Glossary / 451tense a form or set of forms of a verb that show the time. [See verb.]
theme 1. a topic or subject, as of a lecture or essay. 2. an idea or subject that is
repeated or presented in a number of ways in a work of art or literature to unify
it. 3. a short essay, especially one written as a school assignment. [See Writing a
Multi-Paragraph Paper in Chapter 2, Writing.]
thesaurus a book containing synonyms and antonyms; also available in some-
what abbreviated form on most word-processing programs.
thesis sentence (or statement) the sentence that states the subject of a theme
and states or implies the division of that subject into subtopics as they will be
developed. [See Writing a Multi-Paragraph Paper in Chapter 2, Writing.]
tone a way of wording or expressing things that shows a certain attitude.
topic the subject of a writing, speech, discussion, and so on.
topic outline an outline that uses parallel words or word groups for the topics
and subtopics. Compare with sentence outline. Note: Do not use both sentences
and topics in the same outline. [See Chapter 31, Outlines.]
topic sentence (or statement) a sentence that states the subject of a para-
graph and may state or imply the attitude, time, and place of the subject. [See
Chapter 1, Prewriting, and Writing a Paragraph in Chapter 2, Writing.]
transitions words, phrases, or sentences that connect one idea with another
either within or between paragraphs. [See Chapter 3, Revising, for examples.]
transitive verb a verb that requires a direct object to complete its meaning.
Example: He softened the blow. Compare with intransitive.
understatement putting things more weakly than is warranted by truth, accu-
racy, or importance. Example: After a heavy rain, things are a little damp.
unity in a work of art or literature, an arrangement of parts so as to produce a sin-
gle effect. [See Chapter 3, Revising, for how to maintain unity in a composition.]
uppercase capital letters, as opposed to lowercase.
usage the way in which a word or phrase is used in speaking or writing.
vagueness not clearly or exactly expressed or stated; not sharp. Example: We
waited a long time (vague). We waited 32 minutes (specific). Compare with specific
detail and concrete. [See also Chapter 3, Revising, for examples of writing with and
without specific details.]
verb a word expressing action, a state of being, or a happening, and forming the
main part of a predicate. [See Parts of Speech in Chapter 42, Classification of
Words.]
verbal phrase a group of words made up of a main verb and its auxiliaries.
Example: He had been working before lunch. [See Parts of the Sentence in Chap-
ter 42, Classification of Words.]