Argument and Appeals
The writer's main idea or stance, which must be clear and arguable.
Claim
An author’s attitude toward their subject and audience, often identified with a single descriptive word like concerned or casual.
Tone
The imaginary voice that is speaking in a poem, who should not be assumed to be the poet.
Speaker
The punctuation mark used to separate items in a series, or to set off introductory clauses and extra information.
Comma
The author’s main idea of an informational text that is presented, developed, and supported with evidence.
Thesis
The persuasive appeal that uses reason, facts, and numerical data to support the author's purpose.
Logos
A poet’s "sound," or personality on the page, created mainly through their diction and syntax.
Voice
Lines in a poem that continue to the next line to express a complete thought, creating a faster flow or rhythm.
Enjambed Lines
The writer's word choice, which is a key element in establishing the tone of a text.
Diction
A type of evidence that provides the exact words from experts, historical figures, or others with special knowledge, requiring quotation marks.
Direct Quote
The part of an argument where the writer admits some validity to an opposing view but still provides reasons why the claim is ultimately correct.
Concession
The arrangement of words and phrases into sentences, which can involve varying lengths, breaking grammar rules, or inverting word order for effect.
Syntax
The cultural setting of a story, including a society’s values, norms, and traditions.
Social Context
The punctuation mark used to join two closely related complete sentences (independent clauses) without a coordinating conjunction.
Semicolon
Specific illustrations of general concepts, often used to make an abstract point more concrete.
Examples
The part of an argument where the writer acknowledges an opposing view and then presents evidence to show why that opposing view is wrong.
Rebuttal
The term for words that are old-fashioned and no longer commonly used in modern language, which can be found in 18th-century narratives.
Archaic Usage
A text structure in which the main ideas are supported by a numbered or lettered list of more specific details, making the text easier to reference.
Enumeration
The strict, literal, dictionary definition of a word, which is separate from its emotional associations.
Denotation
A question not asked to get an actual answer but to make the reader think, emphasize a point, or create a dramatic effect.
Rhetorical Question
A rhetorical device that repeats similar grammatical structures (words, phrases, or clauses) to create emphasis and rhythm.
Parallelism
This writing style is characterized by very long sentences made up of several clauses and phrases, and authors who use punctuation as they please.
What is an Eighteenth-century Narrative Style?
Traditional stories that use supernatural elements to explain natural and social experiences and convey a society's central values.
Origin Stories
The vocabulary word that means to lessen, diminish, or reduce a right, privilege, document, etc.
Abridging
Legal documents that explain laws set by a governing body.
Resolutions