Reading and Thinking Strategies opinion if it is backed up by verifiable
across Text Types, Reading and Writing
Skills
PERSUASION AS A PATTERN OF
DEVELOPMENT
Objectives
At the end of this lesson, you should be
able to identify and use persuasion as a
pattern of development in writing.
What is a persuasive paragraph?
In writing, how do you convince readers to
agree with your opinions or ideas?
What methods do you use to make them
do or believe in something?
Learn about it!
A persuasive paragraph intends to
convince readers to do or believe in
something. Many writing genres such as
critiques or reviews, reaction papers,
editorials, proposals, advertisements, and
brochures make strong use of persuasive
paragraphs to state opinions and to
influence others.
Knowing how to write a persuasive
paragraph allows you to express your
personal conviction or opinion about an
issue or topic and make the readers agree
with or adopt your conviction or opinion.
There are three common techniques that
you can use in developing a persuasive
paragraph:
 Using evidence
 Giving examples
 Attacking an opposing view
1. Using Evidence
You can use strong evidence such as
facts and statistics, statements of expert
authorities, and research findings to
create impact and establish credibility.
Readers will more likely be convinced to
side with your position or agree with your
evidence.
Example:
The Philippine government should take
measures to decrease class sizes in
public schools, as it is one of the biggest
problems in the Philippine education
system. Class sizes have gone up to 75 or
80 students per class, and newspapers
reported that of the 764 public schools in
the metropolis, 82 percent had to resort to
conducting classes in two shifts, one that
starts as early as 6 a.m. and ANOTHER
that ends as late as 6 p.m. The shortage
of school classrooms and the large class
sizes have a massive effect on children’s
education. According to the National
Education Research and Testing Center,
only 68 percent of sixth-grade students
were able to achieve a passing score in
science and mathematics, and secondary
students fared even worse, with only
barely 50 percent of students passing the
same subjects. If the government does not
act on improving the class sizes in public
schools, we cannot expect public school
students to fare better in their academics.
2. Giving Examples
Another technique to persuade readers is
by giving examples. Providing examples
can enhance your idea or opinion and
make it concrete. These examples can be
based on observations or from your own
personal experience. When using
examples, they must be concrete,
relevant, and reasonable.
Example:
I think our employees should be required
to undergo a workplace sensitivity training.
Disrespecting coworkers based on
appearance, gender, or beliefs can lead to
loss of employees. For instance, one of
our best employees quit last week
because of derogatory remarks regarding
his faith. We also had a major incident last
month involving verbal aggression
between two employees, which ended
with both parties resigning. If our
employees are not made aware of their
bad actions and uncivil behavior toward
others, there may be more cases like
these.

3. Attacking an Opposing View

In this persuasive technique, you assert
your opinion by attacking or criticizing
someone or an opposing idea. Belittling
someone’s idea, dismissing the credibility
of someone or an idea, and making fun of
someone’s idea are some forms of attack
that can be used to strengthen your
opinion. However, this technique can
insult or alienate the readers if excessively
done.

Example:
Saying that Queen Elizabeth I of England
is the greatest monarch who ever lived is
simply preposterous. People often depict
her as wise and just. However, they seem
to forget that her reign reflected violations
of human rights and social injustices. Her
natural charisma may have won her the
love of the public, but her government was
highly corrupt. Queen Elizabeth I is
certainly far from the idealized queen that
many people continue to love.

Summary
A persuasive paragraph intends to
convince readers to do or believe in
something. There are three common
techniques that you can use in developing
a persuasive paragraph: using
evidence, giving examples,
and attacking an opposing view.