Reading, Invention and Arrangement

1
Reading,Invention andArrangement

• From Patterns for College Writing
• Chapters 1- 3

2
Reading

• Read critically
• Read actively (checklist p.2)
• Highlight
• Annotate

3
Writing Process

• Invention
• Arrangement
• Drafting
• Revising
• Editing

4
Invention (prewriting)

• Before you start writing
• Consider the assignment
• Explore your subject
• Decide what you want to say about it

5
Understanding the Assignment

• What are you being asked to do?
• Look for key words compare, contrast,
• analyze, describe, summarize, etc.
• Setting Limits (checklist p. 19)
• Length (p. 16)
• Purpose (p. 16-17)
• Audience (p. 17-18)
• Occasion (p. 18)
• Knowledge (p. 18)

6
Understanding the Assignment

• LENGTH OF THE PAPER
• The shorter the essay, the more narrow the topic
  needs to be
• A summary of a chapter or article is much shorter
  than the original an analysis of a poem will
  usually be longer than the poem itself (16)

7
Understanding the Assignment

• PURPOSE
• To persuade? Analyze? Compare/contrast? Etc.
• AUDIENCE
• Group or individual? How much does your audience
  know about the subject?
• OCCASION
• Academic or personal? Journal or formal essay?
• KNOWLEDGE
• How much do you know about your subject? What
  are your opinions about it?

8
Chap. 2, Exercises 1 2

• Exercise 1 Decide whether the following topics
  are appropriate for the given limits. Why or why
  not? (19).
• Exercise 2 Consider the different way in which
  you speak to different people in your life (20).

9
Moving from Subject to Topic

• General subjects need to be narrowed to specific
  topics (see p. 20).
• Ask yourself questions to help you narrow a topic
  (see p. 21).
• Examples Try to narrow general subjects like
  Iraq or Fast Food or American Idol

10
Chap. 2, Exercises 3 4

• Exercise 3 Are these topics narrow enough for a
  short essay? (22).
• Exercise 4 Generate several specific topics
  from each of the listed general subjects (23).

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Forms of Prewriting

• Generating Ideas
• Freewriting (23-24)
• Brainstorming (25)
• Journal Writing (27)
• Grouping Ideas
• Clustering (28)
• Outlining (29)

12
Understanding Thesis Support

• A THESIS is the main idea of your essay. In your
  introduction, you need to clearly state your
  thesis, and you need to support it consistently
  in the body paragraphs.
• A thesis statement isnt just stating your
  essays purpose, nor is it a statement of fact
  (30).
• See pp. 31 for examples
• Not necessary to write My thesis is . . . (33)

13
Thesis cont.

• A thesis statement cant include all of the
  points youre going to discuss in your essay it
  should state, as specifically as possible, the
  overall main point.
• An effective thesis
• Expresses the main idea of the essay
• Communicates the essays purpose
• Contains clear wording
• Exercise 8

14
Chapter 3 Arrangement

• See the checklist on p. 38 to help you determine
  they type of essay you are writing. This will
  help you determine the arrangement, or
  organization.
• All essays should have an introduction, a body,
  and a conclusion

15
The Introduction

• An introduction should
• Introduce your subject
• Get your readers attention
• Include your thesis statement

16
The Introduction

• 8 ways to introduce an essay (39-40)
• 1). Background information
• 2). A definition
• 3). An anecdote or story
• 4). A question
• 5). A quotation
• 6). A surprising statement
• 7). A contradiction
• 8). A fact or statistic

17
The Body Paragraphs

• Develops supports your thesis
• Each body paragraph should be
• Unified
• Coherent
• Well-developed

18
Body Paragraphs Unity

• Unity means that all of the ideas are related.
  Each sentence should relate to the main idea of
  the paragraph (41).
• Use topic sentences to state the main idea of a
  paragraph (usually the first sentence in a body
  paragraph)

19
Body Paragraphs Coherence

• If a paragraph is coherent, it means that it
  makes sense . . . its sentences are smoothly and
  logically connected to one another (42).
• 3 Techniques to achieve coherence
• Repeat key words
• Use pronouns to refer to key nouns from the
• Previous sentence
• Use transitions (see p. 43)

20
Body Paragraphs Development

• A well-developed paragraph contains examples,
  reasons, etc. that help support the main idea
  (thesis) of the essay
• Types of support (see p. 44)
• Effective support (see p. 44)

21
The Conclusion

• Should briefly reinforce your main idea (thesis
  and purpose)
• Avoid the phrase In conclusion (46).
• 4 ways to conclude an essay
• 1). Review your key points restate your
  thesis
• 2). Recommend a course of action
• 3). Make a prediction
• 4). End with a relevant quotation (47)

22
Constructing an Outline

• A formal outline is detailed, provides you with
  an exact order, specific information that you
  want to include
• Writing an outline provides you with a good
  chance to see whether all of your ideas work
  together and are well-supported
• See example on p. 48