Rhetorical Modes

What are Rhetorical Modes? Rhetorical Modes refers to Synonymous Terms For short, the rhetorical modes may be referenced as the modes or the modes of discourse. More broadly, rhetorical modes may be referenced as Related Concepts: Purpose – Aim of Discourse; Rhetorical Reasoning The concept of modes of discourse was introduced by Samuel P. Newman in ...

Subject, Topic

Colloquially, the terms Subject(s) as well as Topic(s) may be used interchangeably to mean what a message is about, the subject matter of a text a branch of knowledge; the categories dictionaries and encyclopedias use to sort information. However, in the discipline of Writing Studies and other academic settings, these terms may be differentiated from ...

Rhetorical Situation

What is the Rhetorical Situation? The rhetorical situation refers to Synonyms The Rhetorical Situation may also be called occasion; rhetorical situation; rhetorical occasion; situational constraints; the spin room; the no-spin room, the communication situation. Rhetorical Situations are sometimes described as formal, semi-formal, or informal. They may also be described as home-based, school-based, or work-based. Related ...

Image of a humorous 'No Soliciting' sign on a door stating, 'We love our vacuum. We found God. And we gave at the office.' The sign playfully dismisses common reasons salespeople, religious groups, and charity organizations visit homes, indicating the householders' desire to avoid unsolicited visits and pitches.

Audience Awareness – How To Boost Clarity in Communications

What is Audience Awareness? Audience Audience refers to What Does It Mean When Someone Says Your Communications Aren’t Audience Sensitive or Lack Audience Awareness? Audience Awareness refers to Synonyms Audience may refer to readers, listeners, users and other recipients of a message sent by a Sender (e.g., an author, writer, speaker, or knowledge worker) Audience ...

Description

What is Description? Description is the use of prose—especially concrete, sensory language and figurative language—to describe events, people, ideas, concepts a dominant and powerful form of human expression Description plays a role in all genres. In fact, it’s commonplace for writers to describe the context that informs their text, including a discussion of ongoing scholarly ...

Definition

Definition refers to a rhetor’s efforts to define something. Definitions may be limited to a sentence or they may extend to whole paragraphs, passages, essays, or books. Definition is essential for communication to take place. Communities of Practitioners are able to understand one another because they share a common vocabulary, which is bounded by definitions. ...

How to Win Papers and Influence Professors: Creating Positive First Impressions through Effective Titles

By the time you finish reading this first sentence, you’ve already started forming a first impression about this article. In fact, you really started forming it after reading the title. With the words, “How to Win Papers and Influence Professors,” a spoof on the popular Dale Carnegie book, “How to Win Friends & Influence People,” I already began establishing a tone and setting up expectations for you, the reader.

The Mysterious Incident of the Missing Title: Why Did Titular Concern Vanish from Composition Studies?

How much time, if any, do first-year writing instructors spend in class discussing the importance of titles on their students’ papers? Without looking at a mountain of lesson plans or interviewing a plethora of instructors from across the country, it is impossible to know what is and what isn’t commonly taught in first-year composition courses. Admittedly, introductory writing and research classes can vary greatly from institution to institution and even from instructor to instructor within the same department.

Rhetorical Analysis in the Real World: A Useful Thinking Tool

Rhetorical Analysis in the Real World: A Useful Thinking Tool

As a citizen and a scholar, I use rhetorical analysis to sort out questions about politics and relationships. In everyday life, rhetorical analysis is a valuable tool for understanding and preparing to engage in the world.

I hadn’t thought much about the word “help” until the summer day I strolled along the beach with my boyfriend. A young man on the boardwalk struggled with something—tying a kite maybe? collapsing a stroller?

Social Media Mythbusters

Along with sound and witty advice about how to write well in the workplace, the Third Edition of Business Writing: What Works, What Won’t busts a few myths about social media . . .

MYTH: Social media (blogs, Twitter, Facebook, etc.) have contributed to the erosion of writing skills today—in schools and in the workplace.