Guys, I am sorry. I the medical condition about which we spoke has flared up again, so we won't meet as a class today. I will set up some extra time for office hours next week to help make up.
Here's your assignment. It is due Tuesday, 4 March.
At this point, you've drafted four paragraphs dealing with where you want to be in five years. Each of these paragraphs describes one aspect of your life: academic, personal, professional, and civic. You've read about adding sufficient details, so your readers will get a full, clear mental picture of what you want to say, and as you've revised each paragraph, you've added these details into your paragraphs. You've also revised your paragraphs to weed out vague wording and replace these with specific, vivid language.
Here's the next step. Go back and review your notes on how to write a good introduction and thesis statement. Taking the four paragraphs you've drafted as the body of a paper, draft an introduction for an essay which describes what you want your life to look like in five years. Make sure your introduction has a good, solid hook and a good, solid thesis statement.
Then, draft a conclusion for your paper. We'll be talking about how to write conclusions later, but for right now, apply whatever you might already know.
Finally, read the post below on proofreading. In this post I outline various tactics you can use to notice and correct grammar and misspelled words. Pick out two of these techniques to try out, and use these techniques to proofread and polish the essay you've drafted above.
Below, I've listed a checklist you can use to check the things in your writing we've been over this semester in class. Use this checklist to check the draft of your final essay:
Does my introduction have a good hook?
Does my introduction have an effective thesis statement?
Does each of my body paragraphs begin with a strong topic sentence?
Do I use enough detail in the supporting sentences of each paragraph to fully and clearly support and develop my topic sentences?
Could I introduce more detail?
Would the paragraph benefit from an additional fact, description, illustration, example, or story?
Is my language as clear, specific, and vivid as possible?
Are most of my sentences right branching?
Did I compose my sentences in independent and dependent clause groups?
Do my sentences follow the standard patterns I understand? That is, "IC." "DC, IC." "IC, DC." "IC, conjunction IC." "IC, conjunction IC; conjunction, IC." Or "IC; conjunction, IC, conjunction IC."
When I wrote a sentence with more than one independent clause, did I use commas and conjunctions properly to combine my clauses? (See the patterns above.)
Did I spell check?
Did I use a grammar checker?
Have I proofread my essay at least twice using two different techniques?
I look forward to seeing your final, polished essays on Tuesday. In between now and then, please write me at prof.brandon@gmail.com, if you have any questions.
PS One last note, remember, one of the things you're learning to do is to take enough time to write well. Don't--I repeat--don't try to do every step I outlined above all at once. Draft your introduction and conclusion one day. Read the post on proofreading on another. Try out one proofreading technique on one day the other you're trying out on another. Take the time needed to do each step as fully and as well as possible. There aren't any short cuts to learning to write well. At least there aren't if you want to write well enough to get through those timed, in-class essays at the end of the term, so give yourself the gift of taking what time to need to take to learn and practice now.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Proofreading
We've discussed the need to compose sentences in independent and dependent clause groupings. This tactic of composition allows you to create sentences with fewer errors, but what do you do to make sure your sentences are letter perfect after they've been drafted? You proofread them. Proofreading is the step in writing where you look at grammar and spelling. We've discussed how to incorporate proofreading into your sentence level writing process, but you proofread not only as you create sentences. You also proofread after you've written a paragraph and after you've written a complete work, like an essay.
If you learn nothing else from me this semester, learn to give yourself permission to proofread and revise. Taking the time to proofread as you create sentences, paragraphs, and essays means you create at least three opportunities in everything you write to polish your work.
In the post below, I outline various techniques you can use to proofread. Most of the techniques apply best to proofreading work you've finished drafting and revising. Read the post. I don't want you to use every technique. I do want you to begin try our the one or two techniques which sound most likely to work for you. Different techniques work best in different situations. For instance, in the in class essays you'll write at the end of the semester, you won't be able to have someone else help you proofread. You will have spelling and grammar checkers on the word processors you'll use, and you can get the computer to read back to you what you've written.
Your goal is to find three or four techniques which work best for you, but this means you'll need to try out as many of these techniques as possible. So, over the semester, try out the various techniques. Not all work well for every writer, but I'm confident there's a few here which will help you catch the surface level issues you are now missing.
To practice these skills, I will set up workshops where you'll be proofreading some of the final, revised drafts of your peers. Remember, proofreading differs from revision. When you proofread, you're looking at the surface level and polishing grammar, spelling and usage. When you revise, you're concerned with clarifying what you say, perfecting the organization, adding to your text, and cutting. In short, in revision, you want to deal with meaning and deep level issues. You proofread *after* you revise; otherwise, the effort you put into proofreading may well be wasted. One last note: one difference between editing and proofreading is that one edits another's text while one proofreads one's own.
Here are my own notes on proofreading. Those just below are the main ones to remember:
It's nearly impossible to effectively proofread your own work. You know what you mean to say. When you read your own work, you often read over mistakes. My best piece of advice is, if you can, get others to proofread your work. If it is critical that you work be letter perfect, try to get at least three people to look at your work prior to turning it in. If necessary, hire someone or create a writer's group to help you with proofreading.
EVERYONE makes mistakes. Don't kick yourself for your mistakes, learn to recognize them and how to fix them. Even then, you'll still make mistakes.
I once worked for an academic journal. Four sets of eyes proofed each article--the professor who wrote it, myself, the departmental secretary, and the editor. Still, EVERY time we got the journal back from the printers, I opened it to a random page and found at least one mistake. EVERYONE, even professionals, make mistakes.
When you proofread, you're trying to do something called breaking set. This means you want to change the way you usually read, so you don't read over mistakes. Most of the proofreading tricks I list below have to do with changing how you read, so you can see what you've written.
1. Give yourself time to proofread. It's easy to find yourself adding the last sentence to a text at the last possible minute. As we finish drafting, the last thing we want to do is acknowledge there's yet more work to do. We want to be done. Resist the temptation. Give yourself time to proofread. Your final product will be better for the time. To give yourself time, set your deadline for finishing your draft in time to revise the draft for content and structure and to still have time to proofread.
2) Read backwards from the last sentence to the first. When proofreading for spelling, read backwards one word at a time. Learn to isolate each word, even those which have been passed by the spellcheck. It doesn't catch every misspelling. When proofreading for sentence issues, read backwards one sentence at a time.
3) Read slowly and out loud. You'll be surprised how reading something out loud, as opposed to silently, will let you hear errors you'd otherwise overlook.
4) Read to someone else. Reading your paper to someone else forces you to take an audience into account. Not only can the person you're reading to ask questions about content, they can mark places in a copy of your paper where they're confused or they hear an error as you read. When you hear a mistake or a piece of awkward phrasing, you can mark it and come back later to fix it.
