Updated Articles and Resources
- symbolism - definition and examples of symbolismCreated: 2009-11-08 @ 17:10:49 EST
The use of one object (a symbol) to represent or suggest something else. … - topic - definition and examples of essay topics - ideas for writingCreated: 2009-11-08 @ 17:06:45 EST
The particular issue or idea that serves as the subject of a paragraph, essay, report, or speech. … - extended definition - definition and examples of extended definition…Created: 2009-11-08 @ 16:34:09 EST
In a paragraph or essay, an explanation and/or illustration of a word, thing, or concept… - Composing Descriptive Paragraphs and Essays - Writing Guidelines, To…Created: 2009-11-08 @ 16:23:14 EST
For ideas on how to compose your own descriptive paragraph or essay, spend some time studying the guidelines, topic suggestions, exercises, and readings offered here… - grammarian - definition and examples of grammariansCreated: 2009-11-07 @ 23:53:09 EST Updated: 2009-11-08 @ 00:07:31 EST
A specialist in the grammar of one or more languages… - verbless clause - definition and examples of verbless clausesCreated: 2009-11-07 @ 22:24:52 EST
A clause-like construction in which a verb element is implied but not present. … - verbless sentence - definition and examples of verbless sentencesCreated: 2009-11-07 @ 22:08:47 EST Updated: 2009-11-07 @ 22:14:11 EST
A construction that lacks a verb but functions as a sentence… - queclarative - definition and examples of queclarativesCreated: 2009-11-07 @ 05:57:30 EST
An utterance that has the form of a question (an interrogative sentence) but the force of a statement (a declarative sentence)… - polarity - definition and examples of polarityCreated: 2009-11-07 @ 04:54:48 EST Updated: 2009-11-07 @ 06:00:15 EST
In linguistics, the distinction between positive and negative forms… - Broken Memories by Edward Thomas - Classic British Essays - The Pros…Created: 2009-11-05 @ 21:40:43 EST Updated: 2009-11-05 @ 22:06:17 EST
Edward Thomas was born in the London borough of Lambeth, and in "Broken Memories" he describes how the pastoral suburb of his childhood has been "effaced" by the inexorable grow… - "The Town Week," by E.V. Lucas - Classic British Essays - Familiar …Created: 2009-11-05 @ 17:57:45 EST Updated: 2009-11-05 @ 18:09:20 EST
Although his essays are now commonly regarded as quaint and sentimental, "The Town Week" offers signs of the darker personality that lay behind E.V. Lucas's urbane persona… - Cut Spelling - Definition and Examples of Cut SpellingCreated: 2009-11-05 @ 04:43:27 EST
A simplified version of English spelling that omits letters not needed to represent pronunciation… - NATO phonetic alphabet - Definition and Examples of the NATO Phoneti…Created: 2009-11-05 @ 04:34:06 EST
A spelling alphabet used by airline pilots, police, the military, and other officials when communicating over radio or telephone… - grammatical category - definition and examples of grammatical catego…Created: 2009-11-04 @ 17:09:35 EST
A class of units (such as noun and verb) or features (such as number and case) that share a common set of grammatical properties… - parole - linguistic definition and examples of parole and langueCreated: 2009-11-04 @ 04:52:02 EST
The individual expressions of language in contrast to langue, language as an abstract system of signs… - langue - definition and examples of langue and paroleCreated: 2009-11-04 @ 03:48:25 EST Updated: 2009-11-04 @ 05:00:17 EST
Language as an abstract system of signs (the underlying structure of a language), in contrast to "parole," the individual expressions of language… - verbal hygiene - definition and examples of verbal hygieneCreated: 2009-11-04 @ 01:34:06 EST Updated: 2009-11-04 @ 01:42:59 EST
A phrase coined by British linguist Deborah Cameron to describe "the urge to meddle in matters of language": the inclination to improve, correct, or arrest change in a language… - register - definition and examples of registerCreated: 2009-11-03 @ 02:24:32 EST
One of many styles or varieties of language determined by such factors as social occasion, purpose, and audience… - accent - definition and examples of accentCreated: 2009-11-03 @ 02:11:37 EST
(1) In speaking, an identifiable style of pronunciation. (2) In traditional English metrics, the emphasis given a syllable by stress, pitch, and duration. (3) A diacritical mark… - linguistic variation - definition and examples of linguistic variati…Created: 2009-11-03 @ 02:09:17 EST
Regional, social, or contextual differences in the ways that a particular language is used… - monologue - definition and examples of monologuesCreated: 2009-11-02 @ 23:08:22 EST Updated: 2009-11-02 @ 23:12:21 EST
A speech or composition presenting the words or thoughts of a single character. … - setting - definition and examples of setting in creative nonfictionCreated: 2009-11-02 @ 19:12:27 EST
The place and time in which the action of a narrative takes place… - critical essay - definition and examples of critical essaysCreated: 2009-11-02 @ 18:15:44 EST Updated: 2009-11-02 @ 18:18:11 EST
A composition that offers an analysis, interpretation, and/or evaluation of a text… - Of Figures of Speech, by Lindley Murray (1817) - Essays on Style - G…Created: 2009-11-02 @ 16:46:11 EST
Though hardly a definitive study even for its time, Lindley Murray's treatment of the major figures of speech contains some enduring insights and illuminating examples… - Is It Wrong to Begin a Sentence With "But"? - Grammar and Usage Myth…Created: 2009-11-02 @ 06:13:41 EST
It has been common practice to begin sentences with a conjunction since at least as far back as the 10th century… - That the Worst Puns Are the Best, by Charles Lamb - Classic British …Created: 2009-11-01 @ 18:01:39 EST
"There is a persistent difference of opinion about puns," Max Eastman said, "some finding them cottony in the mouth, and others doting on the taste of them." As Charles Lamb mak… - Young and Youthful - Commonly Confused Words - Young versus YouthfulCreated: 2009-11-01 @ 01:09:58 EDT Updated: 2009-11-01 @ 04:35:52 EST
Although these two adjectives have similar meanings, "young" tends to be a neutral statement of fact (in an early stage of life) while "youthful" often suggests the positive qua… - Amuse and Bemuse - Commonly Confused Words - Amuse versus BemuseCreated: 2009-11-01 @ 00:01:40 EDT Updated: 2009-11-01 @ 00:13:23 EDT
The verb "amuse" means to entertain or to appeal to an audience's sense of humor. The verb "bemuse" generally means to puzzle, distract, or bewilder… - Glossary of Usage - Index of Commonly Confused Words - Frequently Co…Created: 2009-10-31 @ 20:31:54 EDT Updated: 2009-11-01 @ 04:34:23 EST
"Advice" or "advise"? "Farther" or "further"? "Principal" or "principle"? It's easy to confuse words that are similar in sound, spelling,… - Perverse and Perverted - Commonly Confused Words - Perverse versus P…Created: 2009-10-31 @ 20:03:41 EDT Updated: 2009-10-31 @ 20:26:16 EDT
The adjective perverse generally means stubborn, cranky, wrong-headed, or incorrect. Perverted means twisted, distorted, corrupt. … - Noisome and Noisy - Commonly Confused Words - Noisome versus NoisyCreated: 2009-10-31 @ 19:10:55 EDT Updated: 2009-10-31 @ 19:58:44 EDT
The adjective noisome means obnoxious, harmful, offensive to the senses (especially the sense of smell). It doesn't mean making noise (noisy)… - Five Words That May Not Mean What You Think They Mean - Literally Ra…Created: 2009-10-31 @ 06:36:32 EDT Updated: 2009-10-31 @ 06:55:42 EDT
It's not unusual for the meanings of words to change over time. What's especially intriguing--and often perplexing--is to observe such changes in our own time. Here we consider five examples of wor… - predigested thinking - definition and examples of predigested thinki…Created: 2009-10-31 @ 03:40:43 EDT
The reduction of a complex idea to a slogan or simple formula "with all the qualifications, distinctions, and uncertainties left out" (R. H. Thouless, "Straight and Crooked Thinking&… - psittacism - definition and examples of psittacismCreated: 2009-10-31 @ 03:37:05 EDT
Thoughtless repetition of a word or phrase; using a word without regard for its meaning… - 2009 Blog Archive for Grammar & Composition - Blogs from About.com G…Created: 2009-10-31 @ 03:32:14 EDT
Appearing every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, the Grammar & Composition blog at About.com covers a wide variety of topics related to the English language… - Campaign to Cut the Clutter - Ten Good Small Words - More Tips on Wr…Created: 2009-10-30 @ 23:16:00 EDT Updated: 2009-10-30 @ 23:24:53 EDT
We continue our campaign to cut the clutter by honoring ten good small words. Unfortunately, these words are so common that some writers try to avoid their company, favoring longer expressions that… - Practice in Making a Simple Outline for a Cause & Effect Paragraph -…Created: 2009-10-30 @ 04:24:31 EDT Updated: 2009-10-30 @ 05:20:37 EDT
Here we'll practice making a simple outline: a list of the key points in a paragraph or essay. This basic outline can help us revise a composition by showing at a glance if we need to add, remove, … - Example Paragraph: Confessions of a Slob - Sample Paragraph Develope…Created: 2009-10-29 @ 23:19:43 EDT Updated: 2009-10-29 @ 23:26:41 EDT
The following paragraph is effectively developed with specific examples. "Confessions of a Slob" is also well organized, but it lacks a satisfactory concluding sentence. … - Example Paragraph: Junk Food Junkie - Identifying Connections and Ad…Created: 2009-10-29 @ 22:25:54 EDT Updated: 2009-10-29 @ 23:33:27 EDT
This paragraph is effectively developed with specific examples. "Junk Food Junkie" is also a well-organized paragraph, but it lacks a satisfactory concluding sentence. … - medium - definition and examples of mediumCreated: 2009-10-29 @ 20:48:44 EDT Updated: 2009-10-29 @ 21:10:06 EDT
(1) A channel or system of communication. (2) The means of transmitting information between a speaker or writer (the sender) and an audience (the receiver)… - absolute metaphor - definition and examples of absolute metaphorsCreated: 2009-10-29 @ 17:35:45 EDT
A metaphor (or figurative comparison) in which one of the terms (the tenor) can't be readily distinguished from the other (the vehicle)… - public sphere - definition and examples of public sphereCreated: 2009-10-29 @ 17:10:25 EDT Updated: 2009-10-29 @ 17:25:21 EDT
In rhetoric, the physical or (more commonly) virtual place where citizens exchange ideas, information, attitudes, and opinions… - constraints - definition and examples of constraints in rhetoric - r…Created: 2009-10-29 @ 16:12:14 EDT
In rhetoric, those factors that restrict the persuasive strategies or opportunities available to a speaker or writer… - exigence - definition and examples of exigenceCreated: 2009-10-29 @ 07:27:51 EDT Updated: 2009-10-29 @ 16:15:45 EDT
In rhetoric, an issue, problem, or situation that causes or prompts someone to write or speak. … - eloquence - definition and examples of eloquenceCreated: 2009-10-29 @ 06:23:56 EDT Updated: 2009-10-29 @ 06:25:57 EDT
The quality of forceful and persuasive discourse… - syntactic ambiguity - definition and examples of syntactic ambiguityCreated: 2009-10-28 @ 16:52:31 EDT Updated: 2009-10-29 @ 01:57:10 EDT
The presence of two or more possible meanings within a single sentence or sequence of words… - lexical ambiguity - definition and examples of lexical ambiguityCreated: 2009-10-28 @ 16:29:47 EDT Updated: 2009-10-28 @ 19:15:11 EDT
The presence of two or more possible meanings within a single word. … - light verb - definition and examples of light verbsCreated: 2009-10-27 @ 05:46:48 EDT
