Communicative Rhetoric Word choice and syntactic schemes Excerpt

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Communicative Rhetoric Word choice and syntactic schemes

Communicative Rhetoric Word choice and syntactic schemes

Excerpt from Comic Relief n Lauren: Sir? n Lauren: But I can’t understand what

Excerpt from Comic Relief n Lauren: Sir? n Lauren: But I can’t understand what you’re saying sir. Mr. : Yeah? Mr. : Well, clearly you can. Lauren: Are you English sir? Mr. : No, I’m Scottish. Lauren: Sorry, are you talking Scottish now? Lauren: So you ain’t English then. Mr. : No, I’m talking English. Mr. : No, I’m British. Lauren: Right. Don’t sound like it. Lauren: So you ain’t English then. Mr. : Okay, whatever you want. Now, let’s get on with Shakespeare! Mr. : No I’m not, but as you can see, I do speak English.

Hit the Nail on the Head n A. Loose/vague/improper English v. s. Clean English;

Hit the Nail on the Head n A. Loose/vague/improper English v. s. Clean English; a. Words of the same origin, e. g. , human v. s. humane; b. Synonyms and not exactly synonyms, e. g. , anxiety v. s. eagerness; c. Words looked alike, e. g. singularity v. s. singleness; d. Words that show exactly what you mean, e. g. , imprisonment v. s. distilled Wright, or Wrong?

Analogy n An analogy is a comparison between two dissimilar things made to clarify

Analogy n An analogy is a comparison between two dissimilar things made to clarify a point or create an image. Read more: http: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Analogy

Wright, or Wrong? n n n n n Command of words is ultimately command

Wright, or Wrong? n n n n n Command of words is ultimately command over life and experience. Words with common root are with common senses. Bad carpentry in language is caused by choosing the wrong word for the context. Malapropism is very dangerous sometimes. A word sometimes may fail to be the right one for the writer’s purpose. There are no synonyms. The change in words is a change in style. Culturally specific words can be completely translated. English offers a variety of words for the same object. You can choose any one at a time. It is good to make your vocabulary as complete as you can… It is important to have a good control and command over the word you know.

Examples of diction in previous excerpts Where there should have been gentle blue -green

Examples of diction in previous excerpts Where there should have been gentle blue -green waves lapping against the side of the ship, there was nothing but hot dry sand – as far as I could see in all directions. n With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. n The media are either with you or against you and you’ve got to catch the wave. n

Walk, loiter, stride, prowl, pace, step? n n n When the pop singer _______

Walk, loiter, stride, prowl, pace, step? n n n When the pop singer _______ out of the limousine, his fans ran to him, eager to get his autograph. Sometimes Tom, our reporter, would _______ up and down the study, deep in thought. The lion had ____ the jungle for a long time before it caught sight of a hare. We saw him ____ towards the station a few minutes before the train’s departure. Many tourists ____ about the mall, windowshopping.

Example: subject n n n n English is one of the main subjects on

Example: subject n n n n English is one of the main subjects on the curriculum. The style of the article is the subject for discussion. He is a subject of the United Kingdom. He who is subject to temptations tends to err. Human affairs are all subject to changes and disasters. (Daniel Defoe) Civility is not a sign of weakness, and sincerity is always subject to proof. (John F. Kennedy) On this test-track, the manufacturers deliberately subject standard production cars to rough treatment. Our exports in this line are subjected to a tariff rate of 50% in Canada.

Example: define n n n Choosing words is part of the process of realization,

Example: define n n n Choosing words is part of the process of realization, of defining our thoughts and feelings for ourselves, as well as for those who hear or read our words. (Alan Warner) The new architectural styles have become powerful image makers overseas. Two stunning arrivals now gracing Hong Kong’s crowded skyline—the privatelyowned Hong Kong & Shanghai Bank building and Bank of China’s headquarters—stand as monuments to the rival economic interests, cultures and ideologies that define the colony. (Andrea Gabor) The roof was boldly defined against the sky. The contrast in color helped to define the forms in the painting. Reason defines man.