5) Print out your text. If you usually read your papers on the screen, make a hard copy. As you find errors, mark them, and later revise your electronic copy. When we're drafting and hit the creative zone, we often work quickly and have a hard mental focus on meaning. These habits of reading quickly and thinking in terms of meaning and adding or cutting content can track over into efforts to proofread on the screen. Remember, when you're proofreading, you're not so much worried about content or organization (hopefully, each of these elements was polished earlier in the writing process), when proofreading you're looking at mechanics, usage, spelling, and grammar and only at mechanics, usage, spelling, and grammar.
6) Get someone else to read your work to you. Print out two hard copies. Get a friend to read your work to you. Both of you mark places which don't make sense or appear to be problematic. Use both copies as an index when fixing your text. Go back and look at each place which was marked and try to figure out what caused the area to get marked.
7) Have the computer read the text two you. Make a hard copy and set up the computer to read the text out loud. It will read what's there. Every time you hear an error, mark your hard copy. Use your marked copy as an index to what needs to be fixed. You can find many free text to speech readers by just googling.
8) Give yourself time. Breaking set isn't just about reading backwards or reading out loud. You get close to a text when you draft it and work on content and structural revision. If you try to proofread after working this closely with the text, you'll find yourself seeing what you meant to say rather than what you're actually saying. Horace, a Roman rhetorician, recommended putting what you write away for nine years, that is, until it reads as if someone else wrote it. We don't have such luxury, but giving yourself a day or two to let the text set, even just doing something else between finishing your content revisions and proofreading, gives distance enough so you're can bring fresh eyes back to your text. So, finish your draft and reward yourself with a night's sleep, a night out, or a workout prior to proofreading.
9) Give yourself time to proofread. Slow down. You're not in a race to get through, you're trying to look closely at multiple things, and the process takes time. Slow down. Read slowly. Take the time it takes to truly see and truly edit every sentence and word.
10) Physically touch every word. Talk about breaking set! Read backwards. Read out loud, and touch every word to make sure you're seeing and proofreading each and every word and sentence.
11) Use the grammar and spell checker. The state of the art in grammar and spell checkers isn't quite there yet, but they can help you see some errors. Just don't their word as law. Use them for the things at which they're effective. They can isolate "to be" verb constructions and give you an index to possible passive voice constructions. They can show you long sentences. They can usually recognize subject verb disagreements. They can sometimes help with punctuation. The real trick with using grammar and spell checkers is to learn their weaknesses and to learn how to customize them to the style of writing you want to reproduce.
12) Boo-boo or demon words. You know these words. They're the ones which sneak through the spell checker. Usually they're jargon or proper names you misspell or forget to capitalize. You can customize autocorrect to make corrections for your most typical boo-boo words. Other demon words are like: it's/its or their/there/they're. To catch these, you have to learn which one's you are prone to misusing and learn the rules governing their use. There is now shortcut. Once you know your demon words, you *have* to include a step in proofreading where you look for them.
13) Use a ruler or a piece of paper to isolate the sentences you're proofreading. This practice forces you to look at the sentence you're proofing, not the next sentence, not the previous sentence, the sentence you're supposed to be looking at.
14) Learn your problem areas. Everyone is prone to making different mistakes. If you or someone else sees a pattern in your mistakes, put it on a personal "list of things I have to look at when proofreading." (This is why it's a good idea to read the papers you get back from teachers and proofreaders. Often your professor will mark errors. Use their work to help develop your list of "things at which I have to look.") By learning to recognize the problems you're prone to introducing into the text and how these errors can be fixed, you'll soon find yourself making fewer errors. Every once in a while, take your copy of "things at which I have to look" and find your worse error. Spend some time researching how to recognize and fix your worse error. Eventually, you'll find your list of common errors getting shorter and your sentence level writing improving in proportion.
If you learn nothing else from me this semester, learn to give yourself permission to proofread and revise. Taking the time to proofread as you create sentences, paragraphs, and essays means you create at least three opportunities in everything you write to polish your work.
In the post below, I outline various techniques you can use to proofread. Most of the techniques apply best to proofreading work you've finished drafting and revising. Read the post. I don't want you to use every technique. I do want you to begin try our the one or two techniques which sound most likely to work for you. Different techniques work best in different situations. For instance, in the in class essays you'll write at the end of the semester, you won't be able to have someone else help you proofread. You will have spelling and grammar checkers on the word processors you'll use, and you can get the computer to read back to you what you've written.
Your goal is to find three or four techniques which work best for you, but this means you'll need to try out as many of these techniques as possible. So, over the semester, try out the various techniques. Not all work well for every writer, but I'm confident there's a few here which will help you catch the surface level issues you are now missing.
To practice these skills, I will set up workshops where you'll be proofreading some of the final, revised drafts of your peers. Remember, proofreading differs from revision. When you proofread, you're looking at the surface level and polishing grammar, spelling and usage. When you revise, you're concerned with clarifying what you say, perfecting the organization, adding to your text, and cutting. In short, in revision, you want to deal with meaning and deep level issues. You proofread *after* you revise; otherwise, the effort you put into proofreading may well be wasted. One last note: one difference between editing and proofreading is that one edits another's text while one proofreads one's own.
Here are my own notes on proofreading. Those just below are the main ones to remember:
It's nearly impossible to effectively proofread your own work. You know what you mean to say. When you read your own work, you often read over mistakes. My best piece of advice is, if you can, get others to proofread your work. If it is critical that you work be letter perfect, try to get at least three people to look at your work prior to turning it in. If necessary, hire someone or create a writer's group to help you with proofreading.
EVERYONE makes mistakes. Don't kick yourself for your mistakes, learn to recognize them and how to fix them. Even then, you'll still make mistakes.
I once worked for an academic journal. Four sets of eyes proofed each article--the professor who wrote it, myself, the departmental secretary, and the editor. Still, EVERY time we got the journal back from the printers, I opened it to a random page and found at least one mistake. EVERYONE, even professionals, make mistakes.
When you proofread, you're trying to do something called breaking set. This means you want to change the way you usually read, so you don't read over mistakes. Most of the proofreading tricks I list below have to do with changing how you read, so you can see what you've written.
1. Give yourself time to proofread. It's easy to find yourself adding the last sentence to a text at the last possible minute. As we finish drafting, the last thing we want to do is acknowledge there's yet more work to do. We want to be done. Resist the temptation. Give yourself time to proofread. Your final product will be better for the time. To give yourself time, set your deadline for finishing your draft in time to revise the draft for content and structure and to still have time to proofread.
2) Read backwards from the last sentence to the first. When proofreading for spelling, read backwards one word at a time. Learn to isolate each word, even those which have been passed by the spellcheck. It doesn't catch every misspelling. When proofreading for sentence issues, read backwards one sentence at a time.
3) Read slowly and out loud. You'll be surprised how reading something out loud, as opposed to silently, will let you hear errors you'd otherwise overlook.
