What does persuade mean?
Word: Persuade
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning: Persuade means to make someone agree to do or believe something by giving them good reasons.
Synonyms: convince, coax, talk into
Antonyms: discourage
How do you spell persuade?
Syllables: per - suade
Tricky part: The u after the s sounds like a w, so students write perswade.
Watch out for: perswade, persuede
Memory tip: Persuading is sweet talk, and the u here sounds like the w in sweet: write that w sound with a u.
Persuade in a sentence
Example 1: Meera tried to persuade her brother to join the school chess club.
Example 2: No one could persuade the stubborn goat to cross the little bridge.
Example 3: The doctor managed to persuade Dadaji to walk every evening.
Fun Fact
The ancient Greeks called the art of persuading an audience rhetoric, and the philosopher Aristotle wrote a well-known book about it.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
No amount of pleading could pursuade the shopkeeper to open his stall before nine on Sunday.
a) pleading
b) pursuade
c) shopkeeper
d) stall
Show answer
b) pursuade. The first syllable is per, as in perfect.
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word:
persuade
a) praise
b) dissuade
c) remind
d) invite
Show answer
b) dissuade. To dissuade is to talk someone out of something, the opposite of talking them into it.
Mingle-Mangle
Form a meaningful word from the jumbled letters:
drpauese
a) persuade
b) pursued
c) prepared
d) pervade
Show answer
a) persuade. Pervade needs a v, pursued two u's, and prepared a second p and r.
Spell-o-Spell
Choose the correctly spelt word:
a) persuade
b) convinse
c) encorage
d) negociate
Show answer
a) persuade. Convince ends in ce, encourage has ou in the middle, and negotiate uses a t where the c is.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A persuasive speech is one that ____.
a) is read from a written page
b) makes listeners agree with it
c) goes on for a very long time
d) is given in another language
Show answer
b) makes listeners agree with it
2. Which sentence shows that Asha was persuaded?
a) Asha joined the club on the day it first opened.
b) After hearing her friends' reasons, Asha joined the club.
c) Asha read about the club in the school newsletter.
d) Asha walked past the club notice without stopping.
Show answer
b) After hearing her friends' reasons, Asha joined the club.
