Contruc a essay 8 ppsx

Describe in detail how you think your life would change as a result of your new-found wealth." Interpretation/Analysis Essay In the interpretation-type essay, you are given a short quota

your reader see, hear, taste, smell, or feel what it is you are describing by choosing vivid

vocabulary Avoid vague, general words such as good, nice, and bad, and replace these with more descriptive, specific terms Metaphors (comparisons of two unlike items) are also often used in descriptions Try to imagine that your reader has never experienced the object that you are

describing; it is your job to bring this subject to life

Cause and Effect Essay

To "cause" an action means to make something happen; the result or consequence of that action is the "effect." For example: "What are the chief causes of divorce, and how does it affect the

children of the couple?" Typical transitions for this type of essay are: as a result, as a

consequence, consequently, therefore, and thus

Conditional sentence-type essay questions are sometimes classified as "cause and effect" as well For example: "If you won a million dollars in the lottery, how would you spend the money?

Describe in detail how you think your life would change as a result of your new-found wealth."

Interpretation/Analysis Essay

In the interpretation-type essay, you are given a short quotation (usually 1-3 sentences in length) You are asked to interpret the saying (i.e., paraphrase the author's message); then, either analyze

or form your own opinion about the original quotation

This kind of essay is rapidly growing in popularity, especially for essay entrance examinations to American universities and for many standardized tests The time given for the essay test may vary from 15 minutes to two hours, depending on the school and/or the standardized test Therefore, when you practice writing this type of exam, you should try several different time frames

Illustrative Essay

Another type of essay is the one that is based on examples or illustrations to support the writer's thesis For example: "What were the best classes you ever took? Give examples of at least two classes which you found outstanding, and explain why you chose these." Of course, illustration is

an important component of many types of essay "body" paragraphs

Process Essay

Process writing, generally speaking, provides instructions or details a process: that is, it tells the reader how to operate a VCR, apply to a school, build a bookshelf, learn a foreign language,

etcetera Therefore, while this writing style is quite common, it is not typically tested in an essay examination On the other hand, it is not uncommon to be given this type of essay as an at-home assignment

THE INTRODUCTION TO THE ESSAY

Like all first impressions, the introductory paragraph of your essay will leave a lasting imprint Therefore, it is extremely important that it be well written To favorably impress your readers, your introduction should contain the following:

Hook

How is a hook used in fishing? It dangles in front of its target (the fish) and tries to lure or

audience To accomplish this, begin your essay with an interesting, thought-provoking idea about the topic you have been assigned Avoid asserting the obvious; that is, merely stating a fact that everyone knows is true For example, "Learning a new language is difficult" is a fact known to be true by almost everyone, and, therefore, serves no useful purpose Sometimes a quotation (or proverb) works well as a hook if it is particularly relevant to the thesis

General Statements Regarding the Assigned Topic

Your introduction should only introduce the main ideas of your essay This is not the place for you

to provide supporting details, such as specific names, places, and dates Save these for the body of your essay

Thesis

The thesis is the most significant statement in your essay It consists of one sentence only and is usually the last sentence of your introduction A thesis must be a complete sentence (unlike a title) It should also be narrow enough for you to be able to discuss it within the short time frame allowed on the TOEFL and within a two- or three-paragraph body Yet it must also be general enough for you to be able to write two to three sub-points on this topic

Unlike some countries, in the United States, we do not state directly what we plan to do or say in our essay; for example, "I will write about " is unacceptable in an American essay If your essay

is well written, your intentions should be obvious to your reader without your having to explicitly state them

The thesis serves two basic functions First, it states the main topic of your essay Secondly, it provides a viewpoint or position that you, the writer, holds about this topic

For example, this is not a thesis: "Smoking in restaurants in New York is illegal." It merely states a fact, but provides no position or opinion regarding this fact

This is a thesis: "Not allowing smoking in restaurants in New York is highly unfair to the smoker and gives too much power to the nonsmoker." Here we are given both a topic (i.e., smoking in restaurants in New York is illegal) plus two clear opinions about this topic Because this thesis states two positions regarding the topic, it will also help the writer to quickly and effectively set up the organization for the body of his/her essay That is, the two sub-points have been clearly laid out in the introduction for both the reader and the writer

Often students feel that there must be a "right" or "wrong" position that they should take on a given topic Remember: You are entitled to your own opinion The readers are only interested in whether you have logically, clearly, and effectively supported the position that you have taken

Practice One

Which of the following sentences is a thesis? If the sentence is a thesis, put a "T" in the space provided next to it If it is not a thesis, put in "NT" in the space provided Be prepared to discuss the reasons for your choices

1 Washington, D.C., is the capital of the United States

2 There are two basic reasons for the rise of divorce: the lack of communication skills and

3 Divorce is not legal in my country Some people think it should be, some don't.

4 Walking is the best exercise: it is great for one's health, and it doesn't cost anything!

5 Traveling for fun and education

6 Because I wanted to learn how to speak English fluently, it was essential that I move to

an English-speaking country

7 Financial woes and lack of free time are the major causes of stress today

8 The Beatles sold over a million records in the 1960s

9 The Beatles and the Rolling Stones were far more talented than the popular rock bands

of today

10 Now, I am going to write about the reasons I moved to the United States

To check your responses above, be sure the thesis statement:

Contains one, and only one, complete sentence Provides a clearly defined main topic

Takes a clearly stated position on the topic (instead of merely stating a fact) Doesn't explicitly state what you plan to do/say

Answers

NT 6 T 2 T 7 T 3 NT 8 NT 4 T 9 T 5 NT 10 NT

Practice Two

Take the following topics and questions, and turn them into theses Remember that each thesis must be a complete sentence that clearly states your main idea and takes a position on this topic Ideally, it will also set up the organization for the body of your essay Doing this can save you a great deal of time when you write the body It will also help you stay focused

EXAMPLE: Topic/Question: In many countries, the government practices censorship of

television programs Do you support this practice or not? Support your answer with specific

examples

Possible Thesis: Government censorship of television programs is unfair and fiscally wasteful

1 Topic/Question: If you had a choice, would you like to live forever? Explain why this does or does not appeal to you

Thesis:

2 Topic: Students attend a university or college for a variety of reasons In your opinion, what should be the main purpose of a university education?

Thesis:

3 Topic: When many people think of the United States, words such as independent and free-spirited come to mind If you had to describe your country by its personality, what trait(s) would best describe it?

Thesis:

4 Topic: Most people experience at least some degree of culture shock when they are getting accustomed to a new culture What advice would you give to a friend of yours to help him get over culture shock? (You may write about your own culture or about the American culture.)

Thesis:

5 Topic: It is necessary to be wealthy in order to be successful Do you agree with this

statement? Why or why not?

Thesis:

Practice Three

Choose one of the questions from the above list (1-5) and write an introduction Be sure to follow the steps laid out in the inverted pyramid diagram, and watch the time Remember, on the actual test you will only have a very short time in which to compose your introduction

THE BODY OF THE ESSAY

The main purpose of the body of your essay is to give support to your thesis (usually the last

sentence of your introduction) To give sufficient support, you need to provide a minimum of two

or three paragraphs in your body for an essay examination However, a take-home essay generally has several body paragraphs

All body paragraphs begin with a topic sentence The topic sentence states the main idea of the body paragraph, a main sub-point of your thesis For this reason, it may be said that after your thesis, topic sentences are the most important part of your essay

Immediately following the topic sentence, you should provide clear, specific details to lend

credence to the argument of your paper; specifically, to the topic sentence of that paragraph To accomplish this, you should use specific dates, people, places, and/or events You will most likely need more than one sentence to provide sufficient details for each point Use transitions to

introduce your examples (see list in appendix)

Generally speaking, the body paragraphs are longer than the introduction and conclusion

However, be sure that each body paragraph contains only one main sub-point All the ideas

included in each paragraph must fall under the broader topic sentence That is, every new idea requires a new paragraph Think of each sentence after the topic sentence ("the set") as a sub-set

of it

While you will want to use transitions within your body paragraphs, you also need to use them to connect one body paragraph to another This is necessary to make your paper smooth and

coherent For example, if you are writing a compare/contrast essay, you may want to begin your second body paragraph with a transition phrase such as on the other hand or in contrast Study the list of transition terms at the end of this chapter to determine which one(s) would be appropriate

Practice One

Read the following sample essay body divisions, and think of possible topics for these divisions

1 I Introduction II Body A Past B Present C Future

III Conclusion

2 I Introduction II Body A Infant B Quid C Adult D Old Age

III Conclusion

3 I Introduction II Body A Emotional B Mental C Physical III Conclusion

4 I Introduction II Body A Urban B Small Town C Countryside

III Conclusion

5 I Introduction II Body A Home B Work C School III Conclusion

Practice Two

In the exercises below, take the topic provided and, working with a partner, create your own sub-topics

EXAMPLE: Topic: Best uses of home computers

II Body

B Entertainment C Pay bills

1 Topic: The most practical college majors

II Body A B C

2 Topic: Advantages to living in a foreign country

-II Body

A <-.-:

B C

3 Topic: What a person must do to have a successful life

II Body A B C

Practice Three

Choose one of the topics above, and write a 3-paragraph essay body on it You have 20 minutes in which to write the body You may choose either two or three sub-points (body paragraphs) Be

remain within the framework of your topic sentence A new topic introduces a new paragraph.

