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Refers to information collected firsthand from such sources as historical documents, literary texts, artistic works, experiments, surveys, and interviews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