Example: learn from… n n A man who does not learn from others can't

Example: learn from… n n A man who does not learn from others can't hope to achieve much. Why don’t you learn from your previous mistakes? Paris itself is the epitome of civilized city life, so humane in the scale of its architecture, so enchanting in its mix of style and history and hedonism. Would that other cities of the world could emulate Paris. (Mortimer Zuckerman) I. M. Pei has set a standard for other achitects to emulate.

Example: situation n n n Having come to the conclusion, we began to plan

Example: situation n n n Having come to the conclusion, we began to plan for the worst possible scenario. If you can handle the worst, then you can handle anything. (Norman Schwarzkopf, Chief of Staff of the U. S. Army in the Gulf War) It is difficult to find jobs during a boom time. This syndrome is having a terrible impact on the morale of the minority community. Almost singlehandedly, she changed the parameters of British politics, ending the free-lunch mentality that had prevailed since 1945 and replacing it with an unyielding commitment to free markets and individual responsibility. (Robert Knight) In today’s nanosecond climate, one misstep can mean a quick nose dive. Washington is now aware of the new economic landscape that demands international coordination among the G-7 countries. China’s economic development has left its deep impact on the texture of society. Ford is making its inroad into China’s auto market within the context of the nation’s economic surge.

Example: a guide to achieve brevity in writing n n n Using the most

Example: a guide to achieve brevity in writing n n n Using the most appropriate words, e. g. , Ward bulls his way to fortune; Simplifying grammatical structure by using nouns as attributes, e. g. , the value of a Syracuse education; Using compound phrases , e. g. , the getacquainted session; Highlighting the major issues; Omitting prepositions, if possible, e. g. , I don’t use all my ammunition (on) the first visit.

n B. Beyond word level, e. g. , Sentence structure: In my childhood I

n B. Beyond word level, e. g. , Sentence structure: In my childhood I loved to watch trains go by. When I was a child I loved watching trains go by. Words + sentence structure/mood: He died poor. He expired in indigent circumstances. Words of cultural connotations

Will you dine a la carte or take the table d’hôte? n n n

Will you dine a la carte or take the table d’hôte? n n n Mouton aux navets…and the soup is potage de mouton a l’Ecossaise. The side dishes contain pommes de terre au naturel and chou-fleur a l’eau. (William Thackeray, Vanity Fair) So a good writer is not measured by the extent of his vocabulary, but by his skill in finding the “mot juste”, the word that will hit the nail cleanly on the head. (Alan Warner) For teenagers, pregnancies, alcoholism, drugs and dropouts are all part of the same sad resume. (Jerry Buckley) From the moment Bush announced ‘no preconditions’ for the negotiations, conservatives in his party groused they were not ready to commit political hara-kiri. (Gloria Borger) She always looks very chic.

More examples “Wanna go to a movie with me sometime, Jess? ” asked Davey

More examples “Wanna go to a movie with me sometime, Jess? ” asked Davey Ackerman. “The name is Jessica. And no, I wouldn’t, I don’t go out with juveniles. ” (Erich Segal, Man, Woman, and Child) n Up and up he soars, and for one brief moment he is frozen in time, suspected motionless over the cross-bar in a blinding bath of camera flashes. (Time) n

Syntactic schemes 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Simple/compound/complex sentences Right-/left-/mid-/multi-branching sentences Syntactic schemes of

Syntactic schemes 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Simple/compound/complex sentences Right-/left-/mid-/multi-branching sentences Syntactic schemes of balance (parallelism, antithesis, etc. ) Syntactic schemes of inversion/omission Syntactic schemes of addition/climax and anticlimax

Simple/compound/complex sentences n n n I listen'd, I look'd round me, I could hear

Simple/compound/complex sentences n n n I listen'd, I look'd round me, I could hear nothing, nor see any Thing. I went up the Shore and down the Shore, but it was all one, I could see no other Impression but that one, I went to it again to see if there were any more, and to observe if it might not be my Fancy. But it wasn' t a good day. We were anchored in what used to be the most productive fishing site in all of central Asia, but as I looked out over the bow , the prospects of a good catch looked bleak.

