A TRAPPER I SEE (persuasive techniques)

The mnemonic 'A TRAPPER I SEE' is an excellent way to remember twelve language features which a writer can use to make a text persuasive:

A TRAPPER I SEE

1.) Anecdote

2.) Triplets

3.) Rhetorical question

4.) Assertion

5.) Personal pronoun

6.) Possessive pronoun

7.) Emotive language

8.) Repetition

9.) Imperatives

10.) Statistics

11.) Exaggeration

12.) Expert opinion

Activities:

1.) Learn about the twelve persuasive language features using the information below. 

2.) Try to spot these features in use. Can you find them in adverts on television or in political speeches, for example?

Anecdote	A (generally) true story used as an example to support an argument.	‘I remember one time when I was...’
Triplet	Building a memorable effect by using three words or phrases rather than one or two.	‘It was a spectacular, mind-boggling, eye-opening film.’
Rhetorical question	A question which prompts the reader or listener to think about the subject.	‘Why do we have to go to school?’
Assertion	A statement which makes an opinion feel like a fact.	‘You will love this film.’
Personal pronoun	A word which replaces a noun. It can be very powerful to use the word ‘you’ or ‘we’ in persuasive writing so the reader or listener feels more involved; using ‘you’ is called ‘Direct Address’.	If we do not act now, our environment will be ruined.
Possessive pronouns	Words which explain who something belongs to: ‘my, ‘your’, ‘his’ et cetera. ‘Our’ tends to be more persuasive than ‘my’ because it includes the reader or listener.	If we do not act now, our futures are at stake.
Emotive language	Vocabulary which makes the reader feel something: anger, sadness, joy, et cetera	It is absolutely outrageous that our politicians are not doing anything about the problem.
Repetition	The deliberate repeating of words and phrases to achieve specific effects.	We should win; we can win; we will win!
Imperatives	Command verbs which tell readers/listeners to do something.	Stop! Look! Listen!
Statistics	Numerical data (percentages, etc.), used to support arguments:	99% of audiences loved this film.
Exaggeration	Also, called hyperbole (hy-per-bo-lee), this is deliberate over-emphasis to create specific effects:	The is the greatest film... ever!
Expert opinion	The use of an expert’s advice/views to support a particular argument:	Oscar winner, Brad Pitt, remarked that he loved this film.