430 / Glossary
adverb 1. a word that modifies a verb, adjective, or adverb. 2. a group of words
functioning as an adverb, notably a prepositional, participial, or infinitive phrase,
or an adverb clause. Example: After our team won the game, we celebrated. (The
adverb clause modifies the verb celebrated.) [See also chapters 42 and 44, and
other Glossary entries: phrase, preposition, participle, infinitive, verbal phrase,
and clause, subordinate.]
agenda a chronological list of topics to be discussed at a meeting. An agenda
serves several purposes: to give advance notice of topics so that the membership
and/or the public can be prepared to speak, to keep the meeting organized, and
to limit discussion.
agreement the correct grammatical use of words of like number and gender. Two
kinds of agreement problems occur in everyday language. 1. Pronoun-antecedent
agreement requires a pronoun to agree in number and gender with its ante-
cedent. [See Pronoun Usage in Chapter 43, Usage.] 2. Subject-verb agreement
requires a subject and its verb to agree in number. [See Agreement of Subject and
Verb in Chapter 43, Usage.]
alliteration repetition of a beginning sound, usually of a consonant, in two or
more words of a phrase, line of poetry, and so on. Example: full fathom five thy
father lies.
allusion a casual or indirect reference. Example: By the end of the day, the
apprentice was a virtual mad hatter. (The allusion, mad hatter, suggests to the
informed reader the character from Alice in Wonderland.) Note: While the effec-
tiveness of an allusion depends on an informed reader, its use adds considerable
vitality and enrichment to written works.
ambiguity the quality or state of being unclear or uncertain in meaning. Ambigu-
ity may result from 1. unclear pronoun reference, 2. vague or abstract words and
phrases. [See abstract in the Glossary.] Example: Maggie asked Stacey to move
her car. (The sentence is ambiguous because the reader doesn’t understand whose
car is to be moved.) Revision: Maggie, who does not own or drive a car, asked
Stacey to move hers.
analogy a comparison in which two objects are compared, with the more com-
plex explained in terms of the simpler. Example: The instructor complained that
the manuals were not compatible with the computer. “It’s like having a sewing
machine manual to explain how to play a pipe organ.” [See also Chapter 5, Anal-
ogy, for a complete explanation and a series of sample papers.]
analysis a careful examination of a cause, effect, process, or product. Sometimes
referred to as cause-and-effect analysis, process analysis, or critical analysis, the
term suggests precise thought and logic. [See chapters 6, 14, and 27 (Cause and
Effect, Process Analysis, and Literary Analyses), respectively, for examples.]