Common Sentence Purpose Identifiers
1. allusion—a general reference to a major author, published work, or historical event
2. analogy—an elaborate point-by-point comparison between two things
3. analysis—the process of studying the parts of a whole
4. characterization—the method an author uses to reveal and describe characters and their personalities
5. clarification—specifying, differentiating, or limiting your opinion to reduce possible confusion
6. classification—placing an object or idea into a group or class with others having similar characteristics
7. clincher—a sentence that summarizes the main point made in a paragraph
8. commentary—statements of personal opinion about a topic that are used to explain or advance an argument
9. comparison—a discussion of two ideas that shows their similarities
10. contrast—a discussion of two ideas that shows their differences
11. critique—a critical discussion of a specified topic
12. definition—an established factual understanding of a particular word
13. description—statements that emphasize the characteristics or qualities of a person, place, thing, or idea
14. example—a case situation serving as a model or precedent for another that is similar
15. generalization—a brief inference or general conclusion
16. moral—the particular value or lesson imparted to the reader by the author
17. qualification—a description by enumerating the characteristics of something, usually through the use of evidence
18. quantification—determining or expressing the number of something, usually through the use of statistics
19. query—a question stated in an essay; all questions asked should be answered by the author
20. quote—a word or passage extracted verbatim from an original source and incorporated into another essay, bounded by quotation marks
21. quip—a brief, witty remark delivered offhand
22. summary—information conveyed in a condensed form
23. thesis—a statement of the author’s ultimate opinion on a given topic
24. topic sentence—a sentence that guides the opinion and context of a new topic
25. transition—a word or phrase that establishes the relationship between two ideas or paragraphs
 
 

Toulmin Method Terms
26. backing—implicit assumptions; evidence offered to support a warrant
27. claim—a conclusion; a thesis to be established; a statement that asserts a belief or a truth
28. grounds—the evidence, reasons, or support for the claim; explicit reasons advanced
29. warrant—a statement that establishes the logical connection between a claim and its supporting reason
 

Logic Terms
30. a priori—an argument based on hypothesis or theory rather than on experiment or experience
31. antithesis—an immediate opposition or contrast of ideas
32. assertion—an unsupported statement (argued without evidence)
33. catalyst—something that causes a change but without changing itself
34. cause—an event that acts upon another, causing a change to take place (effect)
35. concession—a point that a writer allows the other side to score
36. conclusion—an idea that follows reasonably from one or more other ideas
37. conjecture—an inference based on inconclusive or incomplete evidence
38. contingent—dependent upon conditions or events not yet established
39. correlation—a causal, complementary, parallel, or reciprocal relationship between two entities
40. counterpoint—a contrasting but parallel element, item, or theme
41. credibility—believability or reliability, as expressed through the logic or evidence used
42. deduction—reasoning based on general premises from which specific conclusions can be drawn
43. effect—an outcome or result that follows action of an agent of change (the cause)
44. empirical evidence—proof derived from experience, observation, or experiment
45. enthymene—a syllogism with the premises left implicit
46. fact—something presented as objectively real
47. fallacy—a mistaken inference; an erroneous conclusion based on faulty reasoning
48. hypothesis—a theory; something taken to be true for the purpose of investigation or argumentation
49. implication—an indirect indication or inference
50. induction—reasoning based on specific data which enable one to reach general conclusions
51. inference—any logical or reasonable conclusion based on known facts or accepted premises
52. interpretation—the decoding or clarifying of facts, as seen through the author’s point-of-view
53. modality—a classification of propositions based on whether or not they assert or deny the possibility or necessity of their content
54. opinion—a personal belief or conclusion based on sentiment or special knowledge
55. oxymoron—a set of contradictory terms paired together
56. paradigm—an intellectual model that serves to unify a discipline; a framework for thinking
57. precedent—actions and decisions from the past that have established a pattern or model for subsequent actions
58. premise—a general statement from which arguments and conclusions may be drawn
59. qualifier—a word or phrase that limits the scope of a claim (e.g., usually, most, many)
60. supposition—a statement presumed to be true for the sake of argument or explanation
61. scope—the range, reach, or breadth of a given topic or argument
62. speculation—a conclusion, opinion, or theory derived from contemplation or conjecture
63. standard—the gauge by which something is measured; established thresholds
64. stasis theory—a method for generating appropriate arguments by determining the nature of a given situation
65. syllogism—a form of reasoning that draws a necessary conclusion based on two given conditions
66. truth—that which conforms to fact, reality, or universally-accepted standards
67. validity—reasonable acceptability
 

