Selling a Feeling
C2 · Reading · Rhetoric and Persuasion
Three advertisements (invented)
A. PURE ALPINE — Water, the way nature intended. Sourced from glaciers untouched by time. Because you deserve purity.
B. Nine out of ten dentists recommend BRIGHTWHITE.* (*In a survey of 100 dentists asked to name toothpastes they would recommend; respondents could name more than one brand.)
C. The new VELA electric car. You don’t just drive it. You become part of the solution. Join 50,000 drivers who have already chosen tomorrow.
Vocabulary
- connote
- weasel word
- aspirational
- disclaimer
- endorsement
Sample questions (6 questions)
- What does “the way nature intended” in advertisement A tacitly presuppose?
- that nature has intentions and that “natural” means better
- that the water is free
- that glaciers are cold
- Why is the footnote in advertisement B significant?
- Dentists could name several brands, so “nine out of ten” does not mean they prefer BRIGHTWHITE.
- It proves BRIGHTWHITE is the best.
- It shows the survey was very large.
- Advertisement C says “You become part of the solution.” Which appeal is primary?
- identity and moral self-image (pathos)
- technical specification (logos)
- expert endorsement (ethos)
Answers and hints from Migo appear when you do it online.