NCEA Literacy Writing Co-requisite flashcards
NCEA Literacy Writing Co-requisite · Build recall with a focused review session.
32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.
- Dominant purpose
- The single main aim of a text - to inform, persuade, explain, instruct, or recount. It controls structure, detail level, and register when two purposes compete.
- Register
- The level of formality in language. Formal register uses full forms, third person, and standard vocabulary; informal register allows contractions, first person, and colloquialisms.
- Topic sentence
- The sentence stating a paragraph's controlling idea, usually placed first. Every other sentence in the paragraph should support or explain it.
- Evidence sandwich
- A paragraph pattern of claim, then example or data, then explanation of how the example proves the claim. Evidence without explanation earns no development credit.
- Connotation
- The attitude or feeling a word carries beyond its literal meaning. Synonyms differ in connotation, such as childish versus youthful or cheap versus affordable.
- Nominalisation
- Turning a verb or adjective into a noun, such as decide into decision. It suits formal reports but increases abstraction and can reduce clarity.
- Comma splice
- Two independent clauses joined only by a comma. Fix it with a full stop, a semicolon, or a comma plus a coordinating conjunction such as and or but.
- Collective noun agreement
- In formal New Zealand English, collective nouns such as team, government, and committee take singular verbs when acting as a single unit.
- Attribution
- Naming the source of a statistic or quotation in the text, such as a report title or organisation. Unsourced figures weaken credibility.
- Specificity rule
- Named people, places, dates, quantities, and short quotations are stronger evidence than general statements like many people believe or often.
- Revision passes
- Separate editing stages: structure and paragraph order first, sentence clarity and word choice second, punctuation and spelling third. Each pass checks one layer.
- Filler phrases
- Wordy openers that add no meaning, such as it is important to note that or in today's society. Cut them during editing to tighten the text.
- Formal letter conventions
- Sender and recipient details, salutation, purpose stated in the first paragraph, formal register throughout, and a closing with sign-off.
- Speech conventions
- Direct address to the audience, short sentences for delivery, repetition for emphasis, and a clear call to action at the end.
- Semicolon rule
- A semicolon joins two closely related independent clauses. It cannot join a clause to a fragment or separate a verb from its object.
- Dangling modifier
- An introductory participle phrase that does not describe the subject of the main clause. Fix it by naming the correct subject after the comma.
- Hedging language
- Words that soften a claim to match the evidence, such as tends to, suggests, appears to, and in most cases. Overclaiming invites rebuttal.
- Empty intensifiers
- Words like very, really, quite, and totally that add no information. Replace them with a precise word or delete them.
- Thesis statement
- A clear, contestable position stated in one sentence, usually at the end of the introduction. A claim no reader could dispute cannot be argued.
- Rebuttal pattern
- State the opposing view fairly, concede any valid part, then show why the main position still holds. This increases credibility.
- Audience profiling
- Asking what the reader already knows, what they need to act on, and what attitude the text should leave them with before drafting.
- Informative tone
- Neutral third-person language with attributed evidence and no evaluative adjectives. It suits reports and explanations rather than persuasion.
- Read-aloud test
- Reading the text aloud to expose missing words, run-on sentences, and awkward repetition faster than silent reading does.
- Cut list
- Items to delete during editing: filler openers, redundant pairs such as each and every, and vague modifiers such as a lot or kind of.
- Given-new pattern
- Starting a sentence with information the reader already has, then placing new information at the end. This carries the reader forward smoothly.
- Lexical chain
- Repeated or varied key terms across paragraphs, such as housing, rent, and tenancy, signalling that the topic is sustained.
- Passive voice use
- Appropriate in formal reports when the actor is unknown or unimportant. Active voice is usually clearer and shorter, so it is the default.
- Conditional pattern
- If plus past tense, then would plus base verb, as in if funding increased, outcomes would improve. Putting would in the if-clause is an error.
- Non-defining clause
- A clause adding extra information that could be removed, set off by commas, as in the policy, which began in 2020, reduced costs.
- Its versus it's
- Its is possessive, as in its purpose. It's is a contraction of it is or it has and is generally avoided in formal writing.
- Instructional text features
- Imperative verbs, numbered steps in chronological order, and warnings or conditions stated before the step they affect.
- Conclusion rule
- Restate the thesis in different words, summarise the strongest evidence, and state the implication. Introduce no new evidence in the conclusion.