ENG Revision

English Revision Yr 8 Semester II 2016

Rhetorical Devices

What Are Rhetorical Devices?

• It is the use
• of questions not requiring answers is a rhetorical device used for persuasive
• effect. Being asked questions makes the audience/reader think about them and
• try to give an answer themselves.

Examples of Rhetorical Devices

• �-deliberate
• repetition
• -putting
• words in inverted commas or italics for emphasis
• -antithesis
• and balance
• -euphemism
• (making something sound more pleasant)
• -juxtaposition
• (placing two ideas next to eachother)
• -rule
• of three (using three of a kind)
• -bathos
• (ridiculous anti-climax)
• -hyperbole
• (deliberate exaggeration)
• -meiosis
• (understatement)
• -tautology
• (another way of saying the same thing)
• �

Also,

• Breaking the normal rules of
• writing ad starting sentences with And, But, So and Or also
• attracts attention and expresses an idea simply and directly enough to have an
• immediate emotional effect on the audience.
• �

Colons (:)

Its Functions

• �The
• three functions of a colon are to:
• �-
• expand on or explain an idea (perform the function of i.e.)�
• -
• introduce items in a list
• �-
• introduce a quotation or significant piece of direct speech

Also,

• A colon does not need to be
• followed by a capital letter. Be careful not to confuse colon with the
• semi-colon, which separates sentences and can take the place of a full stop,
• but which does not act in any of the ways listed above.
• �

Semi Colons (;)

All About Semi Colons

• Semi-colons should not be overused
• in a piece of writing as they will make it seem list-like and lacking in
• fluency, because they add one simple sentence to another but do not help with
• the formation of complex sentences. They should be placed between closely
• related ideas only, and are used especially in informative types of writing
• requiring s concise style.
• �

Devices For Attracting Attention

All About It

• To win an argument or to get
• someone interested in a reading a discursive piece, the writer has to find ways
• to first attract and then keep the reader’s attention. There is no narrative to
• arouse curiosity, and the figurative descriptive language of an imaginative
• piece is not appropriate, so other devices have to be used to engage the
• reader. Noticeable features of language draw readers into enjoyment of the
• style of the writing, and they then become receptive to its content.
• �

Modal Verbs of Probability and Obligation

About It

• �The
• modal verb can expresses
• ability, as in ‘She can ride a bike’, and may expresses permission, as in ‘She
• may ride her bike’. This distinction is not always made nowadays, however, and can is often used for both meanings. The past tense forms could and might convey and increasing degree of uncertainty, e.g. ‘She could ride her
• bike’ (quite probable) and ‘She might ride her bike’ (possible but not
• probable).
• �

More About It

• There are five other modal
• (auxiliary) verbs in English that refer to something to be done, with subtle
• differences and degrees of strength:
• ‘He
• needs to agree’ – necessity
• ‘He
• must agree’ – definitive or imperative
• ‘He
• has to agree’ – predicts compliance; implies there will be consequences
• otherwise
• ‘He
• ought to agree’ – suggests a matter of duty
• ‘He
• should agree’ – expresses advisability or probability

Also,

• Note that must be and should are
• not followed by to, but
• the other three modal verbs are
• followed by the infinitive form of the verb.
• �

Argument Structure

About It

• Unlike discursive writing, an
• argument has to be carefully structured so that points against your case are
• presented first, and then dismissed, allowing the rest of the piece to
• concentrate on your own point of view, leading at the beginning makes your case
• stronger, because it conveys that your opinion is not biased or unconsidered
• and can therefore be believed.

Also,

• Your points – of which there should
• be several - need to be planned, put in order, and then supported to make them
• convincing. This support can take the form of a mixture of the following:
• �statistics
• �topical
• media stories
• �factual
• background information
• �examples
• �quotations.

Propaganda

What Is It?

• The most biased form of argument is
• called propaganda, which is a text designed to serve the purposes of the writer
• as an instrument of persuasion within a conflict situation. Anthems are a form
• of propaganda because their purpose is political and their content is biased.
• �

Devices Used In This Persuasive Writing

• �-assuming
• the reader is on the same side as the writer
• -appealing
• to emotions of anger or pride
• -keeping
• the claims very simple to grasp
• -distorting
• or omitting facts
• -telling
• half-truths
• -exaggerating
• achievements
• -using
• euphemism to disguise unpleasant ideas
• -giving
• statistics to make claims seem valid
• -calling
• the other side bad names
• -using
• abstract positive words for the cause one supports
• -repeating
• key words and ideas
• -using
• simple syntax
• -using
• a short, striking and memorable slogan similar to those used in advertising�

Comparing Texts

About It

• The clearest structure to use when
• comparing two texts is to:
• �-say
• in what ways the texts are similar, giving examples and quotations to -support
• your views
• �-say
• in what ways the texts are different, giving examples and quotations to support
• your views
• �-say
• which one your prefer, and think is more effective, giving reasons for your judgement.
• �

Slide 25