WEEK 2: EXERCISE

Going through the writing processFundamental English Writing Skills

Dr. Hsin-Hsin Cindy Lee

Going through the writing process

Writing has everything to do with ‘thinking’. The writing process is not only a process of writing

but also an inner journey of discovering, reviewing and refining your own thoughts.

Never hand in your ‘rough’ draft! Always check and improve your first draft again and again before you submit it. This is the writing process, your efforts and commitment to your work.

The writing process will help you ensure the quality of your work and your reputation as a writer.

Now, let’s practice the prewriting strategies and the principles for revising and editing your work.

The First Try

Suppose now you are given a topic to write a short article. The topic is “Your Favorite Sport Player”. You are going to decide a specific title, subject and treatment of this subject by yourself.

What do you know about sports and who is your favorite sport player? Do you know any professional athlete yourself? For example, do you like Wang, Cheng-Ming or know him in person?

Now, let’s try to go through the writing process and practice the prewriting strategies.

Prewriting Strategies

Free writing You write down whatever you think about the topic. Try non-stopping writing and make it one page (about 400

words). Brainstorming

You make a list to answer the big-six questions. If I want to write about Magic Johnson, I do it in this way:

Who? Magic Johnson What? Great basketball player Where? NBA When? For man than ten years Why? Love of game and great talent How? Shooting, passing, rebounding, leading, coolness, inspiring…

Who do you want to write about? Make a similar list.

Clustering

Magic Johnson

shooting

passing

leading

personality

accomplishments

Short shots shoots

slams

accurate

short

long

No-look

smile

optimistic

joy

Researching Interview

Prepare your questions Ask people’s opinions Ask yourself if you agree with them Develop your own opinions

Study books or relevant materials Check the sport player’s official website Search references at the library or bookstores

http://www.ncl.edu.tw/ http://www.kingstone.com.tw/ http://www.books.com.tw/

Read and evaluate your references What interests you? What do you think?

Writing the topic sentence Before you write, you decide the main idea of your

paragraph (not after!). The topic sentence which normally appears as the first line of your paragraph.

Your topic sentence should include subject and treatment. It should be an ‘opinion’, not a fact, example or detail, etc.

The topic sentence should avoid being too broad or too narrow.

Too broad: “Magic Johnson was everything to everyone.” “Magic Johnson was successful.” (This sounds an opening line. You will need to write a ‘book’ for such a topic sentence.)

Too narrow: “Magic Johnson went to Michigan State University.” (You won’t have much to say after this factual statement.)

Practice: Among the three statements, which one can be an effective topic sentence?

_____ Columbus is located in Ohio. _____ Columbus is a fabulous city. _____ Columbus has dealt thoroughly with its housing problems. ------ _____ A monkey is a primate. _____ Monkeys are fun. _____ In clinical studies, monkeys have demonstrated a remarkable ability to

reason.

Answer

__X_ Columbus is located in Ohio. (too broad) __O_ Columbus is a fabulous city. (an opinion, you can agree or disagree with it) __X_ Columbus has dealt thoroughly with its housing problems. (too narrow)------ _O_ A monkey is a primate. (an opinion, you can agree or disagree with it) _X__ Monkeys are fun. (too broad) _X__ In clinical studies, monkeys have demonstrated a remarkable ability to reason. (too narrow)

Writing the outline – Example

Topic: My Favorite Sport

PlayerTitle: The Great NBA

Star – Magic Johnson

Topic sentence: Magic Johnson

was a great NBA star because he was excellent in shooting, passing and leading.

Outline:I. Shooting (major support 1)

A. Shorts Shots (minor support)1. Shovel (detail)2. Slam-dunk (detail)

B. Long shotsC. Free throws

II. Passing (major support 2)A. No-look (minor support)

B. Precise (minor support)

III. Leading (major support 3)A. Energy (minor support)

B. Spirit (minor support) 1. Faith (detail) 2. Smile (detail)

Practice – Completing the following outlines Fill in the missing outline

parts. The elements of the

‘treatment’ should be relevant and logical.

Consider whether you are dealing with time, examples, causes, effects, parts or steps.

Don’t overlap or mix them up!

When you have time, please develop the details or examples under the minor supports.

Please try! After you complete your outlines, you are welcome to send them back for correction!

1. Too many of us are preoccupied with material things.

I. ClothingII. CarsIII. _______

2. Learning English can be easy and fun. I. Watch English movies

II. Listen to English songs III. ____________3. Smoking should be discouraged.

I. Harm to smokers II. _________________ III. Cost4. Shoppers in department stores can

be grouped according to needs. I. ______________

II. Special-needs shoppers III. Bargain hunters

Revising & Editing: Do you remember the principles?

Rules for revising : CLUESS

C: _______ L: _______ U: _______ E: _______ S: _______ S: _______

Rules for Editing: Check COPS

problems

C: _____ O: _____ P: _____ S: _____

Answer

Revising: Coherence Language Unity Emphasis Support Sentences

Editing: Check the

following problems:

Capitalization Omissions Punctuation Spelling

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Reference: At a Glance by Lee Brandon