Writing essays Formal writing

By: Brendan Higgins

English class 06/12/12
Sentence errors
Fragment, a line that doesnt have all of the proper elements to be a sentence
Punctuation errors
Comma splices/ fused sentence
Commas are used to:
Link items together in a list
Combine subordinate clauses (but only with conjunctions: avoid comma splices
Set subordinate ideas like afterthoughts within greater ideas
Not used to join sentences together
Colons are used to introduce
A list of items
A culminating point
When to use semi-colons
Connect two independent clauses (can be sentences)
Cuts the pause between the two clauses without using conjunctions
When you want to form a bond between two statements that are related or contrast with each
other
To connect statements that have internal punctuation
To make a list of items that are already separated by commas
Dont use them with conjunctions
Apostrophe
Use when
Contracting words
Showing possession
Dont use when
Showing plural
Showing possession for it
Your choice (just be consistent)
Showing possession for a name ending in s
Use after the S
Possessive and plural name
Verb errors
Subject verb disagreement
Examples:
They eats dinner when they feel like it
They eat dinner when they feel like it
Tense inconsistence
Keep tenses consistent within the piece, within formal writing.
Examples:
Orpheus takes hades at his word, and led his wife out of the underworld
Orpheus takes hades at this word and leads his wife
History, only in past tense
Art, only in present tense
Spelling errors
Read often and learn your words
There/theyre/their
Its/Its
Your/youre
Effect/affect
Weather/whether
Then/than
I before E except after C More exceptions than followers
Essay definition
Short piece of writing on a subject
From the French essayer, to try
Coined by Michele de Montagne. For his attempts to express opinions through his large volume
of opinion papers
Type of essays Purpose
Informal Communicate
Review Analyze
Expository Inform
Persuasive Persuade
Research Discover
Literary Analyze literature
Argumentative Prove a viewpoint
Cause and effect Establish a relationship
Style suggestions
Get the most content from the least number of words
o Use descriptive nouns and verbs
o Avoid modifiers (adjectives and adverbs)
o Qualifiers (fairly, slightly)
Use only words you and the audience fully understand
o Avoid needlessly technical terms or lengthy words
o Define terms in tour introduction
Use short words except when necessary
o Use Anglo Saxon words, not Latin
o Cut not eliminate, confuse not obfuscate
When possible use the active voice
o I ate the sandwich not the sandwich was eaten by me
Cut redundant words (that dont add to understanding
Thesis the rule of three
Single sentence
o Topic
o Opinion
o Three reasons why
Three is a useful number
Long enough to cover subject
Short enough to keep the audiences attention
The three reasons must be
Necessary (all are needed to prove the point)
Sufficient (no more than those are needed to prove the point)
Your thesis should be arguable and provable
It should be about something worth of argument
Find the issue within the topic
Provable
it should be subject to rules of logic
The introduction
Attention-getting statement or question
Definition of issue
Summary of the opposition
Definition of terms
Thesis
The five paragraph format
Most basic essay structure
o Introduction
o 1
st
point (2
nd
most important)
o 2
nd
point (least important)
o 3
rd
point (most important
o Conclusion
Note for hobbit: Do not spit the films, integrate both into each paragraph, compare and contrast
the films in different ways within the essay
How to compare Works
The works are similar/different in the way that ______________________________.
Examples
Both works provide heroes that are anti-heroes
Both films provide an unrealistic escape for the hero
And this can be seen through
1. _____________
2. _____________
3. _____________
Hobbit vs. Scott pilgrim
Topics
Hero always wins
The hero always overcomes something about his life, whether it is a personal restriction or overcoming
a social normality
Anyone can be a hero, and heroes come in different sizes and styles
Some miracles usually occur, near the end of the heros journey, when somehow they defy death
The thesis and thesis paragraph


Thesis: Single sentence with an opinion and 3 reasons to support it. Must be provable, arguable,
necessary and sufficient
How to test a thesis: To test your thesis, think about all of the opinions one could have on the topic.
Think if you can prove and argue your views. Determine whether your topic is strong enough, try and
develop arguments, not topics.

Examples
Movie theater concession food is a waste of money, and this can be seen by considering:
Easy: topic
1. The price
2. The quality
3. The poor variety of the food
Hard: breaking it into sub arguments
Because it is
1. over priced
2. Unhealthy
3. Lacking in variety
Form an opinion about what these movies tell us about the heros journey
Find 3 reasons that support this opinion
Find 3 sub-reasons (argument) for each reason
The hero in the heroes journey must always overcome barriers


Body paragraph one
Topic sentence:
First point:
Proof:
Explanation:
Second point
Proof:
Explanation:
Third point
Proof:
Supporting point
Supporting point
Supporting point
Reason
Supporting point
Supporting point
Supporting point
Reason
Supporting point
Supporting point
Supporting point

Reason
T
h
e
s
i
s

Explanation:
Concluding sentence:
Body paragraph two
Topic sentence:
First point:
Proof:
Explanation:
Second point
Proof:
Explanation:
Third point
Proof:
Explanation:
Concluding sentence:
Body paragraph three
Topic sentence:
First point:
Proof:
Explanation:
Second point
Proof:
Explanation:
Third point
Proof:
Explanation:
Concluding sentence:

Concluding paragraph
Restate thesis:
Restate three paragraph topics:
Concluding sentence: