Essay Skill Exercises Home Tutorial 10
HOW TO WRITE AN ESSAY
Objectives:
Students will be able to:
- identify the
parts of an essay;
-
understand the components of a well-written essay;
- write
a concise, well-written essay;
-
identify the mistakes in a poorly written essay.
Procedures:
I. Absolute no-no's of writing an essay (a.k.a. you will lose points)
A. Using personal pronouns
1. I, me, you, we, etc.
B.
Using "In this essay ..."
1. ex. In this essay you will see
In this essay
it will show ...
In this
essay I will tell you ...
This
essay will ...
C.
Repeating a sentence using different words to make the essay "long enough''
1. The Stamp Act was one of the causes of the American Revolution. The American Revolution was caused by taxing the colonists with the Stamp Act.
D.
Using words such as "stuff, like, etc." (The Stamp Act was like a tax on legal
documents), or other slang words
E. Using vague sentences that make no sense if they were standing alone without the essay around it
1. ex. They needed it to survive.
He needed these things.
2.
Instead, use:
The Iroquois
needed food to survive.
Washington
needed the weapons.
3. Try not to use "they, he, these, there, etc." USE THE NAME, PLACE, OBJECT in a descriptive way!
F. Do
not use "below"or "above" when explaining what has been discussed or what will
be discussed in the essay
1. ex. In conclusion, above are the reasons for the Boston Tea Party.
Below are the ways women contributed to the Revolutionary War.
2.
Instead, use:
- In
conclusion, xxxxxx and xxxxxx are the reasons for the Boston Tea
Party.
-
xxxxxx and xxxxxx are the ways in which women contributed to the
Revolutionary War.
G. Use
less than 3 sentences in a paragraph! Ever!
H. Use
a person's name unless you know them personally
1. ex. George
was a great President.
2.
Instead, use:
Washington
was a great President.
Gen.
Washington was a great President.
I.
Misspell words - especially if they are spelled for you in the essay question
J.
Plagiarize
1. Do not copy any part of the essay question. Use your own words.
K. Ask
a question in your essay - never ever!
L.
Begin a sentence with "And, But, Also, etc."
II. Absolute yes-yes' of writing an essay (a.k.a. you will gain points)
A. Introduction
1. Tells the reader the main idea of the composition and also suggests its type and purpose.
a. Each point you make in the introduction will be explained in its own paragraph in the body.
2. The
Grabber
a. the first
sentence in your introduction which "grabs" the reader's attention, i.e. makes
the reader interested in your essay and makes them want to read more of your
essay.
b. The
"Grabber" should be about a sentence long which introduces your topic with an
interesting fact, statistic, quote, etc. You want your reader to be
interested!
3. The
Topic Sentence/Thesis Statement
a. serves as
the topic sentence for both the introductory paragraph and the whole
composition.
b. the
purpose of your essay - the point or points you are going to prove,
argue, explain, describe persuade, evaluate, or summarize.
c. each
point or topic you are going to discuss in the body should be mentioned in your
topic sentence. Each of these points will get its own paragraph in the body.
B. Body
1. Develops the main ideas stated in the thesis statement.
a. Narrative
composition: body tells what happened.
b.
Descriptive Composition: sense details develop the main idea.
c. ***
Persuasive/Explanatory Composition: body contains facts, reasons, and examples
that support the main idea or ideas.
2.
Paragraphs should follow in a logical order.
C.
Conclusion
1. Brings the
composition to an end.
2.
Should review your main points once more and leave the reader with a final
thought.
3. New
information should not be introduced in the conclusion.
4.
Conclusion should do one of the following things:
a. Evaluate:
give your opinion about the ideas your composition presents. Do not use I,
ME, YOU, etc.
b.
Summarize: or restate the main idea by returning the reader to your original
thesis statement and main points - but don't just list the points all over
again!
c.
Persuade: the reader to accept an idea or viewpoint by making a final convincing
statement.
d. Look
Forward: by showing your reader that your subject will continue to be important
in the future for a certain reason.
ALWAYS READ
THE DIRECTIONS CAREFULLY AND MAKE SURE THAT YOU
ANSWER THE QUESTION
THE ASSIGNMENT:
Bart Simpson
is taking an essay test and handed in the following essay: He did not review the
rules for writing an essay.
Make any necessary corrections to Bart's essay so he knows how to write an essay
correctly and will earn a super grade. His teacher (and Bart) will be eternally
grateful to you!
The Question: Briefly describe the nonimportation agreement and committees of Correspondence, and how they represent the British colonists rebellion against the British government.
