2015 Summer Assignment
AP Language and Composition
Mr. Johnston
Welcome
Welcome to Advanced Placement English Language and Composition. This is a primarily non-fiction
course where reading, writing, and analysis will support you in your college endeavors. Additionally you will be
prepared to take the AP Lang exam in the spring. To ensure that your brains remain fresh and engaged as
readers during the summer break, I ask that you make ONE selection from the book titles on this assignment
sheet and watch ONE documentary from the documentary titles on this assignment sheet. Each book and
documentary title deals with a specific social issue so choose based on what appeals most to you! In August,
we will immediately examine these social issues in various contexts and begin in earnest to study the elements
of argument and rhetoric. I have chosen these assignments in order to prepare you for the upcoming course
as well as to give you a chance to find the types of material that you are interested in as the interests of you
and your peers will help to drive the course.
Assignment
1) Select and read ONE book from the list
2) Complete a type written Interactive Reader’s Log that includes ten entries
3) Select and watch ONE documentaries from the list
4) Complete a type written Interactive Viewer’s Log for each of your two documentaries.
5) Have a working knowledge and understanding of the attached list of AP Language Terms
a.
b.
You may access our class’s Quizlet to study the Lang Terms: Go to Quizlet.com and search MrJohnstonEnglish in the
seach bar. Make sure you study the one labeled Mr. Johnston’s AP Lang Rhetorical Terms with 97 items.
Be prepared for a test on the terms during the first week of class
What should the Interactive Reader’s Log contain?
You will select ten quotations/ passages from the text that reflect the entire work. One strategy would
be to dividing the number of pages in your book by ten and use that as a guide for selecting quotations evenly
from the entire text. Your quotation selections should be passages that enrage you, intrigue you, engage you,
or cause you to wonder.
For each of the ten quotations, you will write a response. Responses should be between 100 and 200
words for each quotation and should address issues and purpose of the quote, not simply a summarization of
the plot or of the quote.
Some questions to consider when crafting your responses:
1) What is the writer’s purpose? Is it effectively achieved? Why or why not?
2) What use of language is especially effective? What purpose does it serve?
3) How does this quotation connect to the assertion or purpose of the work as a whole?
4) What is the writer’s tone in the passage? How is that tone achieved? What is the effect of that choice of tone?
5) What created an emotional reaction in you as the reader?
6) What use of conflict is especially effective?
What should the Documentary Argument Analysis contain?
Part 1: Watch your documentary in its entirety and then evaluate the documentary for the overall main idea
(thesis). In one paragraph explain what the thesis of the documentary is and provide a supporting rationale (argument)
for your evaluation of the thesis.
Part 2: Select 20 details from the documentary that the filmmaker uses to support the thesis that you identified
in part 1. These details could come in the form of interviews, statistics, music type, audience being targeted, etc…
Some questions to consider when crafting your responses:
1) What is the writer’s purpose? Is it effectively achieved? Why or why not?
2) What use of language is especially effective? What purpose does it serve?
3) How does this quotation connect to the assertion or purpose of the work as a whole?
4) What is the writer’s tone in the passage? How is that tone achieved? What is the effect of that choice of tone?
5) What created an emotional reaction in you as the reader?
6) What use of conflict is especially effective?
Grading Criteria
The Interactive Reader’s Log assignment will count as a Level III grade (150 pts) towards the 1st 9 weeks grading
period. You will be assessed on the following criteria:
1) The assignment is complete (10 entries including both quotation and response)
2) The assignment is typed with 1 inch margins, 12 pt. Times New Roman (or similar) font
3) The quotation selections represent the work as a whole and clearly indicate understating of the work as a
whole.
4) The responses demonstrate thorough and insightful comments with regard to the writer’s purpose,
attitude/tone, and use of language
5) The writing demonstrates stylistic maturity with effective command of writing as well as a wide range of the
elements of writing and organization
The Documentary Argument Analysis assignments will count as one Level III grade (150pts) towards the 1st 9
weeks grading period. You will be assessed on the following criteria:
1) The assignment is complete an analysis paper with a thesis identified and rationales supporting your
answers as well as the 20 details with explanations.
2) The assignment is typed, double spaced, with 1 inch margins, and 12 pt. Times New Roman (or similar) font.
