STRATEGIES FOR WRITING

Session 1: STRATEGIES FOR WRITING General strategies for writing: 1. Study the question carefully, and answer the question exactly as it is asked. Take some time at the beginning of the test to be sure that you understand exactly what the question is asking. Consider some of the ways to address the question. Jot down a few of these ideas 2. Organize your response very clearly with an outline. Use the ideas that you have jotted down and organize them into a logical progression. You should think of having an introduction, body paragraphs that develop the introduction, and a conclusion to end your essay. Use transitions to help the reader understand the organization of ideas. 3. Whenever you make any general statement, be sure to support that statement. You can use examples, reasons, facts, or similar details to support any general statement. 4. Stick to vocabulary and sentence structures that you know to be correct. You are more likely to make grammartical mistakes if you write long, complex sentences. Keep the sentences and vocabulary in your essay simple and precise. This is not the time to try out new words or structures. 5. Budget your time so that you will be able to complete and correct your essay. Finish writing you essay a few minutes early so that you have time to proof what you wrote. You should spend the last three to five minutes checking your essay for errors. WRITING ESSAY I. Before writing. Skill I: DECODE THE TOPIC. The first and most important step when writing an essay is to decode the topic to determine what the intended outline is. Essay topic: Some people prefer large weddings with lots of people, while others prefer small weddings with only very close friends and family. Discuss the advantages of each type of wedding. Then indicate which you prefer and why. What is the essay topic about? What is the intended outline? Exercise: For each of the following writing topics, indicate the type of information that you will include in each paragraph of your response. 1. What type of novel do you enjoy reading most? Use reasons and examples to support your response. 2. Some students prefer to study alone, while other students prefer to study with others. Discuss the advantages of each type of studying . Then indicate which you prefer and why. 3. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Patience is the most important characteristic in a boss. Use specific reasons and examples to support your response. 4. Some people work better during the day, while other people work better at night. Which kind of person are you, and why? 5. Some people live for today, while other people live for the future. Which type of person are you? Use reasons and examples to support your response. 6. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? The knowledge of history is absolutely essential. Use specific reasons and examples to support your response. Session 2. Skill II: DEVELOP SUPPORTING IDEAS. Essay topic: Why is it important to you to learn English? Support your response with reasons and examples. As you read this topic, you should quickly determine that the overall organization of your response should be an introduction, supporting paragraphs about your reasons for learning English, and a conclusion. You should take a few minutes before you begin writing to develop your ideas. . Exercise Some people believe that a mother should not work. Others argue against this. Consider the problems that a working mother faces. Do you believe a mother should work? Support your opinion. Nowadays it is common for mothers to work outside the home. Whether a woman should stay at home or join the work force is debated by many people. Some argue that the family, especially small children, maybe neglected. The fact is, however, that many women need to work because of economic reasons or want to work to maintain a career. I believe that every mother has the right to work, and the decision to work should be one that a woman makes on her own. But first she should carefully consider the many problems that affect mothers who work. The major problems a working mother faces concern her children. She must either find a reliable person who will be loving toward the children or a good day-care center where the children can go. If a children gets sick the mother must make special arrangements for the child to be cared for at home or she must stay home from work. While at work the mother may worry about her children. She may wonder if they are safe if they are learning the values she wants them to have, and if her absence is hurting them emotionally. She may also regret not being able to take them to after school-activities or participate in family activities with them. Even though a mother is frequently forced into working for economic reasons, she soon discovers that there are added expenses. Her biggest expense is childcare. Another expense is transportation. This may include purchasing and maintaining a car. Yet another expense is clothing such as a uniform or stylish suits to maintain a professional appearance. Finally, if her company does not have a subsidized cafeteria, she will have to pay for food in restaurants. After a mother takes into account all of the above problems and perhaps other problems unique to her situation, she must decide if the job is worth it. I believe that even though she faces major obstacles , these obstacles are not insurmountable. Many mothers do work and manage a family very successfully. In conclusion, it is a woman’s right to make this choice, and only the woman herself should decide this matter. WRITING INTRODUCTION *To write an introduction for an essay that answers a question, follow these procedures: First, introduce the topic in general. Then narrow the topic down to focus more on the question. Restate the question in your own words and in statement form. The concluding statement of the introduction is the thesis statement and indicates the controling idea of the essay question. Question: Living in an apartment instead of a university dormitory has advantages and disadvantages. Discuss some of the advantages and disadvantages of apartment living and then defend your preference. Introduction: When a person decides to enter a university away from home, he or she must also consider living accomodations. Although most universities offer student dormitories, students frequently opt to live in an apartment. While there are many advantages to apartment living, there are also many disadvantages. Before a student decides to live in an apartment, all the aspects of that kind of accomodation should be reviewed. 