Bart's Essay: "Rebellion in Massachusetts"
"No taxation without representation" shouted British colonists. They w ere really mad. The Massachusetts colonists were mad and stuff because the British Parliament was taxing the colonists without their consent. In this essay you will see how the committees of correspondence and the nonimportation agreement were ways in which the colonists rebelled against the unfair taxation by the British government. It will be explained below.
In 1767, British Parliament passed the Townshend Acts. It placed new taxes on the colonies. Instead of paying the taxes, colonial merchants and planters signed the nonimportation agreement. It promised not to buy or import goods taxed by the Townshend Acts. This is called a boycott. This type of boycott against British imports was a form of rebellion against the British government which hurt British trade. And that is what it is.
In Massachusetts, Sam Adams set up a committee of correspondence. And it kept them informed about British actions. It united them. Colonists could secretly keep in contact with one another. and let other colonists know about the injustices of the unfair taxes placed by the British guys. This united the British colonists against the British government's actions and can therefore be viewed as a form of rebellion.
As said above and you read, the nonimportation agreement and the committees of correspondence represent a form of protest and rebellion against the British government. They got hog-mad at them for the taxes. Why did this happen? The nonimportation agreement and the committees of correspondence can be viewed as the spark: which eventually led to the fire and the fury of the American Revolution. Sam Adams was a very important dude in all of this that I just talked about.
Directions: Revise these sentences to state their meaning in fewer words. Avoid passive voice, needless repetition, and wordy phrases and clauses. The first sentence has been done as an example. When you're done, you can check your answers.
1. There are many farmers in the area who are planning to attend the meeting which is scheduled for next Friday.
1. Many area farmers plan to attend next Friday's meeting.
2. Although Bradley Hall is regularly populated by students, close study of the building as a structure is seldom undertaken by them.
3. He dropped out of school on account of the fact that it was necessary for him to help support his family.
4. It is expected that the new schedule will be announced by the bus company within the next few days.
5. There are many ways in which a student who is interested in meeting foreign students may come to know one.
6. It is very unusual to find someone who has never told a deliberate lie on purpose.
7. Trouble is caused when people disobey rules that have been established for the safety of all.
8. A campus rally was attended by more than a thousand students. Five students were arrested by campus police for disorderly conduct, while several others are charged by campus administrators with organizing a public meeting without being issued a permit to do so.
10. In the not too distant future, college freshmen must all become aware of the fact that there is a need for them to make contact with an academic adviser concerning the matter of a major.
11. In our company there are wide-open opportunities for professional growth with a company that enjoys an enviable record for stability in the dynamic atmosphere of aerospace technology.
12. Some people believe in capital punishment, while other people are against it; there are many opinions on this subject.
Directions: Combine each sentence group into one concise sentence.
1. The cliff dropped to reefs seventy-five feet below. The reefs below the steep cliff were barely visible through the fog.
2. Their car is gassed up. It is ready for the long drive. The drive will take all night.
3. Sometimes Stan went running with Blanche. She was a good athlete. She was on the track team at school.
4. Taylor brought some candy back from Europe. It wasn't shaped like American candy. The candy tasted kind of strange to him.
5. Government leaders like to mention the creation of new jobs. They claim that these new jobs indicate a strong economy. They don't mention that low-wage jobs without benefits and security have replaced many good jobs.
Directions: Revise the following passage, avoiding wordiness and undesirable repetition.
A large number of people enjoy reading murder mysteries regularly. As a rule, these people are not themselves murderers, nor would these people really ever enjoy seeing someone commit an actual murder, nor would most of them actually enjoy trying to solve an actual murder. They probably enjoy reading murder mysteries because of this reason: they have found a way to escape from the monotonous, boring routine of dull everyday existence.
To such people the murder mystery is realistic fantasy. It is realistic because the people in the murder mystery are as a general rule believable as people. They are not just made up pasteboard figures. It is also realistic because the character who is the hero, the character who solves the murder mystery, solves it not usually by trial and error and haphazard methods but by exercising a high degree of logic and reason. It is absolutely and totally essential that people who enjoy murder mysteries have an admiration for the human faculty of logic.
But murder mysteries are also fantasies. The people who read such books of fiction play a game. It is a game in which they suspend certain human emotions. One of these human emotions that they suspend is pity. If the reader stops to feel pity and sympathy for each and every victim that is killed or if the reader stops to feel terrible horror that such a thing could happen in our world of today, that person will never enjoy reading murder mysteries. The devoted reader of murder mysteries keeps uppermost in mind at all times the goal of arriving through logic and observation at the final solution to the mystery offered in the book. It is a game with life and death. Whodunits hopefully help the reader to hide from the hideous horrors of actual life and death in the real world.