3) The identified thesis should represent the work as a whole and clearly indicate your understating of the films
argument as a whole.
4) The responses demonstrate thorough and insightful comments with regard to the writer’s purpose,
attitude/tone, and use of language
5) The writing demonstrates stylistic maturity with effective command of writing as well as a wide range of the
elements of writing and organization
Sample Interactive Reader’s Log Entry
Interactive Reader’s Log
Chapter 1 “The Rules of the Game”
“Five men stumbled out of the mountain pass so sun struck they didn’t know their own names, couldn’t
remember where they’d come from, had forgotten how long they’d been lost. One of them wandered back up a peak.
One of them was barefoot, they were burned nearly black, their lips huge and cracking, what paltry drool still available
to them spuming from their mouths in a salty foam as they walked. Their eyes were cloudy with dust, almost too dry to
blink up a tear.” (3)
Response, wondering, comment, criticism:
Urrea’s use of imagery to begin his book startles me into wondering what horrible thing could have happened to
these people. The first sentence with the series of descriptions of these lost souls is gripping in its simplicity. Men who
are unable to “blink up a tear” who are “burned nearly black” with “lips huge and cracking” pilled me immediately into
their mystery. What could have happened to cause such harm to these people? The title of the book foreshadows
terrible things with “devil” in the title, so I’m immediately curious to find out how all of the opening events tie together.
I didn’t expect a nonfiction book to be written with such and intense, almost poetic style. I have no doubt from the
beginning traveling “The Devil’s Highway” could not be a happy journey. Since I live in Texas, I am aware the issues
surrounding illegal immigration are complicated and unhappy, but that doesn’t change how disturbing the opening of
the book is. I’m interested to learn how Urrea will expose this activity.
Sample Documentary Argument Analysis
Documentary’s Thesis and Rationale
The filmmaker’s thesis in the documentary Crips and Bloods: Made in America is that the two most
violent and largest rival gangs in America were formed not out of hatred for one another but out of a common race issue
that both of the gangs face. The documentarian, Stacy Peralta, does not simply document the formation and history of
these two gangs, but seeks to provide understanding of gangs in general by showing the viewer that the issues that face
minority groups in America today allow for gangs to exist and function relatively unchecked. An example of this is given
within the first five minutes of the documentary as the surviving members of the original gangs were interviewed and
were able to discuss the environment of the mid-sixties when the gangs were first formed.
Details to support thesis and Rationale
1) Graphic images of a gang gunfight and class war are shown in order to hook the audience into the
story that the filmmaker is attempting to relay. (00:03-01:28)
2) Interview with Bo Taylor, former Schoolyard Crip, founder of UNITY ONE, a privately funded
organization dedicated to peace making and the transformation of gang members into productive citizens, who relays
the history of the gang as well as what it has turned into and how to combat the issues that the gangs now face. (04:3206:29)
What if I need help on the assignment during the summer?
If you have any questions over the summer, please feel free to contact me for assistance:
Mr. Johnston- Nicholas.Johnston@polk-fl.net
I generally check email several times a day during the school year and several times a week during the summer
and will be more than happy to answer any questions you may have.
Due Dates
Hard copies of your assignments will be submitted to me at the beginning of class on your first day of class.
Selections
A Warning: Because our course seeks to engage with a wide variety of topics and varying positions on those
topics, some of the following selections may deal with mature content. Check with your parents or guardians on the
types of selections that you are reading or watching before you make the final decision to begin your assignments.
