Praxis Core Writing key terms

A single sentence, usually placed near the start of an essay, that states the central claim the writer will defend. It should be specific and arguable rather than a bare announcement of topic.

The sentence, often first in a paragraph, that names the paragraph's main point and ties it back to the essay's thesis. The remaining sentences supply evidence, explanation, or illustration for it.

The central concept that governs an entire piece and limits what material belongs in it. Every paragraph should visibly support this idea, and anything off-topic is cut during revision.

The quality of a paragraph in which every sentence serves the stated main point. Sentences that drift to a new subject break unity and usually need to be moved or deleted.

The quality that makes a piece read as a connected whole, achieved by logical order of ideas and by clear links between sentences and paragraphs. Readers should never have to guess how one point relates to the next.

The surface-level linking of sentences through pronouns, repeated key words, and transitional phrases so that each sentence connects to the one before it. Cohesion works alongside coherence, which concerns overall logical flow.

A word, phrase, or sentence that signals the relationship between ideas, such as addition, contrast, cause, or sequence. Strong transitions clarify logic rather than merely decorate the prose.

Prose that tells a story by presenting events, often in chronological order, with characters and a point of view. Effective narrative uses concrete detail and a clear sequence rather than summary alone.

An essay that takes a position on a debatable issue and supports it with reasons and evidence while acknowledging counterarguments. Its success depends on a clear claim, credible support, and logical organization.

An opposing view that a writer raises and then answers in order to strengthen a position. Addressing it shows the writer has considered alternatives and makes the argument more credible.

The response that refutes or weakens a counterargument after it has been presented. A rebuttal may show faulty reasoning, missing evidence, or a limited scope in the opposing claim.

Admitting that part of an opposing view is valid before explaining why the writer's position still stands. A well-placed concession builds credibility, but overusing it can blur the essay's main claim.

Facts, examples, statistics, expert testimony, or personal observations offered to support a claim. Evidence must be relevant, sufficient, and accurately reported to be persuasive.

A brief story about a specific incident used to illustrate or support a point. Anecdotes can engage readers but are weak as sole evidence because one case does not prove a general claim.

Organization that presents events in the order they occurred, from earliest to latest. It suits narratives, process descriptions, and historical accounts where sequence matters to understanding.

Organization that arranges points from least to most significant, or the reverse, so the strongest material lands where it has most impact. It is common in persuasive and explanatory writing.

The perspective from which a piece is told, such as first person, third-person limited, or third-person omniscient. Shifting perspective without reason confuses readers and weakens consistency.

A revision principle urging writers to render scenes through concrete sensory detail and action instead of summarizing emotions. It makes narrative and descriptive prose vivid and credible.

The intended readers of a piece, whose knowledge, expectations, and attitudes shape tone, vocabulary, and how much background must be explained. Ignoring audience leads to prose that is too technical or too basic.

The writer's reason for composing a text, such as to inform, persuade, entertain, or explain a process. Purpose determines structure, evidence, and level of detail.

The attitude a writer conveys toward the subject and reader, for example formal, ironic, sympathetic, or urgent. Tone is created through word choice, sentence structure, and level of detail.

The level of formality in language, ranging from casual conversation to academic prose. Register should match the audience and occasion, and mixing levels unintentionally creates awkward inconsistency.

The selection of words to convey precise meaning and appropriate connotation. Vague, inflated, or clichéd wording weakens writing, while exact verbs and nouns make prose clearer and more forceful.

The associations or emotional coloring a word carries beyond its literal meaning, such as the difference between thrifty and stingy. Writers choose among near-synonyms to control these associations.

The literal, dictionary meaning of a word, independent of the feelings it may evoke. Precision in denotation prevents ambiguity, while attention to connotation controls tone.

Mixing sentence lengths and structures, such as simple, compound, and complex forms, to keep prose readable and emphasize key ideas. Uniform short or long sentences quickly become monotonous.

