Persuasive Language

adverb a word or phrase that modifies or qualifies an adjective, verb, or other adverb

preposition a word governing, and usually preceding, a noun or pronoun and expressing a relation to another word or element in the clause

conjunction a word used to connect clauses or sentences or to coordinate words in the same clause

• The project was delayed because of unforeseen circumstances beyond our control.
• I couldn't go to the party because I had to work late.
• I didn't text back because I was ghosting him.
• She couldn't see the beauty of the painting because she was blind to its details.

noun a flattering or pleasing statement or action used to persuade someone gently to do something

• The salesman used blandishments to persuade the customer to make a purchase.
• She couldn't resist his blandishments and ended up buying the car.
• He laid on the blandishments pretty thick to get her to go out with him.
• The blandishments of fame can sometimes lead people astray.

adjective serving to convince or persuade; persuasive

• The lawyer presented convincing evidence to the jury.
• She made a convincing argument for why we should go to the beach.
• I gotta say, that movie was hella convincing.
• Her smile was so convincing, it could light up a room.

adjective expressing feelings or opinions in a way that is loud and forceful

• The speaker's declamatory tone captured the attention of the audience.
• He always gets so declamatory when he's passionate about a topic.
• She went full declamatory on us during the argument.
• The artist's painting had a declamatory quality, with bold strokes and vibrant colors.

adjective relating to or characterized by emotion

• The speaker used highly emotive language to convey the seriousness of the issue.
• She always gets so emotive when talking about her favorite TV show.
• I can't believe how emotive that movie was, it had me in tears.
• The painting was so emotive, it seemed to capture the essence of human emotion.

noun a communication intended to urge or persuade the recipients to take some action

• The bishop's exhortation to the congregation was to live a life of virtue and compassion.
• My mom's exhortation to clean my room was met with a groan and a promise to do it later.
• The coach's exhortation to 'step up your game' really motivated the team to work harder.
• The author's exhortation to 'find your inner strength' resonated with readers on a deep level.

adjective fallacious - containing a mistake in logic; deceptive or misleading

• The argument presented by the defense attorney was fallacious and lacked evidence.
• Don't believe everything you hear, some of it may be fallacious.
• That website is full of fallacious information, don't trust it.
• Her promises turned out to be fallacious, like a mirage in the desert.

verb describes the action of speaking in a refined or eloquent manner

adjective describes the quality of the speech as being refined or eloquent

• His fine spoken words captivated the audience during the debate.
• She always has a way with fine spoken language that impresses everyone.
• His fine spoken game is on point when he's trying to charm someone.
• The poet's fine spoken verses painted a vivid picture in the minds of the listeners.

noun excessive and insincere praise, especially that given to further one's own interests

verb flatter (to praise someone insincerely to their face in order to manipulate or deceive them)

• The politician was not swayed by the flattery of the lobbyists.
• She couldn't help but blush at his flattery.
• I see you trying to butter me up with all that flattery.
• Flattery is like perfume - smelling it is fine, but swallowing it is dangerous.

verb to successfully communicate or convey a message or idea

adverb in a manner that effectively communicates or conveys a message or idea

• It is important to effectively get across your point during a business presentation.
• I tried to get across to my friend that he needs to study for the exam.
• I couldn't get across to him that I was just joking.
• The artist used vibrant colors to get across the feeling of happiness in the painting.

adjective pompous or extravagant in language, style, or manner, especially in a way that is intended to impress

• The politician's grandiloquent speech was filled with lofty rhetoric and impressive vocabulary.
• I couldn't help but roll my eyes at his grandiloquent way of speaking.
• His grandiloquent talk was just a bunch of fancy words with no real substance.
• Her grandiloquent promises turned out to be empty words.

adjective giving strong encouragement or advice; urging or strongly recommending

• The professor delivered a hortatory speech to inspire his students to strive for excellence.
• The coach gave a hortatory pep talk to motivate the team before the big game.
• My mom's hortatory reminders to clean my room are getting annoying.
• The artist's hortatory paintings urged viewers to reflect on the state of the environment.

verb to fill with intense emotion or passion

• The speaker's words impassioned the audience and stirred their emotions.
• She always speaks with such passion, it really impassions those around her.
• His impassioned speech really fired us up.
• The artist's use of vibrant colors impassioned the painting, bringing it to life.

verb to persuade someone to do something through deception or flattery

• The con artist tried to inveigle the elderly couple into investing in a fraudulent scheme.
• She always tries to inveigle her friends into going shopping with her.
• The scammer managed to inveigle the unsuspecting victim into giving away their personal information.
• The politician tried to inveigle support from the opposing party by offering them incentives.

noun a word used to identify any of a class of people, places, or things

verb a word used to describe an action, state, or occurrence

adjective a word naming an attribute of a noun

adverb a word or phrase that modifies or qualifies an adjective, verb, or other adverb

pronoun a word that can function by itself as a noun phrase and that refers either to the participants in the discourse or to someone or something mentioned elsewhere in the discourse

preposition a word governing, and usually preceding, a noun or pronoun and expressing a relation to another word or element in the clause

• The salesperson tried to lay it on thick with exaggerated claims about the product's benefits.
• He always lays it on thick when telling stories to make them more interesting.
• She really laid it on thick when trying to get out of doing her chores.
• The actor laid it on thick with his emotional performance, bringing the audience to tears.

noun a word that represents a person, place, thing, or idea

preposition used to introduce a contrasting or opposing point or perspective

article a word that is used with a noun to specify grammatical definiteness of the noun