A verb with no meaning of its own that serves merely to convert another word in a sentence into a verb form… - loan shift - definition and examples of loan shiftsCreated: 2009-10-27 @ 01:40:44 EDT
A change in the meaning of an established native word to accommodate a new concept acquired from another language… - epigraph - definition and examples of epigraphsCreated: 2009-10-26 @ 16:02:22 EDT
(1) A brief motto or quotation set at the beginning of a text to suggest its theme. (2) Words inscribed on a wall, a building, or the base of a statue… - epitaph - definition and examples of epitaphsCreated: 2009-10-26 @ 15:59:07 EDT
(1) A short inscription in prose or verse on a tombstone or monument. (2) A statement or speech commemorating someone who has died: a funeral oration… - reporting verb - definition and examples of reporting verbsCreated: 2009-10-25 @ 17:16:26 EDT
A verb used to indicate that discourse is being quoted or paraphrased… - rhetorical stance - definition and examples of rhetorical stanceCreated: 2009-10-25 @ 06:58:07 EDT
A writer's subject, audience, and persona (or voice)… - stance - definition and examples of stance in linguisticsCreated: 2009-10-25 @ 06:55:01 EDT Updated: 2009-10-25 @ 07:18:06 EDT
Linguistic and non-linguistic forms and strategies that show a speaker's commitment to the status of the information that he or she is providing… - In Praise of Clichés by Wright Morris - Reflections on the Vernacul…Created: 2009-10-25 @ 02:09:31 EDT Updated: 2009-10-25 @ 02:18:22 EDT
In this passage from his third volume of memoirs, Wright Morris recalls a discovery he made while writing his award-winning novel "The Field of Vision." Creating genuine vernacular voices… - silent letter - definition and examples of silent letters or silent …Created: 2009-10-24 @ 01:27:53 EDT Updated: 2009-10-24 @ 01:31:46 EDT
A letter that is usually left unpronounced… - verbing - definition and examples of verbingCreated: 2009-10-23 @ 16:26:57 EDT
A type of conversion (or functional shift) in which a noun is used as a verb or verbal… - What Is Verbing? - Turning Nouns Into Verbs - Definition and Example…Created: 2009-10-23 @ 16:19:50 EDT Updated: 2009-10-23 @ 16:24:16 EDT
Verbing is a time-honored way of coining new words out of old ones, the etymological process of conversion (or functional shifting). Sometimes it's also a kind of word play… - London University Matriculation Papers in English Language: 1871-188…Created: 2009-10-23 @ 02:55:45 EDT Updated: 2009-10-23 @ 03:09:49 EDT
These five English language examination papers were originally published in an appendix to "An Epitome of English Grammar," a textbook published in 1885… - Why the Adverb Is Not Our Friend - The Part of Speech That Gets No R…Created: 2009-10-22 @ 20:48:41 EDT Updated: 2009-10-23 @ 04:11:01 EDT
Without a doubt, the adverb is both the poor stepchild and the Rodney Dangerfield of the parts of speech, enduring the scorn of writers and critics alike. … - What Are "Snarl Words" and "Purr Words"? - Definition and Examples o…Created: 2009-10-22 @ 18:17:59 EDT Updated: 2009-10-23 @ 04:31:00 EDT
The terms "snarl words" and "purr words" were coined by S. I. Hayakawa to describe highly connotative language that often serves as a substitute for serious thought and well-rea… - Niagara Falls by Rupert Brooke - Classic British and American Essay…Created: 2009-10-22 @ 04:24:51 EDT Updated: 2009-10-22 @ 04:36:39 EDT
Although best known for his poetry, Rupert Brooke was also a skilled essayist. He composed this highly descriptive piece of travel writing during a tour of the United States and Canada in 1913… - A Word for Autumn by A.A. Milne - Classic British Essays - An Essay …Created: 2009-10-22 @ 01:24:48 EDT Updated: 2009-10-22 @ 01:32:12 EDT
In "A Word for Autumn," first published in 1919, Milne attends playfully to the "precious root" that represents "the general blessings of the autumn"--celery… - The Almost Perfect State by Don Marquis - Classic American Essays - …Created: 2009-10-21 @ 23:32:23 EDT Updated: 2009-10-21 @ 23:38:28 EDT
"The Almost Perfect State" illustrates the delicate balance of biting wit and lyrical reflection in Marquis's finest prose. As Christopher Morley wrote in his introduction to the essay in… - Indo-European - Definition and Examples of Indo-European - LanguagesCreated: 2009-10-21 @ 06:55:32 EDT
A family of languages (including most of the languages spoken in Europe, India, and Iran) descended from a common tongue spoken in the third millennium B.C… - Grimm's Law - Definition and Examples of Grimm's LawCreated: 2009-10-21 @ 06:47:16 EDT
A statement of the relationship between certain consonants in Germanic languages and their originals in Indo-European… - repetition - definition and examples of repetitionCreated: 2009-10-21 @ 00:59:37 EDT Updated: 2009-10-21 @ 01:21:00 EDT
An instance of using a word, phrase, or clause more than once in a short passage--dwelling on a point. … - baby talk - definition and examples of baby talkCreated: 2009-10-20 @ 07:21:06 EDT
The simple language forms used by young children, or the modified form of speech often used by adults with young children… - glottal stop - definition and examples of glottal stopCreated: 2009-10-20 @ 01:47:16 EDT
In phonetics, a stop sound made by rapidly closing the vocal cords… - Estuary English - Definition and Examples of Estuary EnglishCreated: 2009-10-20 @ 00:49:59 EDT Updated: 2009-10-20 @ 15:01:22 EDT
A contemporary variety of British English: a mixture of non-regional and southeastern English pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary… - Australianism - Definition and Examples of AustralianismsCreated: 2009-10-19 @ 21:19:20 EDT
An English word or phrase--or a feature of grammar, spelling, or pronunciation--that originated in Australia and/or is used primarily by Australians… - Briticism - Definition and Examples of Briticisms or BritishismCreated: 2009-10-19 @ 19:39:13 EDT Updated: 2009-10-19 @ 21:24:42 EDT
A word or phrase that is typical of English as it is used in Britain… - Americanism - Definition and Examples of AmericanismsCreated: 2009-10-19 @ 18:53:39 EDT Updated: 2009-10-19 @ 21:23:48 EDT
An English word or phrase--or a feature of grammar, spelling, or pronunciation--that originated in the United States and/or is used primarily by Americans. … - audience analysis - definition and examples of audience analysisCreated: 2009-10-18 @ 22:21:09 EDT
In composing an essay, report, speech, or argument, the process of determining the values, interests, and attitudes of the intended audience. … - journalists' questions - definition and examples of the journalist's…Created: 2009-10-18 @ 17:12:15 EDT Updated: 2009-10-18 @ 21:19:33 EDT
The questions answered in the lead of a conventional newspaper article… - mystification - definition and examples of mystification - rhetorica…Created: 2009-10-18 @ 03:27:45 EDT
The use of language to deceive others or to disguise the conditions of our social existence… - weasel word - definition and examples of weasel wordsCreated: 2009-10-18 @ 03:06:14 EDT
A modifying word that undermines or contradicts the meaning of the word, phrase, or clause it accompanies… - aptronym - definition and examples of aptronymsCreated: 2009-10-17 @ 07:08:37 EDT
A name that matches the occupation or character of its owner, often in a humorous or ironic way… - How to Write Good by William Safire - Safire's Fumblerules for Write…Created: 2009-10-16 @ 20:28:06 EDT Updated: 2009-10-16 @ 20:30:01 EDT
Language maven William Safire's best known column included these 17 fumblerules--"mistakes that call attention to the rule."… - therapeutic metaphor - definition and examples of therapeutic metaph…Created: 2009-10-16 @ 18:39:05 EDT
A metaphor (or figurative comparison) used by a therapist to assist a client in the process of personal transformation, healing, and growth… - root metaphor - definition and examples of root metaphorCreated: 2009-10-16 @ 18:37:28 EDT
An image, narrative, or fact that shapes an individual's perception of the world and interpretation of reality… - complex metaphor - definition and examples of complex or telescoped …Created: 2009-10-16 @ 18:25:02 EDT
A metaphor (or figurative comparison) in which the literal meaning is expressed through more than one figurative term… - Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Metaphor - Types of Metaphors - Exampl…Created: 2009-10-16 @ 17:44:30 EDT Updated: 2009-10-16 @ 18:06:36 EDT
All of us, every day, speak, write, and think in metaphors. And there are countless ways of looking at them, thinking about them, using them. Here are 13 types of metaphors, with links to examples … - squish - definition and examples of squish or fuzzy grammarCreated: 2009-10-16 @ 03:47:37 EDT
The view that grammatical constructions do not have strict boundaries but occur on a continuum… - pragmatic competence - definition and examples of pragmatic competen…Created: 2009-10-15 @ 22:58:09 EDT Updated: 2009-10-15 @ 23:11:22 EDT
The ability to use language in a contextually appropriate fashion… - locutionary act - definition and examples of locutionary actsCreated: 2009-10-15 @ 21:28:12 EDT Updated: 2009-10-15 @ 23:12:42 EDT
In speech-act theory, the act of making a meaningful utterance. … - content word - definition and examples of content wordsCreated: 2009-10-15 @ 20:21:41 EDT
A word that conveys information in a text or speech act… - perlocutionary - definition and examples of perlocutionary actsCreated: 2009-10-15 @ 17:52:52 EDT Updated: 2009-10-15 @ 21:38:12 EDT
In speech-act theory, an action or state of mind brought about by, or as a consequence of, saying something. … - speech act - definition and examples of speech acts or illocutionary…Created: 2009-10-15 @ 17:14:42 EDT Updated: 2009-10-15 @ 23:07:35 EDT
In linguistics, an utterance defined in terms of a speaker's intentions and the effects it has on a listener. … - illocutionary force - definition and examples of illocutionary forceCreated: 2009-10-15 @ 16:12:07 EDT Updated: 2009-10-15 @ 23:01:56 EDT
In speech-act theory, a speaker's intention in delivering an utterance… - a-verbing - definition and examples of a-verbingCreated: 2009-10-14 @ 17:21:32 EDT
A form of the verb (usually the present participle) in which the base is preceded by the prefix a-… - foreigner talk - definition and examples of foreigner talkCreated: 2009-10-13 @ 05:21:02 EDT Updated: 2009-10-13 @ 05:41:12 EDT
A simplified version of a language that is sometimes used by native speakers when addressing non-native speakers. … - disjunction - definition and examples of disjunctionCreated: 2009-10-09 @ 11:03:57 EDT
A coordinate construction that uses a disjunctive conjunction (usually "or" or "either . . . or") to indicate a contrast. … - adverbial - definition and examples of adverbialsCreated: 2009-10-09 @ 11:00:46 EDT
A phrase or clause that performs the function of an adverb… - dummy word - definition and examples of dummy wordsCreated: 2009-10-08 @ 18:29:14 EDT Updated: 2009-10-08 @ 18:32:33 EDT
A word that has a grammatical function but no specific meaning… - Whoever and Whomever - Commonly Confused Words - Whoever versus Whom…Created: 2009-10-08 @ 15:11:56 EDT
In the manner of "who" and "whom," use "whoever" when a sentence requires a subject pronoun; use "whomever" when a sentence requires an object pronoun… - On Some Mental Effects of the Earthquake, by William James - Classic…Created: 2009-10-07 @ 17:06:52 EDT Updated: 2009-10-07 @ 17:28:49 EDT
When the great earthquake struck San Francisco on the morning of April 18, 1906, philosopher William James was profoundly affected not only by the terrible devastation but also by the heroic human … - justification - definition and examples of justificationCreated: 2009-10-07 @ 05:40:43 EDT
