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Here, we index many of the Key Terms that appear throughout the course of our Revision Guide. The Key Terms in the bullet-pointed list below anchor-link to the Key Term further down the page. We list the Key Term in BOLD CAPS, which links to the term’s definition in the Glossary, followed by hyperlinks to the Revision Strategy the term appears in.
To return to the bullet-pointed list at the top of the page click:
In the Glossary, we define each of the following Key Terms. We define and unpack the terms that organize the categories of our Menu (Structure, Heirarchy, Argument, Evidence and Analysis, Key Terms, Orienting, Style, Tone, and Voice, and Clarity, Grammar, and Usage) in their introductions and, more briefly, in the introduction to the Revision Strategies Guide.

Does Each Topic Sentence State the Purpose of That Paragraph? Check Topic Sentences for Signaling
Is Your Prose Murky and Full of Jargon? Try This Writing Exercise: “What I Really Mean Is…”
Can’t Distill Your Argument? 20 Minute Free Write as a Clarification Tool
Do Your Paragraphs and Sections Build Toward an Argument? The Uneven U as a Tool to Check
Does Each Topic Sentence State the Purpose of That Paragraph? Check Topic Sentences for Signaling
Does My Writing Flow? Topic Position Check for Moving Smoothly from Sentence to Sentence
Disorganized First Draft? Color-coding as a Tool to Reorganize and Restructure
Evidence and Analysis: Introduction
Is Quoting Slowing You Down? Try Summarizing to be Strategically Efficient
Is This Sentence Adding Anything? Stress Position Check
Is Your First Draft Disorganized? Reverse Outlining as a Method to Discover Structure
Is Your Information Disconnected From Your Argument? Search for Free-Floating Info
Is Your Prose Murky and Full of Jargon? Try This Writing Exercise: “What I Really Mean Is…”
Not Sure Whether You Should Paraphrase, Cite, or Block-quote? Assessing Evidence Length and Detail
Not Sure If Your Meaning Is Clear? Check Key Term Consistency
Relational Terms and Failures of Logical Reasoning: Positive and Negative Value Assignments
Sentences and Paragraphs out of Order? Reassembling as a Tool to Restructure
Trouble Balancing Evidence and Analysis? Color-coding to Find Your Evidence-to-Analysis Ratio
Where’s This Section Going? Signposting to Connect Claims
Which Counterarguments Should I Engage With? Determining Levels of Engagement for Counterarguments
Am I Including The Right Amount of Contextualizing Information? A Promote-Demote Exercise
Disorganized First Draft? Color-coding as a Tool to Reorganize and Restructure
Evidentiary Disconnect—Thinking Through the Vacuum
Having Trouble Evaluating Your Prose Style? Try Writing for the Ear
Is Your Information Disconnected From Your Argument? Search for Free-Floating Info
Is Your Prose Murky and Full of Jargon? Try This Writing Exercise: “What I Really Mean Is…”
Not Sure Whether You Should Paraphrase, Cite, or Block-quote? Assessing Evidence Length and Detail
Style, Tone, and Voice: Introduction
Am I Including The Right Amount of Contextualizing Information? A Promote-Demote Exercise
Are You Providing Too Much Context? 10-minute Free Write As a Tool for Summary
Clarity, Grammar, and Usage: Introduction
Clarity Issues? Try this Pronoun and Pointing Term Review
Do Your Paragraphs and Sections Build Toward an Argument? The Uneven U as a Tool to Check
Does Each Topic Sentence State the Purpose of That Paragraph? Check Topic Sentences for Signaling
Does Your Evidence Say What You Think It Does? Assessing Agreement Between Evidence and Analysis
Evidentiary Disconnect—Thinking Through the Vacuum
Is Your Information Disconnected From Your Argument? Search for Free-Floating Info
Got an Elevator Pitch? Summary Writing at Different Scales
Not Sure Whether You Should Paraphrase, Cite, or Block-quote? Assessing Evidence Length and Detail
Overusing The Passive Voice? Fixing Fractured Logic and Clouded Purpose
Sounding Too Much Like an Author You Admire? Try This Exercise to Find Your Own Voice
Trouble Balancing Evidence and Analysis? Color-coding to Find Your Evidence-to-Analysis Ratio
What’s My Main Point? Reverse Outlining as a Tool to Clarify Argument
Will My Reader Know What’s Important? Mapping and Signposting as Tools to Navigate Between Claims
Clarity, Grammar, and Usage: Introduction
Clarity Issues? Try this Pronoun and Pointing Term Review
Coining a New Term? Introducing It Clearly and Precisely
Is Your Prose Murky and Full of Jargon? Try This Writing Exercise: “What I Really Mean Is…”
Is This Sentence Adding Anything? Stress Position Check
Not Sure If Your Meaning Is Clear? Check Key Term Consistency
Overusing The Passive Voice? Fixing Fractured Logic and Clouded Purpose
