The Writing Process1. Exploring (consider your topic, audience, and

purpose)

2. Developing (narrow your topic, use a prewriting strategy, select and discard ideas, and make a plan or outline)

3. Drafting (write your first draft)

4. Sharing (get feedback from your classmates)

5. Revising (check unity, support, coherence, and style)

6. Editing (proofread for grammar, spelling, punctuation, and mechanical errors)

7. Publishing (write your final draft)

8. Assessing (see what you did well and what you need to work on)

Exploring

Topic (interest, knowledge, and/or arouse emotions)

Audience (intended readers, knowledge, expectations)

Purpose (entertain, persuade, and/or inform)

Developing – Narrowing your topicTravel

London (*specify)

Study abroad trip in 2005 (*specify again)

Fantastic! (*modify)

[*reasons why it was “fantastic”]

Developing – Prewriting strategies

Freewriting (write without stopping for a period of time)

Brainstorming (create a list of ideas)

Clustering (draw a word map)

*Notes: (1) Don’t worry about grammar, spelling, or any other mistakes. (2) You can do both general and focused prewriting (e.g. families > mistakes parents make).

Developing – Freewriting (*fears)

Developing – Brainstorming (*families)

Developing – Clustering (*movies)

Essays

Title (gives a hint about the essay’s topic)

Introduction (introduces the essay’s topic)

Thesis statement (contains the essay’s topic and controlling idea)

Body paragraphs (begin with a topic sentence that supports the thesis statement and contain details that support the topic sentence)

Conclusion (brings the essay to a satisfactory close)

Thesis statementsTopic = who or what the essay is about

Controlling idea = writer’s opinion, attitude, or feeling

Plan of development = preview of the body paragraphs

Examples:

1.Mahatma Gandhi was an influential leader.

2.Email is a great way to stay in touch with your family.

3.The Korean subway system is very efficient, clean, and safe.

4.My older brother is wise, intelligent, and savvy.

5.Being a twin has many advantages.

Thesis statements – Common errors

1. Incomplete (Allergies: so annoying.)

2. More than one idea (There are many types of allergens, and allergies affect people in different ways.)

3. Announcement (I will write about computers.)

4. Too broad (Love is great.)

5. Too narrow (My girlfriend was born on March 2nd .)

6. Vague (Censorship is a big problem.)

7. Obvious (The Internet is important.)

8. Invalid (Beauty is more important than it was in the past.)

Supporting ideas

Body paragraphs must develop and prove the validity of the thesis statement

Each body paragraph has a topic sentence that expresses the main idea of the paragraph. Like a thesis statement, a topic sentence must have a controlling idea. Details and examples support the topic sentence.

Ask yourself the following questions after making a list of supporting ideas: (1) Which ideas could I develop into a complete paragraph? (2) Does each idea support my thesis?

Organizing your ideas

Time order (arrange details according to the sequence in which they have occurred)

Emphatic order (arrange details in a logical sequence – e.g. least to most important, most appealing to least appealing, etc.)

Space order (help the reader visualize what you are describing in a specific place – e.g. top to bottom, left to right, near to far, etc.)

Essay plan

Introductions – The Lead-in

Grab your reader’s attention with a:

Quotation

Surprising or provocative statement

Question

Introductions – Styles

Give general or historical background information

Tell an interesting anecdote

Describe something in vivid detail

Define a term

Present a contrasting position

Pose several questions

Body paragraphs

Begin with a topic sentence (topic and controlling idea)

Flesh out supporting ideas

Make sure each idea is complete

Do not offer vague generalizations

Refrain from repeating ideas

Provide evidence by using specific details – examples, facts, statistics, anecdotes, quotations

Conclusions – Ways

Summary (main ideas)

Prediction

Suggestion

Quotation

Call to action

Conclusions – Avoid problems

Do not contradict your main point

Do not introduce new or irrelevant information

Revising and editing

Revise for unity (all parts of the essay relate to the main idea)

Revise for adequate support (ideas effectively support the main idea)

Revise for coherence (ideas flow smoothly and logically)

Revise for style (sentences are varied and interesting)

Edit for technical errors (grammar, spelling, mechanics, and punctuation)

Review: Five-paragraph Essays1. Explore (topic, audience, purpose)

2. Develop (narrowed topic and prewriting)

3. Draft (introduction – lead-in and thesis statement , body paragraphs – order and specific details, conclusion)

4. Share (peer review)

5. Revise (unity, adequate support, coherence, style)

6. Edit (technical errors)

7. Publish (final draft)

8. Assess (self-evaluation – strengths and weaknesses)

Essay Patterns Methods used to express one of three purposes – to inform, to persuade, to entertain

Illustration

Narration

Description

Process

Argumentation

Classification

Comparison and contrast

Cause and effect

Definition

Illustration

To illustrate or prove a point using specific examples (e.g. personal experiences, observations, factual information, statistics, etc.), which helps the reader acquire a clearer, deeper understanding of an essay’s subject

Series of examples

Extended example

Sentence Variety

1. Combine sentences (simple, compound and complex)

2. Questions, quotations, exclamations

3. Vary opening words (adverb or prepositional phrase)

4. Combine sentences with a present participle

5. Combine sentences with a past participle

6. Combine sentences with an appositive

Narration

To narrate or tell a story about a sequence of events that happened

Setting (location where the action happens)

Theme (basic idea of the story – e.g. greed, envy, love, etc.)

