DOCSLIB.ORG

Advanced Placement English Language and Composition Information and Guide

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Advanced Placement English Language and Composition Information and Guide Advanced Placement English Language and Composition Information and Guide Advanced Placement English Language and Composition Instructor: E-mail: Room: Course Overview An AP course in English Language and Composition engages students in becoming skilled readers of prose written in a variety of rhetorical contexts, and in becoming skilled writers who compose for a variety of purposes. Both their writing and their reading should make students aware of the interactions among a writer’s purposes, audience expectations, and subjects, as well as the way genre conventions and the resources of language contribute to effectiveness in writing. Goals The goals of an AP English Language and Composition course are diverse because the college composition course is one of the most varied in the curriculum. Although the college course provides students with opportunities to write about a variety of subjects from a variety of disciplines and to demonstrate an awareness of audience and purpose, the overarching objective in most first- year writing courses is to enable students to write effectively and confidently in their college courses across the curriculum and in their professional and personal lives. Most composition courses emphasize the expository, analytical, and argumentative writing that forms the basis of academic and professional communication, as well as the personal and reflective writing that fosters the development of writing facility in any context. In addition, most composition courses teach students that the expository, analytical, and argumentative writing they must do in college is based on reading as well as on personal experience and observation. Composition courses, therefore, teach students to read primary and secondary sources carefully, to synthesize material from these texts in their own compositions, and to cite sources using conventions recommended by professional organizations such as the Modern Language Association (MLA), the University of Chicago Press (The Chicago Manual of Style), the American Psychological Association (APA) and the Council of Biology Editors (CBE). As in the college course, the purpose of the AP English Language and Composition course is to enable students to read complex texts with understanding and to write prose of sufficient richness and complexity to communicate effectively with mature readers. An AP English Language and Composition course should help students move beyond such programmatic responses as the five-paragraph essay that provides an introduction with a thesis and three reasons, body paragraphs on each reason, and a conclusion that restates the thesis . Although such formulaic approaches may provide minimal organization, they often encourage unnecessary repetition and fail to engage the reader. Students should be encouraged to place their emphasis on content, purpose, and audience and to allow this focus to guide the organization of their writing Summer Read Douglass, Frederick. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave The following text is required of each student: Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter (will need by the second grading period) 2 Select ONE of the following (will need the second semester): Angelou, Maya. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings Dillard, Annie. An American Childhood Gladwell, Malcolm. Outliers McCourt, Frank. Angela’s Ashes Nafisis, Azar. Reading Lolita in Tehran Skloot, Rebecca. Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks Wolff, Tobias. This Boy’s Life Wright, Richard. Black Boy **Please review each text before making your final selections as some may contain content that is not acceptable to all families. **Each of these titles come from College Board recommended reading lists. Required Materials Composition/Spiral Notebook Folder/Binder that is strictly for English Perforated lined writing pad—legal size (this is the extra long one) Grading Grading Scale Test/major writing assignment 70% A…..90-100 D…..70-74 Quizzes 20% B…..80-89 F…..<69 Daily Grades 10% Heading for all TYPED papers Name Teacher’s Name AP English Language and Composition- class period day month year Example: Taylor Mustang All of this information is double spaced and flush left. Mrs. Instructor AP English Language and Composition-2 17 August 2015 3 Cheating/Plagiarism When writers use materials from other sources, they MUST ACKNOWLEDGE THESE SOURCES. Not doing so is called plagiarism, which means: using material without crediting the ideas or expression of another. This includes taking information from books, articles, or the internet without citing your source. It also includes presenting another student’s work as your own or using the ideas, passage or general outline of another person’s work whether professional (published) or amateur (unpublished). I am aware of the many, many material on the internet that have been uploaded by students and teachers that could be