Books: Select ONE
Food
The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan
Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser
Gulp by Mary Roach
Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual by Michael Pollan
A Cook’s Tour: Global Adventures… by Anthony Bourdain
Don’t Eat This Book by Morgan Spurlock
Environmental
Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey
Silent Spring by Rachel Carson
Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard
Walden; or Life in the Woods by Henry David Thoreau
Historical
At Home: A Short History of Private Life by Bill Bryson
In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson
In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy…by Nathaniel Philbrick
Science
Cosmos by Carol Sagan
Stiff by Mary Roach
A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson
The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin
Packing for Mars by Mary Roach
A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking
Spook by Mary Roach
Popular Culture
The Tipping Point: How Little … by Malcolm Gladwell
Freakonomics by Stephen D. Levitt
Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer
Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich
Travel
A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering… by Bill Bryson
Wild: From Lost … by Cheryl Strayed
Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer
Travels with Charley by John Steinbeck
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig
Blue Highways by William Least Heat-Moon
Misc/Memoirs
The Mother Tongue: English and … by Bill Bryson
The Perfect Storm by Sebastian Junger
Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs
This Boy’s Life by Tobias Wolf
American Sniper: The Autobiography… by Chris Kyle
Documentaries: Select ONE, your selection must come from a category different from that of your nonfiction book
Food
Supersize Me
Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead
I Like Killing Flies
Forks over Knives
Food Matters
Fed Up
Popular Culture
Bowling for Columbine
Loose Change 9/11: An American Coup
Fahrenheit 9/11
Waiting for Superman
The September Issue
The Parking Lot Movie
The People versus George Lucas
Trekkies
Jedi Junkies
Environmental
An Inconvenient Truth
If a Tree Falls
Travel
180 Degrees South
Ride the Divide
Where the Yellowstone Goes
Farmegeddon
Three Stars
Jiro Dreams of Sushi
Hungry For Change
A Place at the Table
A Matter of Taste
Bronies: The Extremely Unexpected
Adult Fans of My Little Pony
Happy
Park Avenue
Objectified
Urbanized
Nerdcore Rising
Blackfish
Blue Gold: World Water Wars
At the Edge of the World
Johnston HCHS English Dept
AP LANG TERMS
TERM
ABSTRACT
ALLEGORY
ALLITERATION
ALLUSION
ANALOGY
ANAPHORA
ANASTROPHE
ANECDOTE
ANNOTATION
ANTITHESIS
APHORISM
APOSTROPHE
APPOSITION
ARGUMENTATION
Definition
Refers to language that describes concepts rather than concrete images (ideas and
qualities rather than observable or specific people places and things) The
observable or “physical” is usually described in concrete language.
story or poem in which characters, settings, and events stand for other
people or events or for abstract ideas or qualities. Example: Animal Farm;
Dante’s Inferno; Lord of the Flies
repetition of the same or similar consonant sounds in words that are
close together.
EXAMPLE: “When the two youths turned with the flag they saw that much of
the regiment had crumbled away, and the dejected remnant was coming slowly
back.” –Stephen Crane (Note how regiment and remnant are being used; the
regiment is gone, a remnant remains…)
reference to someone or something that is known from history, literature,
religion, politics, sports, science, or another branch of culture. An indirect
reference to something (usually from literature, etc.).
Comparison made between two things to show how they are alike
Repetition of a word, phrase, or clause at the beginning of two or more sentences
in a row. This is a deliberate form of repetition and helps make the writer’s point
more coherent. The opposite of anaphora is epistrophe.
Inversion of the usual, normal, or logical order of the parts of a sentence. Purpose
is rhythm or emphasis or euphony. It is a fancy word for inversion.
Brief story, told to illustrate a point or serve as an example of something,
often shows character of an individual
Explanatory notes added to a test to explain, cite sources, of give bibliographical
data.
The presentation of two contrasting images by balancing words, phrases, or ideas
that are strongly contrasted, often by means of grammatical structure. Example:
“Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your
country.”
brief, cleverly worded statement that makes a wise observation about life, or of a
principle or accepted general truth. Also called maxim, epigram.
calling out to an imaginary, dead, or absent person, or to a place or thing, or a
personified abstract idea. If the character is asking a god or goddess for
inspiration it is called an invocation.
EXAMPLE: Josiah Holland ---“Oh God! Thou great embodiment/ Of human life
and human history!”
Placing in immediately succeeding order of two or more coordinate elements, the
latter of which is an explanation, qualification, or modification of the first (often
set off by a colon). Paine: “These are the times that try men’s souls: The summer
soldier and the sunshine patriot will in this crisis, shrink from the service of his
country; but he that stands it Now, deserves the love and thanks of man and
woman.”
Writing that attempts to prove the validity of pint of view or an idea by
presenting reasoned arguments; persuasive writing is a form of argumentation.
ASSONANCE
ASYNDETON
CACOPHONY
(DISSONANCE)
CARICATURE
CLICHE
COLLAQUIALISM
the repetition of similar vowel sounds followed by different consonant sounds
especially in words that are together.
