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English Skills Week 3 - Fitzpatrick Ch 1 (expository writing (provide…
English Skills Week 3 - Fitzpatrick Ch 1
expository writing
provide specific information
organise that information
1st - collect specific details or examples to illustrate your topic
2nd - organise the examples into logical groups - each group about one characteristic of the topic
To help readers follow your thinking, your expository paragraph should have three levels
1 - a main point presented in a topic sentence
2 - major supporting points that identify the characteristics of the topic
3 - specific support - examples, explanations, quotations
The topic sentence
Usually the most general sentence in the paragraph
Purpose is to help the reader focus on the topic and prepare them for supporting points to follow
Major supporting points
More specific than the topic sentence but more general than the details or examples
Supporting points must be clearly stated in the paragraph because they connect the topic sentence and the examples
Specific support
If your paragraph has a topic sentence and major supporting points but no specific support, the question will be raised - why is that important? or even objection: I don't think that's true
Examples - descriptions of situations or events that support general ideas - used to help understand and remember your major points
Explanations: tell what something means or why someone does something - adds to reader's understanding of your major points
Quotations: someone's actual words - always identified by quotation marks, they help the reader understand the major points and to add interest to examples
The writing process
Make an outline - to show the structure of the three-level paragraph
Main idea (topic sentence)
I) Major supporting point
A - Specific support
B - Specific support
II) Major supporting point
A - Specific support
B- Specific support
etc.
Prewriting - do a lot of thinking about the topic before beginning to write (brainstorming) and selecting ideas that are related to each other and that you can develop (focusing)
There are techniques you can use to brainstorm and focus for example
making lists of ideas and then selecting items from the lists
Revising - all writers revise or rewrite to improve their writing
After writing the first draft set it aside for a few hours or days, when you pick it up again you see it as others see it - helps you see what information to include and what connections to strengthen
Paragraph form
Put the title in the middle of the top line of your paper - use capitals for the first word in the title. Use capital letters for all other words except for articles, prepositions, and conjunctions (and, but)
Indent the first line of the paragraph by five spaces
Each line should end at about the same place on the right
If you are handwriting, use lined paper with a margin line on the left - start next to the margin lines except on the first line (indented)
When typing, use double spacing and a 12 point type
Composition focus
The controlling idea of the topic sentence and the major supporting points
A topic sentence usually has 2 parts - the topic and the controlling idea
Topic = what is the general subject of the paragraph e.g. 'Nora is my role model ...'
Controlling idea = limits the topic e.g. 'because she has two great qualities'
The controlling idea also tells you what parts of the topic the writer wants to focus on; the major supporting points in the paragraph
Transitions
A paragraph containing 2 or 3 major supporting points and some examples usually needs some signals - the transitions (which help readers follow its organisation)
Various kinds of transitions exist
Identify items in a list or sequence: first, second, one, another etc. - One and another are adjectives so they come before nouns
To introduce examples: for example, for instance (for sentence long examples), such as, like (to introduce words or phrases used as examples)
for example and for instance come at the beginning of a sentence and are followed by a comma
such as and like are used in the middle of sentences they are prepositions followed by nouns or noun phrases
Concluding sentences
A signal to the reader that the paragraph is finished
You can repeat the vocabulary of the controlling idea or use synonyms, or you can refer to the topic sentence in a general way
You can add a final thought but do not introduce new information readers would want you to explain or new opinions readers would want you to support
Language focus
Sentence combining - makes writing more effective - show logical relationships and include more information in your sentences.
Two kinds of conjunctions let you do this
Coordinating conjunction - and, so, but
Subordinating conjunction - when, because, although