THE CONCLUSION OF THE ESSAY

The conclusion of the essay is often neglected One reason for this is that students often run out of time during the essay examination and never get beyond the body of their papers Another factor

is that students often do not know how or when to end their essay Yet failure to end your essay is analogous to not finishing the final chapter of a book Your reader is left with unanswered

questions; you must put these to rest before you finish your paper However, if you have gone through the recommended organization steps laid out in our earlier sections and practiced timed writing on your own, finishing your essay should become an easier task

The following guidelines can help you improve your concluding paragraph:

Before writing your conclusion, reread your introduction (paying special attention to your thesis) and your topic sentences This will refresh your memory as to the main idea and main subpoints of your paper

Begin your conclusion with a paraphrase of your thesis It is vital that you not repeat your thesis verbatim Doing so is redundant and boring, and you miss the opportunity to show your readers the breadth of your vocabulary Follow with general statements These should be a summary or evaluation of previously mentioned main thoughts

Your last sentence should provide a final thought or comment concerning your main topic

The following should be avoided in a conclusion:

New information does not belong in a conclusion You have neither the time nor the space to develop it further (this is what the body paragraphs are for) Avoid detailed information in support

of your thesis This, too, should be found in the body of the essay, after your topic sentences

Don't begin your conclusion with "to conclude" or "in conclusion." It is clear to your reader that this is your final paragraph and is obviously your conclusion (You may, however, begin your conclusion with transitions like therefore, thus, to sum up, or in summary.)

A conclusion should not be lengthy In general, three or four sentences will suffice This is

especially true of a 30-minute essay examination conclusion

Practice One

Take the following thesis statements and paraphrase them so that they would fit into a conclusion Remember that a paraphrase keeps the same ideas of the original statement, but uses your own words When paraphrasing a thesis, it is often helpful to underline the key words in the original sentence Be sure to use synonyms for these where possible Also, be sure to include all of these main ideas in your rewrite For example:

THESIS:

Getting married and having children is not key to one's happiness

PARAPHRASED THESIS: A person may find contentment in life even if (s)he never

marries or has children.

1 Thesis: "If you want to live a long and productive life, you must exercise regularly and eat healthy foods."

Paraphrased Thesis:

2 Thesis: "Because of the conveniences and the cultural opportunities available in the city,

living there is superior to living in the countryside."

Paraphrased Thesis:

3 Thesis: "The only ways to become a proficient writer are to read as much as possible and write whenever you can."

Paraphrased Thesis:

TRANSITION TERMS

The word transit means to move or pass from one place to another Thus, the words and phrases

we use to move smoothly from one idea to another one in an essay are called transitions To

create a coherent, smooth essay, you must use these terms, and use them correctly

While not every sentence in an essay requires a transition, you must disperse a variety of them throughout the essay to link sentences and paragraphs to each other The chart below states the purpose of the transition and provides you with a variety of similar ones to use Avoid redundancy

in your essay by choosing several different ones In other words, don't use "however" every time you want to show contrast; instead, select as many different phrases as needed that serve the same function Use commas to separate transitions from the rest of your sentence

Purpose of Transition

to show likeness or add information

to show contrast

to introduce examples to explain to emphasize to generalize

to conclude or show result

to indicate sequence or show order

Possible Transition Terms

also, too, besides, in addition, furthermore, moreover

however, but, on the other hand, conversely, yet, though, in contrast, nevertheless

for example, such as, e.g., to illustrate, for instance

that is, in other words, i.e

in fact, indeed, certainly, clearly, of course

generally speaking, in general, overall, for the most part, usually, typically, in conclusion, in

summary, to sum up

therefore, thus, consequently, as a result, as a consequence

first, second, next, then, finally, lastly

Appendix 2: A Patterned Plan of Attack

Writing

READ THE QUESTION CAREFULLY Be sure you understand exactly what is being asked, and prepare to answer it

ORGANIZE YOUR THOUGHTS in an outline or other logical way

ADD sufficient DETAILS OR EXAMPLES in the plan for each major topic

PAY ATTENTION TO GRAMMAR Do not try to make it complicated Just make sure every sentence is complete and logical

PAY ATTENTION TO VOCABULARY Do not try to use words if you are not absolutely certain how they should be used Big words are not necessary to achieve a good score

WRITE CAREFULLY, following the organization of your outline and watching the

grammar and vocabulary

PROOFREAD Make changes as necessary