Reading a Persuasive Essay

228 Persuasion: Making a DifferenceChapter 7

Reading Workshop

Reading aPersuasive EssayYou finish your lunch, and then you throw away the wrap-

per and bag. You pry a new computer game out of layers of

plastic and cardboard, tossing the packaging away before you play

the game. You even drag your broken desk chair out to the curb

to be picked up on trash day. Think about the amount of stuff

you throw away every day, and multiply that amount by 300 mil-

lion, the estimated population of the United States. That is a lot

of garbage! The author of the following essay will try to persuade

you to change your ways. Will you be convinced?

Preparing to ReadFact and Opinion Strong opinions often inspire people towrite persuasive essays. To be effective, though, a writer must sup-port opinions with facts, or statements that can be proved true. Asyou read the following essay, watch out for statements of opinion,which cannot be proved.

Reasons and Evidence In the courtroom dramas you seein movies and on TV, do jurors accept a lawyer’s argument with-out question? Of course not. Even TV lawyers provide reasons andevidence to convince juries of their cases. Writers have the sameduty to their readers. They must support their opinions withenough reasons and evidence to persuade their readers. See ifWilliam Dudley, the writer of the following essay, has done a con-vincing job.

R E A D I N G S K I L L

R E A D I N G F O C U S

W H AT ’ SA H E A D ?

In this section you willread a persuasiveessay. You will alsolearn how to

� identify facts andopinions

� recognize the reasonsand evidence writersuse to persuadereaders

Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.

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from The Environment: Distinguishing Between Fact and Opinion

The U.S. Has a

BY WILLIAM DUDLEY

229Reading Workshop

Read the following essay. In a notebook, jot downanswers to the numbered active-reading questions in theshaded boxes. Underlined words will be used in theVocabulary Mini-Lesson on page 235.

1

2

3

4

5

merica is a “throwaway” society. Each yearAmericans throw away 16 billion disposable dia-

pers, 1.6 billion pens, and 220 million tires. Forthe sake of convenience, we tend to throw these

and other used goods away rather than repair or recycle them.The average American household generates 350 bags, or 4,550 gallons, ofgarbage per year. This comes out to a total of 160 million tons of garbage ayear. We have to change our throwaway lifestyle before we are buried in it.

We are running out of places to put all the garbage weproduce. About 80 percent of it is now buried in landfills.There are 6,000 landfills currently operating, but many ofthem are becoming full. The Environmental ProtectionAgency estimates that one-half of the remaining landfillswill run out of space and close within the next five to ten years.

Can we simply build new landfills to replace the old ones? Theanswer is no. For one thing, we are running out of space. We cannotafford to use up land that is needed for farms, parks, andhomes.

In addition, many landfills contain toxic chemicals thatcan leak into and pollute underground water supplies. InNew York City, over seventy-five wells had to be closedbecause of such toxic waste poisoning.

One suggested alternative to landfills is to burn thetrash. In some states, large incinerators are used to burn garbage, andthe heat that is generated is used to produce electricity. But this solution

1. What opiniondoes the writerexpress in thisparagraph?

2. What reasondoes the writergive in thisparagraph?

3. Which state-ments in para-graph 4 can be proved?How?


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has drawbacks. Burning trash pollutes the air with dioxinand mercury, which are highly poisonous. Furthermore,burning does not completely solve the landfill problem.Leftover ash produced by burning is often highly toxic, andit still has to be buried somewhere.

The only real solution to the garbage crisis is for Americans toreduce the amount of trash they throw away. There are two methodsof doing this. One is recycling—reusing garbage. Bottles can bewashed and reused. Aluminum cans can be melted down and remade.Currently in the U.S., only 11 percent of solid waste is used again assomething else. . . .

We must also reduce the amount of garbage we produce in the firstplace. We should use less plastic, which is hard to recycle and doesnot in landfills. Much garbage is useless packaging.Consumers should buy foods and goods that use less packaging. Wealso should buy reusable products rather than things that are usedonce and thrown away. . . .

A woman in California was asked about garbage. She replied, “Whydo we need to change anything? I put my garbage outon the sidewalk and they take it away.” Attitudes likehers must be changed. We have to face the inevitablequestion posed by Ed Repa, manager of the solidwaste program at the National Solid WasteManagement Association: “How do you throw something away whenthere is no ‘away’?”

disposal

decompose

4. What evidencesupports thewriter’s reasonthat there areproblems withburning trash?

5. How does thisexample helpthe writer makehis point?

6

7

8


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Fact and OpinionIs That a Fact? Maybe you have seen a TV show in which adetective asks witnesses for “just the facts.” Facts, not opinions,will help the detective solve the case. Facts also help writers per-suade readers because facts are statements that can be provedtrue. Facts may include numbers, dates, or measurements.

