KS3 · English

Rhetorical devices in a speech

Some questions don't want an answer. Some sentences say 'you' and suddenly feel personal. Writers do this on purpose. Let's learn to spot their tricks, and then use them ourselves.

Spot the fingerprint

Hunt four devices

A made-up opinion piece for a school newspaper, written for this lesson

Is a locked door really how a library should work? Every lunchtime, you walk past that door, and so does your best friend.

Inside, the room is quiet, calm, and warm. The books sit on their shelves.

You have a duty to ask for change. You have a duty to say it out loud. Open the library at lunchtime.

Question 1 of 4

A rhetorical device is a writer's trick for hitting the reader with an impact, usually to stir up an emotion or to persuade. Newspaper articles use a whole range of them. Let's hunt four. Each one leaves a fingerprint you can point at. First, the rhetorical question: a question asked to make a point, not to get an answer. Its fingerprint is a question mark. Select the rhetorical question.

Tap the words in the passage that prove your answer.

What's it for?

Match the job to the device

Every device has its own job. Each card below describes an effect on the reader. Which device creates it?

Still to sort

Direct address (0)

Triplet (0)

Rhetorical question (0)

Repetition (0)

Where the line is: 'You have a duty' is direct address too, but the feeling of responsibility comes from it being repeated.

6 of 6 still to sort.

Be honest

Which idea sounds closest to you?

Two Year 8 pupils are about to write a persuasive paragraph for the school newspaper and they are arguing about how to do it.

Which of these is closest to what you think right now?

A rhetorical question is a question the reader should answer.The more devices I pack in, the more persuasive my writing will be.Direct address only counts if the writer uses the word 'you'.A rhetorical question is there to make a point, not to be answered.Each device has its own job, so I should choose it on purpose.

How sure are you?

I'm sureI think soI'm guessing

A rhetorical question is a question the reader should answer.

This is a common misconception

Easy trap, because most questions do want an answer. But a rhetorical question is designed to make a point. It is not designed for anyone to answer it. Its job is to make the audience look inside themselves and react to how it makes them feel.

The more devices I pack in, the more persuasive my writing will be.

This is a common misconception

It sounds logical, but it treats devices like a score to build up. Each device serves a different purpose depending on the context. A writer should create each one with an intended purpose in mind, not use them randomly.

Direct address only counts if the writer uses the word 'you'.

This is a common misconception

'You' is the famous one, but direct address is usually done with words such as you, your, we or our. They all do the same job: they make the reader feel the writer is talking to them.

A rhetorical question is there to make a point, not to be answered.

This matches the evidence

Spot on. The question mark is the fingerprint, but the question is not waiting for a reply. It makes the audience look inside themselves.

Each device has its own job, so I should choose it on purpose.

This matches the evidence

That is the idea to take away. Ask what you want the reader to feel or do, then pick the device that does that job.

A rhetorical question makes a point instead of waiting for an answer, and a device earns its place by doing a job, not just by being there.

Predict, then check

Same argument, two versions. Feel the difference.

Version A: 'Keeping the playground tidy matters to everybody.' Version B: 'You have a duty to keep the playground tidy. You have a duty to every pupil who plays there.' In version B, what does repeating 'You have a duty' add?

Your turn

Write it on purpose

Your school is thinking about adding a quiet reading corner. Write a short paragraph (3 to 5 sentences) for the school newspaper arguing for it. Use a rhetorical question, direct address, a triplet and repetition, and know why each one is there. [5 marks]

Your answer

0 words · your answer stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.

