Example

“Human greed has resulted in the loss of 35% of mangroves, 40% of forests and 50% of wetlands to date.”

Effect on reader

Statistics refer to factual, numerical evidence within a Language Analysis piece and are generally convincing for two reasons. Firstly, they highlight the logical importance of the issue and provide evidence for the writer’s contention. Statistics provide a type of evidence that is difficult to refute. Consider, in the above example, how much less convincing the sentence would be if the statistics were replaced with “some” or “many.”

Secondly, the use of statistics can aid a writer’s credibility by demonstrating that they have researched an issue. A reader is more likely to trust a writer who seems knowledgeable on the subject, especially if they have little specific knowledge in the area. In this way, statistics can aid in re-positioning the writer to appear well informed on the issue at hand.