Commas used without conjunction to separate a series of words, thus
emphasizing the parts equally: instead of X, Y, and Z... the writer uses X,Y,Z....
The opposite of asyndeton is polysyndeton.
Harsh, awkward, or dissonant sounds used deliberately in poetry or prose; the
opposite of euphony.
Descriptive writing that greatly exaggerates a specific feature of a person’s
appearance or a facet of personality.
is a word or phrase, often a figure of speech, that has become lifeless because of
overuse. Avoid clichés like the plague. (That cliché is intended.)
a word or phrase in everyday use in conversation and informal writing but is
inappropriate for formal situations.
EXAMPLE: “He’s out of his head if he thinks I’m gonna go for such a stupid
COHERENCE
CONCRETE
LANGUAGE
CONNOTATION
CONSONANCE
CONUNDRUM
DEDUCTION
DENOTATION
DESCRIPTION
DICTION
DIDACTIC
DISCOURSE
EMOTIONAL APPEAL
(PATHOS) ((PATHETIC
APPEAL))
idea.
Unity quality of a piece of writing in which all the parts contribute to the
development of the central idea, theme, or organizing principle.
Language that describes specific, observable things, people, or places, rather than
ideas or qualities. Abstract is the opposite concrete language.
the associations and emotional overtones that have become attached to a word or
phrase, in addition to its strict dictionary definition.
Repetition of identical consonant sounds within two or more words in close
proximity, as in boost/best; it can also be seen within several compound words
such as fulfill and ping-pong.
A riddle whose answer is or involves a pun; it may also be a paradox or difficult
problem
The process of moving from a general rule to a specific example. Think Sherlock
Holmes
Literal meaning of a word as defined by a dictionary
The picturing in words of something or someone through detailed observation of
color, motion, sounds, taste, smell, and touch: one of the four modes of
discourse.
a speaker or writer’s choice of words. Diction creates tone, attitude, and style, as
well as meaning. Different types and arrangements of words have significant
effects on meaning. An essay written in academic diction would be much less
colorful, but perhaps more precise than street slang.
form of fiction or nonfiction that teaches a specific lesson or moral or provides a
model of correct behavior or thinking. A didactic work is usually formal and
focuses on moral or ethical concerns.
Spoken or written language, including literary works; the four traditionally
classified modes of discourse are description, exposition, narration and
persuasion.
When a writer appeals to reader’ emotions to excite or involve them in the
argument.
EPANALEPSIS
EPISTROPHE
EPIGRAPH
ETHICAL APPEAL
(ETHOS)
ESSAY
EULOGY
EUPHEMISM
EUPHONY
EXAMPLE
EXPLICATION
EXPOSITION
GENERALIZATION
device of repetition in which the same expression (single word or
phrase) is repeated both at the beginning and at the end of the line, clause, or
sentence.
EXAMPLE Voltaire: “Common sense is not so common.”
Device of repetition in which the same expression (single word or phrase) is
repeated at the end of two or more lines, clauses, or sentences (it is the opposite
of anaphora).
a quotation or aphorism at the beginning of a literary work suggestive of
the theme.
When a writer tries to persuade the audience to respect and believe them based on
a presentation of image of self through the test. Reputation is sometimes a factor
in ethical appeal, but in all cases the aim is to gain the audience’s confidence.
a short piece of nonfiction prose in which the writer discusses some aspect of a
subject.
ESSAY TYPES TO KNOW:
ARGUMENTATION one of the four forms of discourse which uses logic,
ethics, and emotional appeals (logos, ethos, pathos) to develop an effective means
to convince the reader to think or act in a certain way.
PERSUASION relies more on emotional appeals than on facts
ARGUMENT form of persuasion that appeals to reason instead of
emotion to convince an audience to think or act in a certain way.
CAUSAL RELATIONSHIP Form of argumentation in which the writer
claims that one thing results from another, often used as part of a logical
argument.
DESCRIPTION a form of discourse that uses language to create a mood or
emotion.
EXPOSITION one of the four major forms of discourse, in which something
is explained or “set forth.”
NARRATIVE the form of discourse that tells about a series of events.
A great praise or commendation, a laudatory speech, often about someone who
has died.