Opinions, on the other hand, are impossible to prove. An opin-ion is a person’s judgment. Phrases such as “I believe,” “I feel,” or“I think” indicate an opinion. Telling readers what should be doneis another sure clue that an opinion is being expressed. Judgmentwords such as best, worst, greatest, and prettiest may be clues thata statement is an opinion. The following pairs of statements showthe difference between facts and opinions.

Fact The city council passed the proposal five to one.Opinion I think the city council made a smart decision.

Fact Our school buses were made in 1995.Opinion The school board should buy newer buses.

Fact Jefferson was the third president.Opinion Jefferson was the country’s best president.

Try identifying facts and opinions in the paragraph below. Ifyou have trouble, follow the steps on the next page.

231Reading Workshop

First Thoughts on Your Reading

1. What is the author trying to convince the reader to do?

2. Which parts of the essay were convincing to you? Why?

The city should encourage people to ride bicy-cles for short trips. Bicycles do not pollute. Takingseveral short car trips can create more pollutionthan a longer drive. If people tried bicycling forthese short trips, they would enjoy it. Cycliststravel at slower speeds, which allows them to takein nature’s sights and sounds. I think an ad cam-paign could convince people to stop depending oncars for all of their transportation.

R E A D I N G S K I L L


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Reasons and EvidenceBuilding a Case Have you ever tried to build a human pyra-mid? The base of the pyramid needs to have more people, andstronger people, than the top does. Look at the following diagramof a persuasive essay. Notice how it looks like a pyramid.


Read the paragraph. Look for clues, such as should, good,bad, or I believe, that signal an opinion.Sentences with opinion clues: “The city should encourage people toride bicycles for short trips.” “If people tried bicycling for these shorttrips, they would enjoy it.” “I think an ad campaign could convince peo-ple to stop depending on cars for all of their transportation.”

Read the paragraph again to identify facts. Look for num-bers, measurements, or things that can be proved.Sentences with fact clues: “Bicycles do not pollute.” “Taking severalshort car trips can create more pollution than a longer drive.”“Cyclists travel at slower speeds. . . .”

� STEP 1

� STEP 2

THINKING ITTHINKING ITTHROUGHTHROUGH

THINKING ITTHINKING ITTHROUGHTHROUGH Identifying Fact and Opinion

Identifying Fact and OpinionRe-read the essay on pages 229–230, and look for fact and opin-ion clues. Identify three sentences that contain facts and threesentences that contain opinions, and explain how you can tell.

YOURTURNYOURTURN 22

R E A D I N G F O C U S

Writer’s opinion

Reason #1 Reason #2 Reason #3

Evidence forreason

Evidence forreason

Evidence forreason

Quiz a classmateby writing five sentenceson your paper from theessay. Then, have yourpartner identify eachsentence as either a factor an opinion. Your part-ner should also explainhis or her answers.

T I P


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The opinion in a persuasive essay is like the person at the top of ahuman pyramid. The reasons are like the people in the middlerow who support the person on top. The evidence in a persuasiveessay is like the group of people who form the base of a humanpyramid. Persuasive writing must have support to be strong, justas a human pyramid needs strong supporters.

Reasons A reason explains why the writer holds a particularopinion. In a persuasive essay the writer will usually write one ortwo paragraphs explaining each reason. For example, in the para-graph on page 231, the writer who wanted the city to encouragebike riding gave the reason that it would help reduce air pollution.

Evidence Just saying that bicycling reduces air pollution isnot convincing. The city council or mayor would need evidencebefore believing the reason. Evidence is the support for a reason,the specific facts and examples that illustrate the reason. Youalready know that a fact is a statement that can be proved true. Anexample is an event or illustration that shows one specificinstance of a reason. Here is evidence a writer used to support areason in an essay about creating more community bike trails.Would this reason be as convincing without the evidence?

Reason: Many people enjoy bike riding.

Fact: 80% of the students at my school own bicycles.

Example: When I ride my bike in my neighborhood, Ialways see lots of other people riding bikes, too.

233Reading Workshop

In paragraph 3on page 229, the writeraddresses a counter-argument. A counter-argument is a reader’sobjection to thewriter’s opinion. Awriter can address acounterargument bypresenting a reason thatexplains why the objec-tion is either incorrect orunimportant.

T I P

Using reasons and evidence to support an opinion is called making alogical appeal. A logical appeal persuades because it makes sense. There aretwo other ways persuasive writers appeal to readers. While logical appeals try topersuade your head, emotional appeals try to persuade your heart. HumaneSociety ads showing adorable puppies and kittens up for adoption are examplesof emotional appeals. Finally, ethical appeals try to persuade you by makingthe presenter seem trustworthy. One example of an ethical appeal would be apublic service announcement featuring a respected celebrity speaking sincerelyabout a serious issue.

T I P

See if you can spot the reasons and evidence in the paragraphon the next page. The graphic organizer below it will help youcheck your answers.


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The writer of the paragraph above used reasons and evidenceto be as persuasive as possible. Here is a graphic organizer showinghow she built her case. Notice how the graphic organizer is shapedlike a pyramid. The reasons and evidence hold up the opinion.


