Everything Writing

1. Everything Writing Terminology Ellipses & Brackets Rhetorical Triangle

2. Ellipses (. . .) When do you use it? Why do you use it?

3. Use ellipses to show you are leaving something out “Good Writing is presenting relevant information to the reader in a manner that is easy to understand. Technical writing uses clear, and plain English. Following the rules of grammar alone will not ensure good writing” (“What Is Good Writing?”). “Good Writing is presenting relevant information to the reader in a manner that is easy to understand. . . . Following the rules of grammar alone will not ensure good writing” (“What Is Good Writing?”). “Good Writing is presenting relevant information . . . that is easy to understand” (“What Is Good Writing?”). 

4. Why do you use it? • The reader has the right to know that you are leaving out a chunk of information that you considered unimportant. • The reader may go reference the source himself and decide that the information you left out is important to him after all. • The ellipses can delete a few lines or more but not a whole page.

5. Brackets are used to make comments, corrections, explanations, notes, or translations that were not in the original text. Brackets

6. When do I use them? • Brackets are pretty useful if you want to define a term without taking up a lot of explanation • For example . . . “Good Writing is presenting relevant information to the reader in a manner that is easy to understand. Technical [instructional] writing uses clear, and plain English. Following the rules of grammar alone will not ensure good writing” (“What Is Good Writing?”). 

7. WARNING! Do not use brackets to alter meaning of quote “Following the rules of grammar alone will not ensure good writing” (“What Is Good Writing?”). “Following the rules of grammar alone will [always] ensure good writing” (“What Is Good Writing?”).  

8. The goal of persuasive writing is to persuade your audience that your ideas are valid, or more valid than someone else's. The Greek philosopher Aristotle divided the means of persuasion, appeals, into three categories: Ethos, pathos, logos

9. Logos—Logic Ethos—Credibility/Ethical Pathos—Emotions (for example, pity)

10. Author’s Purpose Logos Ethos Pathos Rhetorical Chart The core of the rhetorical chart is purpose—What does the author/speaker cartoonist/filmmaker/advertiser want the reader/listener/viewer to Feel? Think? Do?

11. Ethos: Ethical Appealsthe source's credibility, the speaker's/author's authority • How well an author/speaker presents him/herself • Questions for considering a writer’s ethos: • Does he or she seem knowledgeable? Reasonable? Trustworthy? • Does he or she try and establish common ground with the reader/audience? • INCLUDE audience, not exclude

12. Ethos—Credibility • Appeals to the conscience, ethics, morals, standards, values, and principles. • Author or speaker tries to convince you he is of good character. • Qualified to make his claims. • Cites relevant authorities. • Quotes others accurately and fairly.

13. Ethos Application • Think of the most credible/ethical person you know. Why do you consider them to be so? • For me, I think of my dad. He is the most honest person I know. He is not rash. He is trustworthy and reliable. He is direct (he doesn’t use fluff to support his beliefs).

14. Examples of Ethos "If, in my low moments, in word, deed or attitude, through some error of temper, taste, or tone, I have caused anyone discomfort, created pain, or revived someone's fears, that was not my truest self. If there were occasions when my grape turned into a raisin and my joy bell lost its resonance, please forgive me. Charge it to my head and not to my heart. My head—so limited in its finitude; my heart, which is boundless in its love for the human family. I am not a perfect servant. I am a public servant doing my best against the odds."(Jesse Jackson, Democratic National Convention Keynote Address, 1984)

15. Pathos: Emotional Appealsthe emotional or motivational appeals; vivid language, emotional language and numerous sensory details. • How well the author taps into the audiences emotions • Questions for considering a writer’s pathos: • Does the topic matter to the audience? • Does the writer include anecdotes? • Does the writer appeal to your emotions, memories, fears, etc.? • Is the emotional appeal effective or overwhelming? • Is the writing overloaded with facts and figures?

16. Pathos—Emotional Appeal • Appeals to the heart • Emotions • Sympathy • Passions • Sentimentality • Uses imagery, figurative language • Carefully constructed sentences The Power of Words Clip

17. Logos: Logical Appealthe logic used to support a claim; can also be the facts and statistics used to help support the argument. • How well the writer uses text and evidence to support own argument or claims. • Should be well organized. • Questions for considering a text’s logos: • What is being argued or what is the writer’s thesis? • What points does the writer offer to support their thesis? • Are ideas presented logically?

18. LOGOS—Logical Argument • Involves facts • Research • Quoted authorities • Cause and Effect information • Analogies or comparisons • Common sense information • Shared values • Precedents

19. Processing • Is it beneficial to be all ethos, all logos, or all pathos? Why or why not? • Draw and briefly explain in your own words the relationship among ethos, pathos, logos • Some draw the Venn diagram or triangle, it doesn’t matter how you draw it—your understanding of it matters • List 3 tactics you can immediately and realistically implement in your research. Meaning, what can you look for in your research in order to have ethos, pathos, and logos in your writing.

20. Writing terminology

21. Hook • Thesis • Claim/Assertion/Statement • Audience • Bias • Idea • Organization • Diction • Conventions/Mechanics • Sentence Fluency