used by you to improve your score in this course; however, a high grade does not, and will not, indicate learning. Please act as an individual thinker and writer; I want to read your work, not someone else’s. Websites It would be wise to bookmark these websites on your computer. www.dictionary.com www.collegeboard.com http://rhetoric.byu.edu/ STYLE ANALYSIS One of the most time-honored methods of elaborating one’s style is to employ figures of rhetoric in a piece of writing. A critical reader will learn to recognize when a writer is using one or more of the figures, just as a mature writer will learn to incorporate them effectively in a composition. H.L. Mencken, great American satirist and social critic, once noted that “style cannot go beyond the ideas which lie at the heart of it. If they [the ideas] are clear, it [style] too will be clear. If they are held passionately, it will be eloquent.” An analysis of prose style begins with understanding the roles of grammatical competence and diction, as well as the function of tone; it then moves into an examination of specific figures of speech. Rhetoricians divide the figures into two broad categories: schemes and tropes. There are at least four areas that may be considered when analyzing style: diction, sentence structure, treatment of subject matter, and figurative language. I. Diction (choice of words) – Describe diction by considering the following: A. Words may be monosyllabic (one syllable in length) or polysyllabic (more than one syllable in length). The higher ratio of polysyllabic words, the more difficult the content. B. Words may be mainly colloquial (slang), informal (conversational), formal (literary) or old-fashioned. C. Words may be mainly denotative (containing an exact meaning), e.g. dress, or connotative (containing a suggested meaning), e.g. gown. D. Words may be concrete (specific) or abstract (general). E. Words may be euphonious (pleasant sounding), e.g. butterfly, or cacophonous (harsh sounding), e.g. pus. Some questions to consider when analyzing for diction: Which of the important words in the passage (verbs, nouns, adjectives, and adverbs) are general and abstract? Which are specific and concrete? Are the important words formal, informal, colloquial, or slang? Are some words nonliteral or figurative, creating figures of speech such as metaphors? 4 Words That Describe Language Jargon Pedantic Poetic Vulgar Euphemistic Moralistic Scholarly Pretentious Slang Insipid Sensuous Idiomatic Precise Exact Concrete Esoteric Learned Cultured Connotative Symbolic Picturesque Plain Simple Homespun Literal Figurative Provincial Colloquial Bombastic Trite Artificial Abstract Obscure Detached Grotesque Precise Emotional Concrete Exact II. Sentence Structure/ Syntax - the combination and arrangement of words into phrases, clauses, and sentences. Coordination, subordination, and placement are syntactical techniques for achieving sentence variety. However, sentence variety should not be used for its own sake but rather to express ideas clearly, clarify the relationships among ideas, and emphasize the most important ideas within each sentence. Describe the sentence structure by considering the following: A. Examine the sentence length. Are the sentences telegraphic (shorter than 5 words in length), medium (approximately eighteen words in length), or long and involved (thirty words or more in length)? Does the sentence length fit the subject matter, what variety of lengths is present? Why is the sentence length effective? B. Examine sentence patterns. Some elements to consider are listed below: 1. A declarative sentence (assertive) makes a statement, e.g., The king is sick. An imperative sentence gives a command, e.g., Stand up. An interrogative sentence asks a question, e.g., Is the king sick? An exclamatory sentence makes an exclamation, e.g., The king is dead! 2. A simple sentence contains one subject and one verb, e.g., The singer bowed to her adoring audience. A compound sentence contains two independent clauses joined by a coordinate conjunction (and, but, or) or by a semicolon, e.g., The singer bowed to the audience, but she sang no encores. A complex sentence contains an independent clause and one or more subordinate clauses, e.g., You said that you would tell the truth. A compound-complex sentence contains two or more principal clauses and one or more subordinate clause, e.g., The singer bowed while the audience applauded, but she sang no encores. 3. A loose sentence makes complete sense if brought to a close before the actual ending, e.g. We reached Edmonton that morning after a turbulent fight and some exciting experiences. A periodic sentence makes sense only when the end of the sentence is reached, e.g., That morning, after a turbulent flight and some exciting experiences, we reached Edmonton. 5 4. In a balanced sentence, the phrases or clauses balance each other by virtue of their likeness or structure, meaning, and/or length, e.g., He makes me to lie down in green pastures; he leadeth me beside the still waters. 5. Natural order of a sentence involves constructing sentences so the subject comes before the predicate, e.g., Oranges grow in California. Inverted order of a sentence (sentence inversion) involves constructing sentences so the predicate comes before the subject, e.g., In California grow oranges.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Analyzing Syntax
