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The Argument Essay
Argument Explained.pptx
Complete Guide to Argument Essay (Purdue University OWL)
Various Approaches to Organizing a Persuasive or Argument Essay
Persuasive Techniques
These are the key persuasive techniques studied in ENG 3UI. An accompanying handout and examples from your textbook will be provided during the Persuasive Essay unit. See 3UI teacher for details. You will also be expected to know this material for ENG 4UI so you may wish to print off a copy of these two pages.
| 1. Emotional Appeal: Writers may appeal to fear, anger or joy to sway their readers. They may also add climax or excitement. This technique is strongly connected to the essay's mood. |
| 2. Word Choice (Diction): Is a person "slim" or "skinny"? Is an oil spill an "incident" or an "accident"? Is a government expenditure an "investment" or a "waste"? Writers tend to reinforce their arguments by choosing words which will influence their reader's perception of an item or issue. Diction may also help to establish a writer's "Voice" or "Tone". |
| 3. Rhetorical Question: Sometimes a writer will ask a question to which no answer is required. The writer implies that the answer is obvious; the reader has no choice but to agree with the writer's point. |
| 4. Repetition: Overly repetitive writing can become tiresome. However, when used sparingly for effect, it can reinforce the writer's message and/or entertain the reader. Writers may repeat a word, a phrase or an entire sentence for emphasis. |
| 5. Parallelism: When an author creates a "balanced" sentence by re-using the same word structure, this is called parallelism. Always strive for parallelism when using compound or complex sentences. |
| 6. Analogy: This tool is not limited to poets. Essay writers often use figures of speech or comparisons (simile, metaphor, personification) for desired emphasis. |
| 7. Appeal to Authority (association): A writer may mention an important event or person in an essay to lend importance or credibility to his/her argument. |
| 8. Hyperbole: This is one of the more enjoyable persuasive techniques. It involves completely overstating and exaggerating your point for effect. (Like when your mom says, "I must have asked you a million times to clean your room!" Get it?) |
| 9. Irony: Irony is present if the writerÕs words contain more than one meaning. This may be in the form of sarcasm, gentle irony, or a pun (play on words). It can be used to add humour or to emphasize an implied meaning under the surface. The writer's "voice" becomes important here. |
Source: http://gci.wrdsb.on.ca/library/assignments/English/persuasive_tech.htm