In typesetting and printing, the process or result of spacing text so that the lines come out even at the margins… - margin - definition and examples of marginsCreated: 2009-10-07 @ 05:01:51 EDT Updated: 2009-10-07 @ 05:44:59 EDT
The part of a page outside the main body of text… - indentation - definition and examples of indention or indentationCreated: 2009-10-07 @ 04:29:49 EDT Updated: 2009-10-07 @ 05:05:17 EDT
The blank space between a margin and the beginning of a line of text… - gambler's fallacy - definition and examples of the gambler's fallacy…Created: 2009-10-07 @ 02:34:52 EDT
A fallacy in which an inference is drawn on the assumption that a series of chance events will determine the outcome of a subsequent event… - 100 Major Works of Modern Creative Nonfiction - A Reading List for L…Created: 2009-10-07 @ 02:28:24 EDT
Essays, memoirs, biographies, travel writing, history, cultural studies, nature and science writing--all fit under the broad heading of creative nonfiction, and all are represented here: an alphabe… - Hot Hands, by Stephen Jay Gould - Scrapbook of Styles - Passage From…Created: 2009-10-07 @ 02:22:59 EDT Updated: 2009-10-07 @ 02:27:30 EDT
In this excerpt from the essay "The Streak of Streaks," paleontologist Stephen Jay Gould relies on examples and statistics to explain--and debunk--the popular belief known as "hot ha… - citation - definition and examples of citationsCreated: 2009-10-05 @ 20:54:27 EDT
A source quoted in an essay, report, or book to clarify, illustrate, or substantiate a point… - situational irony - definition and examples of the irony of situationCreated: 2009-10-05 @ 20:36:15 EDT
An occasion in which the outcome is significantly different from what was expected or considered appropriate. … - appeal - definition and examples of appealsCreated: 2009-10-04 @ 18:58:55 EDT Updated: 2009-10-04 @ 19:09:56 EDT
In classical rhetoric, one of the three main persuasive strategies: the appeal to logic (logos), the appeal to the emotions (pathos), and the appeal to the character (or perceived character) of the… - open class - definition and examples of open classCreated: 2009-10-03 @ 18:15:52 EDT
The category of content words--that is, parts of speech (or word classes) that readily accept new members… - lexical verb - definition and examples of lexical verbsCreated: 2009-10-03 @ 18:08:01 EDT
Any verb in English that is not an auxiliary verb… - epicene - definition and examples of epiceneCreated: 2009-10-02 @ 18:28:28 EDT
(1) In traditional grammar, a noun that can refer to either sex without changing its form. (2) A gender-neutral pronoun--also known as a generic pronoun… - catchphrase - definition and examples of catch phrasesCreated: 2009-10-02 @ 04:16:34 EDT
A vogue expression, often media-inspired and usually short-lived… - jeremiad - definition and examples of jeremiadCreated: 2009-10-01 @ 21:20:54 EDT
A speech or literary work expressing a bitter lament or a righteous prophecy of doom. … - Toulmin model - definition and examples of the Toulmin model of dedu…Created: 2009-10-01 @ 02:39:14 EDT
A six-part model of argument introduced by British philosopher Stephen Toulmin. The Toulmin model can be used as a tool for analyzing and categorizing arguments… - backing - definition and examples of backingCreated: 2009-10-01 @ 02:33:44 EDT
In the Toulmin model of argument, the support or explanation provided for the warrant… - warrant - definition and examples of warrantCreated: 2009-10-01 @ 01:18:29 EDT
In the Toulmin model of argument, a general rule indicating the relevance of a claim. … - data - definition and examples of dataCreated: 2009-10-01 @ 00:13:32 EDT Updated: 2009-10-01 @ 02:42:28 EDT
In the Toulmin model of argument, the evidence or specific information that supports a claim… - language family - definition and examples of language familiesCreated: 2009-09-30 @ 16:11:44 EDT
A set of languages deriving from a common ancestor or "parent."… - eye dialect - definition and examples of eye dialect and eye spellingCreated: 2009-09-30 @ 14:54:36 EDT
The representation of regional or dialectal variations by spelling words in nonstandard ways… - The Alphabet Poem from "The Admiral's Caravan" by Charles E. Carryl …Created: 2009-09-30 @ 04:48:46 EDT
This nonsensical alphabet poem is the daily "exercise" recited by Bob Scarlet, a character in Charles E. Carryl's children's book "The Admiral's Caravan" (1891). When you can an… - Conjugal Conjugations, by A.W. Bellaw - Irregular Verbs in Verse - T…Created: 2009-09-30 @ 03:52:06 EDT Updated: 2009-09-30 @ 04:44:01 EDT
A.W. Bellaw, a 19th-century American poet and humorist, plays with irregular verbs in this light-hearted marriage proposal… - semantic field - definition and examples of semantic field or lexica…Created: 2009-09-30 @ 00:45:58 EDT
A set of words (or lexemes) related in meaning… - embedding - definition and examples of embedding - generative gramma…Created: 2009-09-29 @ 02:31:48 EDT Updated: 2009-09-29 @ 02:33:50 EDT
In generative grammar, the process by which one clause is included (embedded) in another. … - psycholinguistics - definition and examples of psycholinguisticsCreated: 2009-09-28 @ 22:03:19 EDT
The study of the mental aspects of language and speech--a branch of both linguistics and psychology… - mental lexicon - definition and examples of mental lexiconCreated: 2009-09-28 @ 21:57:41 EDT
In psycholinguistics, a person's internalized knowledge of the properties of words. … - oration - definition and examples of orationsCreated: 2009-09-28 @ 19:48:48 EDT
A speech delivered in a formal and dignified manner… - lexical set - definition and examples of lexical setsCreated: 2009-09-27 @ 22:56:53 EDT
A group of words that share a specific form or meaning. More specifically, as defined by John C. Wells (1982), a group of words in which particular vowels are pronounced in the same way… - proof - definition and examples of proofs and proof sheets in printi…Created: 2009-09-27 @ 20:04:22 EDT
A trial sheet of printed material made to be checked and corrected. … - ghost word - definition and examples of ghost wordsCreated: 2009-09-27 @ 17:20:41 EDT
A word that has never occurred in actual usage but that appears in one or more dictionaries, usually because of a lexicographical or typographical error… - phantonym - definition and examples of phantonymsCreated: 2009-09-27 @ 17:01:33 EDT
An informal term for "a word that looks as if it means one thing but means quite another" (Jack Rosenthal)… - Chinese rhetoric - definition and examples of Chinese rhetoricCreated: 2009-09-27 @ 06:03:59 EDT
The practice and study of persuasive discourse in China… - classical rhetoric - definition and examples of classical rhetoricCreated: 2009-09-27 @ 05:52:17 EDT
The practice and teaching of rhetoric in ancient Greece and Rome from roughly the fifth century B.C. to the early Middle Ages… - parts of a speech - definition and examples of the parts of a speech…Created: 2009-09-27 @ 05:28:08 EDT Updated: 2009-09-27 @ 05:31:03 EDT
In classical rhetoric, the divisions of a speech: arrangement… - proof - definition and examples of proof in rhetoricCreated: 2009-09-27 @ 03:30:22 EDT Updated: 2009-09-27 @ 20:09:29 EDT
In rhetoric, the part of a speech or written composition that sets out the arguments in support of a thesis… - division - definition and examples of division and partition - parts…Created: 2009-09-27 @ 00:18:39 EDT Updated: 2009-09-27 @ 05:40:26 EDT
In classical rhetoric, the part of a speech in which an orator outlines the key points and overall structure of a speech… - digression - definition and examples of digressionCreated: 2009-09-26 @ 23:19:48 EDT Updated: 2009-09-27 @ 05:33:31 EDT
The act of departing from the main subject in speech or writing to discuss an apparently unrelated topic. … - Quiz on 20 Commonly Confused Words - Review of Commonly Confused Wor…Created: 2009-09-26 @ 06:55:45 EDT Updated: 2009-09-26 @ 16:49:44 EDT
In our Glossary of Usage you'll find more than 150 sets of commonly confused words. To test your familiarity with 20 of these word pairs, take a few minutes to do the following quiz… - Premier and Premiere - Commonly Confused Words - Premier versus Prem…Created: 2009-09-25 @ 23:30:21 EDT Updated: 2009-09-25 @ 23:34:13 EDT
As an adjective, "premier" means first in rank or importance. The noun "premier" refers to a prime minister, or the head of a state, province, or territory. The noun "premi… - Hoard and Horde - Commonly Confused Words - Hoard versus HordeCreated: 2009-09-25 @ 20:51:06 EDT Updated: 2009-09-25 @ 22:39:03 EDT
The noun "hoard" refers to a supply of something that has been stored up and often hidden away. As a verb, "hoard" means to collect and store away or to keep something to onesel… - primary metaphor - definition and examples of primary metaphorsCreated: 2009-09-25 @ 16:21:31 EDT
A basic, intuitively understood metaphor--such as KNOWING IS SEEING or TIME IS MOTION--that may be combined with other primary metaphors to produce complex metaphors… - Bill Barich's Descriptive Narrative - Steelhead on the Russian - Pa…Created: 2009-09-25 @ 06:36:44 EDT Updated: 2009-09-25 @ 18:08:32 EDT
In "Steelhead on the Russian," Bill Barich recounts his experiences fishing for trout in northern California's Russian River. Here, after seeking advice from his mentor, he describes his … - mother tongue - definition and examples of mother tongue or first la…Created: 2009-09-25 @ 00:51:51 EDT
A person's native language--that is, a language learned from birth… - native speaker - definition and examples of native speakersCreated: 2009-09-25 @ 00:04:37 EDT Updated: 2009-09-25 @ 00:56:13 EDT
A speaker who uses a first language or mother tongue… - metalanguage - definition and examples of metalanguageCreated: 2009-09-24 @ 23:26:37 EDT
Language used in talking about language… - contact language - definition and examples of contact languagesCreated: 2009-09-24 @ 23:11:46 EDT
A marginal language (a type of lingua franca) used for purposes of basic communication by people with no common language… - block language - definition and examples of block languageCreated: 2009-09-24 @ 19:36:00 EDT
Language structures--typical of headlines, slogans, lists, and text messages (including Tweets)--made up only of words that are essential to convey a message… - exophora - definition and examples of exophora and exophoric referen…Created: 2009-09-24 @ 18:52:03 EDT
The use of a pronoun or other word or phrase to refer to someone or something outside the text… - existential sentence - definition and examples of existential senten…Created: 2009-09-24 @ 17:35:40 EDT
A sentence that asserts the existence or nonexistence of something. For this purpose, English relies on constructions introduced by "There." … - The Aspect of London by Arthur Symons - Classic British Essays - Cha…Created: 2009-09-23 @ 01:40:36 EDT Updated: 2009-09-23 @ 01:49:56 EDT
Arthur Symons' highly descriptive writing shows the influence of the impressionist painters he deeply admired. As critic Nicholas Freeman has observed, "Symons does not confine himself entirel… - The Art of Controversy, by Ambrose Bierce - Classic American Essays …Created: 2009-09-22 @ 21:43:10 EDT Updated: 2009-09-22 @ 22:04:31 EDT
In "The Art of Controversy," Ambrose Bierce examines the irrational appeals underlying most arguments. What's more important than winning an argument, Bierce says, is defeating an opponen… - submerged metaphor - definition and examples of submerged metaphorsCreated: 2009-09-21 @ 15:50:08 EDT
A type of metaphor (or figurative comparison) in which one of the terms (either the vehicle or the tenor) is implied rather than stated explicitly… - zero article - definition and examples of zero articlesCreated: 2009-09-21 @ 15:46:39 EDT
