Oral Communication · Oral Communication: Critical Listening, Academic Discussion and Persuasive SpeakingDiction and Devices: Academic Precision, Hedging and Devices of Rhythm
2.4About 65 minutes
Learning goals- I can match hedges and boosters to the strength of my evidence.
- I can use subject terminology and reporting verbs accurately.
- I can move between abstract and concrete language to engage listeners.
- I can use asyndeton, polysyndeton, periodic sentences, litotes and parallelism for a purpose and audience.
Words to know
hedge
A word that softens a claim, such as "may" or "suggests".
booster
A word that strengthens a claim, such as "clearly" or "demonstrates".
reporting verb
A verb that introduces another person's view and signals their stance, such as "argues" or "concedes".
ladder of abstraction
A range of language from abstract ideas to concrete, picturable details.
asyndeton
Leaving out conjunctions in a series for speed and force.
polysyndeton
Using extra conjunctions in a series to slow down and pile up.
periodic sentence
A sentence that delays its main clause until the end.
litotes
Understatement by denying the opposite ("not bad").
Remember from Grade 11
In Grade 10 you chose precise diction and terminology, used devices for the ear (anaphora, tricolon, antithesis, chiasmus, allusion) and practised inclusive language. In Grade 11 you added metaphor and extended metaphor, analogy (and where it breaks), rhetorical questions and hypophora, register, and diction that evokes a character. Grade 12 diction is about precision for an academic and adult audience: choosing verbs that match your evidence (hedging and boosting), using subject terminology accurately, moving between abstract and concrete, and using devices of rhythm and structure (asyndeton, polysyndeton, periodic sentences, litotes) on purpose.
Let's start with two seminar comments
- Comment A: "Lear is totally crazy and this proves Shakespeare thinks old people are bad rulers."
- Comment B: "Lear's rage in the storm scene suggests that the play links his loss of power with a loss of reason, though I'm not sure it condemns old age itself; Gloucester is old, too, and the play treats him with sympathy."
Both students noticed the same thing. Comment B is more convincing because of its words: suggests instead of proves, rage and loss of reason instead of totally crazy, a clearly marked limit (though I'm not sure), and evidence that tests the claim. In Grade 12, diction is part of your argument.
Hedging and boosting
Hedges soften a claim: may, might, suggests, appears, seems, in many cases, arguably. Boosters strengthen it: clearly, shows, demonstrates, certainly, undeniably.
Academic speakers match the strength of their words to the strength of their evidence. Too many boosters sound overconfident and invite challenge ("This undeniably proves..." invites "Does it?"). Too many hedges sound unsure of everything. A useful habit: hedge interpretations, boost observations. "Lear speaks to the storm as if it could obey him" is an observation; "This may suggest he still believes he is a king" is an interpretation.
Terminology and reporting verbs
Use subject terms accurately, not decoratively. Soliloquy (a character alone, speaking thoughts aloud) is not the same as monologue (a long speech, possibly to others) or an aside (a short remark to the audience others onstage don't hear). When you refer to other people's views, choose a reporting verb that fits their stance: argues, contends, concedes, questions, suggests, insists, observes.
Abstract and concrete
Abstract words name ideas (transportation, justice, isolation). Concrete words name things listeners can picture (the Route 7 bus at 7:42 a.m.). Strong speakers move up and down the ladder of abstraction: an abstract claim, then a concrete example, then back to the idea. A talk that stays at the top sounds vague; a talk that stays at the bottom is a list of details with no point.
Devices of rhythm and structure
- Asyndeton: leaving out conjunctions for speed and force. "We studied, we rehearsed, we won." (Julius Caesar's Veni, vidi, vici, "I came, I saw, I conquered," is a classic example.)
- Polysyndeton: adding extra conjunctions to slow down and pile up. "We had snow and ice and freezing rain and then more snow."
- Periodic sentence: delaying the main clause to the end to build suspense. "After four years of early mornings, late assignments, missed buses and one memorable fire drill in a blizzard, we are graduating."
