PERSUASIVE PARAGRAPH

A persuasive paragraph tries to convince the reader that a particular point of view is
worthy of consideration. It wants you to consider both sides of an issue, but it reveals a
bias in favor of one side over another. Facts may be presented in support of a position,
but the writer is not being objective. The point of view is subjective.

Example:

Immigration contributes to the overall health of the American economy. Despite recent
concerns expressed about illegal and some legal immigration to the United States, this
country has largely benefited from the skills, talents, and ambition that immigrants bring
with them. American businesses gain from a good source of affordable labor, while
towns and cities are revitalized by immigrant families who strengthen communities
through civic participation and the generation of new economic activity. The United
States must continue to welcome new arrivals and help those who are already here;
otherwise, the country will lose the advantages it has over other industrialized countries
that compete against us in the global marketplace and seek to recruit from a vast pool
of unskilled and skilled global workers.

DESCRIPTIVE PARAGRAPH
A descriptive paragraph describes a thing, a person, or a place. Detailed information
allows the reader to form an image in his or her imagination. The better the description,
the clearer the image.

Example:

Sunset is the time of day when our sky meets the outer space solar winds. There are
blue, pink, and purple swirls, spinning and twisting, like clouds of balloons caught in a
blender. The sun moves slowly to hide behind the line of horizon, while the moon races
to take its place in prominence atop the night sky. People slow to a crawl, entranced,
fully forgetting the deeds that still must be done. There is a coolness, a calmness, when
the sun does set.
NARRATIVE PARAGRAPH
A narrative paragraph is a group of sentences that tells a story; it tells about a series
of events or actions. These events are arranged in time sequence with a definite
beginning, middle and end. They may be organized in a chronological order (in respect
to the order in which the events happened) or by using flashbacks and
retrospection. Be they are chronologically arranged or not, the stories in narrative
paragraphs are used to illustrate or demonstrate a point, i.e. to make us laugh (to
entertain), or to make us understand something, or to change our attitudes (to
instruct). As a consequence, developing a strong topic sentence is important. Look at
the narrative paragraph which tells about the writer’s routine below (the topic sentence
is italicized).

Example:

I remember when I first arrived in the United States.

I remember when I first arrived in the United States. Even before the plane landed, the
little windows in the airplane revealed snow and ice-covered houses and buildings. As I
walked off the plane, cold air crept though the corrugated ramp that led to the airport
terminal. Some people inside the airport were wearing big coats and hats, which I had
seen on television, but never up close. I felt a little dizzy and needed to sit down, and
then my cell phone rang. It was my Aunt Sophia. She was waiting for me outside in the
passenger pick-up area, so I walked quickly to the exit, forgetting all about my luggage.
When the sliding glass door opened to the outside, there was my aunt--a woman I
hadn't seen in over ten years--wearing a parka and waving her arms frantically in my
direction.