Anker Susan. Real Essays with Readings with 2009 MLA Update

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WRITING ESSAYS

Chapter 3 • Writing Basics 47

PRACTICE 1 UNDERSTANDING AUDIENCE

Reread Christiane’s two notes, and answer the following questions. Answers

will vary but should be similar to those supplied.

1. How does the note to Christiane’s grandmother differ from the message

to her friend?

The note to her grandmother is more formal.

2. How do her two audiences affect what Christiane writes (the content)

and how she writes (the tone)?

Christiane writes to her grandmother in a

friendly but serious and respectful tone and tells her what she believes will

make her grandmother happy. She writes to her friend much more informally

and tells her what really happened at the party.

3. What words in the note to the friend would have to be changed in a more

formal note?

gr8, prty, TTYL, etc.

Purpose

The purpose for a piece of writing is your reason for writing it. In college,

your purpose for writing often will be either to show something; to explain,

analyze, or evaluate something; or to make a convincing argument.

PRACTICE 2 UNDERSTANDING PURPOSE

Reread Christiane’s notes, and answer the following questions. Answers will

vary but should be similar to those supplied.

1. What is Christiane’s purpose in the note to her grandmother?

To be in

touch with her grandmother and to tell her that she is doing well and that

she misses her (e.g., by mentioning the food)

2. What is her purpose in the note to her friend?

To let her know that she had

fun at a party and met a guy

■ TEACHING TIP

You may want to do

this practice with the

whole class. Read the

situation and letters

aloud, and ask students

to respond orally.

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WRITING ESSAYS

48 Part One • How to Read and Write in College

Understand Paragraph

and Essay Forms

Throughout college and beyond, you will write paragraphs and essays.

Each of these has a basic structure.

Paragraph Structure

A paragraph is a group of sentences that work together to make a

point. A good paragraph has three necessary parts — the topic sen-

tence, the body, and the concluding sentence. Each part serves a speciﬁ c

purpose.

PARAGRAPH PART PURPOSE OF THE PARAGRAPH PART

1. The topic sentence states the main point. The topic

sentence is often either the ﬁ rst or last

sentence of a paragraph.

2. The body supports (shows, explains, or proves) the

main point. It usually contains three to

six support sentences, which present

facts and details that develop the main

point.

3. The concluding sentence reminds readers of the main point and

often makes an observation.

Read the paragraph that follows. The parts of the paragraph are labeled.

Asking your boss for a raise doesn’t have to be painful if you plan

the conversation well, using several simple but effective techniques.

First, think about how you will introduce the subject when you talk with

your boss. Then, make a list of reasons why you deserve the raise. Be pre-

pared to give speciﬁ c examples of your achievements. Also, consider the

amount you will ask for. Always ask for more than you think you deserve.

When your plan is ready, make an appointment to meet with your boss.

Your plan will allow you to be conﬁ dent and will increase your chance of

success.

Topic

sentence

Body made

up of

support

sentences

Concluding

sentence

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WRITING ESSAYS

Chapter 3 • Writing Basics 49

Essay Structure

An essay is a piece of writing with more than one paragraph. A short essay

may consist of four or ﬁ ve paragraphs, totaling three hundred to six hun-

dred words. A long essay is six paragraphs or more, depending on what the

essay needs to accomplish — persuading someone to do something, using

research to make a point, or explaining a complex concept.

An essay has three necessary parts — an introduction, a body, and a

conclusion.

ESSAY PART PURPOSE OF THE ESSAY PART

1. The introduction states the main point, or thesis, gener-

ally in a single strong statement. The

introduction may be a single paragraph

or multiple paragraphs.

2. The body supports (shows, explains, or proves)

the main point. The body generally has

at least three support paragraphs.

Each support paragraph begins with a

topic sentence that supports the thesis

statement and continues with facts and

details that develop the main point.

3. The conclusion reminds readers of the main point.

It may summarize and reinforce the

support in the body paragraphs, or it

may make an observation based on that

support. Whether it is a single paragraph

or more, the conclusion should relate

back to the main point of the essay.

The parts of an essay correspond to the parts of a paragraph:

• The thesis of an essay is like the topic sentence of a paragraph.

• The support paragraphs in the body of an essay are like the support

sentences of a paragraph.

• The conclusion of an essay is like the concluding sentence of a

paragraph.

Read the following essay, in which the parts are underlined and la-

beled. It is about the same topic as the paragraph on page 48, but because

it is an essay, it presents more details.

■ TEACHING TIP

Have students inter-

view a second- or

third-year student in

their major to ﬁ nd out

the kind of writing that

person does for his or

her classes.

