1. The Essentials of Writing Presented by C. M.Herrington, MAA, MAT Bilgi University ELP1

2. The Structure of the EssayAll essays have 3 major parts: THE INTRO, BODY ANDCONCLUSION. Title : States the topic and captures the readers interest. Structure ofEssay Presents the writers subject and thesis Introduction Grabs the readers interest Explains and supports the thesis with details and further developsideas.Body Presents the supporting details in a clear sentence. Reemphasizes the thesis and reflects on the larger significance ofthe topic. Conclusion Draws the essay to a satisfying close.2 3. Thesis Statement It expresses the main idea in an essay and thewriters point of view. It is usually one sentence long and consists oftwo parts. The first part states the topic and thesecond part, the writer makes some point aboutthe topic (controlling idea) It should be specific in order to limit the topic tomake it manageable . A thesis that is too generalis NOT effective.3 4. 3 Examples of Thesis StatementsExamples The advantages of living in a new culture farexceed the disadvantages. The most effective way to reduce discriminationis to teach young children to be open mindedand tolerant of differences. The study of cultural differences in verbalcommunication style involves three main typesof expression: direct vs. indirect, formal vs.informal, and logical vs. emotional.4 5. The Most Common Type ofIntroduction There are many ways to introduce a topic. The common type ofGeneral Statement introduction starts with a general statement about theLimiting Sentences subject, clarifies or limits the topic in one ore more Thesis sentences, and then Statement states the thesis of the essay in the final5sentence. 6. Example of an introduction where themovement is from general to specific.The ways in which people communicate differ General significantly around the world. What people stateme say, how they say it, and what they meannt when they say it depend on the standards and customs of their society. People in someLimiting Sentence cultures, for example, tend to say things s directly, whereas those in other cultures speak indirectly. Some cultures value formal means of communication, while other societies prefer the informal; some cultures stress emotionalThesis expression, and other emphasize logical stateme expression. These variations in the forms and nt functions of verbal communication, reelecting culturally learned values, often lead to6 intercultural conflict and misunderstanding. 7. Ways to Capture Your ReadersInterest As a provocativequestion. Use an engagingquotation. Make an unexpectedor controversialstatement. State a common beliefand then declare acontrary view. Offer a striking7 example 8. What to Avoid in an Introduction Dont blatantly announceyour intent. Avoidstatements such as In thisessay, I will analyze. Dont apologize. Avoidstatements as I am not anexpert... Dont make promises youcant fulfill. Dont create anintroduction that is too long8or too short. 9. Body ParagraphsIn the body, you present and develop your main points. Each body paragraph explains, clarifies, orillustrates the thesis.Look at the example of a topic sentence for the reading in your course packet on page 12. Characteristics of Body paragraphs1. Clarity. The main point and supporting details of the paragraph are clear.2. Unity. All sentences relate to the main idea of the paragraph and support the topic sentence.3. Development. The paragraph provides enough detail and has some logical pattern of organization.4. Coherence. The sentences are logically connected to each other, and the ideas flow smoothly.9 10. The Conclusion It effectively What to avoid in a Conclusion reemphasizes the 1. Dont simply repeat your thesis. Its importance of yourmore effective to leave your readers thesis, and bringswith one or two provocative thoughts to the essay to athink about. logical close.2. Dont introduce a new idea that needs more development.3. Dont announce what you have done. It may sound mechanical.4. Dont create a conclusion that is too long or too short. There needs to be balance.5. Dont apologize. Apologies weaken the impact of your ending.6. Dont end in an abrupt manner. It should end smoothly.10 11. The Writing Process (see course handouts page 113-124) Brainstorming/Assessing the writingsituation: reflecting on thesubject, ones attitude toward thesubject, purpose, audience, sourcesof available information, and thewriting assignment. Exploring and planning:discovering, refining, finding supportfor and organizing ideas. Writing/Drafting: expressing anddeveloping ideas and supportingdetails in rough form. Revising: rethinking and rewritingdrafts to improve thecontent, focus, and structure. Editing and proofreading: checkingfor effective word choice andsentence structure and for correctgrammar, spelling, punctuation, andmechanics. Publishing / Final draft11 12. Checklist for Assessing the WritingSituation (p.112) Subject Writers attitude toward the subject Purpose Audience Sources of available information Writing assignment12 13. Exploring and Planning (113-118) After assessing 1. Brainstorming the writing situation and 2. Freewriting before your first draft, experiment 3. Clustering with one or more of the prewriting 4. Journalists strategies. This Questions helps you discover5. Outlining ideas, and figure out with part of 6. Keeping a Journal the subject will be your focus, and find details to support your13 points. 