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This glossary defines key terms and concepts.
Please note that words set in small capital letters are
themselves defined in the glossary.
C
cause and effect A strategy for analyzing why
something occurred or speculating about what its
consequences will be. Sometimes cause and effect
serves as the organizing principle for a whole text.
chronological order A way of organizing text that
proceeds from the beginning of an event to the end.
Reverse chronological order proceeds in the other
direction, from the end to the beginning.
citation In a text, the act of giving information
from a source. A citation and its corresponding parenthetical
documentation or footnote or endnote
provide minimal information about the source, and
complete bibliographic information appears in a list
of works cited or references at the end of the text.
claim A statement that asserts a belief or position.
In an argument, a claim needs to be stated in a thesis
or clearly implied, and requires support with
reasons and other kinds of evidence.
classify and divide A strategy that either groups
(classifies) numerous individual items by their similarities
(for example, classifying cereal, bread, butter,
chicken, cheese, ice cream, eggs, and oil as
carbohydrates, proteins, and fats) or breaks (divides)
one large category into smaller categories (for example,
dividing food into carbohydrates, proteins, and
fats). Sometimes classification and/or division serves
as the organizing principle for a whole text.
clustering A process for generating ideas and
text, in which a writer visually connects thoughts
by jotting them down and drawing lines between
related items.
coherence The quality that allows an audience to
follow a text's meaning and to see the connections
among ideas, sentences, and paragraphs. Elements
that can help to achieve coherence include the title, a clearly stated or implied thesis, topic sentences, an
easy-to-follow organization with clear transitions,
and parallelism among comparable ideas.
collaborating The process of working with others.
common ground Shared values. Writers build
common ground with audiences by acknowledging
others' points of view, seeking areas of compromise,
and using language that includes, rather than
excludes, those they aim to reach.
compare and contrast A strategy that highlights
the similarities and differences between items.
Using the block method of comparison-contrast, a
writer discusses all the points about one item and
then all the same points about the next item; using
the point-by-point method, a writer discusses one
point for both items before going on to discuss the
next point for both items, and so on. Sometimes
comparison and / or contrast serves as the organizing
principle for a whole text.
counterargument In argument, an alternative
position or objections to the writer's position. The
writer of an argument should not only acknowledge
counterarguments but also, if at all possible, accept,
accommodate, or refute each counterargument.
credibility The sense of trustworthiness that a
writer conveys through his or her text.
criteria In evaluation, the standards against which
something is judged.
cubing A process for generating ideas and text
in which a writer looks at a topic in six ways—to
describe it, to compare it to something else, to associate
it with other things or classify it, to analyze
it (see analysis), to apply it, and to argue for or
against it (see argument).
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