Elements of Style and Summary Writing Lecture Notes

Practice flashcards covering the elements of style (intention, audience, register, diction, tone, and sentence structure) and the specific requirements for summary writing based on Grade $$10$$ English curriculum notes.

Style

The type of language a writer uses to convey an intended meaning or message, influenced by intention, audience, register, diction, and tone.

Intention

The reason a writer produces a text, often described using synonyms like purpose, objective, desire, or aim and introduced with an infinitive form such as 'To inform' or 'To persuade.'

Audience

The specific group of readers the writer intends to reach, impact, or affect, which directly influences the writer's intention.

Register

The level of language a writer or speaker chooses to use based on the specific context, intention, and audience.

Formal Expression

A style using standard English with accurate grammar and plain, clear expression that avoids colloquialisms, idiomatic language, slang, and abbreviations.

Informal Expression

A relaxed form of expression that includes casual, colloquial, and idiomatic language, slang, and abbreviations.

Diction

The deliberate choice of words used by a creator to establish a specific style or intention, often focusing on connotations rather than literal meanings.

Denotation

The plain, basic, or literal meaning of a word.

Connotation

The ideas, implications, or feelings a word conjures up beyond its literal definition, such as 'trudges' implying exhaustion or 'skips' implying happiness.

Tone

A sophisticated concept originating in feelings, emotions, and attitudes, usually named using an abstract noun or an adjective.

Short (Simple) Sentences

Sentence structures selected to create tension, excitement, or suspense, or to provide clear step-by-step explanations.

Lengthy (Compound or Complex) Sentences

Sentence structures used to present information calmly and objectively, or to provide flowing descriptions of peaceful settings.

First Person Personal Pronouns

The words 'I' and 'We' used to create a personal, intimate, subjective, or conversational style.

Second Person Personal Pronoun

The word 'You' which can separate the reader or make them feel accountable/responsible, sometimes used by a writer to deny personal responsibility.

Third Person Personal Pronouns

The words 'He', 'She', and 'They' which facilitate a neutral, objective, observer perspective and can contribute to the 'othering' of individuals or groups.

Punctuation in Style

Textual markers like exclamation marks that introduce excitement or strong emotion, and question marks used for direct inquiry or rhetorical effect.

Summary

A factual, shortened reproduction of one or more texts that highlights main points in a chronological sequence while remaining true to the original sense.

Summary Word Count

The standard length allowed for a summary in these notes, which is usually no more than $90$ words.

Re-purposing

The act of manipulating the context, intention, and sometimes the register of an original text when creating a new summary version.