An occasion in speech or writing where a noun or noun phrase is not preceded by an article… - Sapir-Whorf hypothesis - definition and examples of the Sapir-Whorf …Created: 2009-09-21 @ 15:23:28 EDT
The linguistic theory that the semantic structure of a language shapes or limits the ways in which a speaker forms conceptions of the world… - verbal irony - definition and examples of verbal ironyCreated: 2009-09-21 @ 00:14:19 EDT
A trope (or figure of speech) in which the intended meaning of a statement differs from the meaning that the words appear to express. … - cognitive linguistics - definition and examples of cognitive linguis…Created: 2009-09-20 @ 23:04:43 EDT
A cluster of overlapping approaches to the study of language as a mental phenomenon… - dramatic irony - definition and examples of dramatic or tragic ironyCreated: 2009-09-20 @ 21:11:19 EDT
An occasion in a play, film, or other creative work in which the words or actions of a character convey a meaning unperceived by the character but understood by the audience… - sign - definition and examples of signsCreated: 2009-09-20 @ 04:05:51 EDT
Any motion, gesture, image, sound, pattern, or event that conveys meaning. … - sentence combining - definition and examples of sentence combining e…Created: 2009-09-19 @ 19:26:51 EDT Updated: 2009-09-19 @ 20:23:33 EDT
The process of joining two or more short, simple sentences to make one longer sentence--an alternative to traditional grammar instruction. … - performance grammar - definition and examples of performance grammarsCreated: 2009-09-19 @ 01:44:11 EDT
A description of the syntax of English as it is actually used by speakers in spontaneous dialogues. … - competence grammar - definition and examples of competence grammarCreated: 2009-09-19 @ 00:42:15 EDT
See "mental grammar."… - Word Grammar - definition and examples of Word GrammarCreated: 2009-09-19 @ 00:10:45 EDT
A theory of language structure which holds that grammatical knowledge is largely a body (or network) of knowledge about words… - redundancy - definition and examples of redundanciesCreated: 2009-09-18 @ 20:18:11 EDT Updated: 2009-09-18 @ 20:20:47 EDT
(1) Any feature of a language that is not needed in order to identify a linguistic unit. (2) In generative grammar, any language feature that can be predicted on the basis of other language feature… - O-U-G-H, by Charles Battell Loomis - The Pronunciation Poem - Spelli…Created: 2009-09-18 @ 04:48:22 EDT
Composed well over a century ago, this bit of light verse by Charles Battell Loomis nicely illustrates the vagaries of English spelling and pronunciation… - On Studies, by Samuel Johnson - Classic British Essays - The Role of…Created: 2009-09-18 @ 01:54:57 EDT
In an essay that first appeared in 1753, Samuel Johnson explores some of the themes introduced by Francis Bacon in "Of Studies" (1625). Compare Bacon's terse aphoristic style with Johnson… - elocution - definition and examples of elocutionCreated: 2009-09-18 @ 01:49:27 EDT
The art of effective public speaking. In classical rhetoric, one of the traditional rhetorical canons: "elocutio," or what is now called style… - To a Thesaurus, by Franklin P. Adams - Light Verse - Encomium to a T…Created: 2009-09-17 @ 18:08:28 EDT Updated: 2009-09-17 @ 22:05:57 EDT
In this poem (included in "Tobogganing on Parnassus," 1912), Franklin P. Adams (better known as FPA) delivers an amusing encomium to the poet's best friend--his thesaurus… - appeal to the people - definition and examples of the logical fallac…Created: 2009-09-16 @ 23:16:33 EDT
An argument (generally considered a logical fallacy) based on widespread opinions, values, or prejudices and often delivered in an emotionally charged way… - rhetoricality - definition and examples of rhetoricalityCreated: 2009-09-16 @ 02:59:25 EDT Updated: 2009-09-16 @ 03:13:27 EDT
A modern (or postmodern) view of rhetoric as an inherent feature of language or as a condition of our existence as language-using creatures rather than a conventional academic discipline or an over… - archaism - definition and examples of archaismsCreated: 2009-09-15 @ 15:10:56 EDT
A word or phrase that is considered extremely old fashioned and long out of common use… - Gourmand and Gourmet - Commonly Confused Words - Gourmand versus Gou…Created: 2009-09-15 @ 03:00:51 EDT Updated: 2009-09-15 @ 03:05:03 EDT
The noun "gourmand" refers to someone who is extremely (and often excessively) fond of eating and drinking. A "gourmet" (both a noun and an adjective) is a connoisseur: someone … - Grisly and Grizzly - Commonly Confused Words - Grisly versus GrizzlyCreated: 2009-09-15 @ 01:52:48 EDT Updated: 2009-09-15 @ 03:17:18 EDT
The adjective "grisly" means horrible, fearsome, disgusting. The noun "grizzly" refers to a large brown bear. As an adjective, "grizzly" (more commonly "grizzled&… - plot - definition and examples of plots in narrativesCreated: 2009-09-14 @ 15:50:13 EDT
The sequence of incidents or events in a narrative… - reading - definition and examples of readingCreated: 2009-09-13 @ 19:02:48 EDT
The process of extracting meaning from a written or printed text… - Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech by William Faulkner - Classic Essays a…Created: 2009-09-13 @ 16:40:25 EDT
William Faulkner was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1949 "for his powerful and artistically unique contribution to the modern American novel." In his acceptance speech, delivere… - Rodeo and Baseball, by Gretel Ehrlich - Scrapbook of Styles - Compar…Created: 2009-09-12 @ 23:07:52 EDT Updated: 2009-09-12 @ 23:11:33 EDT
Award-winning essayist and novelist Gretel Ehrlich has said that she's happiest when outdoors, whether on a ranch in Wyoming or an ice sheet in Greenland. In this paragraph from her first book, &qu… - Where Are the Best Places to Write? - Finding a Good Place for Writi…Created: 2009-09-12 @ 21:30:11 EDT Updated: 2009-09-12 @ 21:32:42 EDT
If a cork-lined room doesn't happen to be available, where is the place to write? J.K. Rowling, Stephen King, Annie Dillard, and several other professional writers offer some advice… - What Is the Secret of Good Writing? - Ten Secrets of Good WritingCreated: 2009-09-12 @ 20:45:52 EDT Updated: 2009-09-12 @ 23:18:10 EDT
There must be a secret to good writing--the kind of writing we enjoy, remember, learn from, and try to imitate. While countless writers have been willing to reveal that secret, only rarely do they … - Gifts, by Ralph Waldo Emerson - Classic American Essays - Essay by R…Created: 2009-09-12 @ 04:58:38 EDT Updated: 2009-09-12 @ 15:29:21 EDT
In this short essay (an extended definition), Emerson encourages us to do some "high thinking" about the nature of both gift-giving and gift-receiving. As the critic David Herd has observ… - colloquialism - definition and examples of colloquialismsCreated: 2009-09-11 @ 20:05:08 EDT
An informal expression that is more often used in casual conversation than in formal speech or writing. … - ironist - definition and examples of ironistCreated: 2009-09-11 @ 19:05:09 EDT Updated: 2009-09-11 @ 19:17:13 EDT
A notable user of irony, especially a writer or performer. … - gradience - definition and examples of gradienceCreated: 2009-09-09 @ 21:25:55 EDT
The quality of indeterminacy (or blurred boundaries) on a graduated scale connecting two linguistic elements… - paralinguistics - definition and examples of paralinguisticsCreated: 2009-09-09 @ 19:19:33 EDT
The study of vocal (and sometimes non-vocal) signals beyond the basic verbal message or speech. … - source domain - definition and examples of source domainsCreated: 2009-09-09 @ 16:18:11 EDT
See "conceptual domain" and "conceptual metaphor."… - target domain - definition and examples of target domainCreated: 2009-09-09 @ 16:08:03 EDT Updated: 2009-09-09 @ 16:11:14 EDT
See conceptual domain and conceptual metaphor… - conceptual domain - definition and examples of conceptual domainsCreated: 2009-09-09 @ 15:59:01 EDT Updated: 2009-09-09 @ 17:36:45 EDT
In studies of metaphor, the representation of any coherent segment of experience, such as the concepts of love or journeys. … - Review and Revue - Commonly Confused Words - Review versus RevueCreated: 2009-09-06 @ 22:31:57 EDT Updated: 2009-09-06 @ 22:37:36 EDT
The noun "revue" refers to a musical or theatrical production. As both a noun and a verb, "review" has the sense of inspecting, surveying, or critically evaluating… - Amoral and Immoral - Commonly Confused Words - Amoral versus ImmoralCreated: 2009-09-06 @ 21:47:36 EDT
The adjective "amoral" means lying outside the moral order or acting without regard for any particular code of morality. The adjective "immoral" means not moral--that is, violat… - A Hanging, by George Orwell - Classic British Essays - George Orwell…Created: 2009-09-05 @ 18:27:38 EDT Updated: 2009-09-05 @ 19:11:59 EDT
From 1922 to 1927, George Orwell served in Burma as a member of the Indian Imperial Police. Out of that experience came this classic essay, "A Hanging."… - What Is an Eponym? - Examples of Eponyms - Words Derived From Proper…Created: 2009-09-05 @ 15:53:41 EDT
An eponym is a word derived from the proper name of a person or place. Some eponyms ("sandwich" and "valentine," for instance) are well known. But there are hundreds of other ep… - What Is Monologophobia? - Elegant Variation and the Fear of Repetiti…Created: 2009-09-04 @ 04:30:13 EDT Updated: 2009-09-04 @ 13:42:19 EDT
An overwhelming fear of using a word more than once in a single sentence, or even in a single paragraph. … - Edward Abbey's List of Examples in "The Great American Desert" - Scr…Created: 2009-09-03 @ 15:13:50 EDT Updated: 2009-09-03 @ 15:20:10 EDT
In this passage from chapter two of "Journey Home," rogue environmentalist Edward Abbey identifies some of the most unappealing characteristics of desert life through a series of vivid ex… - overwriting - definition and examples of overwritingCreated: 2009-09-02 @ 19:53:43 EDT Updated: 2009-09-02 @ 21:50:00 EDT
A wordy writing style characterized by excessive detail, needless repetition, outlandish figures of speech, and/or convoluted sentence structures… - cleft - definition and examples of cleft sentencesCreated: 2009-09-02 @ 15:43:04 EDT Updated: 2009-09-02 @ 15:46:35 EDT
A construction in which some element in a sentence is moved from its normal position into a separate clause to give it greater emphasis… - text - definition and examples of textsCreated: 2009-09-02 @ 02:56:50 EDT
(1) The original words of something written, printed, or spoken, in contrast to a summary or paraphrase. (2) A coherent stretch of language that may be regarded as an object of critical analysis… - dramatism - definition and examples of dramatismCreated: 2009-08-26 @ 15:31:25 EDT
A metaphor introduced by the 20th-century rhetorician Kenneth Burke to describe his critical method, which includes study of the various relations (ratios) among the five qualities that comprise th… - Reasons and Examples in Paul Fussell's "Class" - Scrapbook of Styles…Created: 2009-08-25 @ 03:43:47 EDT Updated: 2009-08-25 @ 03:50:48 EDT
This passage considers one of the more visible signs of social class: clothing and other belongings "with messages on them you're supposed to read and admire." Notice how Fussell introduc… - Epigram, Epigraph, and Epitaph - Commonly Confused Words - Epigram a…Created: 2009-08-25 @ 02:12:21 EDT
Each of these words beginning with "epi-" (from the Greek word for "upon") has multiple definitions, but here are the most common meanings… - motto - definition and examples of mottoes and mottosCreated: 2009-08-24 @ 15:54:47 EDT Updated: 2009-08-24 @ 18:12:38 EDT