The mark scheme

Includes a rhetorical question: a question that makes a point rather than expecting an answer. (1 mark)
Includes direct address, using you, your, we or our to speak to the reader. (1 mark)
Includes a triplet: three words or phrases in a row. (1 mark)
Includes repetition of a word or phrase that comes back for dramatic effect. (1 mark)
Each device has a purpose you can say out loud, such as making the reader reflect, hammering a point down or adding drama. (1 mark)

Model answer

Would you rather spend your lunchtime in a noisy corridor or curled up with a book? A reading corner would be quiet, cosy and welcoming. We deserve a place like that. We deserve somewhere to switch off. Let's ask for it. Why each device is there: the question makes the reader reflect on their own lunchtime; 'you', 'your' and 'We' make it personal; the triplet 'quiet, cosy and welcoming' hammers down the point and makes it memorable; the repeated 'We deserve' adds dramatic effect.

You only own a device when you can use it on purpose and say what it is for.

WHAT YOU'VE LEARNED

A quick recap of today's lesson.

Spot the trick in the sentence, then ask what it wants the reader to feel or do.

What you need to know

A rhetorical device is designed to have an impact on the reader, usually to evoke an emotion or to persuade.
Find a device by its features: a question mark (rhetorical question), you, your, we or our (direct address), three words or phrases in a row (triplet), a phrase or idea that comes back (repetition).
Each device has a different purpose, so choose one on purpose rather than using devices randomly.

The big picture

Rhetorical devices are tricks writers use to have an impact on the reader, usually to evoke an emotion or to persuade. A rhetorical question, direct address, a triplet and repetition each leave a fingerprint you can spot, and each does a different job. Good writers choose each one on purpose.

Key points

1A rhetorical question is designed to make a point, not to be answered. It makes the audience look inside themselves and react to how it makes them feel.

2Direct address speaks straight to the reader, usually with words such as you, your, we or our, so the writing feels personal.

3A triplet is three words or phrases in a row. It hammers down a point and makes it more memorable.

4Repetition of words and ideas adds dramatic effect. Repeating 'You have a duty' makes the audience feel responsible.

5Create each device with an intended purpose in mind. Packing in as many as possible is not the goal.

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Worked example

Problem

Here is part of a made-up opinion piece: 'Are we really going to ignore our playground? Litter, mud, broken benches: it deserves better. Lend a hand. Lend a hand today.' Name the devices you can find and say what each one is for.

⚠ Watch out

Thinking a rhetorical question needs an answer, or that more devices always means more persuasive writing. A rhetorical question is there to make a point, and every device should have a purpose.

🧠

Memory hook

Question mark, YOU, three in a row, it comes back: spot the fingerprint, then ask what job it is doing.

✓

Check yourself

Read this line: 'Silence. Dust. Empty shelves.' Which device is it, how do you know, and what is it for?

Flashcards

(12)

What is a rhetorical device?

A technique a writer uses to have an impact on the reader, usually to evoke an emotion or to persuade.

What is a rhetorical question?

A question designed to make a point. It is not designed for anyone to answer it.

How do you spot a rhetorical question?

Look for a question mark, then check that the question is making a point rather than waiting for an answer.

What does an effective rhetorical question do to the audience?

It makes them look inside themselves and take action depending on how it makes them feel. A deep question lets them reflect.

What is direct address?

Addressing the reader or audience directly, usually with words such as you, your, we or our.

Why would a writer slip 'you' or 'our' into a persuasive piece?

Direct address makes the reader feel the writer is talking to them personally.

What is a triplet?

Three words or phrases in a row.

What is a triplet for?

It hammers down a point and makes it more memorable.

What is repetition as a rhetorical device?

Repeating words and ideas to give dramatic effect.

What does repeating 'You have a duty' do?

It adds dramatic effect and makes the audience feel responsible.

How do you identify a rhetorical device?

Look for its features, for example a question mark for a rhetorical question or a word such as 'your' for direct address.

Is it best to pack in as many devices as possible?

No. Each device serves a different purpose depending on the context, so create each one with an intended purpose in mind rather than using it randomly.

Tap any card to flip it, or use Study as deck to go through them one at a time. In the full lesson these run as a spaced-repetition deck — you rate each card Hard, Good or Easy and the tricky ones keep coming back until they stick.

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Hunt four devices

Match the job to the device

Which idea sounds closest to you?

Write it on purpose

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