Persuasive Device Examples - Cut and Paste Worksheet | Teach Starter - Free Printable

Let's solve this persuasive devices worksheet step by step.

Objective:

The task is to identify which persuasive device is being used in each sentence and place it in the correct column on the left-hand chart. The persuasive devices are:

- Rhetorical Question
- Inclusive Language
- Alliteration
- Emotive Language
- Modality
- Exaggeration
- Repetition
- Rule of 3

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Step 1: Understand Each Persuasive Device

| Device | Definition |
|-------|-----------|
| Rhetorical Question | A question asked to make a point, not expecting an answer. |
| Inclusive Language | Words like "we," "us," "together" to create unity. |
| Alliteration | Repetition of the same initial consonant sound. |
| Emotive Language | Words that evoke strong emotions (e.g., "horrific," "exhausted"). |
| Modality | Words expressing certainty or possibility (e.g., "must," "should," "is certain"). |
| Exaggeration | Overstatement for effect (e.g., "totally destroying"). |
| Repetition | Repeating words or phrases for emphasis. |
| Rule of 3 | Using three items in a list to enhance impact. |

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Step 2: Analyze Each Sentence

Now, go through each sentence on the right-hand page and classify it.

#### 1. *"We all need to work together to make schools understand that homework is a completely unnecessary exercise."*

- "We all need to work together" → Uses inclusive language ("we", "together").
- Also includes modality ("need to"), but the main persuasive technique here is inclusive language.
✔ Inclusive Language

#### 2. *"The act of assigning homework is totally destroying the childhoods of innocent children."*

- "Totally destroying" → Strong exaggeration; implies complete destruction.
- "Innocent children" → Emotive language.
- But the key device is exaggeration — “totally destroying” is overblown.
✔ Exaggeration

#### 3. *"After school, children deserve to unwind, relax and recharge."*

- Three verbs: unwind, relax, recharge → This is a list of three actions.
✔ Rule of 3

#### 4. *"Don't students deserve to unwind and relax after a long, tiring day at school?"*

- This is a question, but it’s asking for agreement — no real answer expected.
✔ Rhetorical Question

#### 5. *"Homework is stressful for the student, boring for the student and pointless for the student."*

- The word "student" is repeated three times.
- Also uses repetition of the phrase "for the student."
✔ Repetition

#### 6. *"Students should be social after school, not stuck inside doing silly study!"*

- "Should" → expresses obligation → Modality
- "Silly study" → emotive language (negative tone), but "should" is the key persuasive device.
✔ Modality

#### 7. *"Think about all the exhausted children who must suffer through the horrific task of homework every single night."*

- "Exhausted," "suffer," "horrific" → all emotionally charged words.
✔ Emotive Language

#### 8. *"It is certain that homework does not achieve anything for students, so this practice must be stopped!"*

- "It is certain" → strong modal expression
- "Must be stopped" → also modality
✔ Modality

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Final Answer: Fill in the Chart

Here’s how the sentences should be placed:

| Rhetorical Question | Inclusive Language |
|-------------------------|------------------------|
| Don't students deserve to unwind and relax after a long, tiring day at school? | We all need to work together to make schools understand that homework is a completely unnecessary exercise. |

| Alliteration | Emotive Language |
|------------------|----------------------|
| *(None)* | Think about all the exhausted children who must suffer through the horrific task of homework every single night. |

| Modality | Exaggeration |
|--------------|------------------|
| Students should be social after school, not stuck inside doing silly study! <br> It is certain that homework does not achieve anything for students, so this practice must be stopped! | The act of assigning homework is totally destroying the childhoods of innocent children. |

| Repetition | Rule of 3 |
|----------------|---------------|
| Homework is stressful for the student, boring for the student and pointless for the student. | After school, children deserve to unwind, relax and recharge. |

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✔ Summary Table

| Device | Sentences |
|----------------------|----------|
| Rhetorical Question | "Don't students deserve..." |
| Inclusive Language | "We all need to work together..." |
| Alliteration | *(None present)* |
| Emotive Language | "Think about all the exhausted children..." |
| Modality | "Students should be social..." <br> "It is certain that..." |
| Exaggeration | "The act of assigning homework is totally destroying..." |
| Repetition | "Homework is stressful for the student, boring for the student and pointless for the student." |
| Rule of 3 | "unwind, relax and recharge" |

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✔ Final Notes:

- Alliteration was not used in any sentence (no repetition of initial sounds).
- Rule of 3 appears only in the list of three actions: *unwind, relax, recharge*.
- Some sentences use multiple devices, but we choose the most dominant one.

This completes the sorting of the persuasive devices!