4) Read to someone else. Reading your paper to someone else forces you to take an audience into account. Not only can the person you're reading to ask questions about content, they can mark places in a copy of your paper where they're confused or they hear an error as you read. When you hear a mistake or a piece of awkward phrasing, you can mark it and come back later to fix it.
5) Print out your text. If you usually read your papers on the screen, make a hard copy. As you find errors, mark them, and later revise your electronic copy. When we're drafting and hit the creative zone, we often work quickly and have a hard mental focus on meaning. These habits of reading quickly and thinking in terms of meaning and adding or cutting content can track over into efforts to proofread on the screen. Remember, when you're proofreading, you're not so much worried about content or organization (hopefully, each of these elements was polished earlier in the writing process), when proofreading you're looking at mechanics, usage, spelling, and grammar and only at mechanics, usage, spelling, and grammar.
6) Get someone else to read your work to you. Print out two hard copies. Get a friend to read your work to you. Both of you mark places which don't make sense or appear to be problematic. Use both copies as an index when fixing your text. Go back and look at each place which was marked and try to figure out what caused the area to get marked.
7) Have the computer read the text two you. Make a hard copy and set up the computer to read the text out loud. It will read what's there. Every time you hear an error, mark your hard copy. Use your marked copy as an index to what needs to be fixed. You can find many free text to speech readers by just googling.
8) Give yourself time. Breaking set isn't just about reading backwards or reading out loud. You get close to a text when you draft it and work on content and structural revision. If you try to proofread after working this closely with the text, you'll find yourself seeing what you meant to say rather than what you're actually saying. Horace, a Roman rhetorician, recommended putting what you write away for nine years, that is, until it reads as if someone else wrote it. We don't have such luxury, but giving yourself a day or two to let the text set, even just doing something else between finishing your content revisions and proofreading, gives distance enough so you're can bring fresh eyes back to your text. So, finish your draft and reward yourself with a night's sleep, a night out, or a workout prior to proofreading.
9) Give yourself time to proofread. Slow down. You're not in a race to get through, you're trying to look closely at multiple things, and the process takes time. Slow down. Read slowly. Take the time it takes to truly see and truly edit every sentence and word.
10) Physically touch every word. Talk about breaking set! Read backwards. Read out loud, and touch every word to make sure you're seeing and proofreading each and every word and sentence.
11) Use the grammar and spell checker. The state of the art in grammar and spell checkers isn't quite there yet, but they can help you see some errors. Just don't their word as law. Use them for the things at which they're effective. They can isolate "to be" verb constructions and give you an index to possible passive voice constructions. They can show you long sentences. They can usually recognize subject verb disagreements. They can sometimes help with punctuation. The real trick with using grammar and spell checkers is to learn their weaknesses and to learn how to customize them to the style of writing you want to reproduce.
12) Boo-boo or demon words. You know these words. They're the ones which sneak through the spell checker. Usually they're jargon or proper names you misspell or forget to capitalize. You can customize autocorrect to make corrections for your most typical boo-boo words. Other demon words are like: it's/its or their/there/they're. To catch these, you have to learn which one's you are prone to misusing and learn the rules governing their use. There is now shortcut. Once you know your demon words, you *have* to include a step in proofreading where you look for them.
13) Use a ruler or a piece of paper to isolate the sentences you're proofreading. This practice forces you to look at the sentence you're proofing, not the next sentence, not the previous sentence, the sentence you're supposed to be looking at.
14) Learn your problem areas. Everyone is prone to making different mistakes. If you or someone else sees a pattern in your mistakes, put it on a personal "list of things I have to look at when proofreading." (This is why it's a good idea to read the papers you get back from teachers and proofreaders. Often your professor will mark errors. Use their work to help develop your list of "things at which I have to look.") By learning to recognize the problems you're prone to introducing into the text and how these errors can be fixed, you'll soon find yourself making fewer errors. Every once in a while, take your copy of "things at which I have to look" and find your worse error. Spend some time researching how to recognize and fix your worse error. Eventually, you'll find your list of common errors getting shorter and your sentence level writing improving in proportion.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Just a Reminder: No Class, Thursday, 21 Feb.
Please read the blog for your reading and writing assignment. If you haven't turned yours into me already, please do print out a copy of your ten introductions, and hand it in next Tuesday.
Finally, even though we won't be having class, I plan to be in my office tomorrow from 8:00-1:00. If you have questions or want to work on a particular skill, stop by.
Steve
Finally, even though we won't be having class, I plan to be in my office tomorrow from 8:00-1:00. If you have questions or want to work on a particular skill, stop by.
Steve
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
No Class, Thursday, 21 February.
I will be in my office from 8:00-1:00 on Thursday, so if you have any questions, please do stop by. We will not, however, have class on Thursday; instead, I want you working on the draft of the body of your essay on where you see your life in five years.
In developing the sections of your essay which focus on your civic, personal, professional, and academic life, use the techniques of brainstorming, free-writing, and discussion we covered in class today. I want each of your sections to be detailed, specific, and interesting. In reading them, I want to be able to *fully* understand your vision of yourself in five years. More important, I want you to have a good, clear, concise vision of where you want to be in five years. Later, you'll work on a plan for getting there.
Remember, when you take the notes you develop in brainstorming, free-writing, and discussion and move them into sentences and paragraphs, follow the processes we've covered in class and construct your sentences out of dependent and independent clause groups. Make sure your paragraphs have a good clear topic sentence, and--since I'm stressing the important of specific details--make sure your topic sentences is developed through an abundance of detail which fully describes each aspect of your life.
Next Tuesday, you *have* to bring copies of these drafts with you to class, because the work I'm planning to do is built around improving your draft.
As always, write or call with questions. You can find me at prof.brandon@gmail.com.
Steve
In developing the sections of your essay which focus on your civic, personal, professional, and academic life, use the techniques of brainstorming, free-writing, and discussion we covered in class today. I want each of your sections to be detailed, specific, and interesting. In reading them, I want to be able to *fully* understand your vision of yourself in five years. More important, I want you to have a good, clear, concise vision of where you want to be in five years. Later, you'll work on a plan for getting there.
Remember, when you take the notes you develop in brainstorming, free-writing, and discussion and move them into sentences and paragraphs, follow the processes we've covered in class and construct your sentences out of dependent and independent clause groups. Make sure your paragraphs have a good clear topic sentence, and--since I'm stressing the important of specific details--make sure your topic sentences is developed through an abundance of detail which fully describes each aspect of your life.
Next Tuesday, you *have* to bring copies of these drafts with you to class, because the work I'm planning to do is built around improving your draft.
As always, write or call with questions. You can find me at prof.brandon@gmail.com.
Steve
The Main Excerpts from pages 83-94
Excerpts from Chapter 4: Developing and Arranging Details
Chapter Objectives
In this chapter you will learn to:
1. Use details to develop your topic sentence.
2. Select relevant and sufficient details.
3. Arrange details in a paragraph.
4. Use specific words.
5. Use transitional words.
Write About It!
