persuasive devices

Question 1

alliteration

Answer 1

repetition of a consonant, especially at the start of words

Gains attention; adds emphasis
draws attention to key words

Question 2

anecdote

Answer 2

A story about someone or something that the writer has experienced or heard about

• Personal experience leads weight/credibility to the writer’s viewpoint
• Gives a human angle, making the issue seem more relevant or ‘real’

Question 3

Appeal to family values

Answer 3

Suggests that families are good, especially traditional nuclear families

• Invokes the reader’s desire for emotional security and a protective, nurturing environment for children
• Can be implicit when anti-social behaviour is blamed on broken or dysfunctional families

Question 4

Appeal to fear and insecurity

Answer 4

Arouses fear and anxiety by suggesting that harmful or unpleasant effects will follow.

• Makes the reader want to lessen the threat to themselves or society by taking the writers advice
• Plays on peoples fears

Question 5

Appeal to the hip-pocket nerve

Answer 5

Suggests that we should pay the least amount possible, either individually or as a society

Positive impact: makes the reader pleased about getting value for money
Negative impact: makes the reader annoyed about paying too much or about the misuse of money.

Question 6

Appeal to loyalty and patriotism

Answer 6

Suggests that we should be loyal to our group and love our country

• Invokes feelings of pride, a shared identity and a common purpose
• Often uses inclusive language to emphasise these feelings

Question 7

Appeal to tradition and custom

Answer 7

Suggest the traditional customs are valuable and should be preserved

• Traditional customs have positive associations
• Often compared positively with ‘modern’ lifestyles to make us feel we are losing social cohesion

Question 8

Attacks and Praise

Answer 8

Attacks or praises an individual group

Attack: positions us to think badly of the person and therefore to dismiss their ideas or viewpoint
Praise: makes us regard the person and therefore their ideas or viewpoint sympathetically

Question 9

Cliches

Answer 9

Overused phrase quickly understood by a wide audience

• Reassures the reader through a familiar expression
• Lulls the reader into an uncritical mindset
• Often has a comic effect. This can produce a light-hearted, amusing tone or a sarcastic critical tone

Question 10

Emotive language

Answer 10

Language that has a strong emotional impact. Uses the positive and negative connotations of words to influence the reader’s response

• Encourages the reader to respond on an emotional level
• The reader’s emotional response positions them to share the writers viewpoint

Question 11

Evidence

Answer 11

The use of facts and figures to suggest a rational or scientific basis for a point of view

• Makes the writer’s viewpoint seem objective rather than subjective/personal

Question 12

Exaggeration, overstatement and hyperbole

Answer 12

Exaggerates the true situation for dramatic impact
Hyperbole uses a figure of speech to do this

• Attracts the reader’s attention through a surprising or extreme claim

Question 13

Generalisation

Answer 13

A sweeping statement that suggests what is true for most of all

-Appeals to a widely held belief or prejudice

Question 14

Graphs and diagrams

Answer 14

Evidence presented in a visual form

• Uses a visual presentation to give a clear picture of a situation

Question 15

Inclusive language

Answer 15

Uses “we”, “our”, “us” to include the readers in the same group as the writer

• The sense of belonging to the same group positions the reader to share the same ideas as others within the group
• Invokes our desire not to be ‘left out’ or regarded as an outsider

Question 16

Metaphor and Simile

Answer 16

Figures of speech that identify a similarity between two different things. A simile uses ‘as if’ or ‘like’.

• Creates a striking image, often working on an emotional level
• Often witty: more engaging than dry description

Question 17

Pun

Answer 17

A play on a word that suggests a double meaning
Often plays on a word with similar sound but different spelling

• Often used in a headline to grab the reader’s attention

Question 18

Reason and Logic

Answer 18

Used to link together and develop an argument in support of the main contention

• Suggest that the writer’s viewpoint is true and not just their opinion or emotional response
• Make the argument ‘watertight’ so opposing viewpoints seem less convincing

Question 19

Repetition

Answer 19

Using a word or phrase several times

• Emphasises the main point or key term

Question 20

Rhetorical Question

Answer 20

A question with an implied but unstated answer

• Forces the reader to supply the answer and see things from the writer’s perspective
• Implies the answer’s self-evident and therefore correct