Year 10 - English
Considering and using personification in persuasive letter writing
Non-fiction: letter writing
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This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
In this unit, pupils complete a deep dive into letter writing. They first explore what the letter form is used for, before thinking about the use of modality, personification, active voice and passive voice. They then evaluate some persuasive letters before writing their own.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to identify and analyse the use of personification in persuasive letter writing and emulate it in your own writing.
Key Notes
- Personification can be effective in persuasive writing because it evokes an emotional connection to the reader.
- Arguably, personification makes the subject of your writing more relatable.
- When deciding how to use personification, you should think about what emotional reaction you want to evoke.
Vocabulary To Learn
- personification: the attribution of a personal nature or human characteristics to something non-human
- persuade: convince (someone) to do something through reasoning or argument
- sentience: the quality of being able to experience feelings
- relatable: that someone can understand or feel sympathy for
- evocative: bringing strong images, memories, or feelings to mind
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Any use of personification will be effective in your writing.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain this English learning goal in two key points.
Personification can be effective in persuasive writing because it evokes an emotional connection to the reader. Arguably, personification makes the subject of your writing more relatable.
2. Define this language term and use it in a sentence. 'personification'
the attribution of a personal nature or human characteristics to something non-human.
3. Correct this common English misunderstanding.
Mistake: Any use of personification will be effective in your writing. Correction: In order to be effective, personification has to evoke a response that will make the reader feel persuaded by your argument.
More Lessons In This Unit
- Conceptualising letter-writing and understanding the letter form Study Guide
- Considering and evaluating persuasive letters Study Guide
- Considering and using active and passive voice in persuasive letter writing Study Guide
- Using modality in persuasive letter writing Study Guide
- Using modality, personification and active voice to write a persuasive letter Study Guide
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