Right-/left-/mid-/multi-branching sentences n n n Studies serve for delight, for ornament, and for ability.

Right-/left-/mid-/multi-branching sentences n n n Studies serve for delight, for ornament, and for ability. I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plains, and crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together. As we paddled southwest past the candle factory, the rain beat against us. The essay, as a species of literature, was invented by Montage. Where there should have been gentle blue-green waves lapping against the side of the ship, there was nothing but hot dry sand – as far as I could see in all directions.

Syntactic schemes of balance n n n Parallelism, e. g. , “Veni, vidi, vici

Syntactic schemes of balance n n n Parallelism, e. g. , “Veni, vidi, vici (I came, I saw, I conquered). ”(Julius Caesar) Antimetabole , e. g. , "Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country. " (John F. Kennedy, Inaugural Address, January 20, 1961. ) Antithesis, e. g. , Not that I loved Cæsar less, but that I loved Rome more. (William Shakespeare, "Julius Cæsar, " Act 3, scene 2, 22) They perfect nature, and are perfected by experience.

Syntactic schemes of inversion/omission n n Inversion, e. g. , Sometime too hot the

Syntactic schemes of inversion/omission n n Inversion, e. g. , Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines, And often is his gold complexion dimmed. Ellipsis, e. g. , She held her head so high her neck, coming up out of those white shoulders, looked kind of stretched, but I didn’t mind. Fragmentary elliptical sentences, e. g. , Better city, better life. Asyndeton, e. g. , I listen'd, I look'd round me, I could hear nothing, nor see any Thing. Aposiopesis, e. g. , "Get out, or else—!"

Syntactic schemes of addition/climax and anticlimax n n n Addition, e. g. , …but

Syntactic schemes of addition/climax and anticlimax n n n Addition, e. g. , …but there was no Room for that, for there was exactly the very Print of a Foot, Toes, Heel, and every Part of a Foot. Climax, e. g. , "I think we've reached a point of great decision, not just for our nation, not only for all humanity, but for life upon the earth. "(George Wald, A Generation in Search of a Future, March 4, 1969. ) Anticlimax, e. g. , When George the Fourth was still reigning over the privacies of Windsor, when the Duke of Wellington was Prime Minister, and Mr. Vincy was mayor of the old corporation in Middlemarch, Mrs. Casaubon , born Dorothea Brooke, had taken her wedding journey to Rome. ( George Eliot: Middlemarch)

Assignment n n Please keep a journal for Prose and Rhetoric from this week

Assignment n n Please keep a journal for Prose and Rhetoric from this week to help you accumulate knowledge. Every week a theme will be recommended to you. You can follow the instruction to collect some materials. You can also add to it your own collection of interest. Please remember to take the journal with you when we have classes, so that you can possibly share with your classmates your findings of the week. Please read “Marrakech”, and find out 1) two examples of excellent word choice, and 2) two examples of sentence structures that are wisely chosen. Please copy down the 4 examples and comment briefly on their possible reasons for word choice and sentence structures on your journal.

n Please read the following paragraph, and think about the ways to make it

n Please read the following paragraph, and think about the ways to make it more impressive, e. g. , figures of speech in your knowledge. You can search online to find any figures of speech in English. Please take your revision to class next time. This bazaar is very, very old. The entrance is a gateway made of very old bricks and stone, in the shape of an arch, before which is a large open square. The inside of it, however, is pretty cool, dark, and deep as the street extends. Donkeys move in a line with bells among the crowd. The street is wide enough for people, along which are little stalls selling various kinds of goods.

Topic of next week n Aesthetic rhetoric: another way to put it

Topic of next week n Aesthetic rhetoric: another way to put it