Grammar & punctuation
These words, such as "and," "but," and "or," are used to connect words, phrases, or clauses within a sentence.
What are conjunctions?
This rhetorical appeal targets the audience's emotions - such as fear, pity, anger, or joy - in order to persuade them.
What is pathos?
Set in Soledad, California during the Great Depression, this John Steinbeck novella explores the tragic bond between migrant workers George Milton and Lennie Small.
What is Of Mice and Men?
This category of consonant sounds, such as /p/, /t/, and /k/, is characterized by a complete closure of the vocal tract followed by a sudden release of air.
What are stops?
This striped African equine is famous for its distinctive black-and-white coat, which helps confuse predators in herds.
What is a zebra?
This verb tense describes actions that began in the past and continue to the present, often using "has" or "have" with the past participle.
What is the present perfect tense?
In the Toulmin model of argumentation, this is the logical link that connects the evidence (data) to the claim, often an implicit assumption or general principle that justifies why the evidence supports the claim.
What is a warrant?
In Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing, this witty pair engages in a famous "merry war" of wits before being tricked by their friends into falling in love.
Who are Beatrice and Benedick?
This phonological feature involves the prominence given to one syllable within a word.
What is stress?
This brain-eating undead creature is a staple of horror films, made famous by George A. Romero's Night of the Living Dead.
What is a zombie?
This type of sentence contains one independent clause and at least one dependent clause, often connected by subordinating conjunctions like "because" or "although."
What is a complex sentence?
In persuasive speaking and writing, this type of proposition advocates for a specific course of action or change in rules, laws, or procedures, often using words like "should" or "ought to."
What is a proposition of policy?
Written by Mary Shelley when she was just 18 years old, this 1818 gothic masterpiece subtitled tells the story of an ambitious scientist and his creation.
What is Frankenstein?
This set of consonant sounds, including /w/, /j/, and /r/, is produced with a relatively open vocal tract and functions as consonants despite having vowel-like qualities.
What are approximants?
This popular fitness program combines Latin and international music with dance moves like salsa and merengue to make working out feel like a party.
What is Zumba?
This error occurs when two independent clauses are joined together without a coordinating conjunction or proper punctuation, such as in "I love grammar, it is fun."
What is a comma splice?
This fallacy claims that one action will inevitably lead to a chain of related events culminating in a disastrous outcome, often without sufficient evidence, such as "If we allow students to recline their seats, soon they'll be demanding nap time during exams."
What is the slippery slope fallacy?
Joyce Carol Oates dedicated this famous 1966 short story, featuring the predatory villain Arnold Friend, to folk singer Bob Dylan.
What is "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?"?
This phonological process occurs when a sound is omitted in casual speech, such as pronouncing "friends" as "frens" or "probably" as "probly."
What is deletion?
In Greek mythology, this ruler of Mount Olympus wielded thunderbolts forged by the Cyclopes.
Who is Zeus?
This sentence structure creates confusion when a modifying word or phrase attaches to the wrong element in a sentence, such as in the classic example "Visiting relatives can be boring."
What is a dangling modifier?
In this rhetorical strategy, you begin with the weakest argument and end with the strongest.
What is the recency model?
This dystopian 1949 George Orwell novel introduced readers to concepts like Big Brother, Thoughtpolice, and Room 101.
What is 1984?
This phonological process, common in casual speech, occurs when a sound becomes more similar to a neighboring sound, such as when "ten bikes" is pronounced as "tem bikes."
What is (progressive) assimilation?
The main villain in Disney's Toy Story 2 who claims to be Buzz Lightyear's father, modeled after classic space tyrants.
Who is Zurg (Emperor Zurg)?