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12 Writing Terms and Techniques

Page
125
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Write for College

Writing Terms and Techniques Chapter Opener

Start-Up Activity

Challenge students to think of something that there is no word for. They will probably be stumped. That's because words help us think. When you don't have a word for something, you have a very hard time thinking about it. Then give a few examples of unnamed things and make up words for them:

  • A driver who slows down and speeds up for no apparent reason (Let's call this person a brakejockey.) Ask students if they know any brakejockeys. They probably will, and now that they have a word for it, they will notice them everywhere.

  • The tickling sensation just before a sneeze (Let's call this a nose elf.) Ask students when they last felt a nose elf. Some might report they are feeling one right now.

  • Searching for something at home (Let's call this wheresmying.) Ask students how often they wheresmy at home.

Now that students have words for these common things and actions, they will become even more aware of them—and able to think about and discuss them. Similarly, learning writing terms and techniques will help students think about and discuss writing, and as a result write more effectively.

Think About It

“The most important thing is to read as much as you can, like I did. It will give you an understanding of what makes good writing, and it will enlarge your vocabulary.”

—J. K. Rowling

State Standards Covered in This Chapter

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.11-12.4.C

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.11-12.4.D

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.11-12.5.B

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.11-12.5.A

LAFS Covered in This Chapter

LAFS.1112.L.3.4

LAFS.1112.L.3.5

TEKS Covered in This Chapter

110.38.c.2.A

110.39.c.2.A

110.38.c.2.B

110.39.c.2.B

110.38.c.8.E

110.39.c.8.E

TEKS Covered in This Chapter

Page 126 from Write for College

Writing Terms

Show this glossary of writing terms to your students and encourage them to turn to it whenever they wonder about the meaning of a writing-related word.

To engage students in this page, focus on four interrelated terms: argumentation, claim, counterargument, and deductive reasoning. After students have read definitions of each, point out that an argument defends a claim against those who disagree.

Show some pictures and diagrams of medieval castles, which defended a noble against attack. Ask students to guess at the ways in which different types of structures (towers, walls, keeps, guard houses, stables, moats, drawbridges, portcullises, and so on) defended the noble.

Switch back to the topic of argumentation. Challenge students to think of types of details that can defend a claim against attack. Help them understand that the best way to organize a defense is to understand the enemy—what approach the opposition will take, and what attacks they will launch.

State Standard Reference:
LAFS Standard:
LAFS.1112.L.3.4
TEKS Standard:
110.38.c.2.A, 110.39.c.2.A
NE ELA Standard:
LA 12.1.5.e

Related Resource Tags

Click to view a list of tags that tie into other resources on our site

Level:
Grade 11Grade 12
Mode:
Writing Basics

Page 127 from Write for College

Writing Terms (Cont.)

Encourage students to turn to these pages when they have a question about a writing term.

To help them engage with the material on the page, direct students to the definition and example of juxtaposition. Give a few more examples:

  • Words "willful ignorance"
  • Phrases "in bed under the weather"
  • Clauses "He lost so spectacularly that he won."

Challenge students to come up with their own examples, juxtaposing dissimilar words, phrases, and clauses. Point out that the power of juxtaposition comes from relating ideas that are in tension with each other..

State Standard Reference:
LAFS Standard:
LAFS.1112.L.3.4
TEKS Standard:
110.38.c.2.A, 110.39.c.2.A
NE ELA Standard:
LA 12.1.5.e

Related Resource Tags

Click to view a list of tags that tie into other resources on our site

Level:
Grade 11Grade 12
Mode:
Writing Basics

Page 128 from Write for College

Writing Terms (Cont.)

Encourage students to peruse the list of definitions, learning about new terms and applying them to their writing.

To inspire students, have them read the definition of universal. Then show them this graphic of Shakespeare's plays. Ask which plays are the most famous and which the least. Ask which themes are most universal. Ask how Shakespeare's enduring influence relates to the universality of his plays. Have students find universal themes in some of their favorite novels and short stories.

State Standard Reference:
LAFS Standard:
LAFS.1112.L.3.4
TEKS Standard:
110.38.c.2.A, 110.39.c.2.A
NE ELA Standard:
LA 12.1.5.e

Related Resource Tags

Click to view a list of tags that tie into other resources on our site

Level:
Grade 11Grade 12
Mode:
Writing Basics

Page 129 from Write for College

Writing Techniques

Use this page and those that follow to help students understand and experiment with different writing techniques. When you run across a specific technique in a reading assignment, have students read the definition and example on these pages, and then try writing an example of their own. Later in writing assignments, have students return to the techniques they have tried and incorporate one or more of them in a story, essay, or report.

State Standard Reference:
LAFS Standard:
LAFS.1112.L.3.4
TEKS Standard:
110.38.c.2.A, 110.39.c.2.A
NE ELA Standard:
LA 12.1.5.e

Related Resource Tags

Click to view a list of tags that tie into other resources on our site

Level:
Grade 11Grade 12
Mode:
Writing Basics

Page 130 from Write for College

Writing Techniques (Cont.)

Have students consult these pages for definitions and examples of important writing techniques.

Draw their attention to hyperbole and overstatement on this page (and exaggeration on the previous page). Most young people are well versed in overstatement—"This backpack is killing me"—but rarely does their overstatement express original though—"My backpack was designed by a sadist." Challenge students to create fresh hyperbole, overstatement, and exaggeration instead of recycling others' ideas.

State Standard Reference:
LAFS Standard:
LAFS.1112.L.3.4
TEKS Standard:
110.38.c.2.A, 110.39.c.2.A
NE ELA Standard:
LA 12.1.5.e

Related Resource Tags

Click to view a list of tags that tie into other resources on our site

Level:
Grade 11Grade 12
Mode:
Writing Basics

Page 131 from Write for College

Writing Techniques (Cont.)

Encourage students to read through the techniques and examples on this page to enrich their writing options.

If you had students focus on overstatement on the previous page, direct their attention to understatement on this page. As Americans have made an art of overstatement, the British have made one of understatement. The Douglas Addams quotation is just one example.

Ask students to search for examples of "understatement" online. Then have them write their own examples. Help them see that understatement creates emphasis by expressing dramatic action in undramatic terms: The guard dog liked the flavor of my pant leg, so I let him keep it.

State Standard Reference:
LAFS Standard:
LAFS.1112.L.3.4
TEKS Standard:
110.38.c.2.A, 110.39.c.2.A
NE ELA Standard:
LA 12.1.5.e

Related Resource Tags

Click to view a list of tags that tie into other resources on our site

Level:
Grade 11Grade 12
Mode:
Writing Basics