Persuasive WritingTechniques

& Tips

Charged WordsWords that evoke a strong

emotion – “freedom,” “love,” “passion,” “constitutional

right”

Rhetorical QuestionsA question not intended to be answered, used for emotional

effect – “Are we going to stand by and

take this abuse?”

RestatementTaking the same idea and explaining

it in different words. “The trip to Dairy Queen would take two

minutes! We could walk there and return before the new class began!”

Repetition

Using the same word or phrase over again for

effect. “No! No! No!”

ParallelismUsing the same sentence structure for effect – “We will not! We shall

not! We cannot!”

ExclamationUsing an exclamation point to

put emphasis on an idea – “I will not take the abuse!”

Logical AppealThe use of facts to convince

someone of something. “After researching, we have found that the

school could save $1,600 by allowing us to eat lunch off

campus.”

Emotional AppealUsing emotional statements to

convince someone of something. “Oh, the humanity! Even squirrels

have more freedom then we do. Have some mercy. Let us eat off

campus!”

Rule of Three

Using an element three times to create maximum emotional

impact.“No! No! No!”

AllusionReferencing a respected source to

convince people to believe what you believe. “In the beginning, there was lunch, and it was good. But, it would

be heavenly if we could eat off campus.”

Counter ArgumentUnderstand the opposite viewpoint of your position

and then counter it by providing contrasting evidence or by finding mistakes and inconsistencies in the logic of the opposing argument.

“Some might think that leaving campus for lunch would put students’ safety at risk, but students are more likely to get injured going up and down one of our crowded staircases at lunchtime.”

AnecdoteA brief story to illustrate your point, usually apersonal story. Personal experiences addrelevance and support to a persuasive essay and can serve as good anecdotes to start or conclude a persuasive essay. “When I attended school in Colorado, wewere allowed to leave campus for lunch andthere was never a problem. Students alwaysreturned safely in time for fifth period.”

Opening ParagraphIdeas for the opening paragraph -

Open with an unusual detailOpen with a strong statementOpen with a quotationOpen with an anecdoteOpen with a statistic or factOpen with a rhetorical question Open with an exaggeration or outrageous statement

Closing ParagraphThis is the last chance the writer has to convince thereader of the validity of the information presented.This paragraph should include the following:

a restatement of the controlling idea, using some of the original language or language that "echoes" the original language.a summary of the main points or arguments from the body of the essaya final statement that gives the reader signals that the discussion has come to an end (This final statement may be a "call to action” in a persuasive essay)

Essay Don’ts“I am going to tell you about …”One giant paragraphContractionsSlangClichés or trite expressions“In conclusion…”The EndOf course there are more, but these are the

most annoying.

Persuasive Writing Techniques

Charged Words

Rhetorical Questions Restatement

Repetition Parallelism Exclamation

Logical Appeal

Emotional Appeal

Rule of Three

Allusion Counter Argument Anecdote