APLAC Study Guide
denotation
dictionary definition
loose sentences
(this is actually the definition of strung-along sentence) the basic statement with a string of details added at the beginning or end
Structure
- setting, plot, and theme.
types of organization
-Chronological -Spatial, specific to general: starts on a small detail and broadens -General to specific: starts very general and then focuses in more on one specific thing -Least to most important (vis versa): tells least important info first then ends with most important details -Flashback or flash forward: flashback or forward to explain something happening in the present, flash forward to foreshadow -Contrast/Comparison -Cause and Effect
types of POV
1st Person 3rd Person Objective 3rd person omniscient 3rd person limited Stream of Consciousness
Passive Voice
A verb is in the passive voice when the subject of the sentence is acted on by the verb. For example, in "The ball was thrown by the pitcher," the ball (the subject) receives the action of the verb, and was thrown is in the passive voice
Hyperbole
An over exaggeration to get the author's point across
Tone and Attitude
Author's Attitude: talking down (advisor or satirist), eye-to-eye (equal), talking up (subordinate)
Just Walk On By: Black Men and Public Space (p.339-343)
By:Brent Staples T: Discussing the effect his presence has on another person, specifically his presence on people at night or other scary situations A: The essay was written for Ms. Magazine so the intended audience was women. His audience could also include anyone that doesn't feel safe, alone and in the presence of a black man P: The author wants to make people aware that he isn't someone to be afraid of but that he also understands why they do it
simile
Comparison between two unlike things using like or as
Mode of Discourse (DANE)
DESCRIPTION- a writing that appeals to the senses ARGUMENTATION- genre of writing that requires the student to investigate a topic; collect, generate, and evaluate evidence; and establish a position on the topic in a concise manner NARRATIVE: writing that tells a story, tells a sequence of events in a particular time frame for a specific purpose and has a specific point of view EXPOSITION: writing that explains or informs, mostly used in nonfiction, especially articles, essays and various books
Basic Sentence Types
Declarative- A statement. Interrogative- A question? Imperative- A command. Exclamatory- An exclamation!
metaphor
Direct comparison between two unlike things (without like or as)
personification
Giving non-human creatures or things human characteristics
Sensory Description
Imagery (Visual, Auditory, Tactile, Olfactory, Gustatory)
Onomatopoeia
The formation of a word from a sound associated with what is named (ex: sizzle, moo, cuckoo)
active voice
The subject of the sentence performs the action (ex: He played baseball.)
Connective Tissue Issue
Transitions Subject Consistency Tense Consistency Voice Consistency
Hemann's Rules
Use concrete nouns- should be able to feel, touch, taste and make essay come alive Active verbs: NOT "is, of, being" If you see an adjective- shoot it Remember audience and purpose Show don't tell
process
a method of clarifying the nature of something by explaining how it works step by step
definition
a method of informing that explains something by identifying its meaning
Stream of Consciousness(POV)
a method of narration that describes a character's flow of thoughts, puts character's thoughts into text
Synecdoche
a subclass of metonymy in which a part of something is used to refer to the whole, for example "the White House revealed a plan to reduce hunger"
Periodic structure
additional details are added inside the basic statement. EX: Love, as everyone knows except those who happen to be afflicted with it, is blind
complex sentences
an independent clause that is joined with a dependent clause EX- I was snippy with him because I was running late for work."
rhetoric
an umbrella term for all of the strategies, modes, and devices a writer can employ to allow the reader to easily accept and understand his or her point of view
Symbolic aspects of Language Choices
anything that stands for or represents something else
Compound-Complex Sentences
at least two independent clauses and one or more dependent clauses EX- Though Mitchell prefers watching romantic films, he rented the latest spy thriller, and he enjoyed it very much.
description
based on the five senses and aims to recreate or present something so the reader can experience it
The Fourth of July
by Audre Lorde T: Racism and Discrimination of African Americans A: To African Americans so they know they aren't alone and also to White people to show them how much discrimination has infiltrated other's lives and how it affects the people being discriminated against. P: To expose the discrimination that is present everywhere in America, even in our country's capital.
Shooting An Elephant (pg. 272-279)
by George Orwell T: Describing his experience shooting an elephant in Lower Burma A: Reader and Europeans in general P: To expose political injustices of the British Empire in Burma and also to warn against giving in to societal pressure
A Hanging
by George Orwell T: His experience witnessing the hanging of a Hindu prisoner in Burma A: Everyone, show British at the time the violence sort of personal catharsis, P: The traumatic experience of and taking part in the loss of human life. To show how the men attempted to make light of the execution at the end in order to hide their guilt and discomfort
Civil Disobedience (369-391)
by Henry David Thoreau T: Unjust laws, what people can do about them specifically about abolition A: Primarily for the people of the United States, but his theories have been put into practice around the world P: To convince people to act against unjust laws that are not moral, so that we can create a more just world
Notes of a Native Son
by James Baldwin T: To tell us about his father, his experience with white people, and his relationship with his father who hated white people. A: White people, anyone who reads it. P: To inform others what his life was like and how white people negatively affected it??
