Category Archives: Writing tools (non-fiction)

“Skeptics May Object” is a chapter from Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein’s They Say I Say. I recommend it for students writing arguments in my classes.

Logos Ethos Pathos Definition Appeal to reason and logic Projection of the speaker or writer’s character or personal authority Appeal to emotions and values Case study Reasons why you can’t go You can’t go because I say so Weeping so … Continue reading →

Thesis Statements To make thesis statements more obvious, consider the following: Thesis statements are always statements. While they often answer questions, they are not questions themselves. A thesis is a one-sentence summary answer to the question that leads to the … Continue reading →

“’Rhetoric’ has come down to us today simply as high-flown, windy and empty talk. It had a completely different meaning to the Greeks. Rhetoric was a crucially important technical discovery of the way language actually works and can be manipulated: … Continue reading →

The online writing lab at Purdue University summarizes the most important changes this way: No More Underlining! Underlining is no more. MLA now recommends italicizing titles of independently published works (books, periodicals, films, etc). No More URLs! While website entries … Continue reading →

There are at least six ways of effectively linking evidence and claims. Richard Fulkerson’s Teaching the Argument in Writinghas a chapter devoted to them. They are argument for a Generalization, from Analogy and Sign, Causal arguments, and arguments from Authority … Continue reading →

From Atul Gawande’s compelling essay “Hellhole” in the 30 March 09 New Yorker: The main argument for using long-term isolation in prisons is that it provides discipline and prevents violence. When inmates refuse to follow the rules—when they escape, deal … Continue reading →

Consider these three examples of how the first sentences of an annotated bibliography can address a source’s use of rhetorical strategies: Crucial to Spunk & Bite’s persuasiveness is Plotnik’s ethos as a friendly iconoclast, which he begins to establish with … Continue reading →