first, understand the rhetorical situation before going into ethos pathos & logos (these are actually a part of the rhetorical situation, see below in definitions) modes of persuasion- ethos, pathos and logos don't write the words ethos pathos logos! ethos- an appeal to a **speaker's** character or authority - speaker focused identify speaker choice the speaker us making talking about character being built ex. Sensodyne promotes how highly recommended the brand is amongst dental professionals in order to showcase that they produce the most reliable and effective toothpaste on the market. pathos- an appeal to the **audience's** emotions - audience focused speaker choice emotion ex. The ASPCA consistently includes pictures of abused animals which moves those viewing the commercial to feel sorrow and pity. logos- an appeal to logic and the reasonability of a speaker's **message** - message focused identify speaker identify choice identify claim ex. Sensodyne promotes how highly recommended it's amongst dental professionals in order to highlight how reasonable it is for individuals to choose their toothpaste over all other options english is like nesting dolls, not individual packages - sometimes an argument combines elements of ethos pathos and logos *good writing is precision writing* ditch the word 'use' identify vague elements and make them more precise