What single overall feeling do you get from the photograph above? Write a sentence that expresses the emotion that is shown in the picture.
This sentence could be the topic sentence of a paragraph about the graduates shown in the picture. If you were to explain why the graduates are happy, you would be providing details that support the topic sentence. You will need to focus on details in a wide variety of situations.
WRITING
Supporting details are pieces of information that explain your topic sentence. If you wrote the following topic sentence, “Field hockey is the sport that taught me how to be a team player,” then the supporting details that make up the remainder of your paragraph would explain why and how field hockey taught you to be a team player. Here is another example:
If you have trouble sleeping, there are a number of things you can do to overcome the problem. First, try to develop a regular sleeping pattern. Go to bed at the same time and get up at the same time each day. Avoid sleeping late on weekends; it will throw you off schedule. Next, avoid eating or drinking caffeine in the evening. Caffeine can stay in your system for hours and keep you awake when you want to be sleeping. Also, try to read or watch television before falling asleep. Performing the same activity nightly will signal your body that bedtime is near.
In this paragraph, the details fulfill the promise the topic sentence makes—that the paragraph will tell you what to do to overcome sleeping problems. In this chapter you will learn how to write details that explain a topic sentence.
Using Relevant and Sufficient Details
The details you choose to support your topic sentence must be both relevant and sufficient. Relevant means that the details directly explain and support your topic sentence. For example, if you were to write a paragraph for your employer explaining why you deserve a raise, it would not be relevant to mention that you plan to use the money to go to
Sufficient means that you must provide enough information to make your topic sentence understandable and convincing. In your paragraph explaining why you deserve a raise, it would probably not be sufficient to say that you are always on time. You would need to provide more information about your job performance: for example, that you always volunteer to work holidays, that you’ve offered good suggestions for displaying new products, and that several customers have written letters praising your work.
Selecting Relevant Details
Relevant details directly support your topic sentence. They help clarify and strengthen your ideas, whereas irrelevant details make your ideas unclear and confusing. Here is the first draft of a paragraph written by a student named Carlos to explain why he decided to attend college. Can you locate the detail that is not relevant?
(1) I decided to attend college to further my education and achieve my goals in life. (2) I am attempting to build a future for myself. (3) When I get married and have kids, I want to be able to offer them the same opportunities my parents gave me. (4) I want to have a comfortable style of living and a good job. (5) As for my wife, I don’t want her to work because I believe a married woman should not work. (6) I believe college is the way to begin a successful life.
Sentence 5 does not belong in the paragraph. The fact that Carlos does not want his wife to work is not a reason for attending college.
Use the following simple test to be sure each detail you include belongs in your paragraph:
1. Read your topic sentence in combination with each of the other sentences in your paragraph. For example,
read topic sentence + last sentence.
read topic sentence + second-to-last sentence.
read topic sentence + third-to-last sentence.
2. For each pair of sentences, ask yourself, “Do these two ideas fit together?” If your answer is “No,” then you have found a detail that is not relevant to your topic. Delete it from your paragraph.
Another student wrote the following paragraph on the subject of the legal drinking age. As you read it, cross out the details that are not relevant.
(1) The legal drinking age should be raised to 25. (2) Anyone who drinks should be old enough to determine whether or not it is safe to drive after drinking. (3) Bartenders and others who serve drinks should also have to be 25. (4) In general, teenagers and young adults are not responsible enough to limit how much they drink. (5) The party atmosphere enjoyed by so many young people encourages crazy acts, so we should limit who can drink. (6) Younger people think drinking is a game, but it is a dangerous game that affects the lives of others.
Which sentence did you delete? Why did you delete it? The third sentence does not belong in the paragraph because the age of those who bartend or serve drinks is not relevant to the topic. Sentence 5, about partying, should also be eliminated or explained because the connection between partying and drinking is not clear.
Including Sufficient Detail
Including sufficient detail means that your paragraph contains an adequate amount of specific information for your readers to understand your main idea. Your supporting details must thoroughly and clearly explain why you believe your topic sentence is true. Be sure that your details are specific; do not provide summaries or unsupported statements of opinion.
Let’s look at a paragraph a student wrote on the topic of billboard advertising.
There is a national movement to oppose billboard advertising. Many people don’t like billboards and are taking action to change what products are advertised on them and which companies use them. Community activists are destroying billboard advertisements at an increasing rate. As a result of their actions, numerous changes have been made.
This paragraph is filled with general statements. It does not explain who dislikes billboards or why they dislike them. It does not say what products are advertised or name the companies that make them. No detail is given about how the billboards are destroyed, and the resulting changes are not described. There is not sufficient support for the topic sentence. Here is the revised version:
Among residents of inner-city neighborhoods, a national movement is growing to oppose billboard advertising. Residents oppose billboards that glamorize alcohol and target people of color as its consumers. Community activists have organized and are taking action. They carry paint, rollers, shovels, and brooms to an offending billboard. Within a few minutes the billboard is painted over, covering the damaging advertisement. Results have been dramatic. Many liquor companies have reduced their inner-city billboard advertising. In place of these ads, some billboard companies have placed public-service announcements and ads to improve community health.
If you have trouble thinking of enough details to include in a paragraph, try brainstorming or one of the other prewriting techniques described in Chapter 1, “The Writing Process: An Overview.” Write your topic sentence at the top of a sheet of paper. Then list everything that comes to mind about that topic. Include examples, events, incidents, facts, and reasons. You will be surprised at how many useful details you think of.
When you finish, read over your list and cross out details that are not relevant. (If you still don’t have enough, your topic may be too specific. See p. 63.) The next section will help you decide in what order you will write about the details on your list.
Need to Know
Important Terms
Relevant details: Details that directly explain the topic sentence.
Sufficient details: Details that provide adequate support of the topic sentence.
Time sequence: Arranging ideas in the order in which they happen.
Spatial arrangement: Arranging ideas according to their position in space.
Least/Most Arrangement: Presenting ideas from least to most or most to least according to some quality or characteristic.
Specific words: Words that provide a great deal of information.
Transitional words and phrases: Words that lead the reader from one detail to another.
Types of Supporting Details
There are many types of details that you can use to explain or support a topic sentence. The most common types of supporting details are (1) examples, (2) facts or statistics, (3) reasons, (4) descriptions, and (5) steps or procedures.
Examples
One way a writer may support an idea is by using examples. Examples are specific instances or situations that illustrate an idea. Examples make ideas and concepts real and understandable. You might explain aggressive behavior by giving an example of one child pulling another child’s hair.
Facts and Statistics
Another way a writer supports an idea is by including facts and/or statistics. A fact is a piece of information that can be verified as correct. A statistic is a fact that involves numbers. The facts and statistics may provide evidence that the main idea is correct. Or the facts may further explain the main idea. For example, to prove that the divorce rate is high, the author may give statistics about the rate of divorce per 100,000 marriages and the percentage of the population that is divorced.
