EC REVIEWER Week 1-7: Tone, Diction, Note-Taking, Email, Persuasive Speech, Text Quality, and Organizational Patterns

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms from Weeks 1–7 topics.

Language

Specific vocabulary and syntax used to convey meaning.

Tone

Emotional attitude conveyed through delivery; intended effect on audience.

Formal tone

Professional tone used in formal settings (meetings, interviews, speeches).

Informal tone

Casual, relaxed tone used with friends or loved ones.

Assertive tone

Direct, clear, confident manner of speaking.

Empathetic tone

Supportive, understanding, emotionally driven tone.

Persuasive tone

Motivating, strategic, evidence-based tone to influence the audience.

Defensive tone

Justifying actions or shifting blame.

Vulnerable tone

Honest, open, emotionally transparent tone.

Reflective tone

Contemplative, introspective attitude.

Diction

Choice of words and style; formal vs informal; affects tone.

Formal diction

Proper, precise, complex language; no contractions; polished vocabulary.

Informal diction

Casual language; allows contractions and slang.

Colloquial diction

Everyday language specific to a community; conversational.

Slang diction

Informal, nonstandard, playful words.

Direct communication

Clear, straightforward messaging to minimize misunderstanding.

Indirect communication

Subtle messaging; implies meaning without stating directly.

Explicit

Clearly stated or expressed.

Implicit

Suggested or implied rather than stated.

Emotional implications

Feelings or attitudes suggested but not directly expressed.

Contextual implication

Meaning inferred from situational context.

Key themes

Main subjects or ideas running through a text or conversation.

Central idea

Main point or overarching concept of a text.

Theme

Underlying message related to real-life human experience.

Main idea

Point the author wants to make; central claim.

Supporting details

Facts, examples, statistics, descriptions that support the main idea.

Paraphrasing

Restating information in your own words.

Summarization

Reducing longer text to its essential points.

Key extraction

Selecting the most important words or phrases from a text.

Intrapersonal communication

Communication with oneself; internal dialogue.

Self-talk

Inner speech that questions or comments to oneself.

Interpersonal communication

Communication between two or more people.

Nomination

Establishing a topic in conversation or opening discussion.

Restriction

Limiting responses or giving set choices.

Topic control

Maintaining the flow of discussion without changing topic.

Topic shifting

Changing direction of the topic, intentionally or unintentionally.

Turn-taking

Process of deciding who speaks next in a conversation.

Keep turn

Speaker continues until their purpose is fulfilled.

Release turn

Speaker has finished; others may speak.

Take turn

Another participant may take the role of speaker.

Back channeling

Verbal/nonverbal signals showing listening (uh-huh, nods, etc.).

Feedback

Comments or evaluation after a point; used to guide improvements.

Positive feedback

Praising or affirming to reinforce good points.

Negative/constructive feedback

Disagreeing or offering suggestions for improvement.

Clarifying feedback

Asking for more details or explanation.

Repair

Fixing violations or breakdowns in communication.

Self-initiated repair

Repair initiated and fixed by the speaker.

Other-initiated repair

Repair initiated by another participant; speaker responds.

Termination

Ending a conversation.

Higher authorities

People who control the flow of conversation.

Lower authorities

Listeners who can become speakers when asked.

One-on-one communication

Two participants communicating (e.g., interviews).

Group communication

More than two participants (e.g., debates, forums).

Subject line

Brief summary of the email’s content to entice opening.

From (Sender)

Email address or name of the person sending the message.

To (Recipient)

Main recipient(s) expected to respond or act.

CC

Carbon Copy: recipients who receive the message but aren’t required to reply.

BCC

Blind Carbon Copy: recipients hidden from others; no reply-all visibility.

Salutation

Polite opening of an email showing respect (Dear, To whom it may concern).

Body

Main content; includes Introduction, Details, and Conclusion.

Introduction (in Body)

States the purpose of the email.

Details

Supporting information in the email body.

Conclusion

Summary or call to action in the email.

Closing

Polite sign-off before the signature.

Signature

Sender’s full name and title or position.

Attachment(s)

Files sent with the email (documents, images, PDFs).

Personal emails

Informal emails to friends or family.

Academic emails

Formal emails to teachers or school personnel.

Professional emails

Workplace or job-related communications; formal tone.

Promotional emails

Marketing emails aimed at promoting products or events.

Transactional emails

Automated messages after an action (receipts, confirmations).

Persuasive speech

Speech aimed at influencing an audience.

Convincing speech

Speech intended to persuade the audience to adopt a viewpoint.

Actuation speech

Speech urging immediate action.

Ethos

Appeal to speaker’s credibility or authority.

Pathos

Appeal to audience’s emotions.

Logos

Appeal to logic or reason with evidence.

Unity

One clear main idea with all details supporting it.

Coherence

Logical order and clear connections; smooth transitions.

Transitional devices

Words/phrases that connect ideas (Addition, Emphasis, Example, etc.).

Addition

Transitional device signaling extra information (and, also).

Emphasis

Stressing important points (indeed, most importantly).

Illustration

Giving examples (for example, such as).

Contrast

Showing differences (but, however).

Comparison

Drawing similarities (similarly, likewise).

Concession

Acknowledging a counterpoint (although, even though).

Cause & Effect

Reason-and-result relationships (because, therefore).

Time/Sequence

Order of events (first, next, then).

Summary

Brief recap of main points (in summary, overall).

Diary

Private, honest, reflective private thoughts or experiences.

Journal

Structured, goal-oriented writing for growth and reflection.

Social media profile

Online identity showing interests, posts, and interactions.

Chronological order

Organizing events by when they happened.

Order of importance

Arranging points from most to least important (or reverse).

Spatial order

Organization based on location or position.