Primary 5 · English · Literacy
Persuasive devices
Using and recognising emotive language, rhetorical questions, repetition and high-modality words in persuasive texts.
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These lessons were written around Australian Curriculum strands and matched to Singapore levels by age (Primary 1 is the first year of primary school). They are not aligned to MOE syllabuses or the PSLE, so check them against the syllabus your child is working towards.
Learning goals
Learners will
- Recognise emotive language, rhetorical questions, repetition and high-modality words in persuasive texts.
- Explain how each device tries to make a reader agree.
- Use at least three persuasive devices in a short paragraph of your own.
Success looks like
- I can name four persuasive devices and find them in a text.
- I can explain what a device makes the reader feel or think.
- I can write a persuasive paragraph that uses emotive language, a rhetorical question and a high-modality word.
The big idea
A persuasive text tries to make the reader agree with an opinion or take an action. Letters, posters, advertisements and speeches are all persuasive. Writers use special language choices called persuasive devices to make their opinion sound stronger.
- Emotive language uses words that stir up feelings. 'The dog was left outside' is plain. 'The shivering puppy was abandoned in the icy rain' makes us feel sorry for it.
- Rhetorical questions are asked to make the reader think, not to get an answer. 'Would you like to swim in a river full of rubbish?' The writer expects you to think 'No!' and so agree with them.
- Repetition repeats a word or phrase so it sticks: 'Clean parks. Safe parks. Happy parks.'
- High-modality words sound certain and forceful: must, will, always, never, definitely, certainly. Compare 'We might need a new playground' (low modality) with 'We must have a new playground' (high modality). The second sounds far more convincing.
Read this short letter: Dear Principal, Our playground is a disgrace. The broken swings are dangerous, and the cracked slide could seriously hurt someone. Do you want a student to be injured before something is done? We must fix it now. We must fix it this term. Every student deserves a safe place to play.
In the letter, 'disgrace', 'dangerous' and 'seriously hurt' are emotive language. 'Do you want a student to be injured…?' is a rhetorical question. 'We must fix it' is repeated, and 'must' is a high-modality word. Together these devices make the principal feel worried and responsible.
When you write about a device, do not just name it. Say what it does: 'The writer uses the emotive word disgrace to make the principal feel ashamed of the playground.'
Worked examples
Spotting devices in a sentence
Find the persuasive devices in: 'Can we really let our beautiful old library close forever? It must stay open!'
- Look for a question that does not need an answer: 'Can we really let our beautiful old library close forever?' is a rhetorical question.
- Look for feeling words: 'beautiful', 'old' and 'forever' make the reader feel sad about losing the library. This is emotive language.
- Look for certain, forceful words: 'must' is a high-modality word.
Answer: A rhetorical question, emotive language ('beautiful', 'forever') and a high-modality word ('must').
Raising the modality
Make this sentence more persuasive by changing the modality: 'Maybe kids could have more time outside.'
- Find the low-modality words: 'maybe' and 'could'.
- Replace them with high-modality words such as 'must' or 'definitely'.
- Read the new sentence aloud and check that it sounds certain.
Answer: 'Kids must have more time outside.' (Other strong versions, such as 'Kids definitely need more time outside', also work.)
Explaining the effect
Explain why a writer might use repetition in: 'Every bottle counts. Every can counts. Every piece of rubbish counts.'
- Name the device: the phrase 'every … counts' is repeated three times.
- Think about the effect: the repeated pattern is easy to remember, like a chant.
- Link it to the purpose: it makes the reader believe that even small actions, like picking up one bottle, really matter.
Answer: The repetition of 'every … counts' makes the message memorable and convinces the reader that every small piece of rubbish they pick up makes a difference.
Practice check
Have a go, then check your answers. Each answer comes with an explanation.
Answer guide for parents
Which sentence is a rhetorical question?
Who wants to live in a town with no trees? — The writer does not expect an answer; they want the reader to think 'Nobody!' and agree that trees are important.
Which word has the highest modality?
must — 'Must' sounds certain and forceful. The others sound unsure.
Which sentence uses the most emotive language?
The magnificent old tree was brutally chopped down. — 'Magnificent' and 'brutally' are chosen to make the reader feel sad and angry.
Why do persuasive writers use repetition?
To help the main idea stick in the reader's mind — Repeating a key idea makes it memorable and sound important.
Which version of the sentence is most persuasive?
Dogs must be allowed at the beach. — The high-modality word 'must' makes the opinion sound certain.
Name the device: 'Do you want your street covered in litter?'
rhetorical question — It is a question asked for effect. The obvious answer is 'no'.
Which word in this sentence is a high-modality word? 'Our school must plant more trees.'
must — 'Must' shows the writer is certain and forceful.
'Save our pool. Save our summer. Save our town.' Which word is repeated?
save — 'Save' (with 'our') is repeated three times to build a strong, memorable message.
Watch out for
- Thinking a rhetorical question is any question. A rhetorical question is asked for effect, and the writer already knows the answer they want you to think.
- Believing more devices always means better persuasion. Too many emotive words can sound silly. A few well-chosen devices work best.
- Just naming the device. Learners should also say what the device makes the reader feel or think.
Tips for parents
- Look at a flyer or advertisement together and play 'device detectives': one point for each device found and one more for explaining it.
- Let your child try to persuade you about something real, such as a later bedtime, using a rhetorical question and a 'must' sentence.
- Model low and high modality aloud: 'We might go to the park' versus 'We will definitely go to the park.' Ask which sounds more certain.
Go further
- Write a short letter to your family arguing for a new rule at home. Use all four devices and highlight each one in a different colour.
- Make a poster for an imaginary 'Save Our Pond' campaign with a slogan that uses repetition.
- Rewrite the playground letter in this lesson using only low-modality words, then compare which version is more convincing and why.
About 45 minutes
You'll need
- The sample letter in this lesson
- Four coloured pencils or highlighters
- A junk-mail flyer, poster or advertisement from home (optional)
Key words
- persuade
- To try to make someone agree with you or do something.
- emotive language
- Words chosen to make the reader feel a strong emotion, such as sadness, anger or excitement.
- rhetorical question
- A question asked to make the reader think, where the answer seems obvious and no reply is expected.
- repetition
- Using the same word or phrase more than once so the idea sticks in the reader's mind.
- modality
- How certain or forceful a word sounds. 'Must' is high modality; 'might' is low modality.
Still tricky?
For parents
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