Persuasive Texts

bandwagon appeal

a claim that an audience should accept the argument because "everybody is doing it"

stereotyping

a general statement about a group of people

generalization

a general statement that sounds authoritative but may not be true

bias

a particular point of view that may cause an author to distort information to support a personal interest

relevant

directly connected to the claim or topic; important

opposing argument

in a persuasive text, an opposite argument or viewpoint of the author's claim; also called opposing claim or counterclaim

loaded language

strong words used to persuade a reader without having made a serious argument

rebuttal

the author's response to the opposing argument

point of view

the author's unique set of ideas and opinions about a topic

pathos

the emotional appeal; to persuade an audience by appealing to their emotions

conclusion

the ending of a piece of writing that provides closure by restating the thesis/claim and providing a call to action or the writer's final thoughts on the topic

ethos

the ethical appeal; to persuade an audience of the author's credibility or character

evidence

the facts, statistics, anecdotes, and examples that a speaker or writer offers in support of a claim

logos

the logical appeal; to persuade an audience by appealing to their reason

introduction

the opening section of an essay which includes the topic, background information, and a claim or thesis statement

reasons

the opinion-based statements that explain why the author is making a certain claim

irrelevant evidence

the type of evidence that is not directly connected to a claim -- and which can weaken the effectiveness of the author's claim

persuasive text

the type of writing that attempts to persuade, or convince, readers to accept a certain view or take a specific action, including speeches, arguments, editorials, letters to the editor, and opinion blog posts

name calling

the use of language to defame, demean or degrade individuals or groups

claim

the writer's position on an issue or problem

persuasive techniques

the writing techniques used by an author to persuade by appealing to the reader's emotions or sense of logic.