When we are around young children, we are often persuaded by them to get us to do things that they want. The young children persuade their parents to allow them to go to their friend’s house or to let them stay up past their bedtime by saying, “Oh, I will do my homework or I will be good if you let me go to my friend’s place” or “I will eat my veggies if I get another cupcake”. Yes, most certainly the young children possess the power of persuasion.

What is Persuasive Writing?

Persuasive writing is a part of Informational or Expository genres. It is a form of writing in which the  writers uses words in order to convince the reader about his or her own views. It encourages a careful selection of words, develops a sense of logical arguments and puts together an organised and consistent summary of your view. It sometimes involves convincing the reader to perform an action, or it may simply consist of an argument or several arguments to align the reader with the writer’s point of view. Simply defined, it is “an essay which offers and provides supporting arguments for an opinion.

Why Teach Persuasive Writing?

Learning to write Persuasive Writing structure helps students communicate their reasons for their opinions and also it gives them an opportunity to do explore facts for their opinions. When Students develop an understanding of the ways writing can influence the thoughts of the readers, they start

to understand and appreciate the persuasive nature of marketing which they are exposed to everyday, be it television, internet or print media. Persuasive form of writing is very often used in the advertising world. It is a type of writing which gets the reader to agree with the position or the argument of the writer. A good persuasive piece of writing is one which is supported with facts, which allows the writer to put forth his or

her arguments. As defined by Aristotle, a writer can make his or her claim more believable by appealing to the character. In this the writer writes with clarity and eliminates any contradictions within the

writing. Furthermore, the writer can appeal to the logical aspect of the reader by using the supporting statements in favor of his or her claims. For example, writing a quote. The most important appeal while writing a persuasive piece is to appeal to the emotions of the reader. This can be achieved by addressing their knowledge of or feelings about the subject written.

How parents can help with Persuasive Writing:

Some techniques for Persuasive Writing:

• Use Rhetorical Questions: Using questions that don’t require an answer will get the audience to think.

• Repetition: Repetition of words and phrases results in sticking them in the minds of the audience.

• Use of emotive language: Make use of words which make the readers sad, angry, happy, upset or guilty.

• Facts and Statistics: Use factual evidence and details to back the point of view of the writer.

• Personal pronouns: Use words like we, you, ours and us, to make the audience think that the writer is talking only to them.

• Alliteration: Repeating of Consonant sounds makes them stand out, for example: “a culture caused by consumers”

For any further details please visit page number 32-33 of Dec/Jan 2014 issue.