ABSTRACT
Chapter 5 provides several devices for disambiguating a writer’s meaning. Distinctio is the presentation of the specific meaning of a word in order to prevent confusion or misunderstanding. With exemplum, the writer provides clarification by using an example. Amplification consists of restating a word or idea and adding more detail. Metanoia qualifies a statement by rejecting it or calling it back and expressing it in a better or stronger way. Style Check 5 covers clear versus opaque writing and recommends clarity as a major goal for every writer, student and professional. Clarity is partly a function of audience. Define Your Terms asks students to define in their own words the rhetorical devices discussed in the chapter. It’s in the Cloud asks students to research Aristotle and report about his contribution to rhetoric. Salt and Pepper 5 covers the rhetoric of punctuation and how the proper use of punctuation can effect variations in emphasis. The chapter ends with a Review Questions quiz and Questions for Thought and Discussion, asking students to think about some of the ideas discussed in the chapter.
