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.