■

TEACHING TIP

For some students, it

helps to present visual

analogies. Explain that

just as a skyscraper

needs more substan-

tial support than a

three-story apartment

building does, an essay

needs more detailed

support than a para-

graph does.

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WRITING ESSAYS

50 Part One • How to Read and Write in College

Asking your boss for a raise doesn’t have to be painful if you plan the

conversation well, using several simple but effective techniques. These

techniques will increase your chances of success and give you a blueprint

for making the request professionally.

First, think about how you will introduce the subject when you talk

with your boss. You must ask for the raise; don’t expect your employer to

take the initiative. Before you confront your employer, stand in front of the

mirror and rehearse, “I deserve a raise.” Never say, “May I have a raise?”

“Could I have a raise?” or “Is it time for my raise?” Always say, “I deserve

a raise.” You need to believe that before you can convince your employer.

Then, make a list of the reasons why you deserve a raise. Write down

exactly what you have done to deserve the raise. Use concrete, observ-

able achievements that cannot be disputed, and be ready with speciﬁ c

examples. If a dollar value in savings to the company has resulted from

your work, make sure you have documentation conﬁ rming this.

Also, consider the amount you will ask for. Always ask for more than

you think you deserve. The key word here is more. Rehearse this higher

amount while standing in front of a mirror so that you won’t hesitate or

stutter when you ask your boss for the raise. Too many people ask for a

modest raise, unaware that this simple request may have negative side ef-

fects. When a worker asks for an unusually small raise, the employer has

a tendency to devalue the employee, in the same way that people may be

skeptical about buying something that is priced too low.

When your plan is ready, make an appointment to meet with your boss.

If you give well-documented reasons why you are valuable to the company,

your boss may see you in a new, more positive light. You may not get quite

as much as you requested, but your boss is likely to act in some way on the

new, positively revised image of you as an employee. Your plan will allow

you to be conﬁ dent and will increase your chance of success.

— Adapted from Perry W. Bufﬁ ngton, Cheap Psychological Tricks:

What to Do When Hard Work, Honesty, and Perseverance Fail,

(Atlanta: Peachtree, 1996)

Support

paragraph

Support

paragraph

Support

paragraph

Concluding

paragraph

Topic sentence

Concluding

sentence

Body

Thesis

statement

Introductory

paragraph

Topic sentence

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WRITING ESSAYS

Chapter 3 • Writing Basics 51

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PARAGRAPHS AND ESSAYS

Understand the Writing Process

The writing process consists of ﬁ ve basic stages — generating ideas, plan-

ning, drafting, revising, and editing.

Whenever you are ﬁ rst learning to do something — playing a sport,

driving a car, riding a bicycle — the steps seem complicated. However,

after you practice them, the individual steps seem to blend together, and

you just do them. The same thing will happen as you practice the steps in

the writing process.

■ TEACHING TIP

Ask students to de-

scribe a process related

to their college experi-

ences, such as applying

for admission or ﬁ nan-

cial aid, registering for

classes, or purchasing

textbooks.

Topic sentence:

Asking your boss for a

raise doesn’t have to

be painful if you plan

the conversation well,

using several simple but

effective techniques.

Support point: First,

think about how you

will introduce the sub-

ject when you talk to

your boss. Support

point: Then, make

a list of reasons why

you deserve a raise.

Support point: When

your plan is ready,

make an appointment

to meet with your boss.

Concluding sentence:

Your plan will allow

you to be conﬁ dent

and will increase your

chance of success.

Thesis statement:

Asking your boss for a . . .

Topic sentence 1:

First, think about how

you will . . .

Topic sentence 2:

Then, make a list of

reasons . . .

Topic sentence 3:

When your plan is ready,

make . . .

Conclusion: Your

plan will allow you to be

conﬁ dent . . .

Presents

Main Point

Support

Main Point

Presents

Conclusion

PARAGRAPH ESSAY

Introductory

paragraph

Support

paragraphs

Concluding

paragraph

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WRITING ESSAYS

52 Part One • How to Read and Write in College

THE WRITING PROCESS

Generate Ideas

Consider: What is my purpose in writing? Given this purpose, what interests

me? Who will read this? What do they need to know?

• Find and explore your topic (Chapter 4).

• Make your point (Chapter 5).

• Support your point (Chapter 6).

Plan

Consider: How can I organize my ideas effectively for my readers?

• Arrange your ideas, and make an outline (Chapter 7).

Draft

Consider: How can I show my readers what I mean?

• Write a draft, including an introduction that will interest your readers, a

strong conclusion, and a title (Chapter 8).

Revise

Consider: How can I make my draft clearer or more convincing to my

readers?

• Look for ideas that don’t ﬁ t (Chapter 9).

• Look for ideas that could use more detailed support (Chapter 9).