Part One:
2. Bradley Hall is usually filled with students who do not study the building as a structure.
3. He dropped out of school to support his family.
4. The bus company will probably announce its schedule during the next few days.
5. Any student who wants to meet foreign students can do so in many ways.
6. Rarely will you find someone who has never told a deliberate lie.
7. Disobeying safety regulations causes trouble.
8. Five out of more than a thousand students at a campus rally were arrested for disorderly conduct, and several others were charged by campus administrators with organizing a public meeting without a permit.
9. Students think that the most important subjects are those that will be useful after graduation.
10. Soon college freshmen must realize that they need to contact their advisors about their choices of majors.
11. Our company provides opportunities for professional growth and stability in the dynamic field of aerospace technology.
12. There are people who are for and people who are against capital punishment.
Part Two:
1. The cliffs dropped to the reefs seventy-five feet below, which were barely visible through the fog.
2. Their car is gassed up and ready for an all-night drive.
3. Sometimes Stan went running with Blanche, a good athlete on the track team at school.
4. Government leaders like to mention the creation of new jobs, claiming that these jobs indicate a strong economy, but ignoring the fact that low wage jobs without benefits and security have replaced many good jobs.
Part Three (first paragraph):
Many people who have not committed, seen, or solved a murder, or felt any desire to do any of the above, still like to read murder mysteries in order to escape the monotony of everday life.
Now it's your turn to be the expert! Using these models, how would you continue condensing the essay in Part Three?
Fix the sentence. Describe what was wrong with it. Group the Sentences based on the categories.
1. I came to America on my 23rd Birthday at that time I was married and had a son.
2. I was born Amy Green, my married name is now Sue White.
3.
I
told him what had happened, he told me to bring my car that day, August 26, at
11:00 a.m.
4. Gabe is the oldest of his siblings, he is setting a good example by attending TVI.
5.
Arson investigation has always interested him, that is why he wants to make a
career of
it.
6.
Gabe has lived in
Albuquerque,
NM
all of his life. He is 20 years old, and comes from a
large family.
7. I have seen some of his drawings and I think he is very talented.
8. After I cashed my check there was a robbery at the same bank.
9. I asked can you guarantee that it will not break again?
10. When I did what the asked me to do the officers cuffed me.
11. He has eight siblings three brothers and five sisters.
12. He enjoyed high school because he got a good education, and made many friends.
13.
About, twenty minutes later, the police officer got a call saying they had
caught the guy
who had robbed the bank and they let me go.
14.
When the officers let me go I was not told anything not even that they were
sorry about
the mistake they made.
15.
On
September 5, I received a letter saying that if I didn't pay they were going to
turn
me over to the credit bureau.
16. When, I received the gift about six weeks later no bill was enclosed.
17.
15
minutes later when I went to the front again, to check on my table, she told me,
"you and your family will have to wait because we are busy."
18.
Although, I followed the directions that the store gave me to keep my flowers
alive they
died on
September 3, 1999.
19. I will wait five days to hear from you or I will give you a call.
20.
When I arrived at the dealership, Sales Associate Martin Jackson, told me that
it was
going to cost over $1000.00 to fix the seat belts.
21.
Mr. Jackson said my car would be finished that same day, around
3:00 p.m.,
so I
agreed. However it took over two days to fix.
22.
I
liked to learn new words and within the second year I was able to speak
sentences in
that foreign language.
http://planet.tvi.cc.nm.us/ctac/teachideas/atran.htm
Checklist For Essay Tests
These are questions. Change this into a list of instructions.
___ 1. Do I really understand what the question asks me to do?
___ 2. Does the first sentence of my answer repeat the question (but in different words to explain it) and forcefully show the reader how I will develop my answer?
___ 3. Have I done preliminary planning of my major points?
___ 4. Do major points stand out?
___ 5. Are the major points supported with examples and facts?
___ 6. Are there clear transitions between major points?
___ 7. Would someone who had not taken this class be able to understand the concept discussed in the way I explained it?
___ 8. Have I completely covered all major points needed to answer the question?
___ 9. Did I stick to the question?
___ 10. Have I concluded with a summary statement?
___ 11. Did I proofread for misspelled words, sentence fragments, run-on sentences, comma splices, subject/verb or pronoun/antecedent agreement errors, and other errors which might cause the reader not to understandwhat I have written?
___ 12. Is my handwriting readable, and have I left enough space for comments or additions?