A more acceptable and usually more pleasant way of saying something that might
be inappropriate or uncomfortable. “He’s pushing up daisies” is a common
euphemism for death. Euphemisms are also often used to obscure the reality of a
situation. The military uses “collateral damage” to indicate civilian deaths in a
military operation.
A succession of harmonious sounds used in poetry or prose; the opposite of
cacophony.
An individual instance taken to be representative of a general pattern. Arguing by
example is considered reliable if examples are demonstrable true or factual as
well as relevant.
act of interpreting or discovering the meaning of a text, usually involves close
reading and special attention to figurative language.
The immediate revelation to the audience of the setting and other background
information necessary for understanding the plot; also, explanation; one of the
four modes of discourse.
When a writer bases a claim upon an isolated example or asserts that a claim is
certain rather than probable. Sweeping generalizations occur when a writer
asserts that a claim applies to all instances rather than some.
INDUCTION
The type of literary work, such as a novel or poem; there are also subgenres, such
as science fiction or sonnet, within the large genres.
a very short story told in prose or poetry that teaches a practical lesson about how
to succeed in life.
Anything that causes laughter or amusement; up until the end of the renaissance,
humor meant a person’s temperament.
a figure of speech that uses an incredible exaggeration or overstatement, for
effect. The opposite of understatement. EX. “If I told you once, I’ve told you a
million times….”
A word or words, either figurative or literal, used to describe a sensory
experience or an object perceived by the sense. An image is always a concrete
representation.
the use of language to evoke a picture or a concrete sensation of a person , a
thing, a place, or an experience. It is the use of several images.
The process that moves from a given series of specifics to a generalization
INFERENCE
A conclusion one can draw from presented details
INVECTIVE
A verbally abusive attack
INVERSION
the reversal of the normal word order in a sentence or phrase. (think of it as Yoda
speak)
a discrepancy between appearances and reality.
GENRE
FABLE
HUMOR
HYPERBOLE
IMAGE
IMAGERY
IRONY
JARGON
JUXTAPOSITION
The special language of a profession or group. The term jargon usually has
pejorative associations with the implication that jargon is evasive, tedious, and
unintelligible to outsiders. The writings of the lawyer and the literary critic are
both susceptible to jargon.
rhetorical device in which normally unassociated ideas, words, or phrases are
placed next to one another, creating an effect of surprise and wit.
EXAMPLE Ezra Pound: “The apparition of these faces in the crowd;/ Petals on a
wet, black bough.”
Juxtaposition is also a form of contrast by which writers call attention to
dissimilar ideas or images or metaphors.
Martin Luther King: “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
LOGICAL APPEAL
(LOGOS)
LYRICAL
METAPHOR
MOOD
When a writer tries to persuade the audience based on statistics, facts, and
reasons.
Songlike; characterized by emotions, subjectivity, and imagination
a figure of speech that makes a comparison between two unlike things without
the use of such specific words of comparison as like, as, than, or resembles.
An atmosphere created by a writer’s diction, syntax, and the details selected.
Similar to tone.
NARRATION
OBJECTIVITY
ONOMATOPOEIA
The telling of a story in fiction, nonfiction, poetry, or drama. One of the four
modes of discourse.
An impersonal presentation of events and characters. It is a writer’s attempt to
remove himself or herself from any subject, personal involvement in a story.
Hard news journalism is frequently prized for its objectivity, although even
fictional stories can be told without a writer rendering personal judgment.
the use of words whose sounds echo their sense. “Pop.” “Zap.”
OVERSIMPLIFICATION When a writer obscures or denies the complexity of the issues in an argument.
OXYMORON
PACING
PARABLE
PARADOX
PARALLELISM
(PARALLEL
STRUCTURE)
a figure of speech that combines opposite or contradictory terms in a brief phrase.
“Jumbo shrimp.” “Pretty ugly.” “Bitter-sweet”
The movement of a literary piece from one point or one section to another
a relatively short story that teaches a moral, or lesson about how to lead a good
life.
a statement that appears self-contradictory, but that reveals a kind of truth.
