EssayWriting

,单击此处编辑母版标题样式,单击此处编辑母版文本样式,第二级,第三级,第四级,第五级,#,Essay Writing,What is an essay genre?,An essay is a written answer to a,Question,An expanded discussion of a single topic ( e.g. The Benefits of Exercises,The Harms of Smoking);,A group of paragraphs that develops one central idea.,. Basic concept,What is an essay?,An essay is a group of ideas about a common topic bound together in a clear and organized manner. It is a group of paragraphs about one subject. The essay is like a paragraph only longer,.,You may ask such questions:,How is an essay organized? How many paragraphs should be involved? And how should it begin and end?,. Main features,1. The structure,Normally, an essay contains 3 parts:,Introduction, Body, and Conclusion,.,Introduction,: usually one paragraph ( sometimes two or more ) that,introduces the topic to be discussed and the central idea,( the,thesis statement,) of the essay,Introduction of an essay has four purposes:,It states the topic of the essay;,It gives background information on the topic;,It should arouse the reader,s curiosity about or interest in the topic;,It often indicates the major subtopics and way of developing the essay.,Body,: developmental paragraphs that develop various aspects of the topic and the central idea ( e.g. discussing causes, effects, reasons, examples, processes, classifications, comparison also describing or narrating sometimes ),Conclusion,: concluding the thought that is developed in the essay; the closing word of the whole article,The paragraphs involved:,The number of paragraphs involved in an essay depends entirely on the,complexity of the topic.,You may have several paragraphs or twenty and more,depending on your writing purpose and audience,.,The beginning and ending:,An essay usually begins by introducing the topic or central idea (,the thesis statement,) of the whole essay;,It ends normally by,emphasizing the central idea,discussed throughout the essay.,It refers to the sentence that,contains the central idea,of the essay.,It is similar to the topic sentence in that it contains an expression of an,attitude, opinion, or idea,about a topic, but,it is,broader in sense,and expresses the controlling idea for the entire essay.,2.,The thesis statement,Essential,points:,The thesis statement,must be a complete sentence,which should express a complete thought; it should not be written as a question;,It,expresses an opinion, attitude, or idea,; it does not simply announce the topic of the essay;,It,should express an opinion but,not a fact;,It should express,only one idea,about the topic, otherwise the essay will lack,unity,and,coherence,.,The thesis statement,normally,appears,in the introductory paragraph,of the essay, but sometimes appears later in the essay or even at the end. It is even implied in some cases. However,it is a good idea for college essays to state the thesis clearly in the Introduction,.,Exercises:,Which of the following are thesis statements?,The advantages of majoring in engineering,I would like to discuss my views on the Olympic games.,College students should do part-time jobs.,4) Why do I want to be a lawyer?,5) The differences between mandarin and Cantonese dialects,6) Knowing a foreign language can be beneficial to anyone.,7) When I first came to the United States, I wasnt used to eating in fast-food places, and I was amazed at the shopping centers,.,8) The hazards of storing chemical wastes,9) New York City is the largest city in the United States.,10) There are many advantages and disadvantages to watching television.,11) Going to college in the Midwest can be fun, and I have found that living in a suburb of a a large city is the best way to live while at college.,12) My fear of the dark has made my life miserable.,The introduction/ the developmental paragraphs/ the conclusion,1.The introduction,Essential points of an introductory paragraph:,An introductory paragraph,should introduce the topic,and,the central idea,(,thesis,);,(The reader can be informed of,what topic is to be discussed, and what controlling idea is to be centered),. The three components of an essay,It should indicate generally,how the topic is going to be developed,;,A,good introductory paragraph,should indicate to the reader,-whether the essay is going to discuss causes, effects, reasons, or examples or,-whether it is going to classify, describe, narrate, or explain a process.,An,introductory paragraph,should be inviting or interesting,enough to make the reader continue reading;,-It is often,not inviting to state an opinion in the first sentence, which might discourage readers from continue reading your essay;,-it is a good idea to,put the thesis statement at or near the end,of the introductory paragraph.,Four approaches to Introduction:,The,“,Turnabout,”,opening the essay with a statement,contrary to,the author,s actual thesis;,The,“,Dramatic Entrance,”,opening with a