convergence
the state of separate elements joining or coming together
disclaimer
assertion designed to forestall any complaints or negative reactions to a behavior or statement that is about to occur
polite forms
indicate deference and subordination - "Please, if you wouldn't mind too much, Excuse me, I'd appreciate it
divergence
the act of moving away in different direction from a common point
equivocation
the use of ambiguous language to conceal the truth or to avoid committing oneself; prevarication
tag questions
a question added onto the end of declarative statement that lessens the impact of that statement
hedges
Powerless phrases such as "I thought we should," "I sort of think," or "Maybe we should" that communicate uncertainty.
abstraction ladder
ranks communication from specific, which ensures clarity, to general and vague
succinctness
the quality of expressing things in few words; conciseness
elaborateness
involves speaking with rich and expressive terms, sometimes involving strong assertions and exaggerations
formality
determined by the audience, the level by which you choose your words for an essay
informality
associated with the absence of protocols and structure
inference
a conclusion reached on the basis of evidence and reasoning
emotive words
words that trigger strong emotional responses
relative words
words that gain their meaning by comparison
equivocal language
language with more than one likely interpretation
abstract words
words that refer to ideas or concepts