Policy Debate Terms
68. advantage—the gain or improvement that results from the plan
69. burden of proof—obligation of the author to prove any initiated argument
70. clash—the process of meeting with and dealing with an opposing argument head-on
71. contention—an argument essential to support a position of the case
72. evidence—data that form the basis for conclusions
73. goal—the general objective or aim in making an argument
74. harm—the undesirable impact of a policy, usually causing pain and suffering on its victims
75. impact—the results or effects of a certain issue, policy, attitude, action, etc.
76. inherency—an inseparable, necessary part of the status quo that serves as a barrier to change
77. justification—proof of validity, righteousness, or correctness
78. link—a single connecting element that joins two ideas into a cause/effect relationship
79. observation—a statement of an empirical fact
80. plan—the specific program proposed to serve as an alternative to the status quo
81. prima facie—“at first look”; a case that seems sound upon initial review
82. rebuttal—refuting opposing arguments while reconstructing those that have been attacked
83. resolution—a position stated in the form of a motion before a legislative assembly
84. shift—to abandon an original position for a different one
85. significance—the degree of importance of a conclusion
86. solvency—the relationship of workability between a policy and its claimed effects
87. status quo—the present system; the existing order
88. topicality—arguments that adhere to the boundaries of a query or resolution
89. turn—an argument that shows an opponent’s ideas achieve the opposite of the intended results
 

Connecting Author with Reader
90. audience—the intended readers of an essay (in terms of age, education, gender, etc.)
91. bias—a writer’s prejudicial attitude toward the subject
92. connotation—the social interpretation of a word or phrase beyond the literal meaning
93. context—the circumstances around which the writing is framed, including the author’s purpose, intended audience, time frame, format, etc.
94. credibility—the impression of the author’s honesty, integrity, and trustworthiness; believability of an author’s statements
95. denotation—the literal meaning (dictionary definition) of a concept or idea
96. diction—an author’s choice of words based on their correctness, effectiveness, or clarity
97. empathy—understanding someone else’s situation through first-hand experience
98. juxtaposition—the close placement of two things that better reveals their similarities or differences
99. mood—the feeling exhibited from a written work; a reader’s emotional response to the essay
100. motif—a framework, pattern, idea, or incident repeated in an essay
101. persona—the author’s voice or self-presentation
102. point of view—the vantage point through which the writing is filtered
103. spacing—extra paragraph spacing indicates greater separation or difference between two paragraphs in terms of topic, setting, character, or tone
104. sympathy—feeling pity or sorrow for someone else’s situation
105. theme—a statement about life that serves as the central idea in a work of literature
106. tone—the author’s attitude toward the subject or topic
107. verisimilitude—the quality of appearing to be true or real
 

Style and Creative Writing Terms
108. alliteration—the repetition of initial consonant sounds
109. anecdote—a short summary of an event, usually lighthearted or funny
110. aphorism—a concise statement of principle; a general truth or observation about life
111. assonance—the repetition of vowel sounds in close proximity
112. epigram—a brief, witty poem or saying that deals with the topic in a satirical manner
113. figurative language—language that cannot be taken literally since it was written to create a special effect or feeling
114. flashback—returning to an earlier time in a story for the purpose of making something in the present more clear
115. foreshadowing—a suggestion of what is to come later by offering hints and clues
116. hyperbole—exaggeration of the truth for a literary effect
117. imagery—words or phrases that conjure visual images in the minds of the readers
118. impressionism—suggestions or intimations of vague thoughts and remembrances
119. irony—words or phrases that suggest the opposite of a literal or normal meaning
120. local color—the use of details that are common to or representative of a particular region of the world
121. metaphor—a figure of speech in which one thing is spoken of as if it were something else
122. metonymy—the substituting of one word for another closely related to it:
123. narration—writing that tells a story
124. onomatopoeia—words or phrases that imitate the sounds they describe
125. parable—a short, descriptive story that illustrates a particular belief or moral
126. parallelism—the use of similar grammatical structures or forms to create pleasing rhythms
127. personification—applying human qualities to something that is not human
128. reminiscence—a recollection of specific events in one’s past
129. repetition—the intentional, continual use of a word, phrase, or other idea intended for dramatic or creative effect
130. setting—the time, place, and circumstances in which narrative action takes place
131. simile—a type of metaphor that compares specific qualities, using “as” or “like”
132. symbolism—using an object or icon to represent something else
133. synecdoche—using a part of something to describe the whole
134. understatement—a statement that describes something in less impressive terms
135. paraphrase—a restatement of someone else’s ideas into your own words
136. frequency—the rate at which an incident occurs
137. probability—the likelihood of an occurrence
138. stipulation—a term or condition of an agreement
139. sound argument—an argument with a firm logical basis based on valid reasoning
140. testimony—personal evidence supporting a fact or an assertion
141. theory—an assumption or guess based on limited information, distinguished from experiment or practice
142. topic—the specific subject of an argument or piece of writing