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A story with two or more levels of meaning, with at least one being symbolic
Ex. THE SCARLET LETTER by Nathaniel Hawthorne |
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A brief reference to literature, geography, history, legend, religion, or pop culture
Ex. "Moves like Jagger" |
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dramatic ordering of words to show an expansion or progression: conceptual, evaluative, poetic
Charles Dickens on Newness
"Mr. and Mrs. Veneering were bran-new people in a bran-new house in a bran-new quarter of London. Everything about the Veneerings was spick and span new. All their furniture was new, all their friends were new, all their servants were new, their place was new, . . . their harness was new, their horses were new, their pictures were new, they themselves were new, they were as newly-married as was lawfully compatible with their having a bran-new baby, and if they had set up a great-grandfather, he would have come home in matting from Pantechnicon, without a scratch upon him, French-polished to the crown of his head."
(Charles Dickens, Our Mutual Friend, 1864-65) |
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comparison of two things for clarification; sometimes analogies establish a pattern of reasoning.
Brain and computer:
Some basic facts about memory are clear. Your short-term memory is like the RAM on a computer: it records the information in front of you right now. Some of what you experience seems to evaporate--like words that go missing when you turn off your computer without hitting SAVE. But other short-term memories go through a molecular process called consolidation: they're downloaded onto the hard drive. These long-term memories, filled with past loves and losses and fears, stay dormant until you call them up.
("To Pluck a Rooted Sorrow," Newsweek, April 27, 2009) |
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story or brief episode to illustrate a point
"I started to dread arithmetic back in the third grade because I didn't want to memorize the multiplication tables. Unlike learning how to read, studying math seemed to have no purpose other than to give me massive headaches and shattered nerves. The alphabet was a wonderful code that, when deciphered, entertained me with stories and revealed all kinds of secrets about the world. Multiplication tables, on the other hand, just told me how much six times nine was. There was no joy in knowing that. Although even in third grade I understood that I shared with many other students a terrible fear and hatred of mathematics, I drew little comfort from that fact. Since then, I have struggled with math for a number of reasons."
(Anne Miller, "Learning to Hate Mathematics") |
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a brief saying embodying a moral, a concise statement of a principle or precept given in pointed words.
"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it."
(often attributed to Voltaire, the words are in fact Tallentyre's summary of Voltaire's attitude toward Helvetius after the burning of the latter's writings in 1759) |
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work written to defend a writer's opinions or to elaborate and clarify a problem
Tertullian--the Trinity |
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directly addresses an absent, dead, or imaginary person or being or thing
"O Captain, My Captain" by Walt Whitman |
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deliberate omission of conjunctions to create a concise, terse, memorable statement.
*But, in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow this ground" (Lincoln, "Gettysburg Address"). |
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use of slang or dialect in writing to create local color and prove an informal tone.
THEIR EYES WERE WATCHING GOD and HUCKLEBERRY FINN |
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to yield a point in an argument
The losing candidate makes a concession speech.
Atticus Finch concedes the right to read aloud if Scout concedes the right to go to school. TKM |
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the implied, emotional, or suggested meaning of a word
SKELETAL or GAUNT rather than THIN |
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the process of moving from a general rule to a specific example
Notice that as long as the supporting relation between the premises and the conclusion is claimed to be a matter of logical necessity, the argument is treated as deductive. It is up to us to scrutinize carefully whether the conclusion indeed necessarily follows from the premises. The following are examples of deductive arguments:
Workers would lose job security if more jobs go overseas.
More jobs would go overseas if globalization continues.
Workers would lose job security if globalization continues. |
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the literal dictionary definition of a word
THIN |
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| word choice; an author's choice of diction contributes to the tone and mood. NEVER USE DICTION ALONE. |
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writing whose purpose is to instruct or teach, usually formal and focuses on moral or ethical concerns
AESOP'S FABLES, TEN COMMANDMENTS |
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appeal based on character of speaker and the author's/speaker's reputation
Brutus's speech in JULIUS CAESAR |
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a more pleasing or less offensive term--
opposite of DYSPHEMISM
COLLATERAL DAMAGE (civilians killed) |
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degenerative or less agreeable substitute for words--opposite of EUPHEMISM
used to shock or offend
PIG--police, CANCER STICK--cigarette |
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shape or structure of a literary work
homily, blank verse |
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sermon or serious talk or lecture involving moral or spiritual advice
"The Good Samaritan" (Luke 10:25-37) |
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exaggeration for emphasis or humor
tall tales-"Pecos Bill" |
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--opposite of DEDUCTIVE reasoning
moves from a series of specifics, to a generalization
Today, I left for work at eight o’clock and I arrived on time. Therefore, every day that I leave the house at eight o’clock, I will arrive to work on time. |
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conclusion one can draw from presented details
“If you had been on that jury son, and eleven other boys like you, Tom would be a free man. So far nothing in your life has interfered with your reasoning process. Those are twelve reasonable men in everyday life, Tom’s Jury, but you saw something come between them and reason” (Harper Lee).