Relational Terms and Failures of Logical Reasoning: Positive and Negative Value Assignments
Sounding Too Much Like an Author You Admire? Try This Exercise to Find Your Own Voice
Will My Reader Know What’s Important? Mapping and Signposting as Tools to Navigate Between Claims
Fractured Logic and Unconnected Claims: Argument as a Matter of Hierarchy
Overusing The Passive Voice? Fixing Fractured Logic and Clouded Purpose
Am I Including The Right Amount of Contextualizing Information? A Promote-Demote Exercise
Are You Providing Too Much Context? 10-minute Free Write As a Tool for Summary
Clarity, Grammar, and Usage: Introduction
Do Your Sentences All Sound the Same? Try Diversifying Sentence Structure and Length
Do You Over-rely on Negation?: Switch to Positive Claims for More Clarity
Evidentiary Disconnect—Thinking Through the Vacuum
Is Your Information Disconnected From Your Argument? Search for Free-Floating Info
Is Your Prose Murky and Full of Jargon? Try This Writing Exercise: “What I Really Mean Is…”
Key Term Inconsistency: Thinking Through the Vacuum
Will My Reader Know What’s Important? Mapping and Signposting as Tools to Navigate Between Claims
Unsure of Reader Objections to Your Work? Strengthen your Argument by Playing Devil’s Advocate
Which Counterarguments Should I Engage With? Determining Levels of Engagement for Counterarguments
Clarity Issues? Try this Pronoun and Pointing Term Review
Do Your Topic Sentences and Paragraphs Align? Thinking Through the Vacuum
Am I Including The Right Amount of Contextualizing Information? A Promote-Demote Exercise
Disorganized First Draft? Color-coding as a Tool to Reorganize and Restructure
Do Your Paragraphs and Sections Build Toward an Argument? The Uneven U as a Tool to Check
Does Each Topic Sentence State the Purpose of That Paragraph? Check Topic Sentences for Signaling
Evidence and Analysis: Introduction
Evidentiary Disconnect—Thinking Through the Vacuum
Not Sure Whether You Should Paraphrase, Cite, or Block-quote? Assessing Evidence Length and Detail
Overusing The Passive Voice? Fixing Fractured Logic and Clouded Purpose
Sentences and Paragraphs out of Order? Reassembling as a Tool to Restructure
Trouble Balancing Evidence and Analysis? Color-coding to Find Your Evidence-to-Analysis Ratio
Can’t Distill Your Argument? 20 Minute Free Write as a Clarification Tool
Are You Providing Too Much Context? 10-minute Free Write As a Tool for Summary
Is Your Intro Out of Date?: Funneling to Align Your Intro with Your Argument
Is Your Prose Murky and Full of Jargon? Try This Writing Exercise: “What I Really Mean Is…”
Not Happy Using Only Formal Tone? Try Using an Informal Tone Strategically
Can’t Distill Your Argument? 20 Minute Free Write as a Clarification Tool
Overusing The Passive Voice? Fixing Fractured Logic and Clouded Purpose
Clarity Issues? Try this Pronoun and Pointing Term Review
Do Your Paragraphs and Sections Build Toward an Argument? The Uneven U as a Tool to Check
Do Your Topic Sentences and Paragraphs Align? Thinking Through the Vacuum
Fractured Logic and Unconnected Claims: Argument as a Matter of Hierarchy
Relational Terms and Failures of Logical Reasoning: Positive and Negative Value Assignments
Struggling With Tenses? Consider Their Purpose
Unsure of Reader Objections to Your Work? Strengthen your Argument by Playing Devil’s Advocate
Can’t Remember What You’ve Written? Mirror Outlining as a Tool to Clarify Your Rough Draft
Do Your Topic Sentences and Paragraphs Align? Thinking Through the Vacuum
Fractured Logic and Unconnected Claims: Argument as a Matter of Hierarchy
Do Your Topic Sentences and Paragraphs Align? Thinking Through the Vacuum
Does Each Topic Sentence State the Purpose of That Paragraph? Check Topic Sentences for Signaling
Fractured Logic and Unconnected Claims: Argument as a Matter of Hierarchy
Is Your Essay’s Structure Clear? Try This First and Last Sentence Exercise
Is Your First Draft Disorganized? Reverse Outlining as a Method to Discover Structure
Sentences and Paragraphs out of Order? Reassembling as a Tool to Restructure
What’s My Main Point? Reverse Outlining as a Tool to Clarify Argument
Where Are My Section Breaks? Reverse Outlining as a Tool to Find Them
Where’s This Section Going? Signposting to Connect Claims
Evidentiary Disconnect—Thinking Through the Vacuum
Can’t Remember What You’ve Written? Mirror Outlining as a Tool to Clarify Your Rough Draft
Can’t Distill Your Argument? 20 Minute Free Write as a Clarification Tool
Do Your Topic Sentences and Paragraphs Align? Thinking Through the Vacuum
Fractured Logic and Unconnected Claims: Argument as a Matter of Hierarchy
Is Your First Draft Disorganized? Reverse Outlining as a Method to Discover Structure.
