Persuasive Language Techniques: DAFORESTAIR

Question 1

What does the ‘D’ stand for in DAFORESTAIR?

Answer 1

Direct address: speaking directly to the reader and involving them, often using ‘you’, ‘your’, ‘we’, ‘us’ or ‘our’.

For example:
You can help.
It is our job to look after the environment.

Question 2

What does the first ‘A’ stand for in DAFORESTAIR?

Answer 2

Alliteration: repeated sounds at the beginning of words.

For example:
The snake slithered away.

Question 3

What does the ‘F’ stand for in DAFORESTAIR?

Answer 3

Facts: things we know to be true.

For example:
da Vinci Community School has students aged 11 to 16.

Question 4

What does the ‘O’ stand for in DAFORESTAIR?

Answer 4

Opinion: your (or other people’s) personal thoughts on something.

For example:
Cats are far better than dogs.

Question 5

What does the first ‘R’ stand for in DAFORESTAIR?

Answer 5

Rhetorical question: a question that doesn’t require an answer, or can’t be answered by the reader.

For example:
How would you feel if you had experienced this?
What was behind the door?

Question 6

What does the ‘E’ stand for in DAFORESTAIR?

Answer 6

Emotive language: powerful vocabulary that can create an emotion in the reader.

For example:
Devastating
Stunning
Starvation
Exquisite

Question 7

What does the ‘S’ stand for in DAFORESTAIR?

Answer 7

Statistics: facts expressed in number form.

For example:
30% of children in the UK are living in poverty.
9/10 people would recommend this product.
There are over 500 students attending da Vinci Community School.

Question 8

What does the ‘T’ stand for in DAFORESTAIR?

Answer 8

Tripling: a list of three things.

For example:
Social media is distracting, time consuming and potentially dangerous to your wellbeing.

Question 9

What does the second ‘A’ stand for in DAFORESTAIR?

Answer 9

Anecdote: a short story or example to back up your argument.

For example:
Mobile phones are vital in school. When I was in year 7…
Stacey, 15, lost her home when…
In Brazil, deforestation is contributing to…

Question 10

What does the ‘I’ stand for in DAFORESTAIR?

Answer 10

Imperative verbs: verbs that give a command.

For example:
Help
Go
Leave
Stop
Don't

Question 11

What does the second ‘R’ stand for in DAFORESTAIR?

Answer 11

Repetition: repeated words or phrases in a text.

For example:
You could repeat a phrase from the beginning of your writing at the end to emphasise it.

Question 12

For what purpose would you use the DAFORESTAIR techniques?

Answer 12

To persuade or argue.

Remember:
Don’t say ‘the writer uses DAFORESTAIR’ in questions 1-4. This is just a way to help you remember these persuasive techniques.