Vocab 3 Flashcards
Claim
also called an assertion or proposition, a claim states the argument’s main idea or position. A claim differs from a topic or subject in that a claim has to be arguable.
Cause and effect
seeks to explain the effects of a cause, the causes of an effect, or a causal chain in which A causes B, B causes C, C causes D, and so on
Fact
asserts that something is true or not true
Policy
proposes a change
Value
argues that something is good or bad, right or wrong
Clause
a grammatical unit that contains both a subject and a verb. An independent, or main, clause expresses a complete thought and can stand alone as a sentence. A dependent clause, or subordinate, clause cannot stand alone as a sentence and must be accompanied by an independent clause. Sample sentence: “Because I practiced, my AP scores were high.” In this sentence, the independent clause is “my AP scores were high,” and the dependent clause is “Because I practiced.”
Cliché
a trite, stereotyped expression; a sentence or phrase usually expressing a popular or common thought that has lost originality and impact by long overuse
colloquial/colloquialism
The use of slang or informalities in speech or writing. Not generally acceptable for formal writing, colloquialisms give a work a conversational, familiar tone. Colloquial expressions in writing include local or regional dialects.
Comic relief
use of a humorous character or scene to contrast with the tragic elements of a work, thereby intensifying the next tragic event
Common ground
in rhetoric, a basis of mutual interest or agreement that is found or established in the course of an argument
Comparaison/ contrast
a rhetorical strategy in which a writer examines similarities and/or differences between other people, places, ideas or objects
complex sentence
a sentence that includes one independent clause and at least one dependent clause (If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich. – John F. Kennedy)
Compound sentence
a sentence that includes at least two independent clauses. (The energy, the faith, the devotion which we bring to this endeavor will light our country and all who serve it and the glow from that fire can truly light the world. – John F. Kennedy)
Conceit
a prolonged comparison of two unlikely things (usually in the form of an extended metaphor or an analogy)
concession / concede
an acknowledgment that an opposing argument may be true or reasonable. In a strong argument, a concession is usually accompanied by a refutation challenging the validity of the opposing argument