Unit 1
Extremely difficult to achieve
What is arduous?
To make more severe; to intensify
What is exacerbate?
Expressed without unnecessary words; brief and compact
What is succinct?
Not returned or repaid in kind
What is unrequited?
Protection against loss or damage
What is indemnity?
Determining a central idea
Determine what the author most wants you to remember about the text
The three sides of the rhetorical triangle
The message is the content itself, the text—what is being communicated.
The author/speaker is the person delivering the message.
The audience are the people the author is trying to persuade—those who will receive the message.
problem-and-solution
cause-and-effect
comparison-and-contrast
proposition-and-support
chronological, or time order
sequential order
Determining Theme
The theme of a text can be determined from the text’s topic. Readers can first determine which topics are discussed in depth within a text.
Five primary components of the Toulmin Model of Argument
Claim, Reasons, Evidence, Anticipated Counterclaim (or rebuttal), and Warrant (or backing).
Describe Task, Purpose, and Audience
The author’s task is the assignment or work that an author needs to do.
The purpose is the reason the author creates the text.
The audience is the reader.
Freewriting - Writing continuously about whatever comes to mind regarding possible topics for your paper.
Listing - Jotting down topics that interest you.
Idea Mapping - Creating a visual representation of your ideas and the connections between them.
Parts of Introduction & Body Paragraphs
Topic sentences; intro containing hook & thesis.
Evidence supporting claims.
Headings for longer research papers.
Parts of and Argument
Claim, Evidence to support claim, Reasoning, Counterclaim
Introduction of an Argumentative Essay
Introduces your topic
Provides background for the audience
Includes your thesis statement
Sets the tone of the argument essay as formal
Establishes the significance of your claim
Types of Evidence
Quotations are the exact words found in a work, directly quoted from a source.
Paraphrases are restatements of part of the original work.
Summaries are statements about the central ideas of the larger work.
Define Figurative Language, Nuance, & Rhetoric
Figurative language explains or clarifies one item in terms of another on a nonliteral level.
Nuance is distinguishing words with similar denotations from one another, adding a positive, negative, or neutral spin to the meaning.
Rhetoric is the art of persuasion.
Determining Ethos & Pathos
Ethos:
Does the author present credible information?
What education, work experience, or life experience related to the topic does the author have?
Pathos:
Do some sentences or paragraphs make me experience strong feelings, either negative or positive?
Do sentences or paragraphs in the text make me use my imagination?
Define Three Rhetorical Features
Allusion is an indirect reference to a person, object, event, or literary work that is widely recognized.
Authors use irony to say the opposite of their actual meaning to emphasize an argument.
Understatement is a rhetorical device in which authors say less than what they mean, so that their words contrast with reality.
Determining Purpose
Who is the speaker or author? What are his or her credentials?
Who is the audience?
What is the topic?
What is the author’s tone in the text?
Style & Tone of and Informational Text
Material presented must be factual and without opinion or bias.
The most appropriate tone for this kind of writing is generally professional, formal, neutral, & objective.
Considering Types of Evidence
Example from history, from current events, from pop culture
Testimony, opinion from an expert, from an eyewitness
Anecdote from history, from a person
Facts, statistics, data from reputable, unbiased sources
Revising Tone, Syntax, & Word Choice
Is the tone appropriate for an academic audience?
Who is the audience? What type of language and word choices will the audience most likely understand and relate to?
Things to Consider for Evidence
The quality of the evidence; Is the source reputable?
The appropriateness of the evidence for your audience; Do you need to provide background information?
Revising Evidence
Confirm that your evidence is properly cited & is relevant to the “because” statement it is supporting