(1) A word, phrase, or sentence that expresses an attitude, ideal, or guiding principle associated with the organization to which it belongs. (2) A brief saying or proverb… - slogan - definition and examples of slogansCreated: 2009-08-24 @ 03:49:21 EDT Updated: 2009-08-24 @ 16:03:53 EDT
A short, attention-getting expression (or catchphrase) used in promoting a product, candidate, or cause… - demonym - definition and examples of demonymsCreated: 2009-08-23 @ 19:26:19 EDT Updated: 2009-08-23 @ 19:28:53 EDT
A name for the people who live in a particular place… - name - definition and examples of namesCreated: 2009-08-23 @ 17:37:06 EDT Updated: 2009-08-24 @ 02:04:15 EDT
An informal term for a word or phrase that designates a person, place, or thing… - nickname - definition and examples of nicknamesCreated: 2009-08-23 @ 17:00:05 EDT Updated: 2009-08-23 @ 17:40:55 EDT
A familiar form of a proper name, or any descriptive name or epithet used informally… - stasis - definition and examples of stasisCreated: 2009-08-23 @ 01:55:00 EDT
In classical rhetoric, the process of, first, identifying the central issues in a dispute, and then finding appropriate arguments by which to address those issues… - ars dictaminis - definition and examples of ars dictaminisCreated: 2009-08-23 @ 00:01:59 EDT
In medieval rhetoric, the art of letter writing… - argumentation - definition and examples of argumentationCreated: 2009-08-22 @ 23:12:24 EDT
The process of forming reasons, justifying beliefs, and drawing conclusions with the aim of influencing the thoughts and/or actions of others. … - paralanguage - definition and examples of paralanguageCreated: 2009-08-20 @ 23:04:57 EDT
See "paralinguistics."… - existential "there" - definition and examples of existential "there"Created: 2009-08-20 @ 18:34:08 EDT
See "existential sentence."… - comment clause - definition and examples of comment clausesCreated: 2009-08-20 @ 05:15:08 EDT
A commonly occurring word group that adds a parenthetical remark to another word group… - H.L. Mencken's Hyperbolic Prose Style -Created: 2009-08-18 @ 05:23:42 EDT Updated: 2009-08-18 @ 05:26:33 EDT
Though Mencken died ("deoxidized," he would say) over half a century ago, his rip-roaring style--witty, combative, yet graceful--continues to "stir up the animals" and attract f… - poisoning the well - definition and examples of poisoning the well -…Created: 2009-08-17 @ 16:42:38 EDT Updated: 2009-08-17 @ 16:46:38 EDT
A logical fallacy (a type of ad hominem argument) in which a person attempts to place an opponent in a position from which he or she is unable to reply… - Margaret Fuller and Mary Wollstonecraft, by George Eliot - Classic B…Created: 2009-08-16 @ 18:18:50 EDT Updated: 2009-08-16 @ 18:26:56 EDT
Widely recognized as one of England's greatest novelists, George Eliot (the pen name of Marian Evans) was also a notable poet and critic. In this review essay, Eliot compares two books published 50… - The Patron and the Crocus, by Virginia Woolf - Classic British Essay…Created: 2009-08-16 @ 00:18:24 EDT Updated: 2009-08-16 @ 00:21:51 EDT
Virginia Woolf considers the relationship between a writer and her readers: to what extent should a writer keep her audience in mind when she writes--and which audience should that be?… - uptalk - definition and examples of uptalkCreated: 2009-08-15 @ 18:29:00 EDT Updated: 2009-08-15 @ 18:31:02 EDT
A speech pattern in which phrases and sentences habitually end with a rising sound, as if the statement were a question… - The Land of Little Rain, by Mary Austin - Classic American Essays - …Created: 2009-08-15 @ 03:08:26 EDT Updated: 2009-08-15 @ 03:44:45 EDT
In the first chapter of "The Land of Little Rain," Mary Austin describes the "lotus charm" of "the loneliest land that ever came out of God's hands."… - Review Exercise: Adding Commas to a Paragraph II - Punctuation Revie…Created: 2009-08-14 @ 20:17:59 EDT Updated: 2009-08-14 @ 20:28:45 EDT
Insert commas wherever you think they belong in the paragraph "Frederick Douglass." Try reading the paragraph aloud: at least in some cases, you should be able to hear where commas are ne… - Review Exercise: Adding Commas to a Paragraph - Punctuation Review -…Created: 2009-08-14 @ 19:33:01 EDT Updated: 2009-08-14 @ 20:34:44 EDT
This exercise offers practice in applying the rules for using commas effectively. Insert commas wherever you think they belong in the paragraph "The Least Successful Car." Try reading the… - William Golding's Encomium to Books - Style Scrapbook - Passage From…Created: 2009-08-09 @ 01:27:07 EDT Updated: 2009-08-09 @ 01:41:39 EDT
William Golding originally delivered this encomium to the book in a lecture in 1976--well before the arrival of laptops, Kindles, e-books, and other competitors to what Golding calls "physical… - Narration in Graham Greene's "The Lost Childhood" - Scrapbook of Sty…Created: 2009-08-08 @ 20:13:37 EDT
In this brief narrative from the opening of the essay "The Lost Childhood" (first published in 1947), Graham Greene recalls "the dangerous moment" when he first discovered that … - On the Difference Between Wit and Humor by Charles S. Brooks - Class…Created: 2009-08-07 @ 18:53:27 EDT
Here--in an essay developed with examples, analogies, and personification--Charles S. Brooks offers an extended comparison of wit and humor… - familiar essay - definition and examples of familiar or personal ess…Created: 2009-08-07 @ 18:47:48 EDT
A short prose composition (a type of creative nonfiction) characterized by the personal quality of the writing and the distinctive voice or persona of the essayist… - A Description of the Barracks in Block 16 of Manzanar - From "Farewe…Created: 2009-08-07 @ 02:13:21 EDT
The memoir "Farewell to Manzanar" recounts the experiences of the Wakatsuki family at an American internment camp for Japanese-Americans during World War II. In this excerpt, Jeanne Wakat… - Cause and Effect in "The Dream Animal" by Loren Eiseley - Scrapbook …Created: 2009-08-07 @ 00:46:38 EDT Updated: 2009-08-07 @ 01:00:46 EDT
In this excerpt from the essay "The Dream Animal," an informal study of human evolution, Loren Eiseley relies on patterns of cause and effect to explore the mystery of the rapid emergence… - Sentence Combining #7: Out of the Ice Age - Paragraph Building Exerc…Created: 2009-08-06 @ 19:05:32 EDT Updated: 2009-08-07 @ 06:56:42 EDT
This sentence-combining exercise has been adapted from two paragraphs in "The Dream Animal," a chapter in Loren Eiseley's book "The Immense Journey" (1957). Sentences that can b… - Censor and Censure - Commonly Confused Words - Censor and CensureCreated: 2009-08-06 @ 04:08:37 EDT
The verb "censor" means to suppress or remove something that is considered objectionable. The noun "censor" refers to a person who censors things. The verb "censure" m… - Perquisite and Prerequisite - Commonly Confused Words - Perquisite v…Created: 2009-08-06 @ 03:25:55 EDT Updated: 2009-08-06 @ 03:34:27 EDT
A "perquisite" (sometimes informally shortened to "perk") is a benefit (beyond pay) that is associated with a particular job. A "prerequisite" is something required as… - rhetorician - definition and examples of rhetoricianCreated: 2009-08-05 @ 06:07:47 EDT
(1) A master or teacher of rhetoric. (2) An eloquent speaker or writer… - The Symbolism of Poetry, by W.B. Yeats - Classic British and America…Created: 2009-08-03 @ 05:15:48 EDT Updated: 2009-08-03 @ 05:59:00 EDT
Composed in 1900, Yeats's influential essay "The Symbolism of Poetry" offers an extended definition of symbolism and a meditation on the nature of poetry in general… - Choosing a Style Manual and Documentation Guide - Most Popular Style…Created: 2009-08-02 @ 23:57:00 EDT Updated: 2009-08-03 @ 00:05:58 EDT
A style manual is a set of editing and formatting standards for use by students, researchers, journalists, and other professionals. Style manuals are essential reference works for scholars who need… - Appetite, by Laurie Lee - Scrapbook of Styles - Then and Now Compari…Created: 2009-08-02 @ 01:07:32 EDT Updated: 2009-08-02 @ 01:15:48 EDT
In this excerpt from his essay "Appetite," Laurie Lee uses a then-and-now comparison to illustrate his thesis: "One of the major pleasures in life is appetite, and one of our major d… - tu quoque - definition and examples of tu quoqueCreated: 2009-08-01 @ 15:59:33 EDT Updated: 2009-08-01 @ 16:11:54 EDT
A type of ad hominem argument in which a person turns a charge back on his or her accuser: a logical fallacy… - Reveries Over Childhood and Youth, by W.B. Yeats - Classic Essays - …Created: 2009-08-01 @ 01:42:26 EDT Updated: 2009-08-01 @ 14:46:12 EDT
As recounted in Chapter One of "Reveries Over Childhood and Youth," the Anglo-Irish poet and playwright William Butler Yeats spent his early years with his mother's family in Sligo. Thoug… - On a Rainy Morning, by Charles S. Brooks - Classic Essays - Personi…Created: 2009-07-31 @ 02:21:23 EDT Updated: 2009-07-31 @ 02:40:54 EDT
In this essay from the collection "Chimney-Pot Papers" (1919), Charles S. Brooks relies on personification and description to convey the pleasures of a rainstorm in the city… - The Declaration of Independence, by Thomas Jefferson - Classic Essay…Created: 2009-07-30 @ 04:14:18 EDT Updated: 2009-07-30 @ 04:39:52 EDT
Drafted by Thomas Jefferson and revised by John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and others, the Declaration of Independence is a classic example of a deductive argument. The basic premises stated in the … - stunt word - definition and examples of stunt wordsCreated: 2009-07-30 @ 01:08:40 EDT Updated: 2009-07-30 @ 01:19:22 EDT
Defined by Tom McArthur in "The Oxford Companion to the English Language" (1992) as an informal, late-20th-century term for "a word created and used to produce a special effect or at… - diacritic mark - definition and examples of diacritic marks - accent…Created: 2009-07-29 @ 02:55:52 EDT
In phonetics, a symbol added to a letter that alters its sense, function, or pronunciation. … - received pronunciation - definition and examples of received pronunc…Created: 2009-07-28 @ 21:42:47 EDT Updated: 2009-07-28 @ 22:58:14 EDT
A once prestigious variety of British English spoken without an identifiable regional accent. … - closed class - definition and examples of closed classCreated: 2009-07-28 @ 01:17:48 EDT Updated: 2009-07-28 @ 02:23:53 EDT
The category of function words--that is, parts of speech (or word classes) that do not readily accept new members… - function word - definition and examples of function wordsCreated: 2009-07-27 @ 21:52:11 EDT Updated: 2009-07-28 @ 01:24:28 EDT
A word that expresses a grammatical relationship… - syntactic blend - definition and examples of syntactic blendCreated: 2009-07-27 @ 20:16:32 EDT
See anacoluthon… - repair - definition and examples of linguistic repairsCreated: 2009-07-27 @ 19:22:52 EDT Updated: 2009-07-27 @ 19:25:52 EDT
The process by which a speaker recognizes a speech error and repeats what has been said with some sort of correction. … - dysfluency - definition and examples of dysfluencyCreated: 2009-07-27 @ 01:15:27 EDT Updated: 2009-07-27 @ 20:19:02 EDT
Speech that is not smoothly delivered or grammatically well formed. … - adjunct - definition and examples of adjunctsCreated: 2009-07-25 @ 03:13:53 EDT Updated: 2009-07-25 @ 03:26:05 EDT
A word, phrase, or clause--usually an adverbial--that is integrated within the structure of a sentence and that can be omitted without making the sentence ungrammatical. … - disjunct - definition and examples of disjunctCreated: 2009-07-25 @ 01:33:48 EDT Updated: 2009-07-25 @ 01:44:51 EDT
(1) A type of sentence adverb that comments on the content or manner of what is being said or written. (2) Any of two or more items connected by a disjunctive conjunction ("or"). … - conjunct - definition and examples of conjunctCreated: 2009-07-24 @ 17:09:13 EDT
