Nonfiction vocabulary

Speeches: a formal address or discourse delivered to an audience.

Aphorisms:  a concise statement that contains a general truth, such as, “if it ain't broke, don't fix it.”

Epigraphs: a short quotation or saying at the beginning of a book or chapter, intended to suggest its theme.

Literary devices: a technique a writer uses to produce a special effect in their writing.

Persuasive texts: is a written argument that tries to convince you to believe or do something.

Author’s purpose: the reason an author decides to write about a specific topic. Then, once a topic is selected, the author must decide whether his purpose for writing is to inform, persuade, entertain, or explain his ideas to the reader.

Factual claims: reasons to support a belief or position in dispute.

Opinions: a view or judgment formed about something, not necessarily based on fact or knowledge.

Commonplace Assertions:  A statement that many people assume to be true, but it can't be proven.

Making Inferences: the process of making an educated guess.

Logical Fallacies:  an error in reasoning that renders an argument invalid. Example: John's iPhone broke after two weeks, so there must be something faulty in the general manufacture of iPhones.

Rhetorical Fallacies: A deceptive or misleading argument

Caricatures:  a comically or grotesquely exaggerated representation of (someone or something).

Loaded Language/Terms: wording that attempts to influence an audience by using appeal to emotion or stereotypes. 

Leading Questions: a question that prompts or encourages the desired answer.

False Assumptions: Something taken for granted or accepted as true without proof

Incorrect premise: an incorrect proposition that forms the basis of an argument.