Term
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Definition
| A word or phrase is vague if the group of things to which it applies has borderline cases. |
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Term
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Definition
| Having more than one meaning. An ambiguous claim is one that can be interpreted in more than one way and whose meaning is not made clear by the context. See also seman |
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Term
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Definition
| Ambiguity produced by the inclusion of an ambiguous word or phrase. |
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Term
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Definition
| A kind of semantic ambiguity in which it is unclear whether a claim refers to a group of things taken individually or collectively. |
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Term
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Definition
| Concluding that, because a claim is about a group taken collectively is true, therefore the same claim is true about members of the group taken individually. |
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Term
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Definition
| Concluding that, because each member of a group has a certain property, therefore the group as a whole must have that property. |
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Term
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Definition
| This occurs when a claim is open to two or more interpretations because of its structure-that is, its syntax. |
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Term
| Ambiguous Pronoun Refrences |
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Definition
| A statement or phrase in which it is not clear to what or to whom a pronoun is supposed to refer. |
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Term
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Definition
| Lack of detail and/or specificity. The less detail a claim provides, the more general it is. |
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Term
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Definition
| The meaning of a word that is given in the dictionary...Lex Luther like dictionaries. |
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Term
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Definition
| A definition (of a word) that is specific to a particular context. |
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Term
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Definition
| A definition whose purpose is to reduced vagueness or generality or to eliminate ambiguity. |
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Term
| Persuasive or Rhetorical Definition |
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Definition
| A pseudo-definition that is designed to influence beliefs or attitudes; also called rhetorical definition. |
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Term
| Definition by Example or Ostensive Definition |
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Definition
| Pointing to, naming, or otherwise identifying one or more examples of the term being defined; also called ostensive definition. |
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Term
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Definition
| Giving another word or phrase that means the same thing as the term being defined |
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Term
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Definition
| Specification of the features a thing must possess in order for the term being defined to apply to it |
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Term
| The Windy Preamble-Essay Type to Avoid |
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Definition
| Writters of this type of essay avoid getting to the issue and instead go on at length with introductory remarks, often about how important the issue is, how it has troubled thinkers for centuries, how opinions on the issue are many and various and so on, and so on. Anything you write that smacks of "When in the course human events..." should go in the trash immediately. |
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Term
| The Stream-of-Consciousness Ramble-Essay Type to Avoid |
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Definition
| This type of essay results when writers make no attempt to organize their thoughts and simply spew them out in order in which they come to mind. |
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Term
| The Knee-Jerk Reaction-Essay Type to Avoid |
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Definition
| This type of essay, writers record their first reaction to an issue without considering the issue in any depth or detail. It always shows. |
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Term
| The Glancing Blow-Essay Type to Avoid |
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Definition
| In this type of essay, writers address an issue obliquely. If they are supposed to evaluate the health benefits of bicycling , they will bury the topic in an essay on the history of cycling; if they are supposed to address the history of cycling, they will talk about the benefits of riding bicycles thought history. |
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Term
| Let the Reader Do the Work-Essay Type to Avoid |
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Definition
| Writers of this type of essay expect the reader to follow them through non sequenced, abrupt shifts in direction, and irrelevant sidetracks. |
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