See "conjunctive adverb."… - Great Vowel Shift - Definition and Examples of the Great Vowel ShiftCreated: 2009-07-24 @ 02:05:58 EDT
The systemic change in the pronunciation of English vowels (in phonetic terms, the raising and fronting of the long, stressed monophthongs) that occurred in southern England during the late Middle … - Marital and Martial - Commonly Confused Words - Marital versus Marti…Created: 2009-07-23 @ 17:25:43 EDT
The adjective "marital" refers to marriage. The adjective "martial" refers to battle, war, or military life… - Economic and Economical - Commonly Cofused Words - Economic versus E…Created: 2009-07-23 @ 16:49:29 EDT Updated: 2009-07-23 @ 16:53:19 EDT
In present-day usage, the "economical" generally means thrifty--marked by careful use of resources or operating with little waste. The adjective "economic" (related to the field… - The Historic Present in "Angela's Ashes" by Frank McCourt - Scrapboo…Created: 2009-07-22 @ 19:04:05 EDT Updated: 2009-07-22 @ 23:00:56 EDT
Narrated in the present tense, McCourt's memoir provides a lyrical and painful account of growing up in Limerick, Ireland… - Examples in Margaret Drabble's "The Missing Piece" - Scrapbook of St…Created: 2009-07-18 @ 21:46:33 EDT
In the opening paragraph from "The Missing Piece," Margaret Drabble introduces her theme with references to various literary figures alongside examples from her own life… - Developing a Topic Sentence With Examples in Pritchett's "London" - …Created: 2009-07-18 @ 21:23:40 EDT Updated: 2009-07-18 @ 21:29:34 EDT
In this paragraph from the essay "London," V.S. Pritchett develops his short topic sentence ("London is prolific in its casualties, its human waste and eccentrics") with a serie… - A List of Standard Contractions in English - Common English Contract…Created: 2009-07-18 @ 18:53:16 EDT Updated: 2009-07-19 @ 17:31:54 EDT
In the table below you'll find some of the most frequently used contractions in English… - A 19th Century College Entrance Exam in English Grammar - History of…Created: 2009-07-18 @ 16:11:00 EDT
In 1870, students who had applied to Illinois Industrial University (now the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) were required to take this entrance exam in English. … - Common Revision Symbols and Abbreviations - Correction SymbolsCreated: 2009-07-18 @ 00:04:47 EDT
Some English instructors use these symbols and abbreviations to guide students during the revision and editing stages of the writing process… - Common Scholarly Abbreviations - English and Latin Abbreviations Use…Created: 2009-07-17 @ 21:30:06 EDT Updated: 2009-07-17 @ 23:52:42 EDT
This list contains some of the common abbreviations found in scholarly documentation--that is, in footnotes, parenthetical notes, glossary entries, and bibliographic references in research papers, … - lower case - definition and examples of lower caseCreated: 2009-07-14 @ 23:20:34 EDT Updated: 2009-07-14 @ 23:28:48 EDT
In the printed alphabet, small letters (a,b,c . . .) as distinguished from capital letters (A,B,C . . . )… - cumulative sentence - definition and examples of cumulative sentence…Created: 2009-07-14 @ 03:22:51 EDT
An independent clause followed by a series of subordinate constructions that gather details about a person, place, event, or idea. … - Cumulative Sentences in "The Falls" by George Saunders - Scrapbook o…Created: 2009-07-14 @ 03:14:12 EDT Updated: 2009-07-14 @ 03:20:03 EDT
"I like style," George Saunders once told an interviewer. "I like to sound odd and, hopefully, unique." In the following two paragraphs from his short story "The Falls,&quo… - theme - definition and examples of themesUpdated: 2009-11-08 @ 17:44:26 EST
(1) The main idea of a text, expressed directly or indirectly. (2) A short composition assigned as a writing exercise… - The Meaning of Home, by John Berger - Scrapbook of Styles - Extended…Updated: 2009-11-08 @ 17:43:29 EST
In this passage from "And Our Faces, My Heart, Brief as Photos" (1984), John Berger draws on the philosophy of Mircea Eliade, a Romanian-born historian of religion, to offer an extended d… - plagiarism - definition and examples of plagiarismUpdated: 2009-11-08 @ 17:42:22 EST
The act of using the work of another and passing it off as one's own… - Fran Lebowitz on the Greenwich Village Postal System - Scrapbook of …Updated: 2009-11-08 @ 17:41:46 EST
In the following paragraph from the essay "Taking a Letter," Fran Lebowitz offers a fresh (and ironic) perspective on the postal workers in her neighborhood… - H.L. Mencken on the Writing Life - Writers on Writing - Quotations b…Updated: 2009-11-08 @ 17:39:27 EST
Here, in passages drawn from articles and reviews written between 1910 and 1950, are some of Mencken's observations on the writing trade--and some invigorating lessons on how not to be a dull write… - Writers on Writing - Overcoming Writer's Block - Quotations on Getti…Updated: 2009-11-08 @ 17:36:13 EST
For many of us, the hardest part of writing is getting started. And we're not alone. Many professional writers have experienced--and, more importantly, overcome--writer's block. So let's see what a… - Compose a Letter of Complaint - Discovery Strategies - Group WritingUpdated: 2009-11-08 @ 17:34:25 EST
Here's a project that will introduce you to brainstorming and give you practice in group writing. You will join with three or four other writers to compose a letter of complaint… - Crooked Streets, by Hilaire Belloc - Classic British EssaysUpdated: 2009-11-08 @ 17:32:28 EST
A prolific essayist and poet, British author Hilaire Belloc (1870-1953) is also remembered for his travel books, religious writings, and nonsense verse for children. In "The Crooked Streets,&q… - Essay Sampler - Models of Good Writing 2 - Essay ReaderUpdated: 2009-11-08 @ 17:29:47 EST
Twelve more essays, articles, and speeches--some written within the past few years, others more than a century old--that vividly illustrate the principles of effective writing… - Ten Tips for Composing a Successful Essay for the SAT or ACT - Advi…Updated: 2009-11-08 @ 17:28:28 EST
Here are ten tips for composing an effective essay under pressure for the SAT or ACT. But be warned: we've saved the most important piece of advice for the very end… - "The Essence of Humanism," by William James - Classic EssaysUpdated: 2009-11-08 @ 17:26:37 EST
"The Essence of Humanism" is an extended definition leading to the conclusion that "ideas and concepts and scientific theories pass for true only so far as they harmoniously lead bac… - A Definition of Pantomime, by Julian Barnes - Scrapbook of Styles - …Updated: 2009-11-08 @ 17:25:36 EST
In this excerpt from the essay "MPTV," Julian Barnes defines the essential characteristics of the pantomime, a form of popular theater in England since the 16th century… - Descriptive Details in Stegner's "Town Dump" - Examples, Description…Updated: 2009-11-08 @ 17:23:36 EST
In these five paragraphs from his memoir "Wolf Willow," Wallace Stegner employs precise descriptive details to convey the poetry of a town dump. … - How to Avoid Writing, by Robert Benchley - Procrastination Strategie…Updated: 2009-11-08 @ 17:22:23 EST
Humorist Robert Benchley (1889-1945) describes the sort of commitment that NOT writing demands… - Status Details in Tom Wolfe's Descriptions - Excerpt from Tom Wolfe'…Updated: 2009-11-08 @ 17:19:35 EST
In two paragraphs from the novel "A Man in Full," Tom Wolfe conveys a sense of character through physical description--or what he calls "status details."… - brainstorming - definition and examples of brainstorming - invention…Updated: 2009-11-08 @ 17:18:48 EST
An invention and discovery strategy in which the writer collaborates with others to explore topics, develop ideas, or propose solutions to a problem… - Names and Nicknames for Residents of StatesUpdated: 2009-11-08 @ 17:18:01 EST
In these tables, you'll find the official names for residents of the 50 states along with alternative names and nicknames… - freewriting - definition and examples of freewritingUpdated: 2009-11-08 @ 17:16:24 EST
A discovery (or prewriting) strategy intended to encourage the development of ideas without concern for the conventional rules of grammar and usage. … - Getting Started With Brainstorming - Discovery Strategies - Prewriti…Updated: 2009-11-08 @ 17:14:49 EST
Brainstorming is a group project that's especially useful for generating, focusing, and organizing ideas for an essay or a report… - Three Good Reasons Not to Buy an Online Essay - Paper Mills - Danger…Updated: 2009-11-08 @ 17:14:03 EST
Stop right there. You're not going to do it. You're not going to cheat. You're not going to buy an essay or a term paper online. And here's why… - Sample Topic Number Three for the SAT Writing Test - Sample Topic on…Updated: 2009-11-08 @ 17:13:11 EST
One way to prepare for the writing portion of the SAT is to practice composing essays on topics similar to those that appear on the actual test. Sample topic number three concerns a proposal to off… - Sample Topic Number One for the SAT Writing Test - SAT Essay Prompts…Updated: 2009-11-08 @ 17:12:30 EST
One way to prepare for the writing portion of the SAT is to practice composing essays on topics similar to those that appear on the actual test. Sample topic number one concerns social-networking s… - Sample Topic Number Two for the SAT Writing Test - Sample Topic on t…Updated: 2009-11-08 @ 17:11:45 EST
One way to prepare for the writing portion of the SAT is to practice composing essays on topics similar to those that appear on the actual test. Sample topic number two concerns the legalization of… - "Of Anger," by Thomas Fuller - Classic British Essays and SpeechesUpdated: 2009-11-08 @ 17:09:19 EST
Thomas Fuller's intelligence and engaging wit are clearly evident in his meditation "Of Anger."… - Classic British and American Essays and Speeches - Great Essays and …Updated: 2009-11-08 @ 17:08:11 EST
From the works of Francis Bacon and Daniel Defoe to those of Virginia Woolf and Martin Luther King, Jr.: 100 of the greatest essays and speeches composed by British and American writers over the pa… - persuasion - definition and examples of persuasionUpdated: 2009-11-08 @ 16:38:37 EST
The use of appeals to reasons, values, beliefs, and emotions to convince a listener or reader to think or act in a particular way… - Preparing an Argument: Explore Both Sides of an IssueUpdated: 2009-11-08 @ 16:36:35 EST
The best way to get ready to explain and defend a position on some controversial issue is to explore a topic thoughtfully, considering both sides of the issue before preparing an essay plan. This k… - argument - definitions and examples of arguments - development of pa…Updated: 2009-11-08 @ 16:35:14 EST
A course of reasoning aimed at demonstrating truth or falsehood… - definition - examples and definition - the meaning of definitionsUpdated: 2009-11-08 @ 16:33:42 EST
A statement of the meaning of a word or phrase. As a method of exposition, a definition may be brief or extended, part of an essay or an entire essay… - Forty Writing Topics - Causes and Effects - Prompts and Topic Sugges…Updated: 2009-11-08 @ 16:31:55 EST
Some of the following topic suggestions emphasize causes; others focus on effects. But keep in mind that these two approaches are closely related and sometimes not easily separated… - cause and effect - definition and examples of cause and effect - dev…Updated: 2009-11-08 @ 16:30:08 EST
A method of paragraph or essay development in which a writer analyzes the reasons for (and/or the consequences of) an action, event or decision… - comparison - definition and examples of comparison - development of …Updated: 2009-11-08 @ 16:28:37 EST