14. Writing/ Drafting As your write your first draft, keep your materials nearby so that your can easily refer to them. Start by writing an intro in which you present your topic and thesis . Next, write the body paragraphs, present your major pints and details that support them. Finally, write a conclusion, reflect on the topic14 and bring the essay to a logical 15. Revising Revision means more than correcting the grammar, spelling, pu nctuation and mechanics. It involves a whole process of re vision, seeing again- rethinking and reshaping the content. To revise an essay, a writer adds, deletes, rearran15 ges and rewords 16. Revising: Checklist(see page 120-121) 1.Content Leave enough time to 2.Audiencerevise your essay. 3.Purpose Ask someone to read and respond to the 4.Tonecontent, organization and 5.Title development. 6.Clarity Read your rough draft 7.Unity aloud. 8.Coherence Start with large revisions- 9.Developme and later focus on ntsentence level changes. 10. Organizatio Keep revising your essay n until your are satisfied with the content, clarity, unity, cohe rence, development, and organization.16 17. Editing and Proofreading Editing involves looking closely at individual sentences fortechnical correctness- grammar, spelling punctuation, mechanic-and effective word choice.Editing Checklist (see p.123)1. Word Choice- avoid redundancy, use the most accurate, effective words to convey meaning.2. Sentence structure- Avoid sentence fragments and run on sentences. Vary the sentence structure and length.3. Grammar-Is the grammar correct? Are all the sentences grammatically complete? Are the parts of speech and word order are correct?4. Usage- Is the spelling, punctuation ,capitalization and paragraph indentation correct?5. Citations of sources- Ideas taken from sources, paraphrased or quoted resources are properly cited.6. Essay format- Have you followed all formatting requirements17 for the essay by using the correct font size, type, line spacing, margins and page numbering. 18. Writing with Sources-the amount and type of source material will depend on your topic, audience and purpose. Reasons for including references: The give background information to help the readers understand your ideas. They provide examples and other details to support a point you are making or to counter an argument. They enhance your credibility by providing evidence from specialists youre the subject area. The indicate to your reader where to find further information about your18 subject. 19. Types of Sources-Sources are either primaryor secondary. 1. Primary sourcesare firsthand, ororiginalmaterials, including eyewitness 2. Secondary sourcesaccounts of include materialsevents, docume thatnts, diaries, lette describe, analyze, ors, speeches, TV r comment on ashows, movies, primary source.photographs, and original19research. 20. Evaluating Sources (see p.126-127) 1. Relevance- Think about how closely related toyour topic it is, or if the source is too general ortoo specialized for the topic, purpose or audience. 2. Reliability- how accurate, complete and unbiasedis the info? 3. Currency- How recent is the info. 4. Authorship- Who is the author of the source, andwhat are his or her qualifications about thesubject? Is the author associated with a specialinterest group that might compromise theobjectivity of the source. 5. Purpose and Audience- What is the purpose ofthe sources-to inform, persuade, or entertain ?Who is the intended audience for the source?20 21. Documenting Sources (p.128-131) Keep a working Bibliography- this is a list of all the sources that you might use for your paper. It will help you to organize your research later. Information to Record in a Working Bibliography BookArticleWebsite Name of author(s) Name of author(s)Name of author(s) Title of book TitleTitle Place of publicationVolume and issue numberName of website Year of publication Date of publicationDate of publication or last update Volume, edition, and translators Page number on which the article Page, paragraph, or section name , if relevantappears. numbers.Editor or sponsoring site, Datewebsite was accessed, Fullelectronic address, or URL. *In your major (social sciences)you will be required to use APA21 (American Psychological Association) documentation style to cite sources. 22. APA Documentation Style APA is an author yearsystem that cites awriters sources listedalphabetically by theauthors last names.See your course bookon page 131 forexamples.22 23. Avoiding Plagiarism The act of plagiarizing:To avoid it you should the copying of anotherconsult your instructor or persons ideas, text, orlibrarian , or refer to a other creative work, andwriting style manual. If presenting it as onesyou follow the guidelines own, especially without below you can reduce the permission. Thoughchance of your plagiarism in and of itself plagiarizing. is not illegal, it is usually Take accurate summary frowned upon; and many and paraphrase notes. cases of plagiarismMake sure that your involve illegal copyrightlanguage is not too violation. close to the Plagiarism, intentional or original, change both unintentional, is a a type the wording and the of intellectual theft andsentence structure. Use can have serious your own words and consequences ranging dont mix the authors23 from failure on an language with your assignment to expulsion 24. Time to test your knowledge Quiz time24