• Connect ideas with transitional words and sentences (Chapter 9).

Edit

Consider: What errors could confuse my readers and weaken my point?

• Find and correct errors in grammar (Chapters 22–33).

• Look for errors in word use (Chapters 34–35), spelling (Chapter 36), and

punctuation and capitalization (Chapters 37–41).

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WRITING ESSAYS

Chapter 3 • Writing Basics 53

The ﬂ owchart on page 52 shows the ﬁ ve basic stages of the writing

process and the steps within each of those stages. The remaining chapters

in Part One cover every stage except for editing, which is detailed later in

the book. You will practice each stage, see how another student completes

the stage, and write your own essay using the writing process.

Before moving on to those chapters, read the following advice on ana-

lyzing writing assignments, understanding grading criteria, and creating a

writing portfolio.

How to Analyze a Writing Assignment

Getting started can be one of the hardest parts of writing, and one com-

mon obstacle to starting is not quite understanding what the assignment

is asking you to do. There are ways of translating writing assignments that

will help you get started. Let’s look at a couple of assignments and the

ways you might begin them.

ASSIGNMENT: Discuss the reasons for low employee morale at your

workplace.

ANALYZING A WRITING ASSIGNMENT

STEPS WHAT TO DO FOR THIS ASSIGNMENT

1. Highlight the key

words.

Discuss the reasons for low employee morale at your workplace.

2. Get some ideas

down on paper or

on your computer.

List all reasons you can think of — at your current job, past jobs, or

other jobs you know about. (For more on getting ideas, see the next

chapter.)

3. Think again. Revise

your ideas, and add

to them.

Give some details about each reason, and say how each contributes to

low employee morale. Then reread your list. Do they all contribute

to low employee morale? Delete those that now seem irrelevant, and

try to say more about the others. Record any other reasons that occur

to you in the process.

4. Try out a main

point.

Reread your revised list of reasons, and decide on your main point —

what you want to say about your reasons. Do they have a common

cause? What do they say about the workplace? Can you think of a way

to improve morale?

To ﬁ nd your main point, think about your audience and purpose.

For example, if you are writing a report for your boss, your thesis

should not be entirely critical of the company:

continued

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WRITING ESSAYS

54 Part One • How to Read and Write in College

PRACTICE 3 ANALYZING A WRITING ASSIGNMENT

Fill in the chart that follows, using this assignment:

ASSIGNMENT: Discuss the challenges of juggling work and school

responsibilities.

Grading Criteria

Many instructors use a rubric, which is a list of the categories on which

your writing is graded. If your instructor uses a rubric, it may be included

in your course syllabus, and you should refer to it each time you write.

A sample rubric follows to show you some of the categories you may be

graded on. Rubrics often differ from one instructor to another, so this

example will give you an idea of some of the kinds of elements you might

■ TEACHING TIP

If you haven’t used

a rubric before, you

might want to use

this one. For more on

rubrics and student

learning outcomes, see

Practical Suggestions

for Teaching REAL ESSAYS.

STEPS WHAT TO DO FOR THIS ASSIGNMENT

1. Highlight the key words.

2. Get some ideas down on

paper or on your computer.

3. Think again. Revise your

ideas, and add to them.

4. Try out a main point.

5. Jump in.

STEPS WHAT TO DO FOR THIS ASSIGNMENT

4. Try out a main

point (cont.).

•

Main point (for boss): Super Java has some good employee beneﬁ ts,

but several conditions here negatively affect the working experience.

If you are writing for your teacher, you might be more candid:

•

Main point (for teacher): It’s a myth that Super Java is a great

employer. Employee morale is low, and for very good reasons.

•

Company policies at Super Java guarantee low employee morale.

5. Jump in. You have some ideas to start writing about, so get started.

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WRITING ESSAYS

Chapter 3 • Writing Basics 55

be graded on. The importance of each element in determining the ﬁ nal

grade will also vary by instructor. The elements listed in the rubric will be

covered in Chapters 4 through 9.

Sample Essay Rubric

ELEMENT GRADING CRITERIA

Relevance or

appropriateness

• Did the student follow the directions in

writing the essay?

• Are the topic, length, and so on appropriate?

Introduction • Does the introduction give the reader a

preview of the subject?

• Does it include a clear and deﬁ nite thesis?

Thesis Does the thesis clearly state a main point and

use a complete sentence?

Support • Is there enough support for the thesis

statement?

• Is the support presented in paragraph

form with topic sentences that relate to

the thesis statement?

Organization • Is the structure logical?

• Are transitions (both transitional words

and transitional sentences) used to help

move the reader from one idea to the next?

Conclusion • Does the conclusion remind the reader of

the main point?

• Does it make an observation based on the

information the