A rhetorical strategy in which a writer examines similarities and/or differences between two people, places, ideas, or objects… - example - definition and illustrations of exampleUpdated: 2009-11-08 @ 16:26:48 EST
A method of paragraph or essay development through which a writer clarifies, explains, or justifies a point through narrative or informative details. … - narration - definition and examples of narration - modes of discourseUpdated: 2009-11-08 @ 16:25:20 EST
In composition studies, one of the traditional modes of discourse that recounts an event or a series of related events… - narrative - definition and examples of narratives - development of p…Updated: 2009-11-08 @ 16:24:14 EST
A rhetorical strategy that recounts a sequence of events, usually in chronological order… - description - definition and examples of descriptionUpdated: 2009-11-08 @ 16:19:41 EST
A rhetorical strategy using sensory details to portray a person, place, or object… - process analysis - definition and examples of process analysis - dev…Updated: 2009-11-08 @ 16:16:51 EST
A method of paragraph or essay development by which a writer explains step by step how something is done or how to do something… - classification - definition and examples of classification - methods…Updated: 2009-11-08 @ 16:14:56 EST
A method of paragraph or essay development in which a writer arranges people, objects, or ideas with shared characteristics into classes or groups… - Forty Writing Topics - Examples - Topic Suggestions and Prompts - Ex…Updated: 2009-11-08 @ 16:12:50 EST
If you're asked by your writing instructor to compose a paragraph or essay developed with examples, these 40 topic suggestions should help you to get started… - illustration - definition and examples of illustrationUpdated: 2009-11-08 @ 07:12:10 EST
The use of examples to explain, clarify, or justify. … - 400 Writing Topics - Prompts and Suggestions for Paragraphs and Essa…Updated: 2009-11-08 @ 07:07:05 EST
Coming up with a good topic can be one of the hardest parts of composing a paragraph or essay. These 400 topic suggestions should make that job a little easier… - Must Reads: Essential Articles and Resources about GrammarUpdated: 2009-11-08 @ 06:57:28 EST
- Forty Writing Topics - Descriptions - Topic Prompts and Suggestions …Updated: 2009-11-08 @ 06:51:12 EST
Descriptive writing calls for close attention to details. To help you get started, here are some topic suggestions for a descriptive paragraph or essay. … - Fifty Writing Topics - Process Analysis - Prompts and Topic Suggesti…Updated: 2009-11-08 @ 06:48:22 EST
You'll find that it's not too difficult to develop a paragraph or essay through process analysis if you've chosen a topic that you know quite well. These 50 prompts are meant to help you to discove… - Fifty Writing Topics - Narration - Prompts and Topic Suggestions for…Updated: 2009-11-08 @ 06:47:04 EST
At least one of these 50 topic suggestions should remind you of a particular incident that you can relate in a clearly organized narrative essay… - Forty Writing Topics - Comparison & Contrast - Prompts and Topic Sug…Updated: 2009-11-08 @ 06:46:22 EST
To write an effective comparison and contrast, keep in mind that your subjects should be logically comparable and your composition should have a clear purpose. The 40 topic suggestions listed here … - Fifty Writing Topics - Classification - Prompts and Topic Suggestion…Updated: 2009-11-08 @ 06:40:20 EST
Many subjects can be explored through classification. These 50 topic suggestions should help you discover a subject that particularly interests you… - Thirty Topics for an Argument Essay - Writing Topics - Argument & Pe…Updated: 2009-11-08 @ 06:38:18 EST
These thirty statements may be either defended or attacked in an argument essay… - Sixty Writing Topics - Extended Definition - Prompts and Topic Sugge…Updated: 2009-11-08 @ 06:09:50 EST
Abstract and controversial ideas can often be clarified through extended definitions. The 60 concepts listed here can be defined in various ways and from different points of view… - grammar - definition and examples of grammarUpdated: 2009-11-08 @ 01:04:56 EST
The systematic study and description of a language… - crot - definition and examples of crotUpdated: 2009-11-07 @ 22:17:49 EST
Verbal bit or fragment used as an autonomous unit without transitional devices… - sentence - definition and examples of sentencesUpdated: 2009-11-07 @ 22:14:39 EST
The largest independent unit of grammar: it begins with a capital letter and ends with a period, question mark, or exclamation point… - fragment - definition and examples of sentence fragmentsUpdated: 2009-11-07 @ 22:13:45 EST
A group of words that begins with a capital letter and ends with a period, question mark, or exclamation point but is grammatically incomplete… - tag question - definition and examples of tag questions - question t…Updated: 2009-11-07 @ 06:05:24 EST
A question added to the end of a declarative sentence… - declarative sentence - definition and examples of declarative senten…Updated: 2009-11-07 @ 06:03:23 EST
A sentence in the form of a statement (in contrast to a command, a question, or an exclamation). … - interrogative sentence - definition and examples of interrogative se…Updated: 2009-11-07 @ 06:02:27 EST
A sentence that asks a question… - periphrastic - definition and examples of periphrasticUpdated: 2009-11-07 @ 02:12:35 EST
A construction in which an independent word is described as having the same role as an inflection… - stative verb - definition and examples of stative verbsUpdated: 2009-11-07 @ 01:58:19 EST
A verb used primarily to describe a state or situation as opposed to an action or process… - visual rhetoric - definition and examples of visual rhetoricUpdated: 2009-11-07 @ 01:10:24 EST
A branch of rhetorical studies concerned with the persuasive use of images… - double genitive - definition and examples of the double genitiveUpdated: 2009-11-06 @ 05:24:05 EST
A phrase in which possession is indicated by the preposition "of" followed by the possessive form of a noun or pronoun… - pronunciation - definition and examples of pronunciationUpdated: 2009-11-05 @ 04:41:31 EST
The act or manner of speaking a word… - orthography - definition and examples of orthographyUpdated: 2009-11-05 @ 04:40:14 EST
(1) The practice or study of correct spelling according to established usage. (2) The study of letters and how they are used to express sounds and form words… - alphabet - definition and examples of alphabetUpdated: 2009-11-05 @ 04:32:28 EST
The letters of a language, arranged in the order fixed by custom… - What Is the NATO Alphabet?Updated: 2009-11-04 @ 20:05:37 EST
The NATO phonetic alphabet is a spelling alphabet used by airline pilots, police, the military, and other officials when communicating over radio or telephone… - simple sentence - definition and examples of simple sentencesUpdated: 2009-11-04 @ 15:40:22 EST
A sentence with only one independent clause… - slip of the tongue - definition and examples of slips of the tongueUpdated: 2009-11-04 @ 15:38:21 EST
An accidental mistake in speaking, usually trivial, sometimes amusing… - Standard British English - Definition and Examples of Standard Briti…Updated: 2009-11-03 @ 05:47:53 EST
The variety of the English language that is generally used in professional writing in Britain (or in England or in southeast England) and taught in British schools… - nonstandard English - definition and examples of nonstandard EnglishUpdated: 2009-11-03 @ 05:46:03 EST
(1) Any dialect of English other than Standard English. (2) A term used by some non-linguists to describe "bad" English… - Standard English - Definition and Examples of Standard EnglishUpdated: 2009-11-03 @ 05:44:57 EST
A controversial term for a form of the English language that is written and spoken by educated users… - dialect - definition and examples of dialectsUpdated: 2009-11-03 @ 02:27:39 EST
A regional or social variety of a language distinguished by pronunciation, grammar, or vocabulary… - regionalism - definition and examples of regionalismsUpdated: 2009-11-03 @ 02:26:02 EST
A word or expression that is characteristic of a particular geographic area… - idiolect - definition and examples of idiolectUpdated: 2009-11-03 @ 02:20:53 EST
The distinctive speech of an individual, considered as a linguistic pattern unique among speakers of his or her language or dialect… - dialectic - definition and examples of dialectic - argument and rhet…Updated: 2009-11-03 @ 00:49:38 EST
The practice of arriving at a conclusion by the exchange of logical arguments, usually in the form of questions and answers… - Kinky Friedman's Interior Monologue - On Loners - Colloquial Languag…Updated: 2009-11-02 @ 23:16:28 EST
In these two paragraphs from "Armadillos and Old Lace," Friedman indulges in an interior monologue (that is, he talks to himself) "on the subject of loners."… - dialogue - definition and examples of dialogueUpdated: 2009-11-02 @ 23:14:30 EST
A conversation between two or more people in a drama or narrative… - essay - definition and examples of essays - glossary of rhetorical t…Updated: 2009-11-02 @ 18:22:57 EST
A short work of nonfiction, often artfully disordered and highly polished, in which an authorial voice invites an implied reader to accept as authentic a certain textual mode of experience. … - Writing About Fiction - A Critical Essay on Hemingway's "The Sun Als…Updated: 2009-11-02 @ 18:20:54 EST
In this short critical essay about Ernest Hemingway's novel "The Sun Also Rises," the author demonstrates how minor characters shed light on some of the conflicts experienced by the prota… - Miss Brill, by Katherine Mansfield - Writing About Short Stories - C…Updated: 2009-11-02 @ 18:20:01 EST
Born in Wellington, New Zealand, and educated at Queen's College in London, Katherine Mansfield was one of the major short story writers of the early 20th century. In "Miss Brill," first … - Miss Brill's Fragile Fantasy - Writing About Short Stories - Composi…Updated: 2009-11-02 @ 18:19:09 EST
After you have finished reading "Miss Brill," by Katherine Mansfield, compare your response to the short story with the analysis offered in this sample critical essay… - Passages and Discussion Questions for Rhetorical Analysis - Study Qu…Updated: 2009-11-02 @ 18:09:04 EST
These ten discussion questions provide opportunities to apply some of the key concepts and terms used in rhetorical analyses of essays, speeches, poems, short stories, and novels… - Rhetorical Analysis of E. B. White's "The Ring of Time" - Analyzing …Updated: 2009-11-02 @ 18:00:23 EST
One way to develop our own essay-writing skills is to examine how professional writers achieve a range of different effects in their work. Such a study is called a rhetorical analysis. Here you wil… - conjunction - definition and examples of conjunctionsUpdated: 2009-11-02 @ 06:21:28 EST
The part of speech that serves to connect words, phrases, clauses, or sentences… - paronomasia - definitions and examples of paronomasiaUpdated: 2009-11-01 @ 18:10:59 EST
Punning, playing with words… - pun - definition and examples of punsUpdated: 2009-11-01 @ 18:09:39 EST
A play on words, sometimes on different senses of the same word and sometimes on the similar sense or sound of different words… - New Year's Eve, by Charles Lamb - Classic Essay by Charles LambUpdated: 2009-11-01 @ 18:08:19 EST
In the essay "New Year's Eve," which first appeared in the January 1821 issue of "The London Magazine," English author Charles Lamb reflects wistfully on the passage of time… - Top 20 Figures of Speech - Figurative Language - Definitions and Exa…Updated: 2009-10-31 @ 07:54:35 EDT
