7 The art of persuasion

Vocabulary

Reporting verbs:

•     advocate (advocates, advocating, advocated) VERB If you advocate a particular action or plan. you recommend it publicly. (FORMAL] • a conservative who advocates fewer government controls on business • the tax policy advocated by the Opposition • acknowledge (acknowledges, acknowledging, acknowledged) VERB If you acknowledge a fact or a situation. you accept or admit that it is true or that it exists, [FORMAL) • [+ that) It is widely acknowledged that transferring knowledge in a classroom environment is very inefficient. Belatedly, the government has acknowledged the problem.

•     assert (asserts, asserting, asserted) VERB If someone asserts a fact or belief, they state it firmly. [FORMALI • The senator plans to assert that the bill violates the First Amendment. • The defendants continue to assert their innocence.

•     dispute (disputes. disputing, disputed) VERB f you dispute a fact, statement, or theory, you say that it is incorrect or untrue. • He disputed the allegations. • that] No one disputes that vitamrn C is of great value in the treatment of scurvy,

•     imply (implies, implying, implied) VERB If you imply that something is the case, you say something which indicates that it is the case in an indirect way, • 'Are you Implying that had something to do with those attacks? • She was upset by the implied

•     justify (justifies, justifying, justified)

VERB To justify a decision, action. or idea

30      Vocabulary for IELTS

means to show or prove that it is reasonable or necessary. • No argument can justify a war:

•      Ministers agreed that this decision was fully justified by economic conditions,  object (objects, objecting, objected) VERB If you object to something. you express your dislike or disapproval of it.

•      [+ to] A lot of people will object to the book.

•      [+ that] Cullen objected that his small staff would be unable to handle the added work

•      We objected strongly but were outvoted.

•      outline (outlines, outlining, outlined) VERB If you outline an idea ora plan. you explain it in a general way, • The mayor outlined his plan to clean up the town's image,

•      question (questions, questioning, questioned)

VERB If you question something, you have or express doubts about whether it is true, reasonable, or worthwhile. • Scientists began questioning the validity Of the research because they could not reproduce the experiments. • It never occurs to them to question the doctor's decisions

Nouns associated with persuasion:  benefit (benefits)

NOUN The benefit of something is the help that you get from it or the advantage that results from it. • on the benefits of this form of therapy • For maxrmum benefit, use your treatment eveor day • to] I hope what I have written will be of benefit to someone else.

•      debate (debates)

NOUN A debate is a discussion about a subject on which people have different views, • An intense debate is going on within

Unit 7

Practice exercises

Exam tip: In the IELTS Writing exam you can demonstrate that you have a broad vocabulary by avoiding unnecessary repetition.

Many words commonly used in academic arguments have synonyms.

Example; The minister iustified his position on arms control, He defended his position strongly when he gave evidence of the proliferation of nuclear weapons.

Learn to use synonyms when presenting your arguments.

Match each word 1-4 with its closest synonym a-d.

3 proven to be reasonable or necessary (adjective)

There has been considerable debate among politicians over whether the use of force to protect human rights can ever be justified. Some advocate the use Of arms as the only way of sending a clear message to oppressive regimes. Others object to the use of force on humanitarian grounds. arguing that it Inevitably results in the loss of innocent lives. While it is important to acknowledge that there are compelling arguments on both sides, I would

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suggest that a range of responses should be considered when there is proof that human rights are under threat, In this essay I will outline three such responses.

Exam tip: In the IELTS Writing exam you should make sure that you use words correctly. Some of the words in this unit can be followed by:

a preposition, for example: One of the benefits of the new phone isa larger screen.

whether clause, for example; I doubt whether the new policy on care for the elderly can succeed, that 4 clause. for example: We suggested that the working day should be reduced.

a noun or noun phrase, for example'; They cannotjustify their actions,

Learn to use words correctly by studying example sentences.

3               Match the beginning of each sentence 1—5 with the most appropriate ending a—e.

4               Report the statements 1-5 using the verbs a—e.

1        'We have some doubts about the new printer, Will it really be more reliable than previous models?

Consumers

2        'We are completely against the sale of national treasures abroad.'

Many people

3        *Yes. it is true that the National Health Service has improved the nation's health. ⁱ

Most people

4        'We strongly believe that new approaches to tackling youth crime should be explored,' Some politicians

5        'These figures are not correct.'

Experts

6        'In the past, students who have achieved a mark of 70% or higher in the midterm test have always passed the course. Susan has achieved a mark of 75%, so...'

The teacher

32 Vocabulary for IELTS