    A.P. Language and Composition Analyzing Syntax A writer’s style is indicated by his/her choice of words and by the way he/she puts those words together: the sentence is usually considered the backbone of a writer’s style. Syntax encompasses word order, sentence length, sentence form, sentence function, sentence focus, and punctuation. I. A sentence can be studied for its form. Is it simple, compound, or complex? A. Simple: The boys were already in the classroom. (one independent clause) B. Compound: The boys were already in the classroom, and they began to work. (two independent clauses) C. Complex: The boys who were already in the classroom began to work (one independent clause and one or more dependent clauses) D. Compound-Complex: When the teacher walked into the classroom, the boys were already there, and they began to work. (two independent clauses and one or more dependent clauses) *** The important point to remember when analyzing the sentence form would be the purpose of that form; what effect does it have on the piece of writing? For example, Hemingway’s short stories about Nick Adams include mostly simple sentences with some compound and complex sentences. Hemingway is famous for this technique and its effect of emphasizing Nick’s careful denial of his emotions when he returned from the war. When considering sentence form, you might ask yourself how the effect of a sentence would be different if its form was altered? For example, if a writer writes two short simple sentences in a row (i.e. I am frustrated.
    [Show full text]
  • Harbrace College Handbook
    Harbrace College Handbook REVISED THIRTEENTH EDITION WITH 1998 MLA STYLE MANUAL UPDATES SUB Gttttlngen 7 ••% 208 52018X 98 A14435 Contents Preface vi GRAMMAR Chapter 1 Sentence Sense ss The parts of a sentence 2 la Recognizing verbs and predicates 3 lb Recognizing subjects, objects, and complements (1) Subjects of verbs 4 (2) Objects of verbs 6 (3) Subject and object complements 7 (4) Word order 8 lc Recognizing parts of speech 10 (1) Verbs 13 (2) Nouns 13 (3) Pronouns 15 (4) Adjectives 15 (5) Adverbs 16 (6) Prepositions 16 (7) Conjunctions 18 (8) Interjections 18 Id Recognizing phrases 19 (1) Kinds of phrases 19 (2) Phrases used as nouns 21 (3) Phrases used as modifiers 22 XIX xx Contents le Recognizing clauses 24 (1) Independent clauses 24 (2) Subordinate clauses 24 If Sentence form and function 28 (1) Examining sentence forms 28 (2) Examining the purpose or function of sentences 29 Chapter 2 Sentence Fragments frag 31 Testing for fragments 31 2a Phrases 32 2b Subordinate clauses 33 Chapter 3 Comma Splices and Fused Sentences cs/fs 36 How to separate clauses 36 How to link and relate clauses 37 3a With coordinating conjunctions 38 3b With conjunctive adverbs or transitional phrases 41 3c Divided quotations 42 Chapter 4 Adjectives and Adverbs ad 45 4a Adverbs 46 4b Adjectives used as subject or object complements 47 4c Comparative and superlative forms 48 (1) The comparative 49 (2) The superlative 50 (3) Incorrect double comparatives or superlatives 50 4d Awkward or ambiguous use of a noun as an adjective 51 4e The double negative 52
    [Show full text]
  • A Derivational Approach to the Syntax-Prosody Interface
    LINEARIZATION: A DERIVATIONAL APPROACH TO THE SYNTAX-PROSODY INTERFACE by KAYONO SFflOBARA B.A., The University of Tokyo, 1996 M.A., The University of Tokyo, 1998 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES (Linguistics) We accept this thesis as confomiing to the required standard THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA April 2004 © Kayono Shiobara, 2004 ABSTRACT The major goal of this thesis is to account for a certain class of word order alternations in natural languages, in particular heavy NP shift in English and short-scrambling in Japanese. My central claim is that the properties of these alternations are best accounted for as PF interface phenomena constrained by correspondence conditions on the mapping from syntax to prosody. I develop a model of grammar in which linearization is distributed between core syntax and the prosody-syntax interface: using an incremental structure-building mechanism based on that of Phillips (1996, 2003), I provide a derivational model of the syntax-prosody mapping in which the unit of spell-out is defined by correspondence relations between syntactic objects and prosodic objects. This approach, which I refer to as the Prosodic Phase Hypothesis, provides a prosodically based account of the distinctive properties of heavy NP shift and short-scrambling, including not only clearly prosodic factors such as weight and sentence level stress, but also, indirectly, sensitivity to semantic/pragmatic factors such as focus. The gist of the Prosodic Phase Hypothesis is that the general prosodic properties of a particular language constrain the linearization of verbal dependents in the language.
