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Persuasive and rhetorical techniques
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Speech writers, advertisers and campaigners use the same set of tricks to win us over. Once you can spot them, you can analyse them in reading and use them in your own writing.
A persuasive toolkit
Spot them in action
Analyse, do not list
Say what it does: 'The rhetorical question "where else can children play for free?" makes the reader realise there is no answer, so closing the park seems unfair.'
Find and explain one technique in 'More than 3,000 families live within a ten-minute walk of these gates.'
- Technique: a statistic.
- Effect: a precise number sounds factual and reliable.
- It shows how many people would be affected, which makes the argument harder to ignore.
Answer: A statistic: the large, precise number makes the claim seem reliable and shows how many people would lose out.
Persuasive techniques include direct address, rhetorical questions, the rule of three, emotive language, statistics, repetition, imperatives and inclusive pronouns. Always explain the effect on the reader.
The interactive lesson includes the diagrams for this topic.
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