Persuasive essays follow the 5 paragraph format, with an introduction paragraph, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion paragraph. There is one important difference between persuasive essays and other types of 5 paragraph essays: the persuasive essay includes a counter-argument in the third body paragraph. Please refer to descriptions and resources below for help and clarification.
Most 5 paragraph essays use supporting arguments as the focus of each body paragraph. A supporting argument explains why the writer thinks they are right about their ideas. For instance, if a writer is trying to explain how an author uses symbolism to add layers of meaning to a story, then each body paragraph would use a supporting argument to prove the essay writer's ideas about the author's use of symbolism.
For a specific example: if an essay writer was exploring how S.E. Hinton's use of symbolism added layers of meaning to The Outsiders, then the essay might have three supporting arguments: one about how sunrise and sunset creates ideas about unity and connection, another about how chocolate or chocolate cake adds meaning to the relationships that characters have with their parents or loss of their parents, and thirdly how references to Gone With the Wind adds layers of meaning to the relationship between Johnny and Ponyboy. Each of these arguments would explain how the essay writer thinks they are correct about their own ideas, making the supporting arguments.
In persuasive writing, supporting arguments explain why the essay writer thinks they are right about an issue that people are divided over. In other words, unlike the example above about The Outsiders, a persuasive essay would need to be about an issue that people are either for or against.
For instance, if an essay writer were writing about how school calendar in The United States has a very long summer vacation (compared to similar countries), and the writer felt that the long summer break should be maintained, a supporting argument might focus on a reason why a long summer break is a good idea in The United States. (Perhaps the writer might make a point about how The United States is large compared to many countries with similar economies, so a longer break gives families more options to travel the country.)
Putting it all together in a topic sentence might look like this:
The long summer break in the American school system must be maintained because the large geographic area of the country affords families and children enormous and varied opportunities to explore and grow as a family together, and a shortened break would limit the choices that families could pursue.
Countering arguments, or counter-arguments, are used in essays that are trying to change someone's mind, or get them to change sides of a divided issue. Unlike a supporting argument (which explains why the essay writer thinks they are right), a counter-argument explains why those on the other side of the argument are wrong.
A counter-argument needs to be set up in a specific way. It should describe the argument that the other side would make, and then explain what the essay writer thinks that the other side is missing or misunderstanding.
Connecting to the example above: if an essay writer were writing a counter-argument in their essay about why the long summer break for students in The United States should be maintained, the writer would first have to get a sense of what the other side would say. The next step would be to explain what that side is getting wrong, or what they're overlooking.
For this example essay, perhaps the writer might find arguments from the other side saying that the long summer break creates a big problem for parents to find ways to keep their kids safe and occupied while the parents are at work. The essay writer would then need to find something that is overlooked or that is misinterpreted.
Maybe in this case, the writer could say that summer camps and summer programs actually offer a huge variety of different learning and growth opportunities for kids, so the problem is not with the long break but rather with making sure that families have easy access and support for getting their kids into these summer programs.
Putting it all together in a topic sentence might look like this:
Opponents of the long summer break in American schools would claim that American parents are burdened by the responsibility to make sure that their children are safe and occupied during the summer, but there is a wide variety of summer camps and programs available to families; the problem has more to do with ensuring that families have access to support, rather than with the length of the break.