How to Sound Convincing Or Persuasive by Using Modal Words

After 8 years as an IELTS tutor, I can say with some certainty that many candidates consider the IELTS argumentative essay (Writing Task 2) as challenging. Due to this, I focus on a number of key areas of the assessment with the aim of helping candidates score a 7 or higher in the writing module. These key areas include the use of modal verbs, adjectives, and adverbs to convincingly and clearly establish claims in the academic argument. Candidates need to be mindful that since the IELTS is an international English Language Examination, they will be expected to write in accordance with established international conventions or standards in reasoning. Understanding the use of modals is crucial for engaging readers in a way that is clear, relevant, and convincing. Examples of these modal words are:

Modal verbs: can/could, may/might, will/would, must, shall/should, need to, ought to

Modal adverbs such as probably, possibly, certainly, hopefully, thankfully, obviously, definitely, clearly, necessarily, perhaps, maybe

Modal adjectives such as possible, probable, likely, necessary, compulsory, obligatory, essential, definite, clear, obvious etc.

Modal nouns such as possibility, probability, chance, likelihood etc.

In terms of their necessity and relevance as rhetorical markers of argumentation, Vold (2006: 226) argues: “epistemic modality concerns the reliability of the information conveyed, and epistemic modality markers can be defined as linguistic expressions that explicitly qualify the truth value of a propositional content”. Similarly, Flowerdew (1999) notes that modality markers are “concerned with the writer’s attitude to the message and is typically realized through modal verbs (e.g. should, may) and various types of modal adjuncts (e.g. probably, obviously)”.

Demonstration of sentences without modal markers

1. To decrease the amount of garbage, governments legislate laws to limit the garbage produced by households to a certain level, say, a kilogram every day
2. Children who watch a lot of television in their spare time are to score low on the school exams.
3. A solution to improve public health and fitness is for people to increase their daily physical activity.
4. Some argue that the decline in living conditions in developing countries result in the migration of their citizens to developed countries in search of a better life,
5. Decreasing public financial support for art leave normal people with little or no access to original fine art pieces.

In the above examples, there is no use of modal words to avoid absolute or categorical assertions or claims. Within the assessment criteria of the IELTS, examiners will neither be sufficiently engaged nor convinced with such arguments or assertions as they seem excessively commanding and direct. Overall, the lack of modal verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and nouns indicate a need for improvement in a candidate’s academic writing if it is to properly satisfy one of the IELTS evaluation criteria (Task and Achievement) and reach international argumentation standards.

Demonstration of sentences with modal markers

1. To decrease the amount of garbage, governments can legislate laws to limit the garbage produced by households to a certain level, say, a kilogram every day
2. Children who watch a lot of television in their spare time are more/highly/likely/unlikely to score low on the school exams.
3. A possible solution to improve public health and fitness is for people to increase their daily physical activity.
4. Some may argue that the decline in living conditions in developing countries could result in the migration of their citizens to developed countries in search of a better life,
5. Decreasing public financial support for art would definitely leave normal people with little or no access to original fine art pieces.

From these examples, there is a deliberate demonstration of effort and awareness on the use of different modal words of argumentation to persuasively engage readers. In using modal words in expressing meaning, Downing and Lock (2006: 380) note that the aim is not for candidates “to make a categorical assertion, but are rather to modify their commitment in some degree by expressing certainty or possibility based on evidence or inference”. By implication, there is a great advantage for writers who employ these modal features in their opinion essay to moderate or strengthen their assertions or claims as they seek to convince the examiners with their opinions.