• The research suggests that exercise has numerous health benefits; on the other hand, excessive exercise can lead to injury.
• I really want to go out tonight, but on the other hand, I have an early morning tomorrow.
• I was thinking about getting the new phone, but on the other hand, it's pretty expensive.
• She always seemed confident in public, but on the other hand, she struggled with self-doubt in private.

adverb as a whole; overall

preposition indicating the whole extent or duration of something

article used before a noun to indicate that the noun is being considered as a whole and in general

• On the whole, the research findings suggest a positive correlation between exercise and mental health.
• On the whole, I think the party was a success. Everyone seemed to have a good time.
• On the whole, the concert was lit. The band really brought the energy.
• On the whole, life is like a rollercoaster with its ups and downs, twists and turns.

adverb ostensibly is an adverb that is used to describe something that appears to be true or real, but may not actually be so

• The company's decision to cut costs was ostensibly to improve efficiency.
• She ostensibly went to the store to buy groceries, but ended up buying clothes instead.
• He ostensibly said he was sick to skip school and go to the beach.
• Her smile was ostensibly bright, but her eyes revealed her true sadness.

verb to speak at length or in a formal manner, especially in a way that is pompous or tedious

• The speaker began to perorate on the importance of education in his closing remarks.
• He loves to perorate about politics, but no one really listens to him.
• She always perorates about her favorite TV show like she's an expert.
• The artist's painting seemed to perorate a sense of peace and tranquility.

noun the concluding part of a speech, typically intended to inspire enthusiasm in the audience

• The speaker ended his speech with a powerful peroration that left the audience in awe.
• The teacher's peroration at the end of class was really inspiring.
• I couldn't believe the peroration he gave at the party last night, it was so epic.
• Her peroration on the importance of kindness was like a soothing balm for the soul.

noun the art of effective or persuasive speaking or writing, especially the use of figures of speech and other compositional techniques

adjective relating to or concerned with the art of rhetoric

• The politician's use of rhetoric in his speech was quite persuasive.
• I'm tired of all the empty rhetoric coming from the company's management.
• Don't believe all the hype and rhetoric, just focus on the facts.
• Her rhetoric was like a double-edged sword, cutting through the audience's doubts.

verb to deliver or compose a sermon; to speak in a moralizing or preachy manner

• The priest began to sermonize about the importance of forgiveness and compassion.
• My mom always sermonizes me about the benefits of eating vegetables.
• Stop sermonizing me, I already know what I need to do.
• The politician continued to sermonize about the need for change, but took no real action.

noun a position or attitude taken in a dispute or conflict

preposition a word governing, and usually preceding, a noun or pronoun and expressing a relation to another word or element in the clause

• In this debate, I tend to side with the experts who have conducted thorough research.
• I always side with my best friend when we're arguing about movies.
• I usually side with the cool kids at school because they know all the latest trends.
• When it comes to choosing between two options, I always side with my gut instinct.

adjective describing someone who is eloquent or persuasive in speech

• The silver tongued speaker was able to persuade the audience with ease.
• He's known as the silver tongued charmer around here.
• Watch out for that silver tongued devil, he'll talk you into anything.
• Her silver tongued words cut through the tension in the room.

adjective describing someone who is skilled at speaking in a persuasive or convincing manner

• The smooth tongued politician was able to persuade the crowd with his eloquent speech.
• He's so smooth tongued, he can talk his way out of any situation.
• Watch out for that smooth tongued salesman, he might try to trick you into buying something you don't need.
• Her smooth tongued words were like a soothing balm to his troubled mind.

noun a persuasive argument or speech

adjective having the power to persuade or influence

• The speaker's suasive arguments convinced the audience to support the new policy.
• She's very suasive when it comes to getting people to try new things.
• His suasive skills are off the charts - he can talk anyone into anything!
• The artist used colors and shapes in a suasive way to evoke strong emotions in the viewer.

noun a proposal or idea put forward for consideration

verb to put forward for consideration

• The research findings suggest a strong correlation between exercise and mental health.
• I suggest we take a different route to avoid traffic.
• I suggest we grab some grub before heading to the party.
• His silence suggested that he was not in agreement with the decision.

verb To persuade or convince someone to do something through talking or reasoning.

• She tried to talk into the microphone but it wasn't working properly.
• I can't believe he talked into buying that expensive car.
• I talked him into skipping class and going to the beach instead.
• The hypnotist was able to talk into a state of deep relaxation.

adjective not able to persuade or convince; lacking in credibility or persuasiveness

• The evidence presented by the defense was unconvincing to the jury.
• I found his excuse for being late very unconvincing.
• Her story about why she couldn't come to the party was totally unconvincing.
• The actor's performance in the play was unconvincing, lacking the emotion needed to truly captivate the audience.

adverb in a way that cannot be denied or disputed

• The evidence presented in court is undeniably strong.
• She is undeniably the best singer in the competition.
• That new movie is undeniably lit!
• His influence on the team is undeniably the glue that holds them together.

noun a Latin phrase meaning 'to attract the crowd' or 'to appeal to the masses'

• The politician's use of ad captandum vulgus tactics was seen as a desperate attempt to gain popularity.
• The singer's ad captandum vulgus behavior on social media really turned off a lot of fans.
• I can't believe he's resorting to ad captandum vulgus just to get more likes on his posts.
• Her constant use of ad captandum vulgus in her speeches shows a lack of genuine connection with the audience.