evs

wonder

A feeling of surprise mingled with admiration, caused by something beautiful, unexpected, unfamiliar, or inexplicable.

hysterical

Feeling or showing extreme and unrestrained emotion.

heresy

An opinion, belief, or practice profoundly at odds with what is generally accepted.

cacophony

A mixture of loud, discordant, unpleasant sounds.

peer

To look intently or curiously (at something).

subside

To become less intense, violent, or severe; to reduce in intensity.

teem

To become full of (something) or swarming with (something).

sieve

A utensil with a wire or plastic mesh held in a frame, used for straining one substance from another.

dentifrice

A substance used to clean one’s teeth.

cadence

The rhythm or flow created by language, music, or sound.

digest

A short summation or condensation of another, longer text.

insidious

Harmful and/or destructive, often in a hidden or subtle way.

discourse

A verbal exchange of ideas and information, often done in a formal, orderly fashion.

perfunctorily

Carried out with minimal effort, thought, and care.

paltry

Very small and of little to no value; insignificant.

diction

The choice and use of words and phrases in speech or writing.

denotation

The literal or primary meaning of a word as defined in a dictionary.

connotation

The ideas or feelings that a word evokes.

bewildered

Perplexed and puzzled; completely confused.

immense

Extremely large or great, especially in scale or degree.

Fidelity (n)

Faithfulness or devotion to a standard, a person, an ideal, or a process; accuracy in details

Adversity (n)

A state or instance of serious or continued difficulty or misfortune

Inquisitive (adj)

Inclined to ask questions or investigate further; curious or inquiring

Levity (n.)

Maintaining a sense of humor or light-heartedness, especially the treatment of a serious matter

Subject (n)

In grammar, the person or thing acting or being (something)

Predicate (n)

In grammar, the state of being or the action that the subject is (or is performing)

Premise (n)

In argument or logic, an idea that precedes another, a notion that needs to be proved in order to draw a conclusion

Conclusion (n)

In argument, a reasoned judgement; in other words a conclusion is the final decision after sufficient evidence, ideas, and reasons have been considered over the course of an argument.

Awkward (adj.)

In writing: hard to understand; difficult to understand because of grammatical or punctuation mistakes or unnecessary complications; ungainly, lacking grace and ease

Principle (n.)

A truth or idea that serves as the foundation for a system of belief, behavior, or chain of reasoning

Fluid (adj)

Of writing (or another act), smoothly or elegantly graceful; characterized by or employing a smooth, easy style

Cohesion (n)

In writing: the action or fact of forming a united whole; in an essay, when the big ideas are laced throughout the entire composition.

Ambiguity (n)

(pos.) the quality of being open to more than one interpretation( and therefore complex); and/or (neg.) the quality of being open to more than one interpretation (and therefore more difficult to understand)

Concise (adj)

Giving a lot of information clearly and in a few words; brief but comprehensive

Essential (adj.)

Absolutely necessary; extremely important

Clarity (n)

The quality of being clear and easily understood by others

articulate (v.) -

to express (an idea or feeling) fluently and coherently

nuance (n.)

a subtle difference or complexity in or shade of meaning, expression, or sound

exigence

In argument, the issue and context that causes the argument to be made. For our purposes, we kind of framed the exigence/issue as our “essential question” that we are seeking to address in our writing.

claim

The statement being argued; an argument (your thesis or the author's thesis). For our purposes we’ve constructed claims by writing a conclusion and our two best premises to support that conclusion.

counterclaim

in argument, a premise related to a different conclusion than your own that presents an oppositional view to your own. An opposing conclusion and/or premise.

rebuttal

a response to a counterclaim in which the arguer refutes the opposing premise with their own, new premise and evidence to support it.

concession

 an admission that one of an opponent’s premises is irrefutable. And acknowledgment that a part of their argument is sound and well reasoned. Well used concessions can show the writer/arguer is thoughtful and reasonable.

qualifier

Parts of a claim that limit the scope of the argument; statements within a claim that propose specific conditions under which the argument is true. Such statements might include words like “some,” or “might” 

contention

an assertion, claim, or conclusion, especially one forwarded in argument.

assertion

a contention, claim, or conclusion, especially one forwarded in argument.

fallacy

a failure in reasoning which leads to an unsound, unreliable argument. There are also many specific types of logical fallacies, which are commonly used as examples of bad reasoning

straw man fallacy

a logical fallacy in which an arguer over-simplifies or distorts the opponent's premises and/or conclusion and then argues against them instead of their actual argument

ad hominem fallacy

a logical fallacy that irrelevantly attacks the opponent and their character instead of their premises and conclusion 

post hoc fallacy

a logical fallacy that presumes that since one event happened before another, the first event must have caused the second.

Slippery slope fallacy

a conclusion based on the premise that if “A” happens, then eventually, through a series of small steps, “B” then “C,” then eventually “X,” “Y,” and “Z” will happen, too—basically equating “A” and “Z.” (Note: this is different than post hoc since it relates to a series or sequence of events.)

Hasty Generalization fallacy

when an arguer draws a conclusion based on insufficient or biased evidence; in other words, rushing to a conclusion before having facts sufficient to make a more informed decision.

Either/or (false dilemma) fallacy

a conclusion that oversimplifies the argument by reducing it to only two sides or choices.