Be sure to give the source of any fact or statistic you take from any print or Internet source (see p. 396 for more information).
Reasons
A writer may support an idea by giving reasons why a main idea is correct. Reasons are explanations of why something happened. You might explain why nuclear power is dangerous or give reasons why a new speed limit law should be passed by Congress.
Descriptions
When the topic of a paragraph is a person, object, or place the writer may develop the paragraph by describing it. Descriptions are details that help you create a mental picture for your reader of the person, object, or place and they appeal to one of the five senses—touch, taste, smell, sight, and hearing. For example, you might describe a motorcycle by describing the sounds the engine makes and by describing its shape, parts, and color.
Steps or Procedures
When you write a paragraph explaining how to do something or how something works, you often list steps or procedures. Steps are events that you complete in a specific order. For example, if you write a paragraph about how to prepare an outline for a speech, the details would list or explain the steps to take in preparing an outline.
Need to Know
Important Terms
Relevant details: Details that directly explain the topic sentence.
Sufficient details: Details that provide adequate support of the topic sentence.
Time sequence: Arranging ideas in the order in which they happen.
Spatial arrangement: Arranging ideas according to their position in space.
Least/Most Arrangement: Presenting ideas from least to most or most to least according to some quality or characteristic.
Specific words: Words that provide a great deal of information.
Transitional words and phrases: Words that lead the reader from one detail to another.
Types of Supporting Details
There are many types of details that you can use to explain or support a topic sentence. The most common types of supporting details are (1) examples, (2) facts or statistics, (3) reasons, (4) descriptions, and (5) steps or procedures.
Examples
One way a writer may support an idea is by using examples. Examples are specific instances or situations that illustrate an idea. Examples make ideas and concepts real and understandable. You might explain aggressive behavior by giving an example of one child pulling another child’s hair.
Facts and Statistics
Another way a writer supports an idea is by including facts and/or statistics. A fact is a piece of information that can be verified as correct. A statistic is a fact that involves numbers. The facts and statistics may provide evidence that the main idea is correct. Or the facts may further explain the main idea. For example, to prove that the divorce rate is high, the author may give statistics about the rate of divorce per 100,000 marriages and the percentage of the population that is divorced.
Be sure to give the source of any fact or statistic you take from any print or Internet source (see p. 396 for more information).
Reasons
A writer may support an idea by giving reasons why a main idea is correct. Reasons are explanations of why something happened. You might explain why nuclear power is dangerous or give reasons why a new speed limit law should be passed by Congress.
Descriptions
When the topic of a paragraph is a person, object, or place the writer may develop the paragraph by describing it. Descriptions are details that help you create a mental picture for your reader of the person, object, or place and they appeal to one of the five senses—touch, taste, smell, sight, and hearing. For example, you might describe a motorcycle by describing the sounds the engine makes and by describing its shape, parts, and color.
Steps or Procedures
When you write a paragraph explaining how to do something or how something works, you often list steps or procedures. Steps are events that you complete in a specific order. For example, if you write a paragraph about how to prepare an outline for a speech, the details would list or explain the steps to take in preparing an outline.
Methods of Arranging Details
First Draft
This summer I had the opportunity to travel extensively. Over Labor Day weekend I backpacked with a group of friends in the
Revision
This summer I had the opportunity to travel extensively in the
Did you find
1. Time sequence
2. Spatial arrangement
3. Least/most arrangement
We will discuss each of these methods. Then, in Part III of this book, “Methods of Development,” you will learn additional methods of arranging ideas.
Time Sequence
Time sequence means the order in which something happens. For example, if you were to write about a particularly bad day, you could describe the day in the order in which everything went wrong. You might begin with waking up in the morning and end with going to bed that night. If you were describing a busy or an exciting weekend, you might begin with what you did on Friday night and end with the last activity on Sunday. (You will learn more about this method of arrangement in Chapter 6, “Narration.”)
Spatial Arrangement
Suppose you are asked to describe the room in which you are sitting. You want your reader, who has never been in the room, to visualize it. You need to describe, in an orderly way, where items are positioned. You could describe the room from left to right, from ceiling to floor, or from door to window. In other situations, your choices might include front to back, inside to outside, near to far, east to west, and so on. This method of presentation is called spatial arrangement. How are the details arranged in the following paragraph?
Keith’s antique car was gloriously decorated for the Fourth of July parade. Red, white, and blue streamers hung in front from the headlights and bumper. The hood was covered with small American flags. The windshield had gold stars pasted on it, arranged to form an outline of our state. On the sides, the doors displayed red plastic-tape stripes. The convertible top was down, and Mary sat on the trunk dressed up like the Statue of Liberty. In the rear, a neon sign blinked “God Bless
The topic you are writing about will often determine the arrangement you choose. In writing about a town, you might choose to begin with the center and then move to each surrounding area. In describing a building, you might go from bottom to top.
The Least/Most Arrangement
Another method of arranging details is to present them in order from least to most or most to least, according to some quality or characteristic. For example, you might arrange details from least to most expensive, least to most serious, or least to most important.
The writer of the following paragraph uses a least-to-most arrangement:
The entry level job in many industries today is administrative assistant. Just because it’s a lower level job, don’t think it’s an easy job. A good administrative assistant must have good computer skills. If you aren’t proficient on a computer, you won’t be able to handle your supervisor’s correspondence and other paper work. Even more important, an administrative assistant must be well organized. Every little problem—from answering the phone to setting up meetings to making travel arrangements—lands on the administrative assistant’s desk. If you can’t juggle lots of loose ends, this is not the job for you. Most important of all, though, an administrative assistant needs a sense of humor. On the busiest days, when the office is in total chaos, the only way to keep your sanity—and your temper—is to take a deep breath, smile, and say “When all this is over, I’m going to have a well-earned nervous breakdown!”
Notice that this writer wrote about a basic requirement for the job—computer skills—and then worked up to the most important requirement.
You can also arrange details from most to least. This structure allows you to present your strongest point first. Many writers use this method to construct a case or an argument
Using Specific Words
When you are writing a paragraph, use specific words to give your reader as much information as possible. You can think of words the way an artist thinks of colors on a palette. Vague words are brown and muddy; specific words are brightly colored and lively. Try to paint pictures for your reader with specific, vivid words. Here are a few examples of vague words along with more specific words or phrases for the same idea:
vague fun
specific thrilling, relaxing, enjoyable, pleasurable
vague dark
specific hidden in gray-green shadows
vague experienced
specific five years in the job
vague tree
specific red maple
The following suggestions will help you develop your details.
1. Use specific verbs. Choose verbs (action words) that help your reader picture the action.
vague The woman left the restaurant.
specific The woman stormed out of the restaurant.
2. Give exact names. Include the names of people, places, objects, and brands.
vague A man was eating outside.
specific Anthony Hargeaves lounged on the deck of his yacht Penelope, spearing Heinz dill pickles out of a jar.