- Litotes: understatement by denying the opposite. "Finishing an independent study is no small achievement."
- Parallelism: matching grammatical structures, which makes ideas easy to follow and remember ("to question, to listen, to change our minds").
Choose devices for the audience and purpose. A graduation speech welcomes rhythm and flourish; a seminar comment needs precision first, with at most a light touch of style.
Worked exampleLet's revise a seminar contribution
Revise for academic diction: "Cordelia is like the only good person and it's super obvious Shakespeare wants us to like her. When she says nothing it proves she's honest."
- Replace vague diction: the only good person becomes a precise claim: honest and loyal. Super obvious is casual register.
- Hedge the interpretation: proves claims too much; suggests fits a single moment.
- Use terminology accurately: name the scene (the love test in Act 1).
- Add a limit or nuance: honesty can also look like stubbornness; acknowledging that strengthens the comment.
- Use a reporting verb if responding to someone: "I'd question Sam's reading slightly..."
"In the love test in Act 1, Cordelia's refusal to flatter Lear suggests honesty and loyalty, and the play seems to invite our sympathy for her. But her answer is also unbending, so I'd argue her honesty and her stubbornness are hard to separate."
Worked exampleLet's choose devices for an audience
You have 60 seconds to persuade Grade 9 students at an assembly to join the debate club. Choose diction and two devices suited to this audience, and write the opening and closing.
- Audience: 14-year-olds, new to the school, possibly nervous; they need plain words and a reason to care.
- Diction: concrete and familiar (lunch on Tuesdays, Room 214, pizza at tournaments); avoid jargon like resolution without explaining it.
- Device 1, asyndeton for energy: "You'll argue, you'll laugh, you'll win some, you'll lose some."
- Device 2, periodic sentence for the close, saving the key point for last.
- Litotes for a light, honest touch: "Standing up in front of people is not the easiest thing."
Opening: "Standing up in front of people is not the easiest thing. That's exactly why we meet every Tuesday at lunch in Room 214." Closing: "If you've ever won an argument at the dinner table, lost one to your little sister, or thought of the perfect comeback three hours too late, then you already belong in the debate club." (Litotes, concrete diction and a periodic sentence that saves the invitation for the end.)
Precision first, flourish second
Ask two questions of every important sentence: Is each word accurate? (Could a more exact word replace it?) Does the sound help the meaning? (Would a device make it clearer or more memorable for this audience?) In academic settings the first question matters most.
Hands-on activityDiction surgery
You need: a recording of yourself speaking for 2 minutes about a book, film or issue (record on a phone), paper and a pen.
- Transcribe one minute of the recording.
- Circle every vague word (thing, stuff, like, really, super, basically), every booster and every hedge.
- Revise the transcript: replace vague words with precise ones, match each verb to its evidence, and add one accurate subject term.
- Add one device (asyndeton, polysyndeton, a periodic sentence, litotes or parallelism) where it helps.
- Record the revised version and listen to both. Ask a family member which sounds more convincing, and why.
Just for funLitotes is understatement by denying the opposite: not bad, no small feat.
Canadians are fluent in it. At −40 °C, the standard forecast is "Not the warmest day."
Your turn
1Replace the booster with a hedge suited to a single example: "This line proves Lear is insane."
Sample: "This line suggests Lear's grip on reason is slipping."
2What is the difference between a soliloquy and an aside?
A soliloquy is a speech by a character alone, speaking thoughts aloud; an aside is a short remark to the audience that other characters onstage don't hear.
3Identify the device: "We laughed, we cried, we finished."
4Identify the device: "There were forms and fees and deadlines and more forms."
5Turn into a periodic sentence: "We won the tournament after three rounds, a tie-breaker and a power outage."
Sample: "After three rounds, a tie-breaker and a power outage, we won the tournament."
6Move down the ladder of abstraction: "Winter can be hard on people."
