Writing to Persuade

The aim of persuasive writing is to convince someone to do something. It might be to buy a product, attend an event or believe their opinion.


Language You can remember persuasive language by remembering AFOREST.

Alliteration - using words that begin with same letter to make us notice important words. "Help the Homeless"

Fact - using information that can be proved to make your text seem more trustworthy. "Smoking is bad for your health."

Opinion  - people's beliefs. Using lots of these can make a text biased. "This is the best product"

Rhetorical Question - a question that doesn't need an answer. This makes the reader think about the question and your main point. "How would you react?"

Emotive Language - words that cause strong feelings. For example "the vulnerable children".

Statistics - use to make your facts or opinions even more persuasive. For example "9/10 people agree that this is the best product"

Three (rule of) use three describing words to exagerate your point. For example "the match was exciting, unpredictable and skillful".

Direct Address speak directly to your reader to capture their attention. For example "you".

Instructions Tell people what you want them to do. For example "Wear a seat belt" or "Donate money to charity".

Task: Find an example of a persuasive text. Analyse how the language makes it more persuasive.

P: The first piece of persuasive language is...
E: For example...
E: This makes me think...   because...
L: The keyword is... because...
This helps to persuade us because...