Reading: Critical Reading & Analysis
B2 Lesson 3: Identifying Persuasive Techniques
Before You Read 🧠
Key Vocabulary
Understanding these techniques is the first step to becoming a critical reader.
Three Main Persuasive Techniques
Writers use specific methods to influence our thoughts and feelings. Let's look at three of the most powerful appeals.
Goal: To make you FEEL something (sadness, anger, happiness).
Methods: Uses emotional language, personal stories (anecdotes), and vivid descriptions.
Goal: To convince you with THINKING and reason.
Methods: Uses facts, statistics, data, and logical arguments.
Goal: To make you TRUST the writer or their sources.
Methods: Uses expert opinions, quotes from famous people, and references to credible organizations.
Analyze a Persuasive Text
Let's read this letter to a newspaper editor and identify the different techniques the author uses.
(1) I am writing to express my profound disappointment regarding the state of our beautiful coastline. Last weekend, I took my young daughter to the beach, hoping to enjoy the natural scenery. Instead, we were greeted by a heartbreaking landscape of plastic bottles and bags choking the shoreline. My daughter asked me, with sadness in her eyes, "Why is our beach so dirty?"
(2) This is not just an aesthetic issue; it is an environmental crisis. According to a recent report by the Cambodian Marine Conservation organization, plastic waste like this can take over 400 years to decompose and is incredibly harmful to marine life. The report highlights a 30% increase in coastal plastic pollution in the last five years alone.
(3) Therefore, as a community, we must demand action. It is our collective responsibility to protect this natural beauty for future generations, so that my daughter, and yours, can one day enjoy a clean beach.
Guided Analysis
- Appeal to Emotion: In paragraph 1, the author tells a personal story about their sad daughter and uses emotional words like `heartbreaking` and `choking` to make the reader feel sad and angry.
- Appeal to Logic & Authority: In paragraph 2, the author uses facts and statistics (`400 years`, `30% increase`) and cites a credible source (`Cambodian Marine Conservation organization`) to make their argument trustworthy.
Practice What You Learned 🎯
Quiz: Identify the Technique
1. "A new study in the International Journal of Agriculture shows that crop yields increase by an average of 18% when using this new fertilizer."
This is primarily an appeal to:
- A. Emotion
- B. Logic and Authority
- C. Humor
→ Answer: B. It uses a statistic (18%) and cites a credible source (an international journal) to appeal to reason and build trust.
2. "For just $1 a day, you can provide a warm meal for a child who has nothing. Don't let a child go to bed hungry tonight."
This is primarily an appeal to:
- A. Emotion (sympathy)
- B. Logic (facts and data)
- C. Authority (experts)
→ Answer: A. It uses emotional language to make the reader feel sympathy and a desire to help.
Key Vocabulary Reference
- Persuasive Techniques Special methods a writer uses to convince the reader of their argument.
- Appeal to Emotion (Pathos) A technique that attempts to make the reader feel strong emotions.
- Appeal to Logic (Logos) A technique that uses facts, statistics, and logical reasoning.
- Appeal to Authority (Ethos) A technique that builds trust by citing experts or credible organizations.
Your Reading Mission ⭐
Be a Technique Detective!
Find an advertisement in English (a video, a poster, or a webpage).
- What is the ad trying to persuade you to do or buy?
- What is the main technique it uses? Does it appeal to your emotions, your sense of logic, or to authority?
- Give one specific example from the ad that shows this technique.