1.General topic: 2. Narrowing the topic down: 3. Restating the specific question: INTRODUCTION: My reasons of learning English SUPPORTING PARAGRAPH 1.for educational opportunities (examples) * going to university abroad. Going to graduate school abroad (reason) * necessary to learn English in order to study abroad. (personal story) * the opportunity that I have to get a graduate degree abroad with a scholarship from my company SUPPORTING PARAGRAPH II for professional opportunities (examples) * getting an entry-level job in a multinational company, advancing to a higher position in the company (reason) * necessary to learn English in order to succeed in a multinational company (personal story) * the low, entry-level job in a multinational company that I got after I was interviewed in English. CONCLUSION: the educational and professional opportunities that results from learning English 4. The thesis statement: Exercises: Rewriting introduction: The following student-written introductory paragraphs are weak. Some of them don’t state the problem. Some don’t include a thesis statement. Others try to put into the introduction all the information that will be discussed in the body or developmental paragraphs of the essay. Rewrite these essay introductions using the procedures stated above. Question 1: In your opinion, what is the most dangerous threat the world faces today? Discuss some reasons for its existence. Give some possible ways of preventing its occurrence. Weak introduction: War is the most dangerous threat. Everyone in the world fears it. We must try to avoid it. Question 2: Modern technology has brought about changes in the roles of men and women. Discuss some of these changes. Do you think these changes have been beneficial? Weak introduction: There are more changes in the roles of men and women due to technological development in recent times than in the past. This has changed our society. Question 3: Advances in technology and science have solved many problems. However, they have also created new problems. Discuss some of the new problems caused by technological advancement and give your opinion on how they should be dealt with. Weak introduction: Nowadays we have many great advantages in our society which came from technology and science. For that reason, we must protect our lives by taking care of the dangerous problems advanced technology has caused. WRITING DEVELOPMENTAL PARAGRAPHS The body of an essay should consist of at least two developmental paragraphs. Each developmental paragraph should have a topic sentence that supports the controling idea mentioned in the thesis statement of your introduction. All the ideas in each paragraph should support their topic sentence. Study the following developmental paragraphs of the essay about apartment living. Living in an apartment has many advantages. First, students can choose to live in a quiet neighborhood. A quiet neighborhood is conducive to studying. Away from the distractions of campus life, students can be more serious about their studies. Second, apartment life allows students to be more independent. For example, they can cook whatever they want to eat and have their meals whenever they want them. Third, students can often find apartments that are cheaper than the fee for room annd board in a dormitory. However, living in an apartment also has disadvantages. Being away from campus life can make students feel isolated. Another disadvantage is that apartments close to campus are usually expensive, and those farther away are not within walking distance. Therefore, transportation must be considered. Finally, students who live in apartments must cook their own meals, shop for food, perhaps carry their laundry to a laundromat, and clean their entire apartment- not just their room. Rewriting developmental paragraphs: Write the developmental paragraphs for the introductions that you rewrote in the previous exercises. WRITING CONCLUSION For the essay question, your concluding paragraph will: 1. Restate the thesis statement. 2. Restate the topic sentences from the developmental paragraphs. 3. State your opinion or reference, make a prediction or give a solution. 4. Conclude with a statement that sums up the essay. Conclusion from the previous essay: Apartment living Even though there are many advantages to apartment living, I would prefer to live in the university dormitory for the following reasons. First I will be new at the university and meeting people will be easier in a dormitory setting. Second, I won’t have to worry about purchasing and cooking food or cleaning up afterwards. Consequently, I will have more time for my studies. Finally, I will be within walking distance of my classes and the university library. In conclusion, living on campus is more advantageous for me than living in an apartment. Rewriting conclusions: The following student -written conclusions go with the essays you began writing in the previous exercises. These conclusions are weak. Some do not give a solution, prediction, reason, or opinion. Others have a topic sentence but do not support it. Rewrite the folowing concluding paragraphs so that they are stronger. Do they apply to your introduction and developmental paragraphs from the previous exercises? If not, modify them. You will, then, have three complete essays. 