091 RDG Critical Reading
Janice Hill
MVCC
Introduction
We study rhetoric, the art or study of using
language effectively and persuasively for
the purpose of communication. It is the
study of written prose.
Prose is communication which is not
poetry.
Topics
Topics are the subjects of the paragraph.
Subjects are nouns. Nouns are persons,
places, things, or ideas. To limit topics,
readers may modify nouns by adding
adjectives or adjective phrases to make the
topic identification more specific.
The topic of the movie Jaws is a crazed
shark.
Main Ideas
Authors state (in a thesis statement) or suggest
(hints and clues) the main idea of reading
passages. The mainidea is the most important
information the reader learns about the topic.
Students will compose grammatically correct
sentences in their own words to answer main idea
questions.
Here is a main idea sentence identifying the most
important information from Jaws.
A crazed shark terrified an Atlantic coast the town
until shark was destroyed.
Modes of Discourse
There are four modes (methods) of discourse
(communication), which we read in college:
expository, descriptive, narrative, and persuasive.
Authors have a purpose for writing. The modes of
discourse categorize these purposes: to teach, to
paint a picture, to convince, to tell a story with a
moral lesson.
Expository Discourse
Conveys information about or explains a
subject.
Like a textbook.
Purpose is to teach.
Descriptive Discourse
Emphasizes details that may include color,
comparisons, and/or modifiers.
Expressive, creative, imaginative writing.
Purpose is to paint pictures for the reader.
Narrative Discourse
Relates events that happen to characters
usually in chronological order.
Art of telling a story.
Purpose is to entertain or teach a moral
lesson.
Persuasive Discourse
Uses emotion and/or logic to convince the
reader to agree with a point made by the
author.
Purpose is to persuade.