Unit 2: Selecting Evidence to Motivate an Audience Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms related to audience analysis, rhetorical appeals, evidence selection, and argument structure from Unit 2.

Background

Total of one's experiences, knowledge, education, and family life.

Beliefs

Morals, standards, codes of conduct, and religious beliefs.

Emotional Appeal (Pathos)

Attempts by writers to motivate or persuade an audience by evoking their emotions or passions.

Ethical Appeal (Ethos)

Attempts by writers to convey the credibility of their character.

Logical Appeal (Logos)

Appeals that focus on a line of reasoning that is backed by evidence, such as facts, statistics, data, examples, and expert testimony.

Modes of Persuasion

How a writer appeals to the audience to persuade and motivate them.

Purpose

What the writer wants the audience to do or think.

Values

Priorities and principles held in high regard.

Rhetorical Choices

Choices made by the writer to appeal to the audience, including content, tone, and word choice.

Amplify

To intensify a writer's point.

Associate

To connect one idea with another.

Clarify

To provide definitions of unfamiliar words in simple terms.

Credibility

The quality of being believable and trustworthy.

Exemplify / Illustrate

To provide a thorough example in order to support an argument.

Mood

Emotional atmosphere created by the writer.

Validity

The quality of being logically and factually sound.

Argument Structure

The organizational pattern used to defend a thesis.

Claim

A statement or assertion.

Thesis

The writer's overarching claim.

Rhetorical Triangle

A model depicting how Speaker (Ethos), Audience (Pathos), and Message (Logos) work together around Purpose.