Unit V Irony and Ambiguity
Academic Vocabulary
1. Irony: The difference between reality and expectations.
2. Verbal Irony: When a character says one thing but means the opposite.
3. Situational Irony: A character finds him/herself in the opposite situation from what
he/she expected.
4. Dramatic Irony: The audience knows more than the character.
5. Ambiguity: There are several different consequences or meanings and it is up to the
reader/viewer to sort them out.
6. Surprise Ending: An ending the reader/audience does not expect.
7. Prediction: A guess about what will happen next in the story.
8. Contradiction: Two statements or situations that have opposite meaning.
9. Subtleties: Small or fine distinctions.
Informational Material
Evaluate the Argument
1. Argument: Statements designed to convince you of something.
2. Credible: Believable.
3. Understand the Claim/Opinion: Read the argument. What does the author want to
prove?
4. Claim: Opinion.
5. Generalization: Broad statement.
6. Identify the Support: Author must support his/her claim.
Types of Support
1. Logical Appeal: Reasons that make sense/reasonable.
2. Evidence: Information used by writers to support their reasons: facts, statistics,
examples, quote.
3. Analogy: Comparison usually done to explain something complex or unfamiliar in
terms of something familiar.
4. Emotional Appeal: Writers will use the readers’ emotions to win an argument.
A. Loaded words: Words with strong emotional connotations.
B. Anecdotes: Brief stories.
7. Evaluate the Evidence: Does the author present sufficient evidence to validate his/her
claim?
8. Identify the author’s intent: Why is the author making this argument?
9. Create a Chart: Helps to evaluate the argument.
Writing
1.
2.
3.
4.
Logical Appeal: Speaks to the readers’ common sense and logic.
Emotional Appeal: Aimed at the readers’ heart (love, fear, hatred).
Ethical Appeal: Address the readers’ sense of what is right and wrong.
Opinion Statement: States the topic and your opinion on that topic.