No True Scotsman fallacy

a fallacy in which one group member denounces another group member for doing or saying something that they don’t approve of, usually by the phrase, “he is not really a true [insert membership here].

ephemeral

lasting for a very short time; fleeting, short-lived

Voracious

having a huge appetite; ravenous or insatiable

obsequious

obedient or attentive to an excessive, submissive, or servile degree.

sycophant

 an obsequious self-seeking flatterer : one who praises those in power in order to gain their approval

prescience

the ability to see or anticipate what will or might happen in the future, not necessarily in a supernatural way

rhetoric

literally “the art of speaking/language” (from Greek rhetor: master speaker, language artist)

audience

the individuals the speaker/writer intends to engage with the text.

speaker

the individual, group, or organization who authors a text.

context

The context refers to other direct and indirect social, cultural, geographic, political, and institutional factors that likely influence the writer, text, and audience in a particular situation. Think “with” + text.

exigence

 derived from the Latin word “exigentia” meaning “urgency.” Exigence refers to the perceived need for the text, an urgent imperfection a speaker identifies in the world and then responds to through writing, speaking, or creating.

subject

in rhetoric, the subject refers to the issue at hand — the major topics the writer and text discuss.

genre

This refers to the specialized type of text that the writer uses to communicate. In traditional use of rhetoric, there are two broad genres — written and visual. Just as artists use different media for the expression of their ideas (oil paint, clay, watercolor, etc.), so do rhetoricians use different genres.

purpose

this is what the speaker is trying to achieve (which will tie back to the exigence).  Purpose will always connect to one (or more) of the the basic modes (types) of discourse — description, narration, exposition, argumentation and/or persuasion. Think about what the writer is trying to get the audience or reader to THINK, BELIEVE, FEEL, or DO.

message

This is what the writer or speaker wants the reader or audience to understand, to think, or to know via the text. Similar to (if not the same) as their purpose.

ethos

Literally translated, means “character.”  In this case, it refers to the character of the writer or speaker, or more specifically, his credibility.  The writer needs to establish credibility so that the audience will trust him and, thus, be more willing to engage with the argument.  If a writer fails to establish a sufficient ethical appeal, then the audience will not take the writer’s argument seriously.

pathos

 Literally translated, means “suffering.”  In this case, it refers to emotion, or more specifically, the writer’s appeal to the audience’s emotions.  When a writer establishes an effective pathetic appeal, she makes the audience care about what she is saying.  If the audience does not care about the message, then they will not engage with the argument being made.

logos

 Literally translated, means “word.”  In this case, it refers to information, or more specifically, the writer’s appeal to logic and reason. A successful logical appeal provides clearly organized information as well as evidence to support the overall argument.  If one fails to establish a logical appeal, then the argument will lack both sense and substance.

Kairos

about the speaker “reading the room,” understanding the rhetorical situation, and responding appropriately.

tone

a speaker, writer, or author’s “-” is often described as their attitude toward his/her subject they are discussing; usually you can describe it with a strong adjective like “fiery,” “mournful,” “didactic,” or “melancholy.” Because it often sets the mood/atmosphere for a text and the audience’s reaction to the subject of the text, misreading an author’s tone can cause the rhetorical analyst to completely misread the text’s message/purpose.

text

Everything is this, it refers to any form of communication,* primarily written or oral, that forms a coherent unit, often as an object of study. A book can be a text, and a speech can be a text, and television commercials, magazine ads, websites, and emails can also be texts. Even a text (SMS) is a text.

mortal

(adj.) causing or having caused death, fatal; able to die; or (n.) a being who is able to die, such as a human being.

rapt

(adj.) emotionally lifted up and carried away; totally absorbed in emotion; etymologically related to the Christian event of rapture.

ambition

(n.) a profound desire for rank, fame, or power or else a desire to achieve a particular goal; originally derived from the idea of "going around" seeking popularity.

missives

(n.pl.) written communications or letters; or (archaic n.sing.) messengers who send messages.

undone

(adj.) not performed or finished; or (adj.) to be without hope for the future due to great disappointment or loss.

spirits

(n.pl.) supernatural beings or essences; or the temper, disposition of mind, or outlook especially when vigorous or animated.

chastise

(v.) to severely scold, criticize, or reprimand.

valor

(n.) great courage in the face of danger, especially in battle.

impede

(v.) to delay or prevent someone or something by obstructing them; to hinder.

fatal

(adj.) causing death or creating ruin; or relating to one’s fate.

morrow

(n. sing.) morning, or the next day.

beguile

(v.) to deceive by trickery or cleverness; to charm or enchant in a deceptive way.

dispatch

(v.) to kill with quick efficiency; or (n.) prompt settlement of an item of business.

sovereign

(adj.) of the most exalted kind, supreme; or (n.) one possessing supreme political power.

surcease

(n.) an ending; a cessation.

virtues

(n.pl.) behaviors showing high moral standards; commendable qualities or traits.

quell

(v.) to thoroughly overwhelm and reduce to submission or passivity; or (archaic n.) slaughter.

weary

(adj.) exhausted in strength, stamina, vigor, or endurance; tired.

dwindle

(v.) to steadily become less; to ebb; to shrink.

tempest

(n.) a violent storm; or a noisy commotion or uproar.

verities (n.pl.)

things that are true, factual, or real

oracles (n.pl.)

priests or priestesses who act as mediums for the gods to give advice or prophecy -or- (arch.) a response or message given by an oracle, typically one that is ambiguous or obscure

parricide (n. sing.)

the killing of a parent or other near relative

reigns (v.)

holds royal office; rules as king or queen; prevails or predominates

barren (adj.)

(of land) too poor to produce much or any vegetation; bleak; lifeless -or- (arch.) unable to have children

wrenched (v.)

pulled or twisted (something) suddenly or violently