narrative, description, or dramatic example relevant to the topic;,The,“,Relevant Quotation,”,:,opening with a quotation that is relevant to the topic;,The,“,Funnel,”,:,-,the most common approach,to introduction;,- so-called because the ideas progress,from the general to the specific,just,like a funnel,which is wide at the top and narrow at the bottom;,-,opening with a general statement,about the topic and then,working towards the more specific thesis statement,at or near the end of the Introduction;,-The opening statement must be,general and congenial,as well.,Take the following introductory paragraph, for example:,Travelling,to a foreign,country,is always interesting, especially if it is a country that is completely different from your own. You can delight in tasting new foods, seeing new sights, and learning about different customs, some of which may seem very curious. If you were to,visit,my,country, for instance, you would probably think that,my people have some very strange customs, as the following three examples will illustrate.,In this introductory paragraph, the author,-introduces,the general topic,of,“,travelling to a foreign country,”,at the very beginning,;,-narrows down the topic to a,more specific,aspect, i.e.,the customs in the author,s own country,;,-presents the,thesis statement,at the end,.,-indicates to the reader that the essay is going to,illustrate some examples,in the subsequent developmental paragraphs.,Questions,: what do you think of this introductory paragraph? Does it include the essential points for a good introduction?,The way,to avoid being too general,in the Introduction,To have,one key word,in the first sentence reappear in the thesis statement; or,to have,a synonym,of the word or,a synonymous idea,reappear in the thesis statement,Lets look at another example of this type of Introduction:,America is a,throwaway,society. From both industrial and municipal sources, the U.S. generates about 10 billion metric tons of solid waste per year. Every five years the average American discards, directly and indirectly, an amount of waste equal in weight to the Statue of Liberty. Municipal solid waste produced in this country in just one day fills roughly 63,000 garbage trucks which lined up end to end would stretch 600 kilometers, the distance from San Francisco to Los Angeles. The repercussions of our,waste,habits, however, stretch to every city. Let us demonstrate by example.,2. The developmental paragraphs,The Essential points:,Developmental paragraphs are,the heart of the essay, the function of which is,to explain, illustrate, discuss, or prove the thesis statement,.,Each developmental paragraph discusses,only one aspect,of the main topic.,Each developmental paragraph,should have a controlling idea,that echoes or relates to the central idea in the thesis statement.,(,For instance, if your thesis statement about the effects of smoking cigarettes is,“,Cigarettes smoking is a destructive habit,”, then each paragraph should have something to do with,the destructiveness,of the effect.),The developmental paragraphs should have,coherence and unity,.,( The train of thought at the end of one paragraph should be picked up at the beginning of the next paragraph normally,through the,use of transitions,.),The way to,break down the thesis,into topics:,Once you have decided on your thesis, you,need to break the thesis down logically into topics,for developing your paragraphs.,To break your thesis,according to causes, effects,(benefits, advantages, disadvantages, results),steps,in process,types,(kinds, categories, classes),examples, points of comparison and contrast, and reasons.,To,turn your thesis statement into a question, keeping in mind what your topic and central idea are.,Let,s look at the following example:,Thesis statement:,In order to make a good impression at a job interview, you should prepare well for the interview.,Question,:,What should you do to prepare for the interview?,Answers:,-Plan your answers to the possible questions.,-Plan and prepare what you are going to wear.,-Make sure you arrive on time.,The central idea in this thesis is,prepare well.,According to the central idea,we can break down the thesis into,the steps of a process,.,Exercises:,Study the following thesis statements, trying to write out at least three possible topics for each thesis statement.,1). Learning English is a tough job for non-native English speakers.,2). People go in for sports for various reasons.,3).Being laid off can cause problems to the society.,3. The conclusion,Essential points:,The conclusion wraps up the discussion of the central idea (thesis),bringing the development to a logical end,.,It can,restate the main points,briefly,(subtopics) which are already discussed in the developmental paragraphs;,It,can,restate the thesis in different words,simply to assert its importance or validity.,For example :,Thesis statement,:,Watching