– Persuading the reader! Writer’s Tricks

Some persuasive texts aim simply at … O Persuading us to do something – ( particularly charity leaflets, holiday brochures and adverts ) O Persuading us to agree with a certain view Note: Some adverts try in more subtle ways for e.g. newspaper and magazine articles

So what exactly do persuasive texts do? O Try to convince us to do or agree with something, such as spending money or agreeing with a certain belief. O Contain a mixture of fact and opinion. O Emphasise key points by using subheadings, repetition, memorable phrases and emotive language. O Often use a personal style so that the text seems to speak directly to the reader. O Show clear links between points, such as " if you donate £ 20 you will be helping a sick animal " or " using our deodorant will attract women “

What else could be persuasive? Answer : Stories can also be persuasive as well. A writer may want you to like or dislike a character. The way that they describe a character can persuade you to do either of these. Look at this extract from ' Jane Eyre ': John Reed was a schoolboy of fourteen years old ; four years older than I, for I was but ten ; large and stout for his age, with a dingy and unwholesome skin ; thick lineaments in a spacious visage, heavy limbs and large extremities. He gorged himself habitually at the table, which made him bilious, and gave him a dim and bleared eye with flabby cheeks. He ought now to have been at school ; but his mamma had taken him home for a month or two, ' on account of his delicate health '. ' Jane Eyre ' - Charlotte Brontë

Summary Question : Below is the extract from Jane Eyre again… Q. How does Charlotte Brontë try to persuade, or convince, us that John Reed is an unpleasant character in this paragraph?

Sample Answers : She makes him sound unattractive, with his " dingy and unwholesome skin " and " heavy limbs ". She suggests that he is greedy as he " gorged himself habitually at the table ". She suggests that this is why he is so unhealthy, so that we don ' t feel sorry for him. She makes him sound spoilt because his mother is keeping him home from school, even though his so - called " delicate health " is his own fault. She makes him sound unattractive and bad.

So…what have you learnt? The extract below is from a leaflet about passive smoking : Q. What is passive smoking? A. Passive smoking is breathing in other people's tobacco smoke. Other people's tobacco smoke is sometimes called environmental tobacco smoke. Q. Why should I be worried? A. Only 15% of the smoke from a cigarette is inhaled by the smoker - the rest goes into the surrounding air and other people can breathe it in. Breathing air which contains tobacco smoke can be bad for your health. This is because the tiny particles and gases in tobacco smoke contain over 4000 chemicals, many of which are harmful - at least 60 are known to cause cancer. The gases also contain carbon monoxide, the poisonous gas that comes out of car exhausts. Q. What is the effect on my health? A. Breathing other people's smoke is uncomfortable and can cause: nose, throat and chest irritation and breathing difficulties coughing sneezing red and running eyes a runny nose headaches dizziness nausea and lack of concentration From a Health Development Agency Passive Smoking Information Leaflet

O Q 1. What, according to the leaflet, is " passive smoking " ? O Q 2. How much of the smoke from one cigarette is inhaled by the smoker? O Q 3. Name one effect that passive smoking can have on our health, according to the extract. O Q 4. Who do you think is the target audience for the leaflet? O Q 5. Give one reason why you think this. O Q 6. Look at the second answer that the writer has given in the leaflet : the one beginning " Only 15% of the smoke...". Explain two ways in which the writer has used language to persuade the reader that passive smoking is dangerous. O Q 7. Why has the writer phrased each heading as a question? O Q 8. Explain two ways in which the writer has used layout to make the text more effective. So…what have you learnt? The following questions will draw on all the skills you have revised so far. Note down your answers then compare them with the rest of the class…

So…what have you learnt? O A 1. Passive smoking is ' breathing in other people ' s tobacco smoke '. O A 2. 15% is inhaled by the smoker. O A 3. Coughing. ( You could name any of the effects listed in the bullet points.) O A 4. The target audience could be teenagers, or a broad audience. It is the reason that you give in the next answer that is more important. O A 5. Reasons are : the language used is quite simple ; sentences are mainly quite short and simple, many only contain one or two ideas ; the information is broken up into short sections ; the headings make the information easy to follow. All these would make the text accessible for many readers, including young people. O A 6. There are three main ways : the simple statement that it is ' bad for your health '; the fact that tobacco smoke contains ' over 4000 chemicals ', many of which are harmful ; the mention of carbon monoxide which is ' poisonous '. O A 7. The headings are phrased as questions to draw the reader into the text. O A 8. Layout has been used in several different ways : the ' Q ' and ' A ' format is eyecatching ; the short paragraphs are easy to follow ; the bullet points at the end of the extract make the facts easy to read.

Homework To help you do this homework it might be a good idea to gather together some examples of adverts from newspapers and magazines. Look at the adverts in the press. How do they try and make you buy the thing they are selling? Look out for slogans and phrases that they use. How is the advert set out? How big is the writing on the advert? Where is it? Does the advert use a picture to get your attention? For homework I would like you to design a magazine advert for one of the following : O A new chocolate bar ; O A fizzy drink ; O A shampoo ; O A toothpaste ; O A toy.

Acknowledgments/Resources: O english/reading/writers_tricks/revise2.shtm l english/reading/writers_tricks/revise2.shtm l O english/reading/writers_tricks/revise3.shtm l english/reading/writers_tricks/revise3.shtm l O /Adverts.htm /Adverts.htm