3. Use adjectives before nouns to convey details.
vague Mary had a dog on a leash.
specific A short, bushy-tailed dog strained at the end of the leash in Mary’s hand.
4. Use words that appeal to the senses. Choose words that suggest touch, taste, smell, sound, and sight.
vague The florist shop was lovely.
specific Brilliant red, pink, and yellow roses filled the florist shop with their heady fragrance.
To summarize, use words that help your readers create mental pictures.
vague Al was handsome.
specific Al had a slim frame, curly brown hair, deep brown almond-shaped eyes, and perfectly straight, glittering white teeth.
Using Transitional Words
Transitional words allow readers to move easily from one detail to another. They show how details relate to one another. You might think of them as words that guide and signal. They guide the reader through the paragraph and signal what is to follow. As you read the following paragraph, notice the transitional words and phrases (highlighted in green) that this student used.
I have so many things to do when I get home today. First, I have to take my dog, Othello, for a walk. Next, I should do my homework for history and study the chapter on franchises for business. After that I should do some laundry, since my sock drawer is empty. Then my brother is coming over to fix the tailpipe on my car. Afterward, we will probably order a pizza for a speedy dinner.
.
Assignment Due: 26 February.
Reading: From Expressways, read pages 83-95. These pages talk about how to fill your body paragraphs with specific language and good supporting details. Gathering and including the right details is particularly important in writing descriptive paragraphs, like the paragraphs you'll be writing for the essay draft due this Thursday. When you create this draft, make sure to use the computer, apply what you learn from the reading, and bring a hard copy to class.
Writing: Where do you want to be in five years?
Write a *draft* of an essay in which you describe where you want your personal, professional, academic, and civic life to be in five years. Part of achieving one's goals is learning to fully visualize what it is you want to achieve. The next step is coming up with a plan which will allow you to move toward the goals you visualize, but I don't want you to write about your plan just yet; instead, I want you to concentrate on writing a fairly complete description of where you want to be.
In your description, be realistic and concrete. Provide examples and illustrations. If you say you want a spouse or significant other, what qualities do you want this person to possess? How will this person compliment you? What kind of person will they be, and how do you visualize your relationship with them? If you say you want to be finishing up your bachelors degree, tell your reader what degree you want to be working on, if you see yourself as a senior, junior, or heading toward graduate school, and what school or kind of school you'd like to be at. If you say you want to be living in a nice apartment, then describe the apartment. What town is it in? Is it near your job or school? What kind of neighborhood is it in? Do you see yourself having roommates? If you say you want a job, what kind of job is it? What kind of work do you see yourself doing? How do you see your work fitting into your other plans? How many hours per week do you see yourself working? Is it an inside, office job or are you doing landscaping outside?
In visualizing your goals, be realistic. You may see yourself as rich, but can you get there in five years? Do some of your homework. It takes most students six years to finish college, and students who work will take even longer; so, if you plan on working while getting a college degree, then you need to plan to still be in school, but working toward a career. You also may mention what limitations you may face or what you'll need to overcome to achieve your goals.
For right now, don't worry about drafting an introduction or conclusion, just draft the main sections of your essay's body.
Writing: Where do you want to be in five years?
Write a *draft* of an essay in which you describe where you want your personal, professional, academic, and civic life to be in five years. Part of achieving one's goals is learning to fully visualize what it is you want to achieve. The next step is coming up with a plan which will allow you to move toward the goals you visualize, but I don't want you to write about your plan just yet; instead, I want you to concentrate on writing a fairly complete description of where you want to be.
In your description, be realistic and concrete. Provide examples and illustrations. If you say you want a spouse or significant other, what qualities do you want this person to possess? How will this person compliment you? What kind of person will they be, and how do you visualize your relationship with them? If you say you want to be finishing up your bachelors degree, tell your reader what degree you want to be working on, if you see yourself as a senior, junior, or heading toward graduate school, and what school or kind of school you'd like to be at. If you say you want to be living in a nice apartment, then describe the apartment. What town is it in? Is it near your job or school? What kind of neighborhood is it in? Do you see yourself having roommates? If you say you want a job, what kind of job is it? What kind of work do you see yourself doing? How do you see your work fitting into your other plans? How many hours per week do you see yourself working? Is it an inside, office job or are you doing landscaping outside?
In visualizing your goals, be realistic. You may see yourself as rich, but can you get there in five years? Do some of your homework. It takes most students six years to finish college, and students who work will take even longer; so, if you plan on working while getting a college degree, then you need to plan to still be in school, but working toward a career. You also may mention what limitations you may face or what you'll need to overcome to achieve your goals.
For right now, don't worry about drafting an introduction or conclusion, just draft the main sections of your essay's body.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Assignment: for 19 February
Read the class blog posts on the middle section of a good introduction and some further advice on thesis statements.
For each of your hook/thesis statement pairs, create a middle section which provides context, explains why the discussion is important, etc. For right now, only invest two to four sentences in the middle sections you develop.
Have a good weekend.
Steve
For each of your hook/thesis statement pairs, create a middle section which provides context, explains why the discussion is important, etc. For right now, only invest two to four sentences in the middle sections you develop.
Have a good weekend.
Steve
Some more formula for a thesis statment:
In doing some more research on writing thesis statements, I found the following formulas for thesis statements:
Finally, here's a set of good, three part thesis statements I found online:
The three drugs which cause the most serious threat to the health of Americans are alcohol, nicotine, and amphetamines. There are three kinds of monocycle riders: weekend riders who like to take afternoon outings near home, serious riders who take long journeys alone, and macho riders who parade from one bar to another. The three most important pieces of camping equipment are a tent, a sleeping bag, and a backpack. Three vocational-technical programs offered at Southside Virginia Community College are automobile mechanics, electronics, and information technology. A good English paper should have a clear thesis, be well organized, and have well developed paragraphs. A modern American woman must play three roles: wife, homemaker, and breadwinner. Among the many causes of the rising divorce rate are greater economic independence for women, greater sexual freedom for both men and women, and the mobility of the American people. Family reunions are always fun because of the food, the games, and the gossip. American automobiles are a better buy than foreign automobiles because the American cars are cheaper to buy, safer to drive, and easier to repair. Everyone should exercise regularly because it reduces the risk of heart disease, it makes a person feel better, and it improves appearance. Many family farms are failing because of high interest rates on loans, the low volume of farm exports, and poor business management. More and more people are connecting to the Internet because of the entertainment it provides, the educational resources it makes available, and the convenience it offers for transacting business. Crime in America is reduced when criminals are given stiffer prison terms, the public is educated about how to prevent crime, and law abiding citizens are permitted to carry concealed weapons. The way to have a successful restaurant business is to offer good food, fast service, and reasonable prices. A person can have a safe outing on a pleasure boat by carrying the proper equipment, by checking the weather forecast before leaving, and by operating the boat in a responsible way. A person can have a successful camping trip by carrying the proper equipment, by going at the right time of the year, and by picking the right camp site. Americans get most of their information from radio, television, and the newspapers. Learning to use a computer requires patience, attention, and practice.
