Praxis Core Writing flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Narrative writing

A text type that recounts events in time order, usually with a narrator, characters, setting, and conflict. Consistent tense and point of view are required for coherence.

Informative writing

A text type that explains or describes facts and ideas without taking a side. It typically uses definition, classification, comparison, cause-effect, or process organization.

Argumentative writing

A text type that states a debatable claim and supports it with reasons, evidence, and acknowledgment of counterarguments. The thesis must be contestable, not a settled fact.

Thesis statement

A single sentence stating the essay's central claim and, often, its main supporting reasons. It should be specific and debatable rather than a broad announcement of topic.

Topic sentence

The sentence that states a paragraph's controlling idea. Every other sentence in the paragraph should explain, illustrate, or support it; unrelated sentences break paragraph unity.

Coherence

The quality of a text whose ideas connect logically through transitions, pronoun reference, repeated key terms, and consistent organization, so readers can follow the reasoning without gaps.

Audience awareness

Adjusting vocabulary, formality, sentence complexity, and assumed background knowledge to the reader specified by the prompt. Formal academic prose avoids slang and contractions.

Revision versus editing

Revision reshapes content, thesis, organization, and paragraph order; editing corrects sentence-level conventions such as grammar, punctuation, and spelling. Revision should generally come first.

Counterargument

A restatement of an opposing view followed by a response. Addressing it strengthens an argument by showing the writer has considered alternatives rather than ignoring them.

Concluding paragraph

The final paragraph, which restates the thesis in new words, summarizes main points, and offers an implication or closing thought. It should introduce no new major evidence.

Direct quotation use

A word-for-word passage placed in quotation marks, introduced by the writer, and followed by commentary linking it to the claim. Unexplained quotations weaken an essay.

Point of view consistency

Maintaining one narrative perspective, such as first person or third person, throughout a text. Accidental shifts confuse readers about who is speaking or observing.

Prompt analysis

Identifying the topic, the required mode of writing, the audience, and any specific instructions before drafting. Misreading the mode is a common cause of low essay scores.

Paragraph organization patterns

Common arrangements include chronological, spatial, order of importance, comparison-contrast, and cause-effect. Selecting one pattern and holding it keeps a text predictable for readers.

Supporting evidence

Specific facts, examples, statistics, or expert statements that back a reason. Vague generalities such as everyone knows do not function as evidence in academic writing.

Sentence variety

Mixing sentence lengths and structures, including simple, compound, and complex forms, to control emphasis and rhythm. Uniform short sentences read choppily.

Subject-verb agreement

The verb must match its grammatical subject in number and person, ignoring intervening prepositional phrases. Indefinite pronouns such as each and everyone take singular verbs.

Comma splice

Two independent clauses joined by only a comma. Correct it with a period, a semicolon, or a comma plus a coordinating conjunction such as and or but.

Run-on sentence

Two or more independent clauses fused without adequate punctuation or conjunction. Fix by splitting, inserting a semicolon, or adding a coordinating conjunction.

Pronoun-antecedent agreement

A pronoun must match its antecedent in number and gender. Collective nouns and indefinite pronouns often require singular pronouns in formal written English.

Pronoun case

Choosing subject forms (I, he, who) for subjects and predicate nominatives, and object forms (me, him, whom) for objects and after prepositions.

Dangling modifier

A modifying phrase whose intended subject is missing or misplaced, so it attaches to the wrong noun. Rewrite so the phrase modifies the sentence's grammatical subject.

Parallel structure

Matching grammatical forms for items in a series or comparison, such as all gerunds or all infinitives. Mismatched forms create awkward, unclear sentences.

Apostrophe rules

Add apostrophe-s for singular possessives, an apostrophe after the s for plural possessives, and no apostrophe for simple plurals. Its is possessive; it's means it is.

Semicolon use

A semicolon joins two closely related independent clauses or separates items in a series that already contain commas. It never follows a dependent clause alone.

Colon use

A colon follows a complete independent clause and introduces a list, explanation, or quotation. It should not separate a verb from its object.

Primary source

An original document, data set, interview, or eyewitness account created at the time of the event. It provides raw evidence rather than interpretation of other sources.

Secondary source

A work that interprets, analyzes, or summarizes primary material, such as a review article or textbook. It is cited as commentary, not as original evidence.

Plagiarism

Presenting another's words, ideas, data, or structure as one's own. It includes uncited paraphrase and unmarked verbatim copying, not only wholesale copying.

In-text citation

A brief parenthetical or narrative reference identifying the source of a fact or quotation. It must correspond to a complete entry in the reference list.

Reference list

An alphabetized list of full source details at the end of a text, including author, title, date, and publication information, matching every in-text citation.

Common knowledge

Widely accepted facts available in many general sources, which need no citation. Specific statistics, interpretations, and quotations always require attribution.