GEN 001: Purposive Communication - Lecture Review

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering narrative architecture, figurative language, critical evaluation of sources, rhetorical appeals, textual cohesion, and citation ethics from GEN 001 Purposive Communication.

Plot (The Story Framework)

The chronological sequence of interconnected events and character actions that build a story from start to finish, serving as the structural backbone of narrative writing.

Exposition

The introductory phase of plot where the setting, primary characters, and initial status quo are introduced.

Rising Action

The phase of plot that develops the central conflict through a series of escalating complications and obstacles.

Climax

The ultimate turning point or peak moment of emotional and situational tension in a narrative.

Falling Action

The immediate aftermath of the climax where loose ends begin to tie up.

Resolution (Dénouement)

The final outcome of narrative plot where the conflict is resolved and a new status quo is established.

Conflict (The Engine of Narrative)

The core struggle or opposition between two forces that creates dynamic tension and forces character development.

Internal Conflict (Man vs. Self)

Psychological, moral, or emotional struggles occurring within a character's mind.

External Conflict

Clashes between a character and outside forces, such as another character (Man vs. Man), environmental conditions (Man vs. Nature), or societal norms (Man vs. Society).

Point of View (POV)

The specific perspective or narrative angle chosen by the author to tell the story, which shapes how much information the reader can access.

First-Person Point of View

A narrative perspective where the narrator is a character within the story using pronouns like "I," "me," and "we."

Second-Person Point of View

A narrative perspective using direct address to the reader with the pronoun "you," common in instructional contexts.

Third-Person Point of View

A narrative perspective where an outside observer tells the story using "he," "she," and "they."

Third-Person Limited

A third-person narrative angle that focuses on one character's thoughts.

Third-Person Omniscient

A third-person narrative angle where the narrator knows all characters' internal states.

Theme (The Underlying Meaning)

The central, overarching message, moral, or universal observation about human nature and life embedded in the text, explaining what the story signifies on a deeper level.

Simile

A figure of speech that draws an explicit comparison between two fundamentally different concepts using connecting words such as "like" or "as".

Metaphor

An implicit comparison that asserts one object, person, or idea is another to attribute shared qualities, without using comparative connectors like "like" or "as".

Onomatopoeia

A literary device where a word is written to phonetically imitate, mirror, or echo the actual acoustic sound it makes when spoken aloud.

Fact

An objective statement that reflects actual reality and can be verified by empirical evidence, observation, or research (Always Verifiable).

Opinion

A subjective expression of personal beliefs, emotional feelings, or individual preferences that cannot be proven true or false (Not Verifiable).

Claim

An evaluative statement or argument that asserts a specific idea, thesis, or position that a writer intends to prove using evidence (Requires Evidence).

Authority (Source Credibility Metric)

Assessing who wrote the material, including their academic credentials, institutional affiliations, qualifications, and domain expertise.

Accuracy (Source Credibility Metric)

Cross-checking whether information is supported by documented evidence, verifiable facts, and accurate data, and ensuring it is free from grammatical or factual errors.

Objectivity (Source Credibility Metric)

Examining whether a text maintains a neutral, balanced perspective or displays an undisclosed bias, personal agenda, or commercial conflict of interest.

Ethos (Ethical Appeal / Credibility)

Convincing the audience by demonstrating trustworthiness, authoritative expertise, sound character, and high moral standing.

Logos (Logical Appeal / Reason)

Convincing the audience through structured reasoning, empirical data, objective statistics, clear facts, and logical arguments.

Pathos (Emotional Appeal)

Persuading the audience by appealing to their emotions, values, passions, sympathies, or fears.

Flawed Persuasion

Persuasive writing that relies solely on emotional appeals (Pathos) without logical reasoning or empirical evidence, leading to a weak, easily dismantled argument.

Balanced Persuasion

A strong persuasive essay style that presents clear logic alongside credibility.

Addressing the Opposing Side

Persuasive writing that acknowledges opposing perspectives and explicitly demonstrates why those points are weaker, logically flawed, or unsupported to strengthen the thesis.

Definition Essay (Informative Genre)

A dedicated form of informative writing where the author thoroughly explores a specific term, concept, or abstract idea by breaking down its meaning, key characteristics, underlying context, applications, and real-world examples.

Paragraph Cohesion

A property of a paragraph consisting of logically ordered sentences that remain strictly focused on a single, unified main idea, ensuring smooth transitions and clear arrangement.

Plagiarism

The act of using another person's work, ideas, or words without proper attribution, considered deeply unethical due to academic dishonesty, intellectual theft, and breaking institutional trust.

Direct Quotation

A plagiarism avoidance technique using the author's exact, word-for-word phrasing enclosed in quotation marks, coupled with an explicit citation (Author, Year, and Page Number).

Paraphrasing

Taking another writer's original ideas and completely rewriting them in your own unique vocabulary and sentence structure while retaining the exact original meaning, accompanied by an in-text citation.

Referencing Dual-Requirement

The requirement that proper attribution must include both an in-text citation placed directly within the body of the essay and a corresponding entry in the final Reference List / Bibliography.

The Common Knowledge Exception

The rule stating that facts generally known by the public (such as well-documented historical events, famous leaders, and standard geographic areas) do not require citations.

APA In-Text Citation Mechanics

Rules specifying that in standard APA parenthetical citations, the Year Published must be placed inside open-and-close parentheses immediately following or alongside the author's name.