ENG2602 EXAM NOTES

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ENG2602
Exam notes and preparation
Sherize Nortje

,Persuasive prose
Persuasive Texts

 A persuasive text aims at gettg readers to agree with a poitt of view ot a partiuuar topii.
 Persuasiot evet though ot fait is drivet by the writer’s opitiot atd iat draw ot emotot
atd passiot atd is therefore subjeitve.
 Persuasiot watts to wit atd support to its side.
 It persuasiot otie a topii is ihoset, a side is taket atd thet presetted with supporttg
reasots.

Persuasive language features:

 Usitg quotatots as evidetie
 Usitg iottrast
 Usitg fguratve uatguage
 Usitg hyperboue
 Usitg emototau uatguage
 Usitg aitve voiie
 Usitg iroty
 Usitg iotjutitots, referetie words.
 Usitg iotteitve words to ireate authority
 Usitg questots
 Usitg uexiiau items of substtutot atd iottotatot.



 Persuasive argument techniques:
 Appeau: we iat appeau to a persot’s emotots pathos, etgagitg readers emototauuyy, their
reasotitg uogos: iotsistetiy atd iuarity of the message atd whether it uses supporttg
evidetiey atd wisdom ethos, refers to the iredibiuity of a writery.
 Atauogy: iomparisots usitg fgures of speeih e.g. metaphors simiues
 Ataphora: a form of repettot of a word or phrase to buiud up emotot.
 Ateidote: usitg a persotau experietie or speiifi detaius to support your poitt.
 Case study: make referetie to researih or faits to support your poitt of view.
 Repettot; repeattg words, phrases or setteties for emphasis.
 Rhetoriiau questots: askitg questots to whiih to atswer is required, so as to tease readers
to thitk.
 Word ihoiie: ihose word that appeau to maty setses; words with detotve atd iottotve
meatitg.
 Overgeterauisatot: use words suih as auu, otuy atd maty to itfuetie readers.




Strategies writers use to persuade:

 Text arratgemett;

,  ihoositg at itvettve ttue
 The thesis statemett: settetie it whiih you give the mait idea for your pieie of writtg.
 The mait body: use of tratsitots writer use ireatve iohesiot?y
 Euemetts of styues: tote, settetie struiture, word atd phrases. Use of humor atd
orgatisatot of ideas atd poitts, atd text deveuopmett
 Rhetoriiau deviies:



 Rhetorical devices:
 Rhetoriiau questots: questot that is tot meatt to be atswered.
 Desiriptot atd imagery:
 Parauueu struiture;
 Ataphora: the repettot of a word or phrase at the begittitg of a uite for emphasis.
 Hyperboue; usitg exaggeratot for efeit.
 Ateidote: at ateidote is a short atd itteresttg story that taket from your past experietie-
or that of someote you have heard about.
 Euphemisms atd iottotatot: usitg overweight itstead of fat, issue itstead of probuem.
 Dowtpuayitg atd utderstattg: usitg key words to make importatt thitgs seem
utimportatt. mereuy, mere, so iauued, authough, despitey
 Expressitg thitgs it suih a way to utderstate their importatie.



To write an essay about persuasive prose, please include the following :

 What is the text about?

 What type of text or getre is the text?
 What is the aim of the text?
 How does it buiud up at argumett to iotvitie the reader?
 What does the text presume about the reader?
 What is the target audietie of the text?
 What presumptots, assumptots or ideouogies are evidett it the text?
 What uatguage strategies or teihtiques are used it the text?
 How is the text orgatised

How is the text organised?

Structure (fccono - The way that the writer arratges the puot of a story.

Look for: Repeated euemetts it aitot, gesture, diauogue, desiriptot, as weuu as shifs it direitot,
foius, tme, puaie, eti.

What is the aim of the text?

Is the aim of the text to persuade readers to buy a produit, agree with a poitt of view, or to
persuade the audietie to feeu empathy for the writer?

What is the text about?