Year 7 · English · Literacy
Introduction to persuasive techniques
Recognise emotive language, rhetorical questions, inclusive language, statistics and repetition, and explain how each tries to influence an audience.
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Learning goals
Learners will
- Identify five common persuasive techniques in short texts.
- Explain how a persuasive technique is intended to affect a specific audience.
Success looks like
- I can name a persuasive technique when I see it.
- I can explain why a writer chose a technique for their audience.
- I can use at least three techniques in my own short persuasive paragraph.
The big idea
Persuasive texts – speeches, opinion articles, advertisements, letters to the editor – try to change what an audience thinks or does. The writer's main position is called their contention.
Writers support their contention with arguments, but they also use persuasive techniques: deliberate language choices designed to make the argument feel more convincing.
- Emotive language – 'Innocent wildlife is being slaughtered on our roads.'
- Rhetorical question – 'Do we really want our children breathing polluted air?'
- Inclusive language – 'We all share responsibility for our beaches.'
- Statistics and evidence – 'Over 80 per cent of surveyed residents support the plan.' Numbers sound objective and reliable.
- Repetition – repeating a key word or phrase ('Not next year. Not next month. Now.') so the idea sticks.
When you analyse persuasion, always link the technique to the audience. A rhetorical question aimed at parents might make them feel they would be irresponsible to disagree; the same technique aimed at teenagers might work by appealing to fairness.
Worked examples
Analysing a short persuasive paragraph
Original text: 'Every afternoon, our kids dodge speeding cars just to reach the school gate. How many near misses will it take before council acts? We cannot wait for a tragedy. We need a pedestrian crossing – and we need it now.' Identify three techniques.
- Find the contention: council should build a pedestrian crossing.
- 'Dodge speeding cars', 'tragedy': emotive language that creates fear for children's safety.
- 'How many near misses will it take…?': a rhetorical question that makes inaction seem unreasonable.
- 'Our kids', 'We cannot wait', 'we need': inclusive language that unites the community against the council.
- Repetition of 'we need' builds urgency.
Answer: Emotive language ('dodge speeding cars'), a rhetorical question and inclusive language ('our kids', 'we') work together to make local parents feel fearful and united, so they are more likely to support the push for a crossing.
Matching a technique to an audience
A writer wants to persuade Year 7 students to join a beach clean-up. Write one sentence using inclusive language and explain the choice.
- Choose a technique: inclusive language.
- Write the sentence: 'This is our coastline, and together we can keep it clean.'
- Explain: young people often care about belonging to a group, so 'our' and 'together' make joining in feel natural and shared.
Answer: 'This is our coastline, and together we can keep it clean.' – inclusive language makes students feel part of a team with shared ownership of the beach.
Practice check
Have a go, then check your answers. Each answer comes with an explanation.
Answer guide for parents
'Don't we all deserve a safe place to play?' This is an example of…
A rhetorical question — It is a question asked for effect; the writer expects the audience to silently answer 'yes'.
Which phrase uses the most emotive language?
The helpless puppy was abandoned in the freezing rain. — 'Helpless', 'abandoned' and 'freezing' are chosen to make readers feel pity and anger.
Why do persuasive writers often include statistics?
Numbers make an argument seem factual and reliable. — Statistics give an impression of objectivity, although readers should still check where they come from.
Which sentence uses inclusive language?
Together, we can halve our household waste. — 'We' and 'our' include the audience in a shared group.
What is the main purpose of a persuasive text?
To change what the audience thinks or does — Persuasive texts aim to influence opinions or actions.
What is the word for the main point of view a persuasive writer argues? (one word)
Contention — The contention is the writer's overall position.
'Act now. Act together. Act before it's too late.' Which technique is most obvious? (one word)
Repetition — The word 'act' is repeated three times to build urgency.
Who are the people a text is written for called? (one word)
Audience — Writers choose techniques to suit their audience.
Watch out for
- Thinking statistics are always trustworthy. A number can be accurate yet selected to mislead; ask who collected it and how.
- Listing techniques without linking them to the audience and contention. Analysis must explain the intended effect.
- Believing persuasive writing is just shouting an opinion. Effective persuasion combines reasoned arguments with carefully chosen language.
Tips for parents
- Look at junk mail or a TV ad together and play 'technique spotting' – one point for each technique correctly named and explained.
- Ask your learner to persuade you of something real (a later bedtime, a pet) using three techniques, then discuss which worked best on you and why.
- Model healthy scepticism: wonder aloud where a statistic came from.
Go further
- Write a 150-word letter to a local council proposing a new bike path, highlighting each technique you use.
- Rewrite a persuasive paragraph in completely neutral language and compare how convincing each version feels.
- Record a 60-second speech using repetition and rhetorical questions and play it back to evaluate delivery.