Writing: The SBAC Performance Task

How your essay will be scored:

The people scoring your essay will be assigning scores for:

*Statement of purpose/focus

—how well you clearly state your claim on

the topic, maintain your focus, and address the alternate and opposing

claims 

*Organization

—how well your ideas logically flow from the introduction

to conclusion using effective transitions, and how well you stay on topic

throughout the essay 

*Elaboration of evidence

—how well you provide evidence from sources

about your opinions and elaborate with specific information 

*Language and Vocabulary

—how well you effectively express ideas using

precise language that is appropriate for your audience and purpose

*Conventions

—how well you follow the rules

of usage, punctuation,

capitalization, and spelling 

 _______________________________________

Verbs for the Performance Task 

Strong verbs vs. weak verbs 

 

Strong vs. Weak Verbs

To help you move away from summary and toward ANALYSIS, you need to begin to incorporate strong

verbs into your writing when discussing the writer’s rhetorical choices. Below is a list of verbs that are

considered weak because they imply summary and a list of verbs that are considered strong because they imply analysis. Strive to use the stronger verbs in your essays to help push yourself away from summary and toward analysis: “The writer flatters…” NOT “The writer says…”

WEAK VERBS (Summary)

Says/relates/goes/on/to/say/tells/this/quote/shows/explains/states/shows

STRONG VERBS (Analysis)

Implies/trivializes/flatters/qualifies/processes/describes/suggests/denigrates/lionizes/dismisses/analyzes questions/compares/vilifies/praises/supports/enumerates/contrasts/emphasizes/demonizes/establishes admonishes/expounds/argues/defines/ridicules/minimizes/narrates/lists/warns

Powerful and meaningful verbs to use in your analyses as Alternatives to “show”

Acknowledge

Address

Analyze

Apply

Argue

Assert

Augment

Broaden

Calculate

Capitalize

Characterize

Claim

Clarify

Compare

Complicate

Confine

Connect

Consider

Construct

Contradict

Correct

Create

Convince

Critique

Declare

Deduce

Defend

Demonstrate

Deny

Describe

Determine

Differentiate

Disagree

Discard

Discover

Discuss

Dismiss

Distinguish

Duplicate

Elaborate

Emphasize

Employ

Enable

Engage

Enhance

Establish

Evaluate

Exacerbate

Examine

Exclude

Exhibit

Expand

Explain

Exploit

Express

Extend

Facilitate

Feature

Forecast

Formulate

Fracture

Generalize

Group

Guide

Hamper

Hypothesize

Identify

Illuminate

Illustrate

Impair

Implement

Implicate

Imply

Improve

Include

Incorporate

Indicate

Induce

Initiate

Inquire

Instigate

Integrate

Interpret

Intervene

Invert

Isolate

Justify

Locate

Loosen

Maintain

Manifest

Manipulate

Measure

Merge

Minimize

Modify

Monitor

Necessitate

Negate

Nullify

Obscure

Observe

Obtain

Offer

Omit

Optimize

Organize

Outline

Overstate

Persist

Point out

Possess

Predict

Present

Probe

Produce

Promote

Propose

Prove

Provide

Qualify

Quantify

Question

Realize

Recommend

Reconstruct

Redefine

Reduce

Refer

Reference

Refine

Reflect

Refute

Regard

Reject

Relate

Rely

Remove

Repair

Report

Represent

Resolve

Retrieve

Reveal

Revise

Separate

Shape

Signify

Simulate

Solve

Specify

Structure

Suggest

Summarize

Support

Suspend

Sustain

Tailor

Terminate

Testify

Theorize

Translate

Undermine

Understand

Unify

Utilize

Validate

Vary

View

Vindicate

Yield

Analyzing DICTION

Diction is simply the words the writer chooses to convey a particular meaning.

When analyzing diction, look for specific words or short phrases that seem stronger than the others (ex. Bragg’s use of slingshot instead of travel). Diction is NEVER the entire sentence! Also, look for a pattern (or similarity) in the words the writer chooses (ex. Do the words imply sadness, happiness, etc?). This pattern helps to create a particular kind of diction.

This pattern can also include repetition of the same words or phrases. Repeating the same word or phrase helps the reader emphasize a point, feeling, etc.

Effective diction is shaped by words that are clear, concrete, and exact. Good writers avoid words like pretty, nice, and bad because they are not specific enough. Instead, they rely on words that invoke a specific effect in order to bring the reader into the event being described.

Examples:

A coat isn’t torn; it is tattered.

The US Army does not want revenge; it is thirsting for revenge.

A door does not shut; it thuds.

Diction depends on subject, purpose, occasion, and audience.

The subject often determines how specific or sophisticated the diction needs to be. For example, articles on computers are filled with a specialized language: e-mail, e-shopping, web, interface.