television is not waste of time.,Subtopic,a),It is a valuable educational tool.,Subtopic,b),It provides entertainment to cheer us up.,Subtopic,c),It provides something our family can have in common to discuss.,Example of,Conclusion,:,Critics of television will continue to put down the “boob tube”. But, because of its educational value, its entertainment value, and its supply of things we can discuss together, our family is going to continue watching television for a long time, and so should others. Indeed, watching television is a good way to spend ones time.,Questions:,-How does the writer conclude this essay?,- Does the writer restate the main points which are already discussed in the developmental paragraphs, and does the writer restate the thesis in different words at the end?,IV. Types of Essays,1. Description,Painting a picture in words of a person, place, object, or scene.,(p.54),2. Narration,Give an account of an event or a series of events.,3. Exposition,Provides information, explain or explore something,process of making a machine,the causes of a natural or social,phenomenon,the planning of a project,a solution to a problem,* mainly deal with relationships as well as processes,(cf. description appearance and feelings;,narration events and experiences),*,be explained by illustration, process, classification, and division, comparison, contrast, and analysis of their causes and effects or definition,4. Argumentation,the purpose is to convince,(cf. exposition, to inform),Requirements to be met:,1) A debatable point:,e.g. Noise is the most harmful of all environmental pollution.,Part-time study is helpful for young students;,2) Sufficient evidence:,Common knowledge, specific example, facts (not opinions unless the opinions are expert and authoritative;) statistics, and quotations from authorities.,3) Logic ways of reasoning:,Inductive reasoning,（归纳）,- from facts to a general conclusion.,Deductive reasoning,（演绎）,- from general to specific,e.g. German cars are well built.,Volkswagens are German cars,My Volkswagen is well built.,V. Chief qualities of a good essay,Unity,Balance,Coherence,Support,Emphasis,Style,(p.46),Model Paragraph,To be successful in a job interview,，,the applicant should demonstrate certain personal and professional qualities,In as much as the first and often lasting impression of a person is determined by the clothes one wears,，,the job applicant should take care to appear well-groomed and modestly dressed,，,avoiding the extremes of too elaborate or too casual attire,Besides care for personal appearance,，,one should pay close attention to ones manner of speaking,，,which should be neither showy nor too familiar but rather straightforward,，,grammatically accurate,，,and friendly,In addition,，,one should be prepared to talk knowledgeably about the requirements of the position for which one is applying in relation to ones own professional experience and interests,And finally,，,the really impressive applicant must convey a sense of self-confidence and enthusiasm for work,，,factors which all interviewers value highly,The job seeker who displays these characteristics,，,with just a little luck,，,will certainly succeed in a typical personal interview,Model Essay,To be successful in a job interview,，,you should demonstrate certain personal and professional qualities,You need to create a good image in the limited time available,，,usually from 30 to 45 minutes. Furthermore, you must make a positive impression which the interviewer will remember while he interviews other applicants,At all times,，,you should present your most attractive qualities during an interview,You should,，,for example,，,take care to appear well-groomed and modestly dressed,，,avoiding the extremes of too elaborate or too casual attire. On the positive side, clothes may be a good leveller, putting you on a par with other applicants and requiring the interviewer to consider more important qualifications,On the other hand,，,clothes which are too informal may convey the impression that you are not serious about the job or that you may be casual about your work as well as your dress,Clothes which are too elaborate,，,too colorful,，,or too expensive suggest that you do not understand what behavior is appropriate for the job or that you are snobbish or frivolous,The right clothes worn at the right time,，,however,，,gain the respect of the interviewer and his confidence in your judgment. It may not be true that,“,clothes make the man,”,but the first and often lasting impression of you is determined by the clothes you wear,Besides care for personal appearance,，,you should pay close attention to your manner of speaking,Since speech is a reflection of personality,，,you should reflect confidence by speaking in a clear voice,，,loud enough to be heard without being aggressive or overpowering,Your speech should not call attention to itself,，,but it should reveal the