What is the difference between informative and persuasive writing?
Answer
Informative writing – you are the reporter remaining unbiased, objective, and only presenting facts.
- Give information
- Explain an issue or topic
- Provide straightforward facts with a balanced explanation of the topic
Informative paper outline:
- Introduction: present the topic and main ideas
- Body: as many body paragraphs as necessary to present facts and information
- Conclusion: summarize main points from the body
Persuasive writing – your goal is to persuade the reader to agree with your opinion.
- Often a combination of facts (informative) and personal point of view (persuasive)
- Focus on benefits of your point of view
- Use strong, comparable facts for both sides; never stretch facts to strengthen your argument
Persuasive paper outline:
- Introduction: present the topic and your claim/point of view
- Body: as many body paragraphs as necessary to support your claim/point of view
- Conclusion: summarize main points from the body