Test 1 Flashcards
Prewriting
- thinking about possible subjects
- freely jotting down ideas on paper or computer
- narrowing the subjects and writing your main idea in one sentence
- deciding which ideas to include
- arranging ideas in a plan or outline
Writing
-writing the first draft
Revising
- rethinking, revising, rearranging as necessary
- writing one or more new drafts
- proofreading for grammar and spelling errors
Subject
To find or focus on what you want to write about
Imaginative literature
Begins with a writer’s need to convey a personal vision to readers
Genres
Imaginative literature, such as fiction, poetry, and drama, can be divided into types
Theme
Of a work of literature is its central or dominant idea. It is conveyed through the selection and arrangement of details; through the emphasis of certain words, events, or images; and through the actions and reactions of characters.
Conventional themes
a literary work can explore any theme; however, certain themes have become to be considered ? ; that is, they have reoccurred so often over the years that they have become familiar and accepted
Literary canon
The term ? has come to denote a group of works generally agreed upon by writers, teachers, and critics to be worth reading and studying. Over the years, as standards have changed, the definition of “good” literature has also changed, and the literary canon has been modified accordingly.
Interpret
• When you ? a literary work, you explore its possible meanings. We can see this just by examining the possible interpretations of Robert Frost’s poem “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening.”
Evaluate
When you a work of literature, you do more than interpret it; you make a judgment about it. You reach conclusions not simply about whether the work is “good” or “bad,” but also about how effectively the work presents itself to you, the reader. To evaluate a work, you analyze it, breaking it apart and considering its individual elements. The textbook chapter lists considerations to keep in mind when you are evaluating a literary work.
Literacy criticism
• Sometimes your personal reactions and knowledge cannot give you enough insight into a literary work. To increase your understanding, you may choose to read literary criticism—books and journal articles written by experts who describe, analyze, interpret, or evaluate a work of literature. When using ? in your own writing, you have to be careful not to commit plagiarism. Plagiarism is presenting another person’s words or ideas as your own. You will need to document your literary criticism sources as you use them in your papers.
Active reading
means participating in the reading process by thinking about what you read, asking questions, challenging ideas, and forming judgments. Active reading is appropriate for the reading of literature and then the kind of writing that you will have to do about it.
Process of active reading
Active reading involves three stages of interaction with a literary work/text: previewing, highlighting, and annotating.
Previewing
gives you a general idea of what to look for later on when you read the work more carefully.
- Observe the most obvious visual characteristics such as length and construction
- Consider the title and the clues it provides
Highlighting
includes physically marking the text to identify key words or details and to note relationships among ideas
- Underline important ideas. These important ideas could be related to the theme, and understanding the themes in a work is important to interpreting the work later.
- Box or circle words, phrases, or images that you want to think more about
- Put question marks beside confusing passages, unfamiliar references, or words that need to be defined
- Circle related words, ideas, or images and draw lines or arrows to connect them
- Number incidents that occur in sequence
- Mark a key portion of the text with a vertical line in the margin
- Star particularly important ideas
Annotating
involves recording your reactions in the form of notes in the margin of the text
- Define new words
- Identify allusions (references to other well-known stories, events, or people in order to make a comparison for the reader)
- Find patterns of imagery
- Summarize key events
- List a work’s possible themes
- Record questions that occur to you as you read
Writing about literature
follows the usual writing process for any other kind of composition: planning, drafting, and revising and editing.
Parallelism
is an effective way to add smoothness and power to your writing.
-a balance of two or more similar words, phrases, or clauses.
1.She likes dancing, swimming, and to box.
2.She likes dancing, swimming, and boxing.
3.The cable runs across the roof; the north wall is where it runs down.
4.The cable runs across the roof and down the north wall.
5.He admires people with strong convictions and who think for themselves.
6.He admires people who have strong convictions and who think for themselves.
•Sentences 2, 4, and 6 use parallelism to express parallel ideas.
Consistency of tense
means using the same verb tense throughout a sentence or an entire paragraph.
•Do not shift from one verb tense to another—e.g., from present to past or from past to present—unless you really mean to indicate different times.
›Inconsistent tense: We stroll down Bourbon Street as the jazz bands began to play.
›Consistent tense: We strolled down Bourbon Street as the jazz bands began to play.
›Consistent tense: We stroll down Bourbon Street as the jazz bands begin to play.
Consistency of person
means using the same person, or indefinite pronoun form, throughout a sentence or paragraph.
›First person: The most personal and informal in written work: (singular) I, (plural) we
›Second person: Speaks directly to the reader: (singular and plural) you
•Third person: The most formal and most frequently used in college writing: (singular) he, she, it, one, a person, an individual, a student, and so on; (plural) they, people, individuals, students, and so on
•Avoid confusing shifts from one person to another. Choose one, and then be consistent.
›Inconsistent person: A player collects $200 when you pass “Go.”
›Consistent person: A player collects $200 when he or she passes “Go.”
›Consistent person: You collect $200 when you pass “Go.”
Consistency of number
means avoiding confusing shifts from singular to plural or from plural to singular within a sentence or paragraph.
•Choose either singular or plural; then be consistent.
›Inconsistent number: The wise jogger chooses their running shoes with care.
›Consistent number: The wise jogger chooses his or her running shoes with care.
›Consistent number: Wise joggers choose their running shoes with care.
Steps for writing an effective essay
- Narrowing the topic
- Writing the topic sentence
- Generating ideas for the paragraph body
- Selecting and dropping ideas
- Arranging ideas in a plan or an outline