    [Show full text]
  • Name: Homework 1 Indicate the Order in Which
    Name: _________________________ Homework 1 Indicate the order in which the signs should be read by numbering next to the signs: Name: _________________________ Homework 2 Identify only the uniliteral signs by circling them. Then, transliterate: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Name: _________________________ Homework 3 Identify the uniliterals, biliterals, phonetic complements, and determinatives with. Then, transliterate: 1. See 11. Construction, work, device 2. (ferry) across 12. Vizier 3. Rejoice, be 13. Donkey glad 4. Send 14. Secret 5. Son 15. Water 6. Daughter 16. Crocodile 7. Male servant 17. Mouth, utterance 8. Female 18. (noun) face servant 9. Road, way, 19. (preposition) , side upon, concerning, because 10. Office, hall Notes: The determinative is not necessarily the last sign. There may be more than one determinative for a single word. Additionally, there is a subtle difference between the pintail duck, zA, and the goose, gb. The former has a more pointed tail and the latter is in gbb the Earth god. Homework 3 Answer Key Text Transliteration: 1. mAA 2. DA(j) 3. rS(j) 4. HAb 5. zA 6. zAt 7. bAk 8. bAkt 9. wAt , 10. xA 11. kAt 12. TAt(j) 13. aA 14. sStA 15. jtrw 16. mzh 17. r 18. Hr 19. Hr Name: _________________________ Homework 4 Transliterate and translate the following: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Word Bank: Son Vizier Daughter Donkey Male servant Crocodile Female servant Mouth, utterance Road, way (noun) face , Construction, work Homework 4 Answer Key Text Transliteration Translation 1. zAw Hna zAt Sons and daughter 2. bAktj nt TAt(j) Two maids of the vizier 3.
    [Show full text]
  • Nominalizations As a Source for Verbal Morphology. Grammaticalization Paths of Modality and Information Structure in Earlier Egyptian Elsa Oréal
    Nominalizations as a source for verbal morphology. Grammaticalization paths of modality and information structure in Earlier Egyptian Elsa Oréal To cite this version: Elsa Oréal. Nominalizations as a source for verbal morphology. Grammaticalization paths of modality and information structure in Earlier Egyptian. Lingua Aegyptia - Journal of Egyptian Language Studies, Widmaier Verlag, 2017, pp.1-33. hal-01728636 HAL Id: hal-01728636 https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01728636 Submitted on 19 Oct 2019 HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est archive for the deposit and dissemination of sci- destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents entific research documents, whether they are pub- scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, lished or not. The documents may come from émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de teaching and research institutions in France or recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires abroad, or from public or private research centers. publics ou privés. LINGUA AEGYPTIA JOURNAL OF EGYPTIAN LANGUAGE STUDIES 25 2017 Widmaier Verlag ∙ Hamburg 2018 LINGUA AEGYPTIA – Journal of Egyptian Language Studies (LingAeg) founded by Friedrich Junge, Frank Kammerzell & Antonio Loprieno EDITORS Heike Behlmer Frank Kammerzell Antonio Loprieno Gerald Moers (Göttingen) (Berlin) (Basel) (Wien) MANAGING EDITOR REVIEW EDITORs Kai Widmaier Eliese-Sophia Lincke Daniel A. Werning (Hamburg) (Berlin) (Berlin) IN COLLABORATION WITH Tilmann Kunze (Berlin) ADVISORY BOARD James P. Allen, Providence Elsa Oréal, Paris Wolfgang Schenkel, Tübingen Joris F. Borghouts, Leiden Richard B. Parkinson, Oxford Thomas Schneider, Vancouver Christopher J. Eyre, Liverpool Stéphane Polis, Liège Ariel Shisha-Halevy, Jerusalem Eitan Grossman, Jerusalem Sebastian Richter, Berlin Deborah Sweeney, Tel Aviv Roman Gundacker, Wien Kim Ryholt, Copenhagen Pascal Vernus, Paris Janet H.