What’s My Main Point? Reverse Outlining as a Tool to Clarify Argument
Where Are My Section Breaks? Reverse Outlining as a Tool to Find Them
Where’s This Section Going? Signposting to Connect Claims
Will My Reader Know What’s Important? Mapping and Signposting as Tools to Navigate Between Claims
Where’s This Section Going? Signposting to Connect Claims
Does Each Topic Sentence State the Purpose of That Paragraph? Check Topic Sentences for Signaling
Does My Writing Flow? Topic Position Check for Moving Smoothly from Sentence to Sentence
Evidentiary Disconnect—Thinking Through the Vacuum
Key Term Inconsistency: Thinking Through the Vacuum
Relational Terms and Failures of Logical Reasoning: Positive and Negative Value Assignments
Where’s This Section Going? Signposting to Connect Claims
Where’s This Section Going? Signposting to Connect Claims
Will My Reader Know What’s Important? Mapping and Signposting as Tools to Navigate Between Claims
Fractured Logic and Unconnected Claims: Argument as a Matter of Hierarchy
Am I Using This Word Too Much? Identifying and Limiting Repetition
Does Your Writing Feel Unvaried? Principles for Mixing Things Up
Having Trouble Evaluating Your Prose Style? Try Writing for the Ear
Style, Tone, and Voice: Introduction
Will My Reader Know What’s Important? Mapping and Signposting as Tools to Navigate Between Claims
Will My Reader Know What’s Important? Mapping and Signposting as Tools to Navigate Between Claims
Is Your First Draft Disorganized? Reverse Outlining as a Method to Discover Structure
Am I Using This Word Too Much? Identifying and Limiting Repetition
Does Your Writing Feel Unvaried? Principles for Mixing Things Up
Style, Tone, and Voice: Introduction
Do Your Topic Sentences and Paragraphs Align? Thinking Through the Vacuum
Does Each Topic Sentence State the Purpose of That Paragraph? Check Topic Sentences for Signaling
Is Your Essay’s Structure Clear? Try This First and Last Sentence Exercise
Is Your Intro Out of Date?: Funneling to Align Your Intro with Your Argument
Overusing The Passive Voice? Fixing Fractured Logic and Clouded Purpose
Sentences and Paragraphs out of Order? Reassembling as a Tool to Restructure
Struggling With Tenses? Consider Their Purpose
Where’s This Section Going? Signposting to Connect Claims
TRANSITION:
Disorganized First Draft? Color-coding as a Tool to Reorganize and Restructure
Am I Using This Word Too Much? Identifying and Limiting Repetition
Do Your Topic Sentences and Paragraphs Align? Thinking Through the Vacuum
Evidentiary Disconnect—Thinking Through the Vacuum
Key Term Inconsistency: Thinking Through the Vacuum
What Are You Not (Not) Saying? Defining Your Argument Positively Instead of Negatively
Does Your Writing Feel Unvaried? Principles for Mixing Things Up
Having Trouble Evaluating Your Prose Style? Try Writing for the Ear
Am I Using This Word Too Much? Identifying and Limiting Repetition
Having Trouble Evaluating Your Prose Style? Try Writing for the Ear
Sentences and Paragraphs out of Order? Reassembling as a Tool to Restructure
Sounding Too Much Like an Author You Admire? Try This Exercise to Find Your Own Voice