Mon Final Lang & Comp Flashcards
Abstract Words:
Refers to an idea, quality, attitude, or state that we cannot perceive with out senses
Allusion:
A brief reference to a real or fictitious person, place, object, or event “potentially this decade’s Star Wars”
Analysis:
The method of development in which a subject is separated into its elements or parts and then reassembled into a new whole
Anecdote:
A brief narration that recounts an episode from a person’s experience
Argument:
The form of writing that appeals to readers’ reason and emotions in order to win agreement with a claim or to compel some action
Assertion:
A debatable claim about a subject; the central idea of an argument
Audience:
The group of readers for whom a particular work is intended
Cause-and-Effect Analysis:
The method of development in which occurrences are divided into their elements to find what made an event happen (its causes) and what the consequences were (its effects)
Chronological Order:
A pattern of organization in which events are arranged as they occur over time, earliest to latest
Classification:
The method of development in which the members of a group are sorted into classes or subgroups according to shared characteristics
Cliche:
An expression that has become tired from overuse and that therefore deadens rather than enlivens writing
Climatic Order:
A pattern of organization in which elements- words, sentences, examples, ideas- are arranged in order of increasing importance or drama
Coherence:
The quality of effective writing that comes from clear, logical connections among all the parts, so that the reader can follow the writer’s thought process without difficulty
Colloquial Language:
Includes contractions and informal words and expressions
Comparison and Contrast:
The method of development in which the similarities and differences between subjects are examined
Concrete Words:
Refers to an object, person, place, or state that we can perceive with our senses
Connotation:
The associations or suggestions that go beyond its literal meaning
Denotation:
A words literal meaning
Critical Reading:
Reading that looks beneath the surface of a work, seeking to uncover both its substance and the writer’s interpretation of the substance
Deductive Reasoning:
The method of reasoning that moves from the general to the specific
Definition:
An explanation of the meaning of a word
Description:
The form of writing that conveys the perceptions of the senses-sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch- to make a person, place, object, or state of mind vivid and concrete
Diction:
The choice of words you make to achieve a purpose and making meaning clear
Slang:
Words that are usually short-lived and that may not be understood by all readers, such as tanked for drunk
Emotional Appeal (Pathos):
In argumentative and persuasive writing, the appeal to readers’ values, beliefs, or feelings in order to win agreement or compel action
Ethical Appeal (Ethos):
In argumentative and persuasive writing, the sense of the writer’s expertise and character projected by the reasonableness of the argument, the use and quality of evidence, and the tone
Evidence:
The details, examples, facts, statistics, or expert opinions that support any general statement or claim
Example:
An instance or representative of a general group or an abstract concept or quality
Exposition:
The form or writing that explains or informs
Fallacies:
Flaws in reasoning that weaken or invalidate an argument
Figure of Speech:
Expressions that imply meanings beyond or different from their literal meanings in order to achieve vividness or force
Freewriting:
A technique for discovering ideas for writing. No stopping or reediting or rereading
Generalization:
A statement about a group or a class derived from knowledge of some or all of its members
Hyperbole:
Deliberate overstatement or exaggeration
Image:
A verbal representation of sensory experience- hearing, feeling, tasting, or smelling
Inductive Reasoning:
The method of reasoning that moves from the particular to the general
Irony:
The use of words to suggest a meaning different from their literal meaning
Metaphor:
A figure of speech that compares two unlike things by saying that one is the other
Narration:
The form of writing that tells a story, relating a sequence of events
Parallelism:
The use of similar grammatical forms for ideas of equal importance
Personification:
A figure of speech that gives human qualities the things or abstactions
Point of View:
The position of the writer in relation to the subject- attitude, mental stance, time
Premise:
The generalization or assumption on which an argument is based
Process Analysis:
The method of development in which a sequence of actions with a specified result is divided into its component steps
Proposition:
A debatable claim about a subject; the central idea of an argument
Purpose:
The reason for writing, the goal the writer wants to achieve
Rational Appeal:
In argumentative and persuasive writing, the appeal to readers’ rational faculties- to their ability to reason logically- in order to win agreement or compel action
Repetition and Restatement:
The careful use of the same words or close parallels to clarify meaning and tie sentences together
Rhetoric:
The art of using words effectively to communicate with an audience, or the study of that art
Satire:
The combination of wit and criticism to mock or condemn human foolishness or evil
Simile:
A figure of speech that equates two unlike things using like or as
Spatial Organization:
A pattern of organization that views an object, scene, or person by paralleling the way we normally scan things
Style:
The way something is said as opposed to what is said
Syllogism:
The basic form of deductive reasoning, which which a conclusion derives necessarily from proven or accepted promises
Symbol:
A person, place, or thing that represents an abstract quality or concept
Thesis:
The main idea of a piece of writing, to which all other ideas and details relate
Tone:
The attitude toward the subject and sometimes towards the audience and the writer’s own self, expressed in choice of words and sentence structures as well as in what is said
Transitions:
Links between sentences and paragraphs that relate ideas and thus contribute to clarity and smoothness
Unity:
The quality of effective writing that occurs when all the parts relate to the main idea and contribute to the writer’s purpose
