.
An annotated introduction
Let us have a complete example of an introductory paragraph.
Henry Rollins once said "It took me until my teenage

years to realize that I was medicating with music. I was This is the hook. As you can see,
this is a quote which introduces
pushing back against my stupid school uniform,
the position on the topic.
instructors who called me by my last name and my
classmates, who, while friendly enough, were not at all
inspiring." A school uniform, some scholars say, is a set
of clothes that pupils must wear to attend school and Here is the background information.
look pretty. Others believe that a school uniform in It gives the reader some insight of
nothing, but a tool used to rob kids from their the topic.
personalities and self-inspiration. I believe both sides
are an exaggeration, although uniforms are not a good
idea because they can create stress in parents, The thesis statement starts with the
sometimes they are not very comfortable, and they writer’s opinion and then the
could cause outside bullying. reasons to support it.
Developing an Outline for a Persuasive Essay – Part A: The Introductory Paragraph/ Edited, 1
formatted, and generated by Jenny Villarreal H., MTELF-CELTA 0
E4 PAO1-2022
- Q. Online learning has increased the

percentage of students cheating in exams
and assignments in ESPOL. Do you agree
or disagree? Set your position and support
it by 3 reasons.
Developing an Outline for a Persuasive Essay – Part A: The Introductory Paragraph/ Edited, 1
formatted, and generated by Jenny Villarreal H., MTELF-CELTA 1

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E4 PAO1-2022

DEVELOPING AN OUTLINE FOR A PERSUASIVE ESSAY

DEVELOPING AN OUTLINE FOR A PERSUASIVE ESSAY

1. The Introductory Paragraph

a. HOOK / ATTENTION GETTER

Task 1 – Watch the following video about the parts of an introductory

Task 2– Right or wrong

PARTS OF AN INTRODUCTORY PARAGRAPH

A. the HOOK (or attention getter) is the opening sentence of an essay.

Do you think students should be forced to wear sweaters when it is over 35

2. Over two million students are victims of bullying in

3. Just imagine, how would you feel if you were

4. Aleya said, "Mr. Brown helped me when I was being

Strong/Shocking statement hook

B. BACKGROUND CONNECTING INFORMATION

Some notes about the background information

Q: Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? It is better to

C. THE THESIS STATEMENT

Some notes about the thesis statement

Q: Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? It is better to

HOOK BACKGROUND THESIS

We should not have to wear school uniforms because they limit

a. A good entrepreneur needs to like people, be aggressive, and _________________ .

Let us have a complete example of an introductory paragraph.

Henry Rollins once said "It took me until my teenage

could cause outside bullying. reasons to support it.

- Q. Online learning has increased the

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