Mood (feeling or mood the writer creates for the story)

Characters (people in the story)

Plot (what happens in the story – sequence of events)

NarrationIntroduction (begins the story – setting, characters, action to come)

Hook (grabs reader’s attention – make them guess what will happen next)

Thesis (introduces the action that begins in the first paragraph)

Body paragraphs (contain specific details of the plot in time order – each ending in a transitional sentence)

Conclusion (finishes describing the action in the essay – final sentence can deliver the moral of the story, tell the reader what the character/characters learned from the story, or make a prediction or a revelation about future actions that will happen as a result of events in the story)

Fragments and run-ons

1. Phrase fragments (missing a subject or verb)

2. Fragments with –ing and to (begin with a present participle)

3. Explanatory fragments (missing a subject, complete verb, or both)

4. Dependent-clause fragments (has a subject and verb but can’t stand alone)

5. Fused run-ons (no punctuation to mark the break between ideas)

6. Comma splice run-ons (uses a comma incorrectly to connect two complete ideas)

DescriptionDescription creates vivid images in the reader’s mind by portraying people, places, or moments in detail. When you write a descriptive essay, focus on three main points:

Create a dominant impression (overall atmosphere you wish to convey – e.g. strong feeling, mood, image: Sunday afternoon party > relaxed ambience in the room)

Express your attitude toward the subject (positive or negative – e.g. pleasure from last vacation > express great feelings about it)

Include concrete details (help the reader visualize the person, place, or moment by using active verbs, adjectives, and adverbs, and by using imagery to appeal to the five senses – sight, sound, smell, touch, taste)

DescriptionIntroduction (introduce or set the stage for the description; engage interest with background information)

Thesis statement (convey a dominant impression or feeling about the subject – e.g. The photograph of me as a ten-year-old has an embarrassing story behind it.)

Body paragraphs (show vs. tell – e.g. Our neighbor, Mr. Leon, a grim-faced, retired seventy-year-old grandfather, always snapped at the neighborhood children, telling us not to play street hockey, not to make so much noise, and not to throw the ball near his roses. When it came to important matters, however, he was always supportive of us. Mr. Leon taught all the local youths to ride bikes. He used to walk along beside us holding on to the cycle as we wobbled down the sidewalk. One day, we learned that Mr. Leon had been donating fifty bicycles to the local children’s charity annually for many years./Mr. Leon was a very kind man.)

DescriptionFigurative devises: (1) simile – a comparison using like or as > My thoughts ran as fast as a cheetah. (2) metaphor – a comparison that does not use like or as > Love is sweet-and-sour soup. (3) personification – the act of attributing human qualities to an inanimate object or an animal > The chocolate cake winked invitingly at us.

Conclusion (summarize your main points and/or bring your description to a satisfactory close)

Process

A process is a series of steps usually done in chronological order. In process writing, you explain how to do something, how an incident took place, or how something works.

In terms of purpose, there are two types of process essays:

(1) Complete a process (contains directions on how to complete a particular task)

(2) Understand a process (explains how something works or something happens)

Process

Introduction

1.Grab the reader’s attention with an interesting hook

2.Begin focusing on the process by defining it or explaining why it is important

3.Write a thesis statement that tells your readers what they will be able to do after reading your essay – one that includes a clear topic and controlling idea (e.g. Remaining attractive to your spouse can help keep your relationship exciting./Consistency, patience, and time are essential to becoming a good parent.)

ProcessThesis statement patterns

Process

Body paragraphs

List the main steps that are necessary to complete the process in chronological/time order – for example:

“How to plan a great vacation”

1.Decide what your goal is

2.Research possible locations

3.Figure out costs and make a budget

4.Plan the itinerary according to the budget

Process

Transition signals

Process

Conclusion

1.Summarize the main steps

2.Review why the process is important

3.Add any final thoughts to wrap up your essay

Parallel structure

Parallel structure occurs when pairs or groups of items in a sentence are balanced

Nouns: Books, stores, and catalogs give gardeners information.

Tenses: Gardeners dig and plant in the soil.

Adjectives: Kew Garden is large, colorful, and breathtaking.

Phrases: You will find the public garden down the road, over the bridge, and through the field.

Clauses: There are some gardens that have just trees, and some that have only flowers and plants.

Correcting faulty parallel structure

Series of words or phrases (nouns and verbs)

Paired clauses (that or who)

Comparisons (–ing forms and noun phrases)

Two-part constructions (adjectives and verbs)

Argumentation

In an argumentative essay, the writer’s purpose is to persuade the reader of an opinion about something.

Remember four key points:

(1)Consider your readers

(2)Know your purpose

(3)Take a strong position

(4)Show that you are trustworthy

Classification

When you classify, you divide a large group into smaller and more understandable categories.

