In this paper, a method is proposed for the identification of some SISO nonlinear models with two ill-known components of different nature: a linear (possibly dynamic) part and a static nonlinear one. This method is well adapted when no a priori information is available about the nonlinear component to be identified. It is based on a difference operator, which enables to cancel the nonlinear term when applied to the model. Only the ill-known linear part remains in the transformed model; it can therefore be identified independently of the nonlinear term. Based on the identified linear component, we have access to a pseudograph of the nonlinear term, whose shape can give precious information for the parameterization of the unknown nonlinear part and its identification. The identification model under consideration is defined in an abstract framework, with very weak hypotheses, so that the proposed approach has a large scope. To highlight the method, a class of dynamic Volterra models including some hybrid models such as dynamic inclusions is considered for application. Copyright (c) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.