Writing: Advanced Persuasion
C1/C2 Lesson 1: Rhetorical Devices
The C2 Persuasion Toolkit 🛠️
Let's explore four powerful devices used by the world's best writers and speakers to make their arguments not just logical, but also impactful.
1. Parallelism (The Rule of Balance)
Parallelism means repeating a grammatical structure to create rhythm and show that two or more ideas have equal importance.
"She is dedicated not only to improving her community but also to helping her family."
2. Hypophora (Ask and Answer)
Hypophora is a technique where the writer asks a question and then immediately answers it. This is a powerful way to anticipate your reader's questions and guide their thoughts.
"So what is the most significant challenge facing our city today? It is, without a doubt, the lack of affordable housing for young families."
3. Anaphora (Repetition for Emphasis)
Anaphora is the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses. It creates a strong emotional rhythm and makes a point unforgettable.
"We will invest in our schools, we will invest in our hospitals, and we will invest in our people."
4. Antithesis (Contrast for Impact)
Antithesis is when you put two opposite ideas together in the same sentence to create a powerful, contrasting effect.
"In Cambodia, we must not be a country that just remembers its history; we must be a country that builds its future."
Practice & Application 🎯
Quiz: Identify the Device
- "To be successful is to work hard, to be disciplined, and to never give up."
→ Answer: Parallelism. All three items in the list follow the same grammatical structure ("to" + verb). - "We face a choice. Do we accept the world as it is, or do we work to create the world as it should be? I believe we must work."
→ Answer: Hypophora. The writer asks a question and then immediately provides their answer.
Review Checklist
When you write persuasively, review your work with these questions.
- Have I used sentence structure to create rhythm and emphasis?
- Have I anticipated my reader's questions and guided their thinking?
- Is my key message memorable?
Your Writing Mission ⭐
Writing Task: Craft a Persuasive Opening
Topic: The importance of protecting Cambodia's forests and natural environment.
Your Task: Write one powerful opening paragraph (4-6 sentences). In your paragraph, you must use at least two different rhetorical devices from today's lesson. The goal is to be persuasive and memorable.
Key Vocabulary
- Rhetorical Device A technique that a writer or speaker uses to create a particular effect and persuade an audience.
- Parallelism The use of components in a sentence that are grammatically the same or similar in construction.
- Hypophora A figure of speech where a writer raises a question and then immediately provides an answer.
- Anaphora The repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses for emphasis.
- Antithesis A device in which two opposite ideas are put together in a sentence to achieve a contrasting effect.