1. In summary, there must be a solution to any threat in the world, but a possible solution for this problem is difficult to find. Indeed, there is one possible solution, and that is all people must become pacifists, but it is doubtful that will happen. 2. To summarize, technological development has given us a new and better lifestyle, and I hope that it will remain so. 3. For all these problems we must find a solution. They can destroy our lives by killing us and making our lives boring. Our lives depend on progress, so we cannot stop it. But at the same time, we cannot kill ourselves by avoiding finding a solution. DESCRIBING VIEWPOINTS, TAKING A STAND, AND USING COMPARISONS EFFECTIVELY When you take a stand in an argumentative essay, you are supporting a particular position and making a case for it. There are some important linking or transition words or phrases which can be used for expressing opinions, making contrasts, and sequencing arguments. 1. First position: There are some people who; Some people; It is believed that; Many; There are those who; They; These people; Others; It is believed by others that; Supporters of X say that; Opponents of X say that; etc. 2. Verbs: believe; say; argue; contend; suggest; recommend; propose; enjoy; like; prefer; etc. 3. Evaluation words and phrases: advantages and disadvantages; good and bad point; positive and negative aspects; benefits; good qualities/features/characteristics; more helpful/harmful; useful; practical/impractical; valuable; etc. 4. Your position: I believe, say, argue, hold, contend, suggest; It is my opinion/view/viewpoint/ position that; I like; I like, enjoy, prefer; It may be argued that; I take the position/view/opinion that; etc. 5. Conjunctions: Although; despite; whereas; while; but; yet; etc. 6. Comparing: likewise; Similarly; also; too; as well; as; just as + dependent clause; just like + noun clause; alike; similar to; the same as; identical to; etc. 7. Contrasting: Unlike; instead of; rather than; in contrast to; by/in comparison; different from; etc. 8. Conjunctive adverbs: On the one hand; On the other hand; In contrast; ; However; Further; Moreover; In addition; Additionally; etc. 9. Sequence words: First; First of all; In the first place; Secondly; In the second place; Next; Then; Further; Furthermore; ; Moreover; In the third place; Finally; In conclusion; In summary. THE VALUE OF BOOKS Deep in the heart of every good book lies the distilled wisdom of centuries. To read it is to become wiser. Books are written for the benefit and pleasure of all those who like to read them. But they are of various types. There are books for children as well as for adults. Some books are written for specialists, some are written for students in the schools and universities, and many are written just for the pleasures of the mind. In deed, the variety of books is infinite. One of the reasons for the existence of such a wide variety of books is that, the field of knowledge is very extensive. Even to grasp a small part of it, one has to read several books for many years. Another reason is that different people have different likes and dislikes. The books that one like to read, the other may not like. To meet these broad and varying needs of people for information, knowledge, recreation and aesthetic enjoyment, more and more books are being written every year. Those who aim to specialize in a certain branch of knowledge concentrate more on the books that provide information on the their particular field of study. In the libraries and bookshops they look mainly for such books. But those who have no particular interest in any subject read and buy all types of books. Sometimes they buy books intended for the specialists, sometimes they buy those written for children, and sometimes, if they are preparing for some examination, they buy books which give some information on their examination subjects. Almost every book extends the knowledge of the reader and develops his intellect as well. Even if the reader does not learnany new facts from the book, he may at least learn a few new words, expressions or ideas. In fact, certain books are written mainly to acquaint the reader with the beauty of language and ideas. They do not deal with facts or actual human experiences. Books of this type provide great pleasure to the mind, and almost everyone who loves reading buys a few of such books. Books have also helped to promote better understanding among the peoples of the world. By reading books, the people of one country have come to know about the achievements of those in other countries. Thus, books could be regarded as one of the channels of communication among men. Indeed, without books man would not have made so much progress as he has made today. By applying the knowledge that he had gained from books, to practical purposes, he has made the world a pleasant place to live in. Civilization, therefore, owes a great debt to these inanimate things called books. . Session 1: STRATEGIES FOR WRITING General strategies for writing: 1. Study the question carefully, and answer the question exactly. Finish writing you essay a few minutes early so that you have time to proof what you wrote. You should spend the last three to five minutes checking your essay for errors. WRITING ESSAY I. Before. just their room. Rewriting developmental paragraphs: Write the developmental paragraphs for the introductions that you rewrote in the previous exercises. WRITING CONCLUSION For the essay question,