Academic VocabularyArgumentation Terms

Argumentation Terms diction: a writer's or speaker’s choice of words, as well as the

syntax, or order of the words

emotional appeals (pathos): messages that evoke strong feelings—such as fear, pity, or vanity—in order to persuade, instead of using facts and evidence to make a point

ethical appeals (ethos): establish a writer’s credibility and trustworthiness with an audience

logical appeal (logos): relies on logic and facts appealing to people’s reasoning or intellect rather than to their values or emotions

Argumentation Terms hyperbole: figure of speech in which the truth is

exaggerated for emphasis or for humorous effect; overstatement.

repetition: a sound, word, or phrase is repeated for emphasis or unity; helps reinforce meaning and create an appealing rhythm

tone: the attitude a writer takes toward the reader, a subject, or a character.

Counterargument: An argument made to oppose another argument. A good argument anticipates opposing viewpoints and provides counterarguments to refute (disprove) or answer them.

Propaganda: uses emotional appeals and often biased, false, or misleading information to manipulate people into thinging or acting in a certain way.

Types of Analytical Essays

analytical essay: explores a topic by supplying relevant information in the form of facts, reasons, and valid inferences to support the writer’s claims. It has a clear thesis with facts and information that support that thesis.

compare-and-contrast: explores similarities and differences between two or more things for a specific purpose and offers clear, factual details about the subject

cause-and-effect: traces the results of an event or describes the reasons an event happened. It gives precise examples that support the relationship between the cause and effect

Types of Analytical Essays classification: organizes a subject into categories and

explains the category into which an item falls. Example: a classification essay about video games might discuss three types of video games- action, adventure, and arcade

problem-solution: presents a problem and then offers solutions to that problem

pro-con: examines the arguments for and against an idea or topic

informative: supply relevant information about a topic by analyzing the topic’s elements