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ProseForge close-reading world — a teen reading a passage of wavy lines while a sleek rhetoric bench annotates the argument with appeal-glyphs and arrows linking plain unlabeled claim, evidence and warrant dots

Ages 15–18 · Grades 9–12 · English & Language Arts

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You don’t learn to read closely by underlining — you learn by predicting the writer’s move and then checking it. Here you read a real passage, say which appeal is carrying it, and a close-reading engine annotates the argument right on your device to reconcile. Ethos, pathos, logos; claim, evidence, and the unstated warrant — no hand-waving, nothing sent anywhere, and a wrong guess is the fastest way to see how persuasion actually works.

Open the Rhetoric Bench Combine the Sentences

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Rhetoric Bench Predict which appeal carries a passage, then the bench annotates the argument on your device. Combine Sentences Merge short, choppy sentences into one clear one — and see exactly why each option works or fails. Spot the Flaw Read a short argument and catch the reasoning flaw — ad hominem, straw man, false dilemma, slippery slope and more — or judge it sound. Name the Device Read a passage and name the figure of speech — metaphor, anaphora, antithesis, hyperbole, allusion and more — or spot that it's plain. Close Reading Sixteen short kits across close reading, tone, syntax, argument, irony and more. Mixed Practice A spaced round that brings back what you've learned across the kits, timed so it sticks.

The Rhetoric Bench ★ the main event

Read a passage, predict which appeal is doing the most work, then the bench annotates the argument — claim, evidence, and the warrant that links them — right on your device, no cloud. The tag is fixed for each passage, so a missed prediction is just where the writer’s real move surprises you.

Open the Rhetoric Bench →

Combine the Sentences 🔗 new

Good writers merge short, choppy sentences into one clear one. Read a few kernel sentences, pick the most effective combination, then see exactly what’s wrong with each of the others — a comma splice, a broken series, a wordy “and … and.” One of the best-evidenced ways to sharpen your sentences.

Try “Combine the Sentences” →
Who you’ll meet — the reader’s habits 10

Not mascots — habits of a strong reader, each one a single move you’ll practise. You’ll run into them across the kits and the bench.

  • The Close Reader — grounds every claim in the exact words on the page (textual evidence)
  • The Tone-Setter — hears the author’s attitude beneath the words (tone & mood)
  • The Word-Weigher — feels the difference between "frugal" and "stingy" (diction & connotation)
  • The Theme-Finder — names the insight a text is really about (theme, not topic)
  • The Rhetor — spots ethos, pathos, and logos at work (rhetorical appeals)
  • The Ironist — catches when appearance and reality diverge (irony)
  • The Narratologist — asks who’s telling the story — and whether to trust them (point of view)
  • The Argument-Judge — separates a claim from its evidence and warrant (evaluating argument)
  • The Symbol-Reader — sees the meaning a recurring image carries (symbol & motif)
  • Dr. Vane — the mentor — predict the move, read closely, then reconcile
Check what you know — all 16 concept kits

Sixteen short kits — from close reading and textual evidence to tone, diction, theme, imagery, syntax, point of view, irony, rhetorical appeals, argument, symbol, and genre — anchored to high-school English. Hints when you want them; your progress stays on this device.

1. Close Reading & Textual Evidence Reading carefully and grounding claims in the text · 20 questions 2. Tone & Mood The author's attitude and the feeling created in the reader · 20 questions 3. Diction & Connotation How word choice shapes meaning · 20 questions 4. Theme The central ideas a text explores · 20 questions 5. Imagery & Figurative Language Sensory detail and non-literal expression · 20 questions 6. Syntax & Structure How sentence and text structure shape meaning · 20 questions 7. Point of View & the Unreliable Narrator Who tells the story and whether to trust them · 20 questions 8. Irony When appearance and reality diverge · 20 questions 9. Rhetorical Appeals Ethos, pathos, and logos · 20 questions 10. Rhetorical Strategy & Purpose How and why authors make persuasive choices · 20 questions 11. Argument in a Text Identifying and evaluating claims, evidence, and reasoning · 20 questions 12. Symbol & Motif Recurring images and objects that carry meaning · 20 questions 13. Genre Conventions The expectations and features of different kinds of text · 20 questions 14. Ambiguity & Interpretation When texts support multiple valid readings · 20 questions 15. Comparative Reading Analyzing two texts in relation to each other · 20 questions 16. Synthesis & Capstone Analysis Integrating all ELA analysis skills · 20 questions
How it works

ProseForge is written to trust you — it’s about reasoning through how a text persuades, not memorizing terms, and a wrong prediction is just a place to learn. The Rhetoric Bench is a small, exact rubric engine: no server, nothing sent anywhere, and it never grades an opinion — only the identifiable craft move. Your progress is saved only on this device: no accounts, no ads.

Mixed practice — revisit what you've learned A short round that shuffles questions across the kits you've played, brought back when they're ready to review (spaced out so it sticks).

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