    [Show full text]
  • Methods and Tool for Constructing Phonetically-Balanced Materials for Speech Perception Testing: a Development of Thai Sentence-Length Materials
    PACLIC 29 Methods and Tool for Constructing Phonetically-Balanced Materials for Speech Perception Testing: A Development of Thai Sentence-Length Materials Adirek Munthuli Charturong Tantibundhit Department of Electrical and Computer Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Thammasat University, Thailand Center of Excellence in Intelligent [email protected] Informatics, Speech and Language Technology, and Service Innovation (CILS) Thammasat University, Thailand [email protected] Chutamanee Onsuwan Krit Kosawat Department of Linguistics, Faculty of Liberal National Electronics and Computer Arts and Center of Excellence in Intelligent Technology Center (NECTEC), National Informatics, Speech and Language Science and Technology Development Technology, and Service Innovation (CILS) Agency (NSTDA), Thailand Thammasat University, Thailand [email protected] [email protected] phonetically balanced (PB). To show Abstract how this is accomplished, two sentence sets are constructed and evaluated by Phonemic content is one of many native speakers. The procedure and tool important criteria in a development of have characteristics that make them any kind of speech testing materials. In potentially useful in other applications this paper, we explain a procedure and and can be applied to other languages. tool we created in the process of constructing phonetically-balanced (PB) Keywords: Thai, sentence-length sentence-length materials for Thai, as an material
    [Show full text]
  • DIDLS Diction, Imagery, Details, Language, and Syntax Use Diction to Find Tone
    DIDLS Diction, Imagery, Details, Language, and Syntax Use diction to find tone. Use imagery, details, language and syntax to support tone. TONE Author's attitude toward the subject, toward himself, or toward the audience. DICTION Adjectives, nouns, verbs, adverbs, negative words, positive words, synonyms, contrast. Look at the words that jump out at you - Evaluate only those words to find tone Also look at: Colloquial (Slang) Old-Fashioned Informal (Conversational) Formal (Literary) Connotative (Suggestive meaning) Denotative (Exact meaning) Concrete (Specific) Abstract (General or Conceptual) Euphonious (Pleasant Sounding) Cacophonous (Harsh sounding) Monosyllabic (One syllable) Polysyllabic (More than one syllable) • Describe diction (choice of words) by considering the following: 1. Words can be monosyllabic (one syllable in length) or polysyllabic (more than one syllable in length). The higher the ratio of polysyllabic words, the more difficult the content. 2. Words can be mainly colloquial (slang), informal (conversational), formal (literary) or old-fashioned. 3. Words can be mainly denotative (containing an exact meaning, e.g., dress) or connotative (containing suggested meaning, e.g., gown) 4. Words can be concrete (specific) or abstract (general or conceptual). 5. Words can euphonious (pleasant sounding, e.g., languid, murmur) or cacophonous (harsh sound, e.g., raucous, croak). IMAGERY Creates a vivid picture and appeals to the senses Alliteration repetition of consonant sounds at the start of a word The giggling girl gave gum.