People should donate supplies to the HelpingHands Community Assistance Program now. Thesupplies of clothing, shoes, and blankets are verylow. There are only four coats, six blankets, andone pair of shoes now available. The director saysthat they need enough clothing for twenty adultsand ten children. Also, winter is coming soon.Winter always brings a higher demand for warmclothing. Last winter some families left empty-handed because supplies were gone.

The sentencethat identifies the issueand the writer’s opinionon the issue is called theopinion statement.

T I P

People should donate suppliesto the Helping Hands

Community Assistance Program now.

supplies are low winter is coming soon

4 coats,6 blankets,1 pair shoes

need clothingfor 20 adults,10 children

higherdemand for

clothing

last wintersome familiesgot nothing

Opinion statement

Reasons

Evidence(facts and examples)

Identifying Reasons and EvidenceRe-read “The U.S. Has a Garbage Crisis” on pages 229–230. Then,create a graphic organizer like the one above. Fill in your boxeswith the writer’s opinion, his reasons for that opinion, and theevidence that supports each of his reasons. (Hint: You will findthis information in paragraphs 1–5 of the reading selection.)

YOURTURNYOURTURN 33


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Choosing the Right DefinitionTHINKING ITTHINKING ITTHROUGHTHROUGH


ACTICEACTICEPRPR

Look up the words to the right in a dictionary. Use thesteps above if the word has more than one definition.Write the correct definition of the word. Then, look theword up in a thesaurus and find a synonym that is familiarto you. Write that word next to the definition.

1. generates (page 229)

2. toxic (page 229)

3. incinerators (page 229)

4. decompose (page 230)

5. disposal (page 230)

Here is an example based on the word convenience from the readingselection on page 229.

Look up the word in a dictionary. Read the entire definition.

means: 1. personal comfort 2. a favorable condition

Use each of the meanings in the context of the reading selection.Decide which meaning makes the most sense in the sentence.

“For the sake of we tend to throw things away.” Thatsounds good.

“For the sake of we tend to throw things away.” Thatsounds strange. I think the first definition is correct in this context.

a favorable condition

personal comfort

Convenience

235Reading Workshop

MINI-LESSONLESSON

MINI-LESSONLESSON VOCABULARYVOCABULARY

Dictionary and ThesaurusPersuasive writing asks you to take a sideon an issue. To make an intelligent deci-sion, you need to be sure you understandall of the words you read. You can usereference books to find an unfamiliarword’s meaning. Here are two examples.� Dictionary In a dictionary you will

find the word’s definition, its pronun-ciation, its part of speech, examples ofhow it is used, and its history.

� Thesaurus In a thesaurus you will findother words that are synonyms of theunfamiliar word. Synonyms are wordsthat have almost the same meaning,such as happy and glad.

Dictionaries can sometimes be con-fusing when they list several definitionsfor one word. To find the right definitionof a word, use the following steps.

� STEP 1

� STEP 2


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The question asks me to find an opinion inthe passage. An opinion is a statementthat makes a judgment and can’t be proved.

Choice A says “children have gotten hurt.”This is a fact because you could ask parentswhether their children have been hurt. C saysthe equipment has “jagged metal edges.” Thiscould be proved by looking at the equipment.

The remaining choices are B and D. Choice Bis an opinion because it uses the wordshould, but the passage says the equip-ment “cannot be repaired.” Choice D alsouses the word should, so it is an opinion,too. The last sentence of the passage saysthis in different words. I’ll choose D.


THINKING ITTHINKING ITTHROUGHTHROUGH Identifying Fact and Opinion

MINI-LESSONLESSON

MINI-LESSONLESSON TEST TAKINGTEST TAKING

Answering Questions About Fact and OpinionWhen you take a reading test, you maybe asked to identify statements of fact oropinion. Suppose the following para-graph and question were in a readingtest. How would you approach them?

New equipment should be purchasedfor Esperanza Park. The existing play-ground equipment is old and danger-ous. Three children have receivedserious cuts from the jagged metaledges of the swing set. The equipmentis seventeen years old and cannot berepaired. The city should make

Esperanza Park a fun, safe place to playfor children and families in the city.

Which of the following is an OPINIONexpressed in this passage?

A. Children have gotten hurt on the play-ground.

B. The playground equipment should berepaired.

C. The playground equipment containsjagged metal edges.

D. Esperanza Park should be made saferfor children.

Determine what the question isasking you to do.

Eliminate choices that do notanswer the question. If the question asksfor a fact, eliminate opinions. If it asksfor an opinion, eliminate facts.

Look at the remaining choices tomake sure that each is the kind of state-ment the question asks for. Then, choosethe answer that is stated in the passage.(If the question asks you to identify anopinion, look for opinion clue words.)

� STEP 1

� STEP 2

� STEP 3


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Reading a Persuasive Essay