Terms to Know in English 1301

To get the most out of an English 1301 course, you must be familiar with its vocabulary. This handout provides a basic glossary of terms used in 1301 so that you can better understand assignments.

Argument Terms

Argument

(1) a spoken, written, or visual text that expresses a point of view; (2) a tool writers use to help explain what they think and why they think so; (3) the use of evidence and reason to discover some version of the truth or to convey a particular point of view.

Claim

A statement that asserts a belief or a truth. In arguments, most claims require supporting evidence. The claim is a key component of Toulmin argument.

Logical Fallacies

Errors in reasoning. Some evade the issue of the argument; others oversimplify the argument. The fallacies of evasion include begging the question, non sequitur, red herring, false authority, and inappropriate appeals such as (1) appealing to readers’ fear or pity, (2) snob appeal, (3) bandwagon, (4) flattery, (5) argument ad populum, and (6) argument ad hominem. The fallacies for oversimplifications include (1) hasty generalizations, (2) sweeping generalizations, (3) reductive fallacy, (4) post hoc fallacy, (5) either/or fallacy (false dilemma), and (6) false analogy.

Reasoning

Deductive Reasoning: The application of a generalization to specific circumstances in order to reach a conclusion.

Inductive Reasoning: The inferring of a generalization from specific evidence.

Rhetoric

The art of persuasion. Western rhetoric originated in ancient Greece as a discipline to prepare citizens for arguing cases in court.

Rhetorical Strategies

Strategies writers can use to guide what a reader thinks, trusts, sees, and/or feels. For example, strategies for framing evidence in an argument might include (1) controlling the space given to supporting versus contrary evidence, (2) emphasizing a detailed story versus presenting many facts and statistics, (3) providing contextual and interpretive comments when presenting data, (4) putting contrary evidence in subordinate positions, (5) choosing labels and names that guide the reader’s response to data, (6) using images (photographs, drawings, etc.) to guide the reader’s response to data, and (7) revealing the value system that determines the writer’s selection and framing of data.

Rogerian Argument

An approach to argumentation based on the principle, articulated by psychologist Carl Rogers, that audiences respond best when they do not feel threatened. Rogerian argument stresses trust and urges those who disagree to find common ground.

Toulmin Argument

A method of informal logic first described by Stephen Toulmin in The Uses of Argument (1958). Toulmin argument describes the key components of an argument as the claim, reason, warrant, backing, and grounds.

Warrant

In Toulmin argument, the statement (expressed or implied) that establishes the logical connection between a claim and its supporting reasons.

Citation Terms

Annotated Bibliography: A tool for assessing sources. It includes the publication information for the source, what the writer knows about the source’s content, and how she or he would use this source to support her or his argument.
Documentation: In research writing, documentation supplies citations that legitimize the use of borrowed material and supports claims about its origins. Contrast plagiarism.
Paraphrase: A restatement of the meaning of a piece of writing using different words from the original.
Parenthetical Citation: In research writing, citation is a way of acknowledging material borrowed from sources. In the text of the paper, this is done with a brief reference (enclosed in parentheses) indicating that material is borrowed and helping the reader locate more detailed information about the source on the Works Cited page.
Plagiarism: The presentation of someone else’s ideas or words as if they were one’s own. Whether accidental or deliberate, plagiarism is a serious, and often punishable, offense.
Quotation: The repetition of what someone has written or spoken: direct—a person’s words are duplicated exactly and enclosed in quotation marks; and indirect—reports what someone said or wrote but not in the exact words and not in quotation marks.
Summary: A short restatement of source material in one’s own words; it captures main points.
Works Cited: A list including all sources quoted, paraphrased, or summarized in a piece of writing. The Works Cited page must follow a specific format such as MLA or APA and cannot begin on a page that contains other text. For a directory to MLA, APA, and CMS Works Cited models, see A Writer’s Reference.

Types of Sources

Anthology: A collection of literary works by several authors. The 1301 and 1302 textbooks are examples.
Article: A shorter work published in an anthology, magazine, newspaper, journal, or other collection.
Database: An online, searchable collection of publications.
Journal: A publication of articles written and reviewed by professionals in a particular field (e.g., American Literature: A Journal of Literary History, Criticism, and Bibliography). These tend to be scholarly sources.
Website: An electronic site owned and operated by a private or public entity such as Amazon.com, etc.

Writing Terms

Analysis: A separation of a subject into its elements. Sometimes called division, analysis is fundamental to critical thinking, reading, and writing and is a useful tool for developing essays and paragraphs.
Coherence: The quality of an effective essay or paragraph that helps readers see relations among ideas and move easily from one idea to the next. To check for coherence, ask the following questions: Do the ideas follow in a clear sequence? Are the parts of the essay logically connected? Are the connections clear and smooth?
Synthesis: Making connections among parts or among wholes.
Thesis Statement: One or more sentences that assert the central, controlling idea of an essay.