ENG 105 - Quiz 1 Wordset

Argument

The Latin root of the word argue means "to make clear." The goal of an argument is to win over your audience with clear explanation and persuasion.

Assumption

a thing that is accepted as true or as certain to happen, without proof.

Audience

Refers to the intended readership for a piece of writing.

Community

The people living in a particular area or who are considered as a social unit.

Conventions

Customs or ways of acting or doing things that are widely accepted and followed.

Credibility

The quality of being trustworthy or believable

Critical Thinking

The careful, reflective consideration that writers give to a text when they are reading closely and writing deliberately...understanding the context of a piece of writing

Cultural Diversity

When population differences are well represented within a community

Demographic

A section of the population who are of a similar age, the same sex, etc.

Ethos

Refers to any element of an argument that is meant to appeal to an audience's ethics or ethical responsibilities

Evidence

Refers to facts, documentation or testimony used to strengthen a claim, support an argument or reach a conclusion. Note that "evidence" isn't the same as "proof".

Logos

Includes any content in an argument that is meant to appeal to logic

Medium

A particular form or system of communication (such as newspapers, radio, or television)

Pathos

Appeals to the emotions of the audience and elicits feelings that already reside in them.

Point of View

The perspective from which a speaker or writer recounts a narrative or presents information. Also known as a viewpoint.

Primary Source

Refers to information collected firsthand from such sources as historical documents, literary texts, artistic works, experiments, surveys, and interviews

Process

Series of progressive and interdependent steps by which an end is attained

Purpose

The reason for which something is done or created or for which something exists.

Rhetorical Knowledge

The ability to analyze and act on understandings of audiences, purposes, and contexts in creating and comprehending texts.

Secondary Source

A document or recording that relates or discusses information originally presented elsewhere

Thesis

The main (or controlling) idea of an essay, report, speech, or research paper, sometimes written as a single declarative sentence known as a thesis statement; may be implied rather than stated directly.

Tone

The expression of a writer's attitude toward subject, audience, and self. Tone is primarily conveyed in writing through diction, point of view, syntax, and level of formality.

Voice

An author's individual writing style or point of view. When a writer engages personally with a topic, he imparts his personality to that piece of literature.