    [Show full text]
  • To Whom It May Concern
    Terms to Know for Pre-AP English I You must be familiar with the definitions of the following by the first day of Pre-AP English I. Close Reading Terms: Inference: opinion with evidence to support Archetype: an original pattern or model from which all other things of the same kind are made Dynamic character: changing character Static character: character stays the same Epiphany : sudden realization; the light bulb moment Flat/round character: (no depth/depth and complexity) Foil: character’s opposite Motivation: what drives a character on Detail: details included for a purpose Diction: Word choice Connotation: feeling word gives you Denotation: dictionary definition Dialect: vocabulary that is characteristic of a specific group of people Colloquial: informal spoken language or conversation Slang: non-standard use of words Vernacular: characteristic language of a particular group Euphemism: A mild word of phrase which substitutes for another which would be undesirable because it is too direct, unpleasant, or offensive Idiom: a manner of speaking that is natural to native speakers of a language Imagery: words that appeal to the 5 senses Mood: the feeling invoked in the reader Foreshadowing: hints to what is to come Rhetorical Shift: shift in attitude Theme: what an author believes to be true on a subject presented in the work. Tone: speaker’s attitude towards his subject Apostrophe: addressing something as if they were present Metaphor: figurative language comparing two unlike things Metonymy : type of metaphor in which a word or phrase is substituted for something closely associated with it. Oxymoron: a paradox in two side by side words.
    [Show full text]
  • English Handbook Junior and Senior High
    MHCBE English Handbook Junior and Senior High Composition is for the most part, an effort of slow diligence and steady perseverance, to which the mind is dragged by necessity or resolution. Samuel Johnson Vigorous writing is concise. A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts. This requires not that the writer make all sentences short, or avoid all detail and treat subjects only in outline, but that every word tell. William Strunk, Jr. ACTIVE AND PASSIVE VOICE The voice of a verb indicates whether the subject of a sentence performs the action or receives the action. In the active voice, the subject of a sentence does the action. For example, the dog ran into the street. Use the active voice when possible. It uses fewer words and is more precise than the passive voice. A verb is in the active voice when the subject of the verb actually performs the action indicated by the verb. Example: The judge pronounced the verdict. Subject verb object We built a house in the country. Subject verb object prepositional phrase In each example above, the subject is the performer of the action, and the object is the receiver of the action. In the passive voice the subject of the verb receives the action: The fire was extinguished. A verb is in the passive voice when it expresses an action performed on the subject (the subject receives the action) Example: The verdict was pronounced by the judge.
    [Show full text]
  • Parallelism, Variety, and Emphasis
    TROYMC10_29_0131889567.QXD 1/27/06 6:30 PM Page 226 18b PARALLELISM, VARIETY, AND EMPHASIS CHAPTER 18 Parallelism, Variety, and Emphasis 18a What is parallelism? When you write words, PHRASES, or CLAUSES within a sentence to match in their grammatical forms, the result is parallelism. Parallelism serves to emphasize information or ideas in writing. The technique relates to the con- cept of parallel lines in geometry, lines that run alongside each other and never meet. Parallelism delivers grace, rhythm, and impact. The deer often come to eat their grain, the wolves to destroy their sheep, the bears to kill their hogs, and the foxes to catch their poultry. [The message of the multiple, accumulating assaults is echoed by the par- allel structures.] —J. Hector St. Jean de Crèvecoeur, Letters from an American Farmer You gain several advantages in using parallel structures: ■ You can express ideas of equal weight in your writing. ■ You can emphasize important information or ideas. ■ You can add rhythm and grace to your writing style. Many writers attend to parallelism when they are REVISING. If you think while you’re DRAFTING that your parallelism is faulty or that you can enhance your writing style by using parallelism, underline or highlight the material and keep moving forward. When you revise, you can return to the places you’ve marked. 18b What is a balanced sentence? A balanced sentence is a type of parallelism in which contrasting content is delivered. The two parallel structures are usually, but not always, INDEPENDENT CLAUSES. A balanced sentence uses COORDINATION. The two coordinate structures are characterized by opposites in meaning, sometimes with one structure cast in the negative.