Useful Formula for Thesis Statements
If you're not sure whether you have a good thesis statement, see whether you can fit your ideas into one of these basic patterns.
- [Something] [does something] because [reason(s)].
- Because [reason(s)], [something] [does something].
- Although [opposing evidence], [reasons] show [Something] [does something].
For longer papers, thesis statements can be very complex.
While [a specific, named person] says [a direct quote or paraphrase from the source], [a different, named person] says [something else]. While the two authors disagree over [a minor point], they both share a deep concern over [the topic of your paper]. [Person one's] refusal to accept [a particular point made by person two] suggests that [person one] is [your thesis -- stating the real reason why person one won't agree with person two].Finally, here's a set of good, three part thesis statements I found online:
THREE PART THESIS STATEMENTS
THE WHAT THESIS STATEMENT
THE WHY THESIS STATEMENT
THE HOW THESIS STATEMENT
The Middle Section of an Introduction.
OK, we've discussed the hook, the first section of your introduction, and the thesis, the final section of your introduction. Now we need to discuss how to get between the hook and the thesis.
If you remember, the hook draws your reader into thinking about the topic of your paper. The hook interests the reader.
The middle section is where you motivate your reader, narrow your topic, and provide some very general background information and context.
Some questions you might answer in this middle section are:
In short, answer some or most of the questions who, what, when, where, why and how.
If you remember, the hook draws your reader into thinking about the topic of your paper. The hook interests the reader.
The middle section is where you motivate your reader, narrow your topic, and provide some very general background information and context.
Some questions you might answer in this middle section are:
- What's the general background of the problem you address?
- Who are the players or main ways of thinking about your problem/controversy.
- What problem are you working on and why is it important?
- Why is the problem/controversy/discussion of interest and importance to the larger community or to your specific reader(s)?
In short, answer some or most of the questions who, what, when, where, why and how.
All this leads into your thesis statement. Remember, in your thesis statement, you identify the specific aspect of your topic you'll consider. You make a claim about this aspect of your topic, and you provide a kind of road map to how you'll develop the remainder of your paper.
Taken together the hook, background/motivation section, and the thesis make up your introduction.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Assignment for Thursday, 14 February
Reading: Read the post on this blog on writing a good introduction.
Writing: 1) Revise and proofread each of the thesis statements you developed for 12 February.
2) Write a hook for each thesis statement.
Writing: 1) Revise and proofread each of the thesis statements you developed for 12 February.
2) Write a hook for each thesis statement.
How to Write A Good Introduction
The following post is taken verbatum from
http://matcmadison.edu/is/writingcenter/introduction_strategies.htm
Introductions
http://matcmadison.edu/is/writingcenter/introduction_strategies.htm
Introductions
The first idea I would want to suggest about introductions is that you don’t necessarily need to write one before you write the essay. Many students will get stuck right off the bat on their papers because they are waiting for an idea for an introduction. The reason they might be stuck is because they are trying to introduce an essay they haven’t written yet. At times, it might be more efficient for you to write the body of the essay first before you write the introduction for it. Then you will know what it is that you are trying to introduce, so the idea for the introduction may come more easily.
Having said that, let me answer two questions about introductions: what is the purpose of an introduction, and how do you write a good one? Introductions are used as a way to capture the interest of your reader and to let them know what they will be reading in the body of the essay. Imagine how jarred you might feel if you began to read the bulk of a body of material right away without knowing what you might be facing within that material. You might not want to proceed. So instead of just rushing into the body of the material, most writers introduce their topic to guide their reader into the body of work that is to come. So the purpose of the introduction is to motivate your reader to read further and to alert them about what they will be reading.
To write a good introduction, you need to reflect on this purpose. So since your first purpose is to capture the attention of your reader, you would begin your introduction with a motivator. There are six techniques that many writers use to capture the attention of their readers:
 | Ask a provocative question |
| State an unusual fact |
| Give an illustration, example, or anecdote |
| Present a provocative quote |
| Refer to an historic event |
| Point to common relationships, beliefs, interests, or opinions |
Whichever technique you decide to use in your introduction, you would want to make sure that it is relevant to your topic.
The next part of the introduction would then alert your reader about what they will be reading. So you will need to present them with some background information on your topic to give them with the big picture of your topic, so to speak. You would want this information to be more general; you do not necessarily need to suggest all the points you are going to cover in your essay. Just provide your reader with the information they might need to appreciate your points within the essay.
The last part of the introduction is the thesis statement. This statement will also satisfy the purpose of letting your reader know what they will be reading. The thesis statement is a forecasting statement that suggests the main idea that you will cover in your essay. (See The Writing Process for more information on thesis statements.) You might also want to add a blueprint to your introduction. A blueprint will alert you reader to the structure of your essay. It states the main point that you will cover in the body of your essay. The wording of the blueprint will be the wording that you will use in the topic sentences of each body paragraph. Here is an example of a thesis with a blueprint.
President Bush has already outlined three separate policies that address his campaign pledge of compassionate conservatism: an educational plan that includes accountability and vouchers, federal funds for faith-based organizations to help the poor, and an overhaul of Medicare that would help the elderly to buy prescription drugs.
What this statement does is to alert the reader that you will discuss policies that address Bush’s compassionate conservatism ideal. That part is the thesis. The next portion of the sentence names the three policies. These are the policies that you will discuss in the body of your essay. The reader will expect you to cover them in the order that you named them, which is why it is called a blueprint. It alerts the reader to the structure of your essay. You can also use the wording of the blueprint as the wording of your topic sentences to bring your reader back to the blueprint.
In conclusion, an effective introduction has three parts that should blend together smoothly: a motivator, background information, and the thesis statement.
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Assignment: 7-12 Feburary.
Reading:
Read my post on thesis statements in this blog. Read 367-72 in Expressways.
Writing:
Everyday between now and Tuesday, pick your own topics and develop two strong thesis statements. When developing each statement, construct it using sentences composed of dependent and independent clauses. You can use any of the sentence forms we have discussed.
Read my post on thesis statements in this blog. Read 367-72 in Expressways.
Writing:
Everyday between now and Tuesday, pick your own topics and develop two strong thesis statements. When developing each statement, construct it using sentences composed of dependent and independent clauses. You can use any of the sentence forms we have discussed.
No office hourse, 7 February
Friday, 8 February, I am taking a medical leave day, so there will not be any office hours.
What is a good thesis statment?