EXAMPLE: “I have never found a companion more companionable than
solitude.”
the repetition of words or phrases that have similar grammatical structures and
are placed side by side. Parallel structure may be formed by the listing of two or
more modifiers in a row to describe the same noun or verb, it may take the form
of two or more of the same phrases that modify the same noun or verb, or it may
be the complex bend of a single word phrase. If you have parallelism being used
you may have anaphora or epistrophe being used as well (but not always)
EXAMPLE: “We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing
grounds, we shall fight in the fields” (the three clauses are paralleled to one
another) ((NOTE: the previous example could also be said to use anaphora as
well)
PARODY
PEDANTIC
PERSONIFICATION
PERSUASION
POLYSYNDETON
REGIONALISM
a work that makes fun of another work by imitating some aspect of the writer’s
style.
A term used to describe writing that borders on lecturing. It is scholarly and
academic and often overly difficult and distant.
a figure of speech in which an object or animal is given human feelings, thoughts,
or attitudes.
A form of argumentation, one of the four modes of discourse; language intended
to convince through appeals to reason or emotion.
sentence which uses a conjunction with NO commas to separate the
items in a series. Instead of X, Y, and Z... Polysyndeton results in X and Y and
Z...The opposite of polysyndeton is asyndeton.
An element in literature that conveys a realistic portrayal of specific geographical
locale, using the locale and its influence as a major part of the plot. EXAMPLE:
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
REPETITION
RHETORIC
RHETORICAL QUESTION
RHETORICAL MODES
RHETORICAL QUESTION
SARCASM
Word or phrase used two or more times in close proximity in a work as a whole.
(this does not apply to epistrophe or anaphora)
Art of effective communication, especially persuasive discourse.
a question asked for an effect, and not actually requiring an answer.
The method or form of a literary work; the manner in which a work of literature is
written. The four types of mode are exposition, description, narration, and
argumentation. This is sometimes referred to as simply the mode.
One that does not expect an explicit answer. It is used to pose an idea to be considered by
the speaker or audience. .
Harsh, caustic personal remarks to or about someone; less subtle than irony.
SATIRE
a type of writing that ridicules the shortcomings of people or institutions in an attempt to
bring about a change. Satire doesn’t simply abuse (as in invective) or get personal (as in
sarcasm). Satire tends to target groups or large concepts rather than individual.
SENTENCE
a set of words that is complete in itself, typically containing a subject and predicate,
conveying a statement, question, exclamation, or command, and consisting of a main
clause and sometimes one or more subordinate clauses.
a figure of speech that makes an explicitly comparison between two unlike things, using
words such as like, as , than, or resembles.
SIMILE
SPEAKER
STEREOTYPE
The voice of a work; an author may speak as himself or herself or as a fictitious persona.
a fixed idea or conception of a character or an idea which does not allow for any
individuality, often based on religious, social, or racial prejudices.
STYLE
the distinctive way in which a writer uses language: a writer’s distinctive use of diction,
tone, and syntax.
SUBJECTIVITY
A personal presentation of events and characters, influenced by the author’s own feelings
and opinions
SYLLOGISM
A form of reasoning in which two statements are made and a conclusion is drawn from
them. A syllogism is the format of a formal argument that consists of a major premise, a
minor premise, and a conclusion.
a figure of speech in which a part represents the whole. “If you don’t drive properly, you
will lose your wheels.” The wheels represent the entire car.
SYNECDOCHE
SYNTAX
THEME
THESIS
TONE
UNDERSTATEMENT
VOICE
The grammatical structure of a sentence; the arrangement of words in a sentence. Syntax
includes length of a sentence, kinds of sentences (questions, exclamation, declarative,
rhetorical, simple, complex, or compound)
the insight about human life that is revealed in a literary work.
The main idea in a piece of writing. It presents the author’s assertion or claim that they
are actively working to prove. The effectiveness of a presentation is often based on how
well the writer presents, develops, and supports the thesis.
the attitude a writer takes toward the subject of a work, the characters in it, or the
audience, revealed through diction, figurative language, and organization.
a statement that says less than what is meant. It is the opposite of hyperbole.
Example: During the second war with Iraq, American troops complained of a fierce sand
storm that made even the night-vision equipment useless. A British commando
commented about the storm: “It’s a bit breezy.”
Refers to two different areas of writing. One refers to the relationship between a
sentence’s subject and verb (active and passive voice). The second refers to the total
“sound” of a writer’s style. This relates directly to style.