Loaded Words: Vocabulary That Packs a Punch in Persuasive Writing

Overview

From Theory to Practice

OVERVIEW

Loaded words elicit an emotional response—positive or negative—beyond their literal meaning and can significantly contribute to persuading others to adopt our point of view. For example, the noun plant generates no significant emotional response, but flower inspires a positive feeling and weed a negative feeling. Advertising depends on words meant to generate an emotional response: New, improved, and better than ever make a consumer feel good about a product. Judicious use of loaded words can influence readers’ thinking by influencing their emotions. In this lesson, students recognize loaded words when reading and purposefully use them in persuasive writing.

back to top

FROM THEORY TO PRACTICE

Rog, L.J. (2010). Marvelous minilessons for teaching intermediate writing, grades 4-6. Newark, DE: International Reading Association.

• Persuasive writing is an essential text form for intermediate students to learn.
  
  
• Persuasive writing involves choosing a strong opinion, planning support and evidence, researching supporting facts and data, and organizing the information into connected text with persuasive language.

Rog, L.J., & Kropp, P. (2006). The write genre. Richmond Hill, ON: Pembroke.

• Persuasive writing follows a process of planning, drafting, revising, editing, and sharing with an audience.
  
  
• Loaded words reflect deliberate and purposeful vocabulary choice to help persuade a reader to the writer's point of view.

back to top