Many topics generate special vocabularies to convey meaning. The writer’s purpose – whether to persuade, entertain, inform – partly determines diction. Words chosen to impart a particular effect on the reader reflect the writer’s purpose. For example, if an author’s purpose is to inform, the reader should expect straightforward diction. On the other hand, if the author’s purpose is to entertain, the readers will likely encounter words used in ironic, playful, or unexpected ways.

Diction also depends on occasion. Formal diction is reserved for scholarly writing and serious texts. Informal diction is often used in narrative essays and newspaper editorials.

Colloquial diction and slang are typically used to capture the language of a particular time frame

or culture.

Finally, the type of diction a writer uses depends on the audience (readers, listeners). An author

who uses sophisticated diction knows he is writing for an intelligent audience. An author who

uses more informal diction knows he is writing for an audience of varied intelligence.

When you are writing an essay in which you are analyzing the diction of the writer:

Avoid saying: “The writer used diction…” – since this is obvious (diction IS the words on the page; without them, the page would be blank).

Instead, say: “The writer creates______________ diction through the use of…” OR “The

language of the text is ___________________.”

Below are just a few words that you may use to describe the type of diction used by the writer.

You may want to add words to this list or circle the ones you use frequently.

abstract                                       literal                      

academic                                    loaded

ambiguous                                  lyrical

biting                                           melodious

bombastic                                    monosyllabic

brusque                                      nostalgic

cacophonous                              obscene

casual                                         obscure

caustic                                        offensive

concrete                                      ordinary

colloquial                                     ornate

colorful                                         passionate

common                                       patriotic

connotative                                   pedantic

cultured                                       picturesque

crisp                                             plain

curt                                               poetic

denotative                                    political

detached                                      polysyllabic

divisive                                         precise

emotional                                     pretention

esoteric                                        provincial

euphemistic                                 romantic

euphonious                                  scholarly

everyday                                      sentimental

exact                                            shocking

fanciful                                         sincere

flowery                                         slang

figurative                                      subdued

folksy                                            symbolic

formal                                            tame

grandiose                                      technical

idiomatic                                        trite

inflammatory                                  unifying

inflated                                           uppity

informal                                          vague

insincere                                         vulgar

jargon                                             learned

Analyzing SYNTAX

Syntax refers to the way words are arranged within sentences.

Schemes

One aspect of syntax is schemes. Most English sentences follow a subject-verb-object pattern

(ex. I went to the store.) Deviating from this pattern can serve to add emphasize to the author’s

ideas. [See the scheme section of your Style handout for different ways authors can change the pattern of their sentences.]

Sentence Length

Another aspect of syntax is sentence length. Good writers will use a variety for emphasis.

· Short sentences – imply straightforward

· Long sentences – imply descriptive, detailed

Sentence Type

A third aspect of syntax is sentence type. Again, good writers use a variety.

· Simple: subject-verb (I went to the store.)

· Compound: 2 independent clauses joined by a conjunction (I went to the store, and I bought candy.)

· Complex: independent clause and dependent clause (While traveling to the store, I saw my friend.)

· Compound-complex: 2 independent clauses and one or more dependent clauses (While traveling to the store, I saw my friend, and she gave me money for candy.)

· Declarative: statement (I went to the store.)

· Exclamatory: strong feeling (What a wonderful candy store!)

· Interrogative: question (Is this a store?)

· Imperative: command (Go to the store.)

Punctuation

A final aspect of syntax is punctuation. Yes, good writers use a variety here too.

· Semicolon(;) gives equal weight to two or more independent clauses in a sentence.

Writers use this to reinforce parallel ideas and show how both ideas are equally important

· Colon(:) directs the reader’s attention to the words that follow. Writers use this to show

the reader that the information after the colon is important.

· Dash (-) marks a sudden change in thought or tone or sets off a brief summa

Analyzing TONE

Tone is the writer’s attitude or feeling about the subject of his text.

It is a special kind of rhetorical strategy because tone is created by the writer’s use of all of the other rhetorical strategies.

· Diction & Tropes

· Syntax & Schemes

· Details & Lack of Details

When discussing an author’s tone, you must be careful to choose the right word. Below is a

small list of tone words (there are hundreds). Use them in your essays to describe the tone of the piece but only if you are sure you know the word’s meaning (not sure – look it up in a dictionary).

When writing your essay, avoid saying: “The writer uses tone” since ALL writers use a tone of some kind. Instead, say: “The writer creates a __________ tone…”

Angry sad sentimental cloying bitter

Sharp cold fanciful dramatic audacious

Upset urgent complimentary provocative benevolent

Silly joking condescending didactic tired

Boring poignant sympathetic proud frivolous

Afraid detached contemptuous giddy irreverent

Happy confused apologetic pitiful seductive

Hollow childish humorous restrained sweet

Joyful peaceful horrific somber objective

Allusive mocking sarcastic candid nostalgic

Vexed vibrant zealous dreamy shocking

Sarcastic patriotic serious mocking satiric

Motivational tactful respectful humorous