individuality and ability of the speaker,Obviously,，,you must speak without grammatical errors or dialect differences for which you might be criticised or which might cause embarrassment to the employer,Although there are cultural differences with respect to the formality of the job interview,，,your speech must show you to be a friendly and pleasant person,Speaking without a subject worth talking about will not impress anyone,You should be prepared to talk knowledgeably about the requirements of the position for which you are applying in relation to your own professional experiences and interests,Knowing something about the position enables you to ask intelligent questions about the work and requirements for the job,The interviewer can decide from the questions asked whether you are genuinely interested or knowledgeable,You can comment on your own training,，,experience,，,and other qualifications in relation to the specific tasks of the position,the interviewer can determine whether your background and potential seem to fit the position,The position for which you are applying is not only the safest topic for discussion,，,it is essential that you demonstrate your understanding of the requirements and your abilities in meeting these requirements,Finally,，,to be really impressive you must convey a sense of self-confidence and enthusiasm for work,As already indicated,，,you demonstrate self-confidence by your manner of speech and dress,You further show it by being prepared for the interview with information and questions about the position,In addition,，,the way you enter the room,，,sit,，,look at the interviewer,，,and fill out application forms and other papers may express self-confidence,The eagerness with which you discuss the job rather than the salary may reveal your enthusiasm for work,You may express it also through your questions and comments about working conditions and facilities,And,，,Of course,，,your previous experience and success will tell the interviewer about your enthusiasm for work,Both of these qualities,self-confidence and enthusiasm for work,are valued highly by all interviewers,The appropriately dressed job applicant indicates his sound judgment,His manner of speaking suggests his friendliness and competence,His curiosity and information about the position he is seeking demonstrate his sincerity and potential in the job,He exhibits self-confidence through his knowledge,，,and he shows his enthusiasm for work,If you display these characteristics,，,with just a little luck,，,you will certainly succeed in the typical personal interview,1. Unity of an Essay,篇章的统一性是指各推展段落都必须紧扣主题思想，不包含与主题思想无关的任何部分。如果包含与主题思想无关的部分或出现多层意思，就会导致主旨不清，思路混乱。,2,Support of an Essay,只有通过具体的实例、事实、细节或事件对篇章中的主题思想加以充实和发挥，才能使文章的主题更加明确具体。例如：在范文中的四个,Supporting Paragraphs,（,SP1,，,SP2,，,SP3,，,SP4,）都是通过具体的实例、细节，来进一步明确本篇文章的主题思想,To be successful in a job interview,，,you must demonstrate certain personal and professional qualities,3. Coherence of an Essay,篇章的连贯性是指句子与句子，段落与段落的排列组合必须合乎逻辑（意连）；句子间以及段落间的过渡必须自然流畅（形连）。篇章的意连有三种：,a,Time Order or Chronological Order,（时间顺序）；,b,Space or Spatial Order,（位置或空间顺序）；,c,Logical Order,（逻辑顺序）。其中，逻辑顺序又可分为三种：,1,）,Order of Importance,（重要性顺序）,2,）,Specific-to-General,（从具体到总论）,3,）,General-to-Spacific,（从总论到具体）,例如，在,Model Essay,中，作者就是以,General-to-Specific,的逻辑顺序来推展文章主题的。作者先是给出一个,Topic Sentence,，然后通过四个具体的,“,You should,”,对主题加以支撑、充实，从而达到了意连。,而转换此词语（,Transitions,）则是篇章形连的重要手段。,VI. Process (steps) of Essay Writing,1. Generating ideas (inventing),Search for a topic (free writing, brainstorming, branching, cubing, questioning and research. Research activities can go throughout the whole writing process.),Factors,multi-perspectives,:,examine the issue from different angles,analyzing,:,examine various parts of the issue to see how they are fit together,evaluation,:,judge the merit of assumptions made and weighing the evidence offered to support those assumptions,2. Outlining,Sort out the meaningful connections among your ideas and information and start to plan your essay,Your goal (what kind of house you would like to build),how to organize your ideas and information to achieve them,drafting,3. Drafting,Your construction of the house begins.,4. Revision,Macro-revision and micro-revision,5. Editing and proofreading,Make sure every word, phrase, and sentence is clear and correct,Recursive: often moving back and forth,Model Essay,How to Make a Complaint,Have you ever experienced the unpleasant situations of being a victimized consumer,？,I think most of you have,In self-defense,，,I have developed the following consumers guide to complaining effectively,The first step is getting organized,I save all sales slips and original boxes so that whenever I complain,，,I would know the date of the purchase,，,the correct price,，,and the place where the item was purchased,Then I compose my letter of complaint,The next step is to send the complaint to the person who will g