Exam 1: Writing with Style

Genre

recurring types of writing identifiable by distinctive features of structure, style, document design, approach to subject matter, or other markers

Rhetor

the speaker/writer/creator/voice of the message (the perspective, the identity, the voice, the stance, the bias)

Audience

the person or group of people the message is for (the person reading, listening, etc.)

Exigence

events that call out a rhetorical response - can be external or can be created by the author by answering the audience's "so what?" (why the rhetoric is important or necessary)

Kairos

A speaker/writer takes into account the contingencies of a given place and time, and considers the opportunities within this specific context for words to be effective and appropriate to that moment

Decorum

A speaker/writer takes into account the contingencies of a given place and time, and considers the opportunities within this specific context for words to be effective and appropriate to that moment

Apostrophe

directly addressing a person or group; abrupt change of address or turning toward a group

Footing

when texts change their relationship with an audience (ex. First person to second person)

Erotema

asking a question that doesn’t require an answer; instead it requests an unspoken agreement

Rogatio

asking a question and answering it yourself

Aporia

asking a question that you won’t answer and that is intended to create doubt or suspicion

Parrhesia/Licentia

speaking the truth to someone in power; risky

Distributio

assigns specific roles to audience members (encouraging action or acknowledging audience diversity)

Purging

divides the audience and kicks out the audience you are not acknowledging

Objective voice

no use of pronouns, disembodied telling to universal audience, delivering facts

First-person singular - personal testimony

“I” and “me” pronouns to share personal experiences

First-person singular—methodological

“I” and “me” as a researcher, investigator, etc.

First-person plural—inclusive

“We” or “us” including the writer and reader

First-person plural—exclusive

“We” or “us” excluding the audience (the writer & others)

Second-person—direct address

Using “you” directly to a specific reader/person

Second-person—generic “you”

Uses “you” to refer to people in general

Second-person—scenes starring you

Using “you” to place the reader in a scene or experience

Second-person—I to you

using “you” to speak to a specific person from the writer’s perspective (conversational/personal relationship)

Third person

using he, she, they, it, rather than I we and you

Predicate (verb phrase)

a verb or a group of words headed by a verb

Transitive verb

when the verb takes an object

Intransitive verb

when the verb has no object

Phrase—absolute

phrases made from nouns related to other nouns (usually also a participial phrase)

Phrase—appositive

clarify the noun with another noun/ rename it (ex. Grace, the teacher)

Phrase—infinitive

To + verb (no time)

Phrase—noun

group of words centers around a single noun to function as one noun

Phrase—preposition

phrase beginning with a preposition and ending with a noun or noun phrase

Phrase—participial

turns a verb into an adjective to modifies a noun (normally ends in -ing)

Phrase—resumptive

modifiers repeat a noun or noun phrase for emphasis

Phrase—summative

modifiers sum up the content of all or part of the previous sentence

Clause—restrictive relative adjective

tells who, whom, whose, which, that, when, or where with subject & verb (without commas)

Clause—nonrestrictive relative adjective

tells who, whom, whose, which, that, when, or where with subject & verb (with commas)

Clause—adverbial

tells where, when, why, how, etc. with subject & verb

Clause—dependent (subordinate)

clause (subject and verb) that does not make sense alone

Clause—independent

clause (subject and verb) that could make sense alone

Clause—“if” (proviso, conditional)

expresses a condition as shows what must happen if _ occurs

Sentence pattern I

to be verbs

Sentence pattern II

linking verbs

Sentence pattern III

intransitive verbs

Sentence pattern IV

transitive verbs

Subjects—human

proper names, occupations, titles, animals, groups of people

Subjects—rhetorical participant

we, I, you, us, me

Subjects—thing

anything that has physical existence

Subjects—abstraction

concepts, categories, processes, abstracted actions (ex.jogging)

Subjects—slot filler

"It," "There"

Verbs—aspect / perfective

to have + past participles -en, -ed, -t, completed

Verbs—aspect / progressive

to be + -ing, is still happening

Verbs—mood / indicative

statements

Verbs—mood / imperative

commands/invitations

Verbs—mood / subjunctive (or optative)

conditional (should, would, could), optative as wishing or prayer-like

Verbs—mood / interrogative

questions

Verbs—mood / exclamatory

exclamations

Verbs—negation

including not, no, etc.

Verbs—modality

auxillary verbs like

Active voice

doer of the verb is the subject of the sentence

Passive voice

doer of the verb is not the grammatical subject of the sentence

Verbal (active) style

keeps the focus on verbs by using action verbs and verbal modifiers

Nominal (stative) style

focus on nouns by turning verbs into nouns or using stative linking verbs and prepositions

Nominalization

Turning verbs into nouns (usually ending in -ness; -ity; -ence; -ment; -tion; -ion; -ance; -al; -ure; -acy; -al)

Membrum

Several verbs share one subject

Zeugma

Several subjects or objects share one verb

Single-word modifier/epitheton

one word that describes, limits, qualifies, or changes the meaning of another word, phrase, or clause

Compound sentence

two independent clauses joined together

Complex sentence

one independent clause with one or more dependent clauses

Modification—multiplying

Multiple modifiers are used to give layers of description/ detail

Modification—embedding

modifier is within another phrase/clause

Modification—minimal

Uses little modifiers, simple & concise

Modification—heavy

using lots of modifiers or lengthy modifiers

Anastrophe

a small one word or phrase inversion, breaking typical order of subject+verb+object

Hyperbaton

inverts typical order of base clause, breaking typical order of subject+verb+object

Iconic form

structure of the sentences in a text mirror the meaning of the text (form reinforces content)

SVO

Subject Verb Object

Opener/left branching

sentence opens with modifying structure, postponing the subject

SV interrupter/middle branching

sentence is interrupted by material between the subject and verb

VO interrupter/middle branching

sentence is interrupted by material between the verb and object

Closer/right branching

sentence ends with a modifying clause or phrase

Periodic

sentence completes itself grammatically, delivering its meaning at the end (branch left or middle)

Loose

sentence completes itself grammatically and then trails off into details (branch right)

Hypotaxis

sentence structure where ideas are dependent on eachother (because, although, when, since, if)

Parataxis

a sentence structure where ideas are placed side by side without being dependent on one another