Though there are hundreds of figures of speech (many of them included in our Tool Kit for Rhetorical Analysis), here we'll focus on just 20 of the most common figures… - What Is an Analogy? - Examples and Characteristics of Effective Anal…Updated: 2009-10-31 @ 02:50:11 EDT
"Analogies prove nothing, that is true" wrote Sigmund Freud, "but they can make one feel more at home." In this article, we examine the characteristics of effective analogies an… - Tips to Cut the Clutter - Concise WritingUpdated: 2009-10-30 @ 23:17:54 EDT
A key step in editing our writing is to cut out needless words--vague, repetitious, or pretentious language that can bore or confuse our readers. Here we'll learn five strategies for eliminating cl… - Common Redundancies - Cut Redundant ExpressionsUpdated: 2009-10-30 @ 22:45:22 EDT
Because we so often see and hear redundant expressions (such as "free gifts" and "foreign imports"), they can be easy to overlook. Therefore, when editing our work, we need to b… - What Is the Difference Between Descriptive and Prescriptive Grammar?…Updated: 2009-10-30 @ 04:43:03 EDT
"Descriptive grammar" refers to the structure of a language as it is actually used by speakers and writers. "Prescriptive grammar" refers to the structure of a language as certa… - transitional expression - definition and examples of transitional wo…Updated: 2009-10-29 @ 23:40:23 EDT
A word or phrase that shows how the meaning of one sentence is related to the meaning of the preceding sentence… - Media and Medium - Glossary of Commonly Confused Words - Index of Us…Updated: 2009-10-29 @ 21:08:05 EDT
Strictly speaking, "media" is the plural of "medium" and should be used with a plural verb. … - communication - definition and examples of communicationUpdated: 2009-10-29 @ 20:39:06 EDT
The process of sending and receiving messages through verbal or nonverbal means--speech (oral communication), writing (written communication), signs, signals, or behavior… - discourse analysis - definition and examples of discourse analysisUpdated: 2009-10-29 @ 17:30:39 EDT
The study of the ways in which language is used in texts and contexts… - rhetorical situation - definition and examples of rhetorical situati…Updated: 2009-10-29 @ 16:19:15 EDT
The context of a rhetorical act; minimally, made up of a rhetor, an issue, and an audience… - morphology - definition and examples of morphologyUpdated: 2009-10-29 @ 07:36:21 EDT
The branch of linguistics (and one of the major components of grammar) that studies word structures, especially in terms of morphemes… - epideictic - definition and examples of epideicticUpdated: 2009-10-29 @ 06:35:14 EDT
Speech or writing that praises or blames… - style - definition and examples of styleUpdated: 2009-10-29 @ 06:29:53 EDT
Narrowly interpreted as those figures that ornament discourse; broadly, as representing a manifestation of the person speaking or writing… - polysemy - definition and examples of polysemyUpdated: 2009-10-29 @ 02:07:19 EDT
The association of one word with two or more distinct meanings… - climax - definition and examples of climaxUpdated: 2009-10-29 @ 02:04:23 EDT
Mounting by degrees through words or sentences of increasing weight and in parallel construction with an emphasis on the high point or culmination of a series of events… - amphiboly - definition and examples of amphibolyUpdated: 2009-10-29 @ 02:00:20 EDT
A fallacy that relies on an ambiguous word or grammatical structure in a sentence… - ambiguity - definition and examples of ambiguityUpdated: 2009-10-28 @ 17:03:41 EDT
The presence of two or more possible meanings in any passage… - generification - definition and examples of generificationUpdated: 2009-10-28 @ 15:02:05 EDT
The process of using specific brand names of products as names for the products in general… - Etymology - English Word Histories - Stories of Words - Definition …Updated: 2009-10-28 @ 07:51:02 EDT
The etymology of a word refers to its origin and historical development: that is, its earliest known use, its transmission from one language to another, and its changes in form and meaning. … - verb - definition and examples of verbs - glossary of grammatical te…Updated: 2009-10-27 @ 05:49:46 EDT
The part of speech that describes an action or occurrence or indicates a state of being. … - loanword - definition and examples of loan wordUpdated: 2009-10-27 @ 01:47:47 EDT
A word imported into English from another language… - loan translation - definition and examples of loan translation - glo…Updated: 2009-10-26 @ 22:13:53 EDT
A compound in English that literally translates a foreign expression, word for word. … - epigram - definition and examples of epigramsUpdated: 2009-10-26 @ 16:01:26 EDT
A concise, clever, often paradoxical statement. … - causative verb - definition and examples of causative verbs - causat…Updated: 2009-10-26 @ 07:44:05 EDT
A verb used to indicate that some person or thing helps to make something happen… - minimal pair - definition and examples of minimal pairsUpdated: 2009-10-26 @ 07:41:28 EDT
Two words that differ in only one sound… - exonym - definition and examples of exonymUpdated: 2009-10-25 @ 23:15:14 EDT
A name used in a particular language for a geographical feature outside the area where that language is spoken, and differing in its form from the name used in an official language of that area whe… - signal phrase - definition and examples of signal phraseUpdated: 2009-10-25 @ 17:19:27 EDT
A phrase, clause, or sentence that introduces a quotation, paraphrase, or summary… - modality - definition and examples of modalityUpdated: 2009-10-25 @ 07:19:14 EDT
Linguistic devices that indicate the degree to which an observation is possible, probable, likely, certain, permitted, or prohibited… - verbal hedge - definition and examples of verbal hedgeUpdated: 2009-10-25 @ 07:16:51 EDT
A word or phrase that makes statements less forceful or assertive… - downtoner - definition and examples of downtonerUpdated: 2009-10-25 @ 07:06:47 EDT
A degree adverb that decreases the effect of a modified item. … - intensifier - definition and examples of intensifierUpdated: 2009-10-25 @ 07:01:14 EDT
A word that emphasizes another word or phrase… - boosting - definition and examples of boostingUpdated: 2009-10-25 @ 07:00:19 EDT
An adverbial construction used to support a claim or express a viewpoint more assertively and convincingly… - cliché - definition and examples of clichés - what is a cliché?Updated: 2009-10-25 @ 02:20:48 EDT
A trite expression--often a figure of speech whose effectiveness has been worn out through overuse and excessive familiarity… - allusion - definition and examples of allusions - What Is an Allusio…Updated: 2009-10-24 @ 20:32:23 EDT
A brief, usually indirect reference to a person, place, or event--real or fictional… - aphasia - definition and examples of aphasiaUpdated: 2009-10-24 @ 13:44:16 EDT
Partial or total loss of the ability to articulate ideas or comprehend spoken or written language, resulting from damage to the brain caused by injury or disease… - grammatical metaphor - definition and examples of grammatical metaph…Updated: 2009-10-24 @ 06:46:39 EDT
The substitution of one grammatical class or structure for another. … - embolalia - definition and examples of embolaliaUpdated: 2009-10-24 @ 01:46:19 EDT
Hesitation forms in speech… - letter - definition and examples of lettersUpdated: 2009-10-24 @ 01:37:38 EDT
An alphabetic symbol… - conversion - definition and examples of linguistic conversionUpdated: 2009-10-23 @ 16:30:48 EDT
A process that assigns an already existing word to a new word class or syntactic category… - nominalization - definition and examples of nominalizationUpdated: 2009-10-23 @ 05:08:24 EDT
A type of word formation in which a verb or an adjective (or other part of speech) is used as a noun. … - Key Dates in the History of the English Language - History of Englis…Updated: 2009-10-23 @ 03:29:23 EDT
This timeline offers a glimpse at some of the key events that helped to shape the English language over the past 1,500 years. … - Home and Hone - Commonly Confused Words - Usage - Home in vs. Hone inUpdated: 2009-10-22 @ 06:39:08 EDT
A missile "homes in" (not "hones in") on a target. Hone means "to sharpen." … - travel writing - definition and examples of travel writingUpdated: 2009-10-22 @ 04:39:27 EDT
A form of creative nonfiction in which the narrator's encounters with foreign places serve as the dominant subject… - "In Praise of Idleness," by Bertrand Russell - Classic British EssaysUpdated: 2009-10-21 @ 05:18:53 EDT
In this 1932 essay "In Praise of Idleness," Bertrand Russell argues in favor of a four-hour working day. Consider whether his "arguments for laziness" deserve serious considerat… - Revision Checklist - Revise Paragraphs and Essays with the ChecklistUpdated: 2009-10-21 @ 01:39:38 EDT
This checklist should serve as a guide when it comes time to revise your writing… - reflexive pronoun - definition and examples of reflexive pronounsUpdated: 2009-10-21 @ 01:23:39 EDT
A pronoun that ends in "-self" or "-selves," used as an object to refer to a previously named noun or pronoun in a sentence… - polyptoton - definition and examples of polyptotonUpdated: 2009-10-21 @ 01:19:34 EDT
Repetition of words derived from the same root but with different endings… - ploce--definitions and examples of ploceUpdated: 2009-10-21 @ 01:18:50 EDT
Repetition of a word or a name with a new or more specific sense… - epizeuxis - definition and examples of epizeuxisUpdated: 2009-10-21 @ 01:17:43 EDT
Repetition of a word or phrase for emphasis, usually with no words in between… - epiphora - definition and examples of epiphoraUpdated: 2009-10-21 @ 01:15:56 EDT
Repetition of a word or phrase at the end of successive clauses… - epanalepsis - definition and examples of epanalepsisUpdated: 2009-10-21 @ 01:14:38 EDT
Repetition at the end of a clause or sentence of the word or phrase with which it began… - diacope - definition and examples of diacopeUpdated: 2009-10-21 @ 01:13:54 EDT
Repetition of a word or phrase broken up by one or more intervening words… - commoratio--definition and examples of commoratioUpdated: 2009-10-21 @ 01:12:58 EDT
Repetition of a point several times in different words… - antistasis - definition and examples of antistasisUpdated: 2009-10-21 @ 01:10:42 EDT
Repetition of a word in a different or contrary sense… - anaphora - definition and examples of rhetorical anaphora - linguist…Updated: 2009-10-21 @ 01:09:57 EDT
A rhetorical term for the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses or verses… - anadiplosis - definition and examples of anadiplosisUpdated: 2009-10-21 @ 01:09:13 EDT
Repetition of the last word of one line or clause to begin the next… - epimone - definition and examples of epimoneUpdated: 2009-10-21 @ 01:08:13 EDT
Frequent repetition of a phrase or question; dwelling on a point… - Effective Rhetorical Strategies of RepetitionUpdated: 2009-10-21 @ 00:17:25 EDT
When it came to practicing effective strategies of repetition, rhetoricians in ancient Greece and Rome had a big bag full of tricks, each with a fancy name. Here are seven common strategies--with s… - rhythm - definition and examples of rhythm in phonetics and poeticsUpdated: 2009-10-20 @ 15:30:12 EDT
(1) In phonetics, the sense of movement in speech, marked by the stress, timing, and quantity of syllables. (2) In poetics, the recurring alternation of strong and weak elements in the flow of soun… - diction - definition and examples of dictionUpdated: 2009-10-20 @ 15:26:58 EDT
(1) Choice and use of words in speech or writing. (2) A way of speaking, usually assessed in terms of prevailing standards of pronunciation and elocution…