The most important sentence in any academic paper is the thesis sentence. Thesis statements do three things: 1) they identify the topic of your essay; 2) they make a specific claim about your topic, which you will then develop in the paper; 3) they indicate how you will organize your paper; and, 4) they let your reader decide if reading your paper is worthwhile. Thesis statements do a lot of work. They are the most difficult sentence to write in your paper. Since they are so essential to the success of your paper, thesis statements deserve whatever time it takes to develop them. In fact, don't start drafting your paper until you have developed a working thesis statement. As you write, you may well discover a new take on your topic, so don't be afraid to go back and change it.
A strong thesis statement:
Should never be longer than a sentence or two.
Should identify a topic about which people could disagree.
Should address a topic which can be fully developed in the length of your paper.
Should take a clear stand on your topic.
Should express one main idea.
Should assert your claims or conclusions about your topic.
Should be specific and avoid--at all costs--vague language.
Should avoid language like "it seems," "some people," "many believe," "different people," and "various."
Should avoid saying things like "I believe" or "In my opinion" or "I propose."
Should indicate why your subject and position warrant discussion.
Should provide a map to guide your reader through your paper.
How to develop a good thesis statement:
1) Begin with your topic. Write it down.
2) Narrow your topic by focusing on one aspect of your topic. This aspect should be debatable, warrant discussion, and not be too broad to treat in the length of your paper.
Thinking about these questions may help you narrow your topic:
What are the major aspects of your topic on which reasonable people disagree?
What position do you take in these disagreements?
What has your experience, reading and thinking about the topic led you to conclude or believe? Why?
Write the answers to these questions down.
3) Now take your work above and develop one or two sentences which include:
A specific topic + your attitude/angle/argument. OR What you plan to argue + how you plan to argue it.
Here are some strong thesis statements:
A strong thesis statement:
Should never be longer than a sentence or two.
Should identify a topic about which people could disagree.
Should address a topic which can be fully developed in the length of your paper.
Should take a clear stand on your topic.
Should express one main idea.
Should assert your claims or conclusions about your topic.
Should be specific and avoid--at all costs--vague language.
Should avoid language like "it seems," "some people," "many believe," "different people," and "various."
Should avoid saying things like "I believe" or "In my opinion" or "I propose."
Should indicate why your subject and position warrant discussion.
Should provide a map to guide your reader through your paper.
How to develop a good thesis statement:
1) Begin with your topic. Write it down.
2) Narrow your topic by focusing on one aspect of your topic. This aspect should be debatable, warrant discussion, and not be too broad to treat in the length of your paper.
Thinking about these questions may help you narrow your topic:
What are the major aspects of your topic on which reasonable people disagree?
What position do you take in these disagreements?
What has your experience, reading and thinking about the topic led you to conclude or believe? Why?
Write the answers to these questions down.
3) Now take your work above and develop one or two sentences which include:
A specific topic + your attitude/angle/argument. OR What you plan to argue + how you plan to argue it.
Here are some strong thesis statements:
- Although both chefs and cooks can prepare fine meals, chefs differ from cooks in education, profession commitment, and artistry.
- Steroids are addictive and should be banned from sports.
- Though many people dismiss hip hop as offensive, hip hop music offers urban youth an important opportunity for artistic expression, and it allows them to articulate the poetry of the street.
- Hemingway's stories helped create a new prose style by employing extensive dialogue, shorter sentences, and strong Anglo-Saxon words.
- While both Northerners and Southerners believed they fought against tyranny and oppression, Northerners focused on oppression of slaves while Southerners defended their own right to self-government.
- Through its contrasting river and shore scenes, Twain's Huckleberry Finn suggests that to find the true expression of American democratic ideals, one must leave "civilized" society and go back to nature.
- Young people in the Middle Ages, who were considered young but responsible adults by the age of sixteen, had fewer social choices when compared to modern American teenagers. Unless they followed a religious calling, medieval teenagers had to contend with an arranged marriage and bearing children while living without what we would consider personal privacy or freedom.
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
No Office Hours/Class Today, 5 Feb.
Good morning,
I'm out of commission today. I woke up before my usual 4:45 alarm not feeling well, and it's getting worst rather than better; so, I'm going to take it easy today and try to get into the doctor's office. In any event, I won't be in the office.
Spend the time revising and editing your five paragraph essay. Remember, the topic of the essay is your choice. Vary the your sentence structure in your paragraphs using the following sentence forms:
IC.
DC, IC.
IC, DC.
IC, conj IC.
IC, conj IC; conj, IC.
Remember, your essay is divided into an introductory paragraph, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Each of your paragraphs should begin with a topic sentence. Your introductory paragraphs should end with a thesis sentence.
Here are links to a couple of articles on writing the five paragraph essay. The advice in these short articles should help with any questions which may have developed as you drafted your essay. Before you revise your essay, take a look at the articles, and see if you can pick up any tips which will help as you revise.
http://www.geocities.com/soho/Atrium/1437/
http://homeworktips.about.com/od/essaywriting/a/fiveparagraph.htm
http://www.bookrags.com/articles/4.html
Remember, do take the time to revise your essay. As I said in class, it's easy to think your job is done when you get a draft of your essay in the computer and printed, but this is only the start of the work you need to do to write a successful essay. [Notice the last sentence has the form: DC, IC, cong IC.]
Remember, "Good writing is rewriting." The most important stage of writing is the revision stage. Give yourself permission to revise and rewrite. Your time will be well spent, and I'm betting you'll be surprised at the results. [Notice the last sentence is of the form: IC, conj IC.]
Take care,
Steve
I'm out of commission today. I woke up before my usual 4:45 alarm not feeling well, and it's getting worst rather than better; so, I'm going to take it easy today and try to get into the doctor's office. In any event, I won't be in the office.
Spend the time revising and editing your five paragraph essay. Remember, the topic of the essay is your choice. Vary the your sentence structure in your paragraphs using the following sentence forms:
IC.
DC, IC.
IC, DC.
IC, conj IC.
IC, conj IC; conj, IC.
Remember, your essay is divided into an introductory paragraph, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Each of your paragraphs should begin with a topic sentence. Your introductory paragraphs should end with a thesis sentence.
Here are links to a couple of articles on writing the five paragraph essay. The advice in these short articles should help with any questions which may have developed as you drafted your essay. Before you revise your essay, take a look at the articles, and see if you can pick up any tips which will help as you revise.
http://www.geocities.com/soho/Atrium/1437/
http://homeworktips.about.com/od/essaywriting/a/fiveparagraph.htm
http://www.bookrags.com/articles/4.html
Remember, do take the time to revise your essay. As I said in class, it's easy to think your job is done when you get a draft of your essay in the computer and printed, but this is only the start of the work you need to do to write a successful essay. [Notice the last sentence has the form: DC, IC, cong IC.]
Remember, "Good writing is rewriting." The most important stage of writing is the revision stage. Give yourself permission to revise and rewrite. Your time will be well spent, and I'm betting you'll be surprised at the results. [Notice the last sentence is of the form: IC, conj IC.]
Take care,
Steve
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