Presenting related ideas in matching grammatical form, as in a list of parallel verbs or phrases. Faulty parallelism forces readers to work out how items correspond and is a common revision target.

A pattern of development such as narration, description, comparison and contrast, cause and effect, definition, or persuasion. Modes can be combined, but each implies a characteristic organization.

The position of a paragraph's main-idea sentence, which may open the paragraph, close it as a summary, or be implied. Placement is a stylistic choice, but clarity of the main point must never suffer.

The rule that a verb must match its subject in number and person, as in she writes versus they write. Errors typically arise with interrupting phrases, indefinite pronouns, and compound subjects.

The requirement that a pronoun match its antecedent in number, gender, and person. Problems commonly occur with indefinite antecedents like everyone and with nouns joined by or and nor.

The clarity with which a pronoun points back to a specific noun. Ambiguous, missing, or remote antecedents force readers to guess who or what is meant and should be revised.

A group of words punctuated as a sentence but lacking a subject, a complete verb, or an independent clause. Fragments can be repaired by attaching them to a nearby sentence or supplying the missing part.

Two or more independent clauses joined without adequate punctuation or a conjunction. It can be fixed with a period, a semicolon, or a coordinating conjunction plus comma.

Joining two independent clauses with only a comma, which is too weak to separate them. Repair options include a period, a semicolon, or a comma plus coordinating conjunction.

A group of words containing a subject and a complete verb that can stand alone as a sentence. Recognizing it is essential for punctuating compound and complex sentences correctly.

A clause with a subject and verb that cannot stand alone because it begins with a subordinating word or relative pronoun. It must be attached to an independent clause to form a complete sentence.

A word, phrase, or clause that describes another element in the sentence. A misplaced or dangling modifier attaches to the wrong word or to nothing, producing confusing or unintentionally comic meaning.

A punctuation mark used mainly to separate two closely related independent clauses or to divide items in a complex list. It signals a tighter connection than a period but a stronger break than a comma.

A punctuation mark that introduces an explanation, list, or quotation after a complete clause. It should not separate a verb from its object or a preposition from its object.

The conventions for forming possessives and contractions with an apostrophe, such as the dog's bowl or it's raining. Confusing possessive its with contraction it's is a frequent error.

The conventions governing uppercase letters, including proper nouns, sentence beginnings, and titles. Overcapitalizing common nouns or failing to capitalize proper nouns are common mechanical errors.

The system of marks that clarifies sentence structure, pace, and meaning. Correct use of commas, semicolons, colons, and dashes prevents misreading and demonstrates control of written English.

A reference identifying the source of a quotation, statistic, or idea, usually including author, title, and publication details. Citations let readers verify claims and avoid plagiarism.

Presenting someone else's words or ideas as one's own, whether by copying, paraphrasing too closely, or omitting attribution. Even unintentional failure to cite a source counts as plagiarism.

Restating a source's idea in one's own words and sentence structure while preserving the meaning. A legitimate paraphrase still requires a citation because the idea belongs to the original author.

Reproducing a source's exact words inside quotation marks, with an accompanying citation. Quotations should be used selectively for distinctive phrasing or authority, not to replace the writer's own explanation.

Judging whether information is credible, current, relevant, and authoritative before relying on it. Criteria include the author's expertise, the publisher, the date, and the evidence behind the claims.

A flaw in reasoning that makes an argument unreliable, such as attacking a person instead of a claim or assuming a cause from sequence. Recognizing fallacies helps candidates spot weak reasoning in passages.

A pronoun such as everyone, each, few, or none that refers to an unspecified person or thing. Many are singular and take singular verbs, which often creates agreement errors.

A singular noun naming a group, such as team, committee, or family. In American English it normally takes a singular verb when the group acts as one unit.

Expressing the relative importance of ideas by placing less important ones in dependent clauses and main ones in independent clauses. It prevents choppy prose and clarifies emphasis.