Rhetorical Terminology 4

Colloquial Expressions

is characteristic of or appropriate to spoken language or to writing that seeks its effect. informal, as chem., gym, come up with, be at loose ends, won’t, and photo illustrate. are acceptable in formal writing only if they are used purposefully.

Coherence

a quality of good writing that results when all sentences, paragraphs, and longer divisions of an essay are naturally connected.

Comparison and Contrast

When the writer points out the similarities and differences between two or more subjects in the same class or category. The function is to clarify—to reach some conclusion about the items being compared and contrasted.

Conclusions

The sentence or group of sentences that bring an essay to closure.

Concrete

names a specific object, person, place, or action that can be directly perceived by the senses.

Abstract

refers to general qualities, conditions, ideas, actions, or relationships that cannot be directly perceived by the senses.

Connotation

the implied or suggested meaning of a word

Denotation

the dictionary meaning of a word, the literal meaning.

Controlling Idea

a statement of the main idea of an essay. may sometimes be implied rather than stated directly.

Contrast

often used to elaborate on ideas. helps writers to expand on their ideas by allowing them to show both what a thing is and what is not.

Deduction

the process of reasoning from a stated premise to a necessary conclusion. This form of reasoning moves from the general to the specific. This states the thesis or position up front and follows it with supporting evidence

Definition

a statement of the meaning of a word. may be either brief of extended, part of an essay or an entire essay itself.

Description

tells how a person, place or thing is perceived by the five senses. reports these sensory qualities factually, whereas subjective description gives the writer’s interpretation of them.

Dialogue

A conversation that is recorded in a piece of writing. Through it, writers reveal important aspects of characters’ personalities as well as events in the narrative.