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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.
D
define A strategy that gets at the meaning of
something. Three main kinds of definitions are the
formal definition, which may identify the category
that something belongs to and tell what distinguishes
it from other things in that category: for example,
defining a worm as an invertebrate (a category) with
a long, rounded body and no appendages (distinguishing
features); the extended definition, which, as its
name suggests, is longer: for example, a paragraph
explaining why the antagonist of a story is wormlike;
and the stipulative definition, which gives a
writer's own, particular use of a term: for example,
using the term worm to refer to a kind of gummy
candy. Sometimes definition serves as the organizing
principle for a whole text.
describe A strategy that tells how something looks,
sounds, smells, feels, or tastes. Effective description
creates a clear dominant impression built from specific details. Description can be objective, subjective, or both. Sometimes description serves as the organizing principle for a whole text.
design The way a text is arranged and presented
visually. Elements of design include typeface, color,
illustration, layout, and white space. One component
of any rhetorical situation, design plays an
important part in reaching a text's audience and
achieving its purpose.
dialogue A strategy for adding people's own
words to a text.
discovery drafting A process of drafting something
quickly, mostly for the purpose of discovering
what one wants to say.
divide See classify and divide.
documentation Publication information about
the sources cited in a text. The documentation usually
appears in an abbreviated form in parentheses
at the point of citation or in an endnote or a footnote.
Complete documentation usually appears as a
list of works cited or references at the end of the
text. Documentation styles vary by discipline. For
example, Modern Language Association (MLA) style
requires an author's complete first name if it
appears in a source, whereas American Psychological
Association (apa) style requires only the initial
of an author's first name.
dominant impression The overall effect created
through specific details when a writer describes
something.
drafting The process of putting words on paper
or screen. Writers often write several drafts, revising
each until they achieve their goal or reach
a deadline. At that point, they submit a finished
final draft. See also discovery drafting.
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