Inference: Racism gets in the way of justice. |
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a verbally abusive attack
"I cannot but conclude the bulk of your natives to be the most pernicious race of little odious vermin that nature ever suffered to crawl upon the surface of the earth"(Jonathan Swift). |
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appeal based on logic or reason. facts, statistics
"However, although private final demand, output, and employment have indeed been growing for more than a year, the pace of that growth recently appears somewhat less vigorous than we expected. Notably, since stabilizing in mid-2009, real household spending in the United States has grown in the range of 1 to 2 percent at annual rates, a relatively modest pace. Households' caution is understandable. Importantly, the painfully slow recovery in the labor market has restrained growth in labor income, raised uncertainty about job security and prospects, and damped confidence. Also, although consumer credit shows some signs of thawing, responses to our Senior Loan Officer Opinion Survey on Bank Lending Practices suggest that lending standards to households generally remain tight."
(Ben Bernanke. "The Economic Outlook and Monetary Policy." 2010) |
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complex sentence with main clause before subordinate one
opposite of PERIODIC SENTENCE
I ate the sandwich before I unwrapped it. |
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complex sentence with main clause before subordinate one
opposite of PERIODIC SENTENCE
I ate the sandwich before I unwrapped it. |
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complex sentence with subordinate clause and phrases come before main clause
opposite of LOOSE SENTENCE
BEFORE I UNWRAPPED THE SANDWICH, I ATE IT. |
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the repetition or variations of an image or idea in a work used to develop theme or character
"The theme of abandonment and the motif of dual or multiple parents pervade the Harry Potter books"
(Lana A. Whited, The Ivory Tower and Harry Potter, Univ. of Missouri Press, 2004). |
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the repetition or variations of an image or idea in a work used to develop theme or character
"The theme of abandonment and the motif of dual or multiple parents pervade the Harry Potter books"
(Lana A. Whited, The Ivory Tower and Harry Potter, Univ. of Missouri Press, 2004). |
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combination of contradictory words
"Parting is such sweet sorrow" (Shakespeare). |
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the movement in a literary work from one point to another
humor/slapstick in a Shakespearian play after a serious/heavy scene |
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appeal to emotion, elicits pity from the audience
Mark Antony's speech in JULIUS CAESAR |
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appeal to emotion, elicits pity from the audience
Mark Antony's speech in JULIUS CAESAR |
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appeal to emotion, elicits pity from the audience
Mark Antony's speech in JULIUS CAESAR |
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term used to describe writing bordering on lecturing that is often scholarly, academic, overly difficult and distant
"My companion of a canine persuasion, having dined earlier this evening upon his customary portion of kibble, now feels the inevitable call of nature and is indicating his desire for a sojourn into the courtyard." |
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| the art of writing and speaking effectively and persuasively--using language to convince or sway the reader/listener/viewer |
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| the art of writing and speaking effectively and persuasively--using language to convince or sway the reader/listener/viewer |
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method of presenting a logical argument
major premise + minor premise + conclusion
Major remise: When it snows, the streets get wet.
Minor premise: It is snowing
Conclusion : The streets are wet. |
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method of presenting a logical argument
major premise + minor premise + conclusion
Major remise: When it snows, the streets get wet.
Minor premise: It is snowing
Conclusion : The streets are wet. |
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sentence construction
a short, choppy cadence may accentuate intense action and contribute to tone and mood |
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Term
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method of presenting a logical argument
major premise + minor premise + conclusion
Major remise: When it snows, the streets get wet.
Minor premise: It is snowing
Conclusion : The streets are wet. |
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sentence construction
a short, choppy cadence may accentuate intense action and contribute to tone and mood |
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| sentence construction. Short, chopping sentences accentuate action, tone, mood, character |
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| sentence(s) directly expressing author's opinion, purpose, idea, meaning |
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| author's attitude toward subject and audience--reflects author's personality in a literary work |
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opposite of HYPERBOLE
minimalizes fact and/or presents something as less significant than it is
“I’ve always been a massive admirer of the Edenist ability to understate. But I think defining a chunk of land fifteen kilometers across that suddenly takes flight and wanders off into another dimension as a little problem is possibly the best example yet” (Peter Hamilton). |
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1. total "sound" of a writer's style
2. relationship between subject or object and verb--active and passive |
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