ev 1-10

fidelity

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

adversity

a state or instance of serious or continued difficulty or misfortune

inquisitive

inclined to ask questions or investigate further; curious or inquiring

levity

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

subject

in grammar, the person or thing acting or being [something]

predicate

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

premise

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

conclusion

in argument, a “reasoned judgment”; the final decision after sufficient evidence, ideas, and reasons have been considered over the course of an argument

awkward

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

principle

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

fluid

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

cohesion

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

(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

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

essential

absolutely necessary; extremely important

clarity

the quality of being clear and easily understood by others

articulate

to express (an idea or feeling) fluently and coherently

nuance

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; our “essential question”

claim

The statement being argued; an argument (your thesis or the author's thesis)

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; 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.”

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 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: 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.

text

any form of communication,* primarily written or oral, that forms a coherent unit, often as an object of study

context

other direct and indirect social, cultural, geographic, political, and institutional factors that likely influence the writer, text, and audience in a particular situation

exigence

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/topic

in rhetoric: the issue at hand — the major topics the writer and text discuss.

genre

the specialized type of text that the writer uses to communicate. In traditional use of rhetoric— written and visual

purpose

what the speaker is trying to achieve; Think about what the writer is trying to get the audience or reader to THINK, BELIEVE, FEEL, or DO.

message

what the writer or speaker wants the reader or audience to understand, to think, or to know via the text.

ethos

“character”; refers to the character of the writer or speaker, or more specifically, his credibility.

pathos

“suffering”; refers to emotion, or more specifically, the writer’s appeal to the audience’s emotions

logos

“word”; refers to information, or more specifically, the writer’s appeal to logic and reason

kairos

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

tone

a speaker, writer, or author’s attitude toward his/her subject they are discussing

cataract

a medical condition in which the lens of the eye becomes progressively opaque, resulting in blurred vision.

ethics

principles of conduct governing an individual or a group; a guiding philosophy; the discipline dealing with what is good and bad and with moral duty and obligation

speculative

engaged in, expressing, or based on conjecture rather than knowledge.

hearth

the floor in front of a fireplace; used as a symbol of one’s home

salamander

a lizard-like amphibian once believed to be able to withstand fire

mausoleum

an above-ground tomb, especially a large and dignified one

stolid

(of a person) calm, dependable, and showing little emotion or liveliness.

singed

slightly burned; scorched

tallow

the white, solid, rendered fat of cattle and sheep used chiefly in soap and candles

In the novel: (adj.) - very white

accumulated

gathered together or acquired in increasing number or quantity

stratum

a layer or a series of layers of rock in the ground.

melancholy

a feeling of pensive sadness, typically with no obvious cause.

peculiar

strange or odd; unusual.

subconscious

of or concerning the part of the mind of which one is not fully aware but which influences one's actions and feelings.

conjure

call upon (a spirit or ghost) to appear, by means of a magic ritual.

inclined

leaning toward something, having a tendency

illuminated

lit with bright lights; or intellectually or spiritually enlightened

cog

a wheel or bar with a series of projections on its edge, which transfers motion by engaging with projections on another wheel or bar; a part of a machine; metaphorically it has come to mean “a mere part of a larger machine”

murmur

a soft, indistinct sound made by a person or group of people speaking quietly or at a distance.

conscience

the sense or consciousness of the moral goodness of one's own conduct, intentions, or character paired with a feeling of responsibility to “do right” or “be good”

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, 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 (even to the point of overflowing) with (something)

sieve

a utensil with a wire or plastic mesh held in a frame, used for straining one substance from another (solids from liquids, finer from coarser particles, etc.)

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

literally “without measure”; extremely large or great, especially in scale or degree; huge

mobilized

(of a country or its government) prepare and organize (troops) for active service

gleam

to shine brightly, especially with reflected light and especially momentarily

blanch

to make white or pale by extracting color; also (of a person) to flinch or grow pale from shock, fear, or a similar emotion.

enameled

coated with a cosmetic layer intended to give a smooth or glossy appearance; to beautify with a colorful surface; covered in enamel (an opaque, shiny substance fused to the surface of metal, glass, or pottery)

tranquil

quiet and peaceful; calm; serene

strand

(in British/Scottish English) a sea, stream, or body of water