English 0500 — 5-topic bundle

Reading for ideas isn't passive; it's an active process. You want to identify what the author is saying and why they're saying it. Summarising then tests your understanding by forcing you to extract only the most important information.

• Figurative Language:
  • Simile: Comparing two different things using "like" or "as" (e.g., "brave as a lion").
  • Metaphor: Directly stating one thing is another (e.g., "The city is a jungle").
  • Personification: Giving human qualities to inanimate objects or animals (e.g., "The wind whispered secrets").
• Imagery: Language that appeals to your senses (sight, sound, smell, touch, taste), creating vivid pictures in your mind.
• Diction (Word Choice): The specific words a writer chooses. Are they formal or informal? Simple or complex? Positive or negative (connotation)?
• Syntax (Sentence Structure): How sentences are put together. Are they long and complex, or short and choppy? Does it use repetition, parallel structure, or rhetorical questions?
• Tone: The writer's attitude towards their subject or audience (e.g., angry, humorous, objective, sarcastic).
• Pathos, Logos, Ethos (Persuasive Appeals):
  • Pathos: Appeals to your emotions.
  • Logos: Appeals to your logic/reason.
  • Ethos: Appeals to the writer's credibility/authority.