To find a topic for a classification essay, think of something that you can sort or divide into different groups. Also, determine a reason for classifying the items. When you are planning your ideas for a classification essay, remember the following points:

Use a common classification principle (overall method that you use to sort the subject into categories > jobs – dangerous jobs)

Sort the subject into distinct categories (dangerous jobs – public security, construction, hazardous materials)

Say something meaningful (justify why each category is significant)

ClassificationIntroduction: (1) Use a hook (2) Provide background information (3) Explain the purpose for the classification (4) Write a thesis statement

Thesis statement: Mentions the categories of the subject and contains a controlling idea – i.e. your classification principle/the overall method you will use to sort the items.

There are three very effective types of bank-machine crimes: no-tech, low-tech, and high-tech.

Children learn gender roles through the family, the school, and the media.

Supporting ideas: Each body paragraph covers one category.

Conclusion: (1) Restate the method of classification (2) Summarize the groups

Subject-verb agreement

Subject-verb agreement means that a subject and verb agree in number. A singular subject needs a singular verb, and a plural subject needs a plural verb.

Singular subject: Mr. Smith teaches at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies.

Plural subject: All of his GSE EW2 students are brilliant writers.

Comparison and Contrast

When you want to decide between options, you compare and contrast. You compare to find similarities and contrast to find differences.

There are two common patterns for comparison and contrast essays:

Topic by topic/Subject by Subject: Present all of your points about one topic/subject, and then present all of your points about the second topic/subject. Offer one side and then the other side, just as opposing lawyers would do in the closing arguments of a court case.

Point by point: Present one point about Topic A, and then present the same point about Topic B. Keep following the pattern until you have a few points for each topic. Go back and forth from one side to the other like tennis players hitting a ball back and forth across a net.

Pronouns

Pronouns are words that replace nouns, other pronouns, and phrases. Use pronouns to avoid repeating nouns.

Cause and Effect

Cause and effect writing explains why an event happened or what the consequences of such an event were. A cause and effect essay can focus on causes, effects, or both.

When you write a cause and effect essay, focus on two main tasks:

(1)Indicate whether you are focusing on causes, effects, or both

(2)Make sure that your causes and effects are valid (not just list things that happened before or after the event) and verify that your assumptions are logical (e.g. “Our furnace stopped working because the weather was too cold.” vs. “Our furnace stopped working because the filters needed replacing and the gas burners needed adjusting.”)

Cause and Effect

Thesis statement: (1) Clearly demonstrate whether the focus is on causes, effects, or both (2) Make sure that you state a controlling idea that expresses your point of view.

“There are many reasons for global warming.” (causes)

“Global warming may have a profound influence on our lifestyles.” (effects)

“Global warming, which has developed for many reasons, may have a profound influence on our lifestyles.” (causes and effects)

Patterns: (1) There are several causes of/reasons for/effects of ___ (2) There are three/four/several main reasons why ___ (3) ___ has had several/many/a few important effects on ___ (4) ___, which . . . for several/many/a few reasons, could/may/might ___.

Cause and Effect

Cause and EffectSupporting ideas:

Think of specific facts, examples, statistics, or quotations that clearly show the causes and effects

Highlight multiple causes and effects (as a cause can have many effects and an effect can have many causes – e.g. the effects of construction of a shopping plaza on a quiet street may include increased traffic congestion, more automobile accidents, a boost in taxes paid by local governments, more part-time jobs for teenagers, and the need for additional police protection)

Identify underlying causes and effects (i.e. those beneath the surface – e.g. an obvious effect of being the youngest child in a family is being considered “the baby,” while the underlying effects could include the youngest coming to view himself or herself as less capable, less mature, and less strong as a result of being considered “the baby’)

Cause and Effect

Prove that something is a cause or effect (i.e. provide evidence > convince your reader by showing not telling – e.g. do a survey or cite percentages from a newspaper or book)

Identify immediate (near the time of an event) and remote (in a more distant time) causes (e.g. shortage of nurses – an immediate cause is that managed care has reduced the income that nurses can expect to make and thereby has reduced the number of people who want to go into nursing, while a more remote cause is the post-World War II baby boom that has given the U.S. record numbers of aging Americans in need of medical care)

Reproduce causal chains – which occur when a cause leads to an effect and that effect becomes a cause, which leads to another effect and that effect becomes a cause leading to another effect, and so on (*example on the next slide)

Cause and Effect

Cause and Effect

Adjectives and AdverbsAdjectives describe nouns (people, places, or things) and pronouns (words that replace nouns). They add information explaining how many, what kind, or which one. They also help you appeal to the senses by describing how things look, smell, feel, taste, and sound.

“The intelligent woman, Justina Ford, become the first African American female in Colorado to be a licensed physician. Justina Ford delivered more than seven thousand babies. Dr. Ford had to overcome difficult obstacles in her career.”

Adverbs add information to adjectives, verbs, and other adverbs. They give more specific information about how, when, where, and to what extent an action or event occurred.

“Doctors in ancient Rome performed surgeries seriously. These surgeons could remove cataracts quite quickly. The ancient Romans were highly innovative.”