Sample: "Last January, my neighbour shovelled the same driveway four times in one day, then the plow buried it again."
7Choose a reporting verb for a speaker who grants part of an opposing point.
Concedes (or acknowledges, grants).
More practice: warm-up
Any three: may, might, suggests, appears, seems, arguably, in many cases.
Any three: clearly, shows, demonstrates, certainly, undeniably.
3Abstract or concrete: justice?
4Give an example of litotes.
Sample: "not bad," "no small feat," "not unkind."
Matching grammatical structures in a series, such as to question, to listen, to change our minds.
More practice: on your own
1Explain the habit hedge interpretations, boost observations, with an example.
Observations are facts anyone can check, so state them firmly ("Lear repeats 'never' five times"); interpretations are arguable, so hedge them ("which may suggest he finally understands what he has lost"). This makes you sound confident and honest.
2Why might too many hedges weaken a seminar comment?
The speaker sounds unsure of everything, so listeners can't tell what they actually believe; the main point gets lost.
3Revise for register and precision: "The poem is basically about stuff that's sad, like death and things."
Sample: "The poem explores grief, particularly the way small everyday objects can bring back the memory of someone who has died."
4Explain why a periodic sentence suits the end of a graduation speech.
Delaying the main clause builds suspense and lets the key message (we are graduating / the future is yours) land last, as the climax.
5A speaker uses "undeniably proves" about a single quotation. Predict an academic audience's reaction and suggest a fix.
They'll doubt the claim and the speaker's judgment, and may challenge it. Fix: "suggests" or "is one sign that," and add more evidence before using stronger verbs.
Challenge
1Write a three-sentence seminar comment on any text that includes an accurate subject term, a hedged interpretation, a firm observation and a reporting verb responding to a classmate.
Look for: an accurate term (e.g. soliloquy, dramatic irony, foil); a hedged interpretation (suggests, may); a firm, checkable observation; a reporting verb ("Like Ana, I'd argue...", "I'd question Sam's claim that...").
2Lear's last scene includes the line "Never, never, never, never, never." Name the device and analyse how its effect differs from asyndeton in a victory speech.
It's repetition (epizeuxis: the same word repeated with nothing between). In a victory speech, asyndeton speeds up and energizes (we came, we played, we won). Lear's repetition slows down and empties out: the same word over and over sounds like grief that can't move forward, and the regular rhythm of the verse breaks down into one word.
3Write two versions of a 2-sentence opening for a talk on homelessness in winter: one that stays abstract and one that moves down the ladder of abstraction and back up. Explain which works better and why.
Abstract: "Homelessness is a serious social issue. It becomes even more serious in winter." Ladder: "At 6 a.m. on a January morning, a warming centre opens its doors to forty people who spent the night outside at −25 °C. Homelessness in a Canadian winter isn't only a social issue; it's a matter of survival." The second works better: the concrete scene makes listeners feel the issue, then the abstract sentence states the point.
Quiz
1. Which is best for interpreting a single line in a play?
2. "I came, I saw, I conquered" is an example of:
3. A sentence that saves its main clause for the end is:
4. "It was no small achievement" is an example of:
5. A character alone onstage speaking thoughts aloud gives:
6. Which reporting verb shows a speaker granting part of the other side's point?
Big idea: ENG4U expectation 2.4 asks students to use appropriate words, phrases and terminology, and a variety of stylistic devices, to communicate meaning and engage their audience. Grade 12 emphasizes academic precision: hedging, accurate terminology, concrete detail and devices of rhythm used on purpose.
How to help at home:
- When your teen explains a book or film, ask: "Does that line prove it, or suggest it?"
- Listen to the before-and-after recordings from the activity and say which is more convincing.
- Notice concrete details in good news stories or speeches and talk about their effect.
Common difficulties:
- Overclaiming ("proves"). Encourage verbs that match the evidence.
- Casual register in academic settings ("basically," "super").
- Devices as decoration. Ask what each device does for the listener.