Reading: Critical Reading & Analysis (Introduction): B2 Lesson 3: Identifying Author's Techniques to Persuade or Influence
CEFR Level: B2 (Upper Intermediate)
Target Reading Sub-skill: Critical Reading & Analysis (Introduction)
Specific Focus: Identifying Author's Techniques to Persuade or Influence
What You Will Learn
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:
- Understand that authors use specific techniques to persuade or influence readers.
- Identify common persuasive techniques such as emotive language, rhetorical questions, repetition, and appeals to authority.
- Analyze how these techniques are used in texts to affect the reader.
Hello Cambodian Learners!
When an author wants to convince you of something – for example, to support a new community project in your area of Battambang, or to agree with their opinion on an important issue – they often use special language techniques. These are like tools a speaker uses to make their speech more powerful. Recognizing these persuasive techniques helps you understand how the author is trying to influence your thoughts or feelings, so you can think more critically about their message.
Common Persuasive Techniques
Authors use various methods to make their arguments more convincing. Here are a few common ones. Click on the examples to hear them.
1. Emotive Language
Using words that create strong feelings (positive or negative) in the reader.
Words like "heartbreaking," "shock," and "devastation" evoke strong negative emotions to persuade the reader about the seriousness of pollution.
2. Rhetorical Questions
Asking questions that don't require an answer, but are designed to make the reader think or agree with a certain point.
These questions are not expecting a direct answer from the reader; they are meant to lead the reader to agree with the author's implied point (that we should be more active).
3. Repetition
Repeating key words, phrases, or ideas for emphasis and to make them more memorable.
The repetition of "progress" emphasizes the author's main call for improvement in various areas.
4. Appeal to Authority / Expert Opinion
Using quotes or references to experts, well-known figures, or research studies to make an argument seem more credible and trustworthy.
Mentioning an expert (Dr. Chan Nara) and her research adds weight and credibility to the argument for forest protection.
Practice Time!
Activity 1: Identify the Persuasive Technique
Read each short text excerpt. Choose the main persuasive technique being used from the options.
Quick Quiz!
Great Job!
Recognizing persuasive techniques helps you become a more critical reader. You can understand how authors try to influence you and decide for yourself whether their arguments are convincing!