Last 50 terms

action words that require an object to receive that action vs. ones that don’t

very informal, more common in speech than writing, typically restricted to a particular context or group of people

 character/characterization of the author (often conveyed through tone)

a structure of deductive logic in which correctly formed major & minor premises lead to a necessary conclusion

 the organization and form of a work

branch of linguistics studies meaning/relations of words, historical & psychological development, connotations

 a shortened version of a text that highlights its key points.

direct comparison of one thing to another, usually using words like or as to draw the connection

something intended to divert attention from the real problem or matter at hand

 refuting a minor point or unrelated argument; misrepresenting opponent’s position as more extreme

occurs when the final outcome is contradictory to what was expected

an examination of how well the components of an argument work together to accomplish purpose

private and personal feelings and attitudes as opposed to facts and reality

 statement (expressed or implied) that establishes logical connection between a claim and its supporting reason

method of informal logic with claim, reason, warrant, backing, and grounds as key components

ways words are put together to form phrases, clauses, and sentences; sentence structure

 specialized vocabulary of any field of knowledge that have meanings not necessarily same as common use

use of words that mean the opposite of what you really want to say to insult, to show irritation, or to be funny

 discrepancy between true meaning and literal meaning of the written or spoken word; can be sarcasm

words that are concrete and particular rather than general, abstract, or vague

posed to raise an issue, create an effect, or make a point rather than to get a response

 a device or technique used by a writer

writer’s attitude toward subject

 when a single word that governs or modifies two or more others must be understood differently w/comical effect

assuming one event will cause unstoppable cascading events

any discourse that is not poetry

when one part of speech (most often the main verb; sometimes a noun) governs two or more other parts of speech

words or phrases that limit the scope of a claim

used to poke fun at, attack, or ridicule an idea, vice, or foible, often for the purpose of inducing change

particular use of word patterns and styles used to clarify, make associations, and focus

from the Greek for “orator;” refers to the entire process of written communication; the art of persuasion

 sentence that identifies the main point of the paragraph

main idea, topic, or issue central to any given text

used to connect independent clauses and suggest a closer relationship between the clauses than a period does

target group of real people envisioned by a writer 

one independent clause

 real or assumed personality used by writer or speaker; source or “take” on subject as expressed by individual style

words from another source to support an essay’s claim; typically shown as a quote

words that help to introduce material borrowed from an outside source

 combining of separate elements or substances to form a coherent whole; opposite of analysis

“What I hear you saying” technique; paraphrase opponent’s objections to opponent’s satisfaction

writer’s position in regard to topic; proposition writer advances, illustrates, proves or defends

goal of an argument (to entertain, inform, convince, explore, decide, etc.)

a change or movement in a piece from one point, idea, concept, etc. to another

introduces a clause that depends on another clause for its meaning (after, although, as, etc.)

 stylistic devices used to create links between ideas and endow discourse with continuity and coherence

role or behavior of a speaker or writer in relation to his or her subject, audience, and persona (or voice)

arrangement of parts of a sentence

an answer that challenges or contests a specific claim or charge

manner in which an author uses and arranges words/ideas/sentences to convey ideas