The Media
Senior 2 · English
The Media
Lesson 3 of 4
22 min
Open any newspaper or listen to any radio station for ten minutes and you will meet two kinds of persuasive writing. Advertisements try to make you buy something, go somewhere or do something. Editorials try to make you agree with an opinion. In this lesson you will study how each is built, learn to tell a fact from an opinion, and write one of each.
An advertisement (advert or ad) is a public notice that promotes a product, a service or an event. Read this model:
THIRSTY? TRY KEZA'S FRESH JUICE!
Passion fruit, mango and pineapple, squeezed fresh every morning from farms in Rwamagana. No added sugar. No colouring. Just fruit.
Only 500 Frw a glass. Students with a school card get the second glass free on Fridays!
Find us opposite the bus park, Kayonza. Open daily, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Keza's Fresh Juice — fresh from the farm, fresh for you. Visit us today!
| Feature | Example from the advert |
|---|---|
| an eye-catching headline, often a question | "Thirsty? Try Keza's Fresh Juice!" |
| positive, descriptive adjectives | fresh, squeezed fresh every morning |
| short sentences and repetition | "No added sugar. No colouring. Just fruit." |
| a special offer | second glass free on Fridays |
| the facts a customer needs | price, place, opening hours |
| a slogan | "fresh from the farm, fresh for you" |
| a call to action: an imperative telling the reader what to do | "Visit us today!" |
A good advert is persuasive but honest. Claims such as "cures every illness" are false and, in many countries, illegal. As a reader, ask yourself: what is fact here, and what is just attractive language?
An editorial is a short article in which a newspaper (or a school magazine) gives its own opinion on a current issue. Read this model from a school newspaper:
Open the library on Saturdays
Our school library is one of the best in the district, but on Saturdays, when students have the most free time, its doors are always closed. We believe it is time for that to change.
This term the number of students who borrow books has risen sharply, and the reading tables are often full at break time. Many students, especially boarders, have told this newspaper that they rarely find a quiet place to study at the weekend. National examinations are coming, and every hour of study counts.
Some people argue that there is no staff member to open the library on Saturdays. That is a fair concern. However, the reading club has already offered to run the library, in pairs, under a teacher's supervision.
A school that asks students to read must give them a place to read. We call on the administration to open the library on Saturday mornings from next month.
The Editor
A fact can be checked and proved true or false: The library closes on Saturdays. An opinion is a belief or judgement: It is time for that to change. Opinion signals: I think, we believe, should, must, best, worst, beautiful, terrible. A strong editorial supports its opinion with facts.
Tip
Advert = AIDA. Grab Attention (headline), build Interest (details), create Desire (offer, benefits), ask for Action (call to action).
Editorial = opinion + evidence + reply to the other side + recommendation.
Find the call to action in the juice advert.
Solution: "Visit us today!" It is an imperative that tells the reader what to do.
Fact or opinion? (a) The library has 4,000 books. (b) The library is the best room in the school. (c) Students should read every day.
Solution: (a) fact, because it can be counted; (b) opinion (best); (c) opinion (should).
Which sentence in the editorial answers the other side?
Solution: "However, the reading club has already offered to run the library…" It replies to the concern that there is no staff member.
Write a slogan of no more than six words for a school tree-planting day.
Possible answer: "Plant a tree, grow our future."
(a) Write an advertisement (no more than 60 words) for your school's open day. Include a headline, two benefits, the facts (date, time, place), a slogan and a call to action.
Model answer: CURIOUS ABOUT SCIENCE? COME TO OUR OPEN DAY! See real experiments in our new laboratory. Meet students who built a solar-powered radio. Saturday 14 March, 9 a.m.–1 p.m., GS Nyamata. Free entry for all. Discover. Build. Believe. Book your place with the school secretary today!
(b) Write a short editorial (120–150 words) for your school newspaper on one of these topics: Should phones be allowed at school? Should every class have a reading period? Follow the five-part structure above.
Remember
Sources and credits
This lesson adapts CC BY-SA material and is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.