"On War" pp. 66-71
by James Boswell, T: The irrationality of war A: The general public, those who consider war good P: To persuade that the world would be better without war, and that nothing gained from war is as great as the loss it incurs
"On Keeping A Notebook" pg. 116-123
by Joan Didion T: The purpose of keeping a personal notebook A: Those who have kept a journal, those who want to be a writer P: Express the reasons people write and the motivations behind what they right, things written aren't usually about the relaying of fact, express bias when keeping notes, we note what becomes important to us and what affects us the most, keeping a note on others is about us and the feelings those people evoke
Letter from a Birmingham Jail
by MLK Jr. T: Better treatment for blacks A: Ministers to the public P: to convince ministers to join in requiring equal rights for all
On Being a Cripple ( Pages 226-238)
by Nancy Mairs T: Mairs describes her life and attitude on being a cripple/ living with MS A: People who think "cripple" is a bad word, others who are disabled P: Share her experiences, let others know that people are not defined by their disability
My Periodic Table
by Oliver Sacks
The Joy of Reading and Writing: Superman and Me
by Sherman Alexie T: how he learned to read and being advanced in reading, but being discriminated against for being a native american A: Aspiring writers who don't think that hey can do it because of how they grew up; public P: Show that it doesn't matter where you grew up or your ethnicity, you can do anything and you shouldn't discriminate against others because they can be brilliant and amount to great things.
Reading to Write
by Stephen King Topic- Reading is the most important pracitce you can do for writing. You can learn Audience- aspiring/struggling writers or those who won't commit to writing Purpose- to inspire and stress the importance of writer reading mv
Dear White America
by Yancy T: White privilege A: White America P: convince white American they are privileged and have a way to go in accepting black Americans
How it Feels to be Colored Me
by Zora Neale Hurston T: How Zora Hurston saw herself and how she felt to colored and aware that there was separation A: Other POC who feel as though they are at a disadvantage or didn't feel comfortable P: To convey her feelings toward identity and show that we are all similar underneath
Once More to the Lake
by: E.B. White T: To reminisce on his past time at the lake, and how it's changed over the years. A: Anyone that has had similar experiences or can relate to the family trips he took and how the passage of time has altered those. P: White explains how his son has become him, and he has become the father. He wants to share how the experiences he had with his father and now with his son have had an impression on him
I Have a Dream
by: Martin Luther King Jr. T: Segregation A: The people who showed up at the march on Washington DC, especially African Americans at that time P: To try and peacefully end segregation
I Just Wanna Be Average
by: Mike Rose T: education system, motivation in school, effect of learning environment on students A: high school students who are unmotivated to do well and their teachers P: to show how if teachers just have average expectations then students will just strive to be average
analogy
comparison between two unlike things explaining something unfamiliar by comparing it to something similar
discourse
conversation
purpose
is the reason an author decides to write about a specific topic
POV
method of narration in a literary work, perspective or vantage point from which story is told
pacing
movement of a literary piece from one point or one section to another
style
not what is said, but how it is said
Contrast/Comparison
opposition between two objects highlighted to emphasize their differences
narration
recounts a course of events
metonymy
referring to a thing by using a closely related concept, for example "the pen is mightier than the sword"
alliteration
repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of several words
consonance
repetition of consonants at mid/end of words
assonance
repetition of the same vowel sound in words close to each other
oxymoron
self-contradictory combination of words, ex: wise fool, deafening silence
simple sentence
sentence with only one clause, single subject and predicate
voice
the acknowledged or unacknowledged source of the words of the story; the speaker's or narrator's particular take on an idea. It can also refer to active or passive voice
connotation
the emotional freight a word carries, the emotional implications and associations
1st person (POV)
the narrator is a part of the action and uses first person pronouns (I, me, we) and the reader sees everything through this character's eyes
3rd person omniscient(POV)
the narrator knows the thoughts and feelings of all the characters in the story
3rd person limited(POV)
the narrator knows the thoughts and feelings of only one character
3rd Person Objective(POV)
the narrator tells the story without describing any character's thoughts, feelings, or opinions, unbiased point of view
classification
the process of sorting people, things or idea into groups to make them better understood
attitude
the relationship an author has toward his or her subject and audience
tone
the sense of a writer's attitudes towards self, subject, and readers revealed by words and sentence structure as well as content
Cause/Effect
the writer analyzes the consequences of an action
compound sentences
two or more independent clauses joined together with conjunction, EX- He didn't want to go to the dentist, yet he went anyways
selection of detail
what details does the author choose to emphasize over others
subject matter
what/who they are talking about
diction
word choice, part of the writer's style
synonym
words that have the same meaning
figurative language
writing or speech not meant to be taken literally, used to create an effect
satire
writing that ridicules or criticizes individuals, ideas, institutions, social conventions of other works of art, based on ridicule that criticizes