    [Show full text]
  • On Legal Style George John Miller Caldwell, Parker, Foster, Wigginton and Miller
    Kentucky Law Journal Volume 43 | Issue 2 Article 3 1954 On Legal Style George John Miller Caldwell, Parker, Foster, Wigginton and Miller Follow this and additional works at: https://uknowledge.uky.edu/klj Part of the Legal Writing and Research Commons Right click to open a feedback form in a new tab to let us know how this document benefits you. Recommended Citation Miller, George John (1954) "On Legal Style," Kentucky Law Journal: Vol. 43 : Iss. 2 , Article 3. Available at: https://uknowledge.uky.edu/klj/vol43/iss2/3 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Law Journals at UKnowledge. It has been accepted for inclusion in Kentucky Law Journal by an authorized editor of UKnowledge. For more information, please contact [email protected]. On Legal Style By GEORGE JoHN MILER* But easy writing's curst hard reading. SHERMDAN An association seldom reveals its potency at its inception. This statement holds good for ideas, for persons, for moral prin- ciples, and for things spiritual. Today, in approaching the sub- ject legal style, I glimpse a myriad fleeting images.1 I see Miss Augusta B. Center-"A B C," as she was known in St. Petersburg High School-a firm yet lovable martinet on English grammar and an enthusiast for rhetoric, literature, and especially Shakespeare. I see Miss Vera M. Dumas, a similar martinet on Latin grammar and an enthusiast for Roman literature, life and culture. I see my Aunt Edith Rowles, Phi Beta Kappa, Syracuse, 1901, a clas- sics major, who for several years labored diligently with me on Latin.
    [Show full text]
  • Rhetorical Strategies: Any Device Used to Analyze the Interplay Between a Writer/Speaker, a Specific Audience, and a Particular Purpose
    RHETORICAL STRATEGIES: ANY DEVICE USED TO ANALYZE THE INTERPLAY BETWEEN A WRITER/SPEAKER, A SPECIFIC AUDIENCE, AND A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. 1. Abstract diction: (compare to concrete diction) Abstract diction refers to words that describe concepts rather than concrete images (ideas and qualities rather than observable or specific things, people, or places.) These words do not appeal imaginatively to the reader's senses. Abstract words create no "mental picture" or any other imagined sensations for readers. Abstract words include: Love, Hate, Feelings, Emotions, Temptation, Peace, Seclusion, Alienation, Politics, Rights, Freedom, Intelligence, Attitudes, Progress, Guilt, etc. Try to create a mental picture of "love." Do you picture a couple holding hands, a child hugging a mother, roses and valentines? These are not "love." Instead, they are concrete objects you associate with love. Because it is an abstraction, the word "love" itself does not imaginatively appeal to the reader's senses. "Ralph and Jane have experienced difficulties in their lives, and both have developed bad attitudes because of these difficulties. They have now set goals to surmount these problems, although the unfortunate consequences of their experiences are still apparent in many everyday situations." 2. Absolutes: an adverbial clause that has a nonfinite verb or no verb at all (the clause is missing “was” or “were” or it is replaced by a verbal, making it dependent). The prisoners marched past, their hands above their heads. (The prisoners marched past. Their hands were above their heads.) The work having been finished, the gardener came to ask for payment. (The work was finished. The gardener came to ask for payment.) “But I knew her sick from the disease that would not go, her legs bunched under the yellow sheets, the bones gone limp as worms.”—Sandra Cisneros, The House on Mango Street “We pretended with our heads thrown back, our arms limp and useless, dangling like the dead.”—Sandra Cisneros, The House on Mango Street 3.
    [Show full text]