RHETORICAL TERMS GLOSSARY
The 4 Writing Purposes
- Expressive
- Persuasive
- Literary
- Referential//expository
4 Purposes
Definition//Example
Expressive
- Expressive essays reveal yourself and your thought, memories, emotions and feelings
- In first person(I, Me, We)
- "I hated how we couldn't go shop just because it rained. Instead we decided to go eat at an indoor restaurant.
Definition//Example
Persuasive
- To convince the readers over a specific topic
- "Science has proven that eating a piece of chocolate each day improves health and makes you happier, so if you want to stay happy and healthy eat a piece of chocolate everyday"
Definition//Example
Literary
- To entertain the audience and make them express emotions.
- "It was a dark and quiet night she was sitting in her room alone with the window open when all of a sudden she heard a loud thud"
Definition//Example
Referential//Repository
- Explains a certain topic through research, evaluation, expanding
- “The cat is a domesticated carnivore that has been a popular pet for centuries. It is a curious, often affectionate animal, but somewhat independent. Although it is often kept to rid a house of mice, it will kill birds, snakes, and lizards as well.”
There are 8 Modes
Writing Modes
- Narration
- Description
- Process
- Cause/effect
- Classification and Division
- Example
- Definition
- Compare/contrast
Narration//Description//Process/Cause&Effect
1st 4
- Narration: Telling a story or part of a story through series of events and could go in chronological order or flashbacks
- Description: Creates a scenery or sensation of a certain time event, a place and an event.
- Process: How to do something in chronological order
- Cause&effect: Why something happens and the result of the something that happened.
Classification&Division/Example/Definition/Compare&Contrast
Other 4
- Classification&Division: Putting things into categories according to similar ideas.
- Example: "For example", "Such as" then referring to something
- Definition: Taking word and and differentiating it from the other members in the same category.
- Compare&contrast: Comparing two things and pointing out similarities and differences.
5 Situations
- Purpose
- Genre
- Audience
- Topic
- Context
Rhetorical Situation
Purpose//Genre
- Purpose: to entertain,inform,call for action, persuade,educate, or shock.
- Genre: category or type of writing; fiction, non-fiction, sci-fi
1st 2
Audience//Topic/Context
- Audience: Who you are writing to; depends on age, education etc
- Topic: What you're going to write about
- Context: "situation" in the writing, what is going on
Last 3