Rhetorical and persuasive devices

Rhetorical devices are tools that speakers and writers use to persuade: they make an argument sound stronger, more personal or more memorable. Spot them, name them and explain their effect.

Key facts

  • Rhetorical question: asked for effect, with no answer expected: ⟦Who wants to live in a town full of litter?⟧ It makes the reader stop and think.
  • Rule of three: three ideas together: ⟦safe, green and free⟧. It sounds complete and is easy to remember. Repetition (⟦It must stop. It must stop now.⟧) hammers home an idea.
  • Direct address (⟦you⟧) and imperatives (⟦Sign the petition today.⟧) involve the reader and tell them what to do.
  • Statistics (⟦90% of the rubbish on our beach is plastic.⟧) and expert opinion (⟦Doctors agree that…⟧) make an argument sound factual and trustworthy.
  • Emotive language uses strong words to stir feelings such as pity or anger: ⟦Helpless puppies are left shivering in the cold.⟧

Worked examples

Example 1

Name the device: ⟦Over 2,000 people have already signed.⟧

  1. The sentence uses a number as evidence.
  2. That is a statistic: it makes the argument sound factual.

Answer: statistics

Example 2

Name the device and its effect: ⟦Is it fair that some children have no books at all?⟧

  1. The writer doesn't expect an answer: the answer is obviously ⟦no⟧.
  2. It makes the reader stop and think, and agree.

Answer: a rhetorical question: it makes the reader think

Example 3

Which words are emotive? ⟦The poor, frightened children had nowhere to go.⟧

  1. ⟦poor⟧ and ⟦frightened⟧ make us feel pity.
  2. Emotive language makes the reader care.

Answer: ⟦poor⟧, ⟦frightened⟧