Which techniques does president reagan use in this
excerpt? select three options.
pathos
ethos
shift
understatement
overstatement

the correct answer to which techniques president reagan uses in this excerpt of his speech, selecting three from the given options, is pathos, shift and overstatement.

pathos is a technique in which the power of a situation described can cause pity or sadness because people feel sympathy. in this excerpt from reagan's speech, he mentions america's 52 hostages and their fate in order to move people and cause sadness and sympathy in them. " that they are reunited with their families after this long year of imprisonment", he says, trying to provoke people's emotions, by making them identify and pity the hostages, and therefore creating a pathos effect.

shift is a narrative technique in which the speaker shifts time back and forth, from past to present and from present to future. during his speech, reagan shifts from present to future. he talks about something that is happening now (america's 52 hostages) and about the concerns america has to debate now, that will make a difference in the future. he says that "a child born this year will begin his or her adult like in what will be the 21st century", therefore he shifts from present to future by using tenses in the present and in the future in the same sentence, and presenting his time's reality compared to the future's possible reality.

overstatement, or hyperbole, is a technique used to emphasize something by stating it too strongly or with exaggeration. in this excerpt of reagan's speech, the overstatement can be observed when he talks about the hostages and says that "like you, there is nothing i want more than their safe return", hence, reagan uses exaggeration techniques to prove his point.

reagan doesn't use ethos technique in this excerpt because there is no moment in which he exalts america's characteristics or spirit, nor anything that specifies beliefs common to an era in order to strengthen his speech. also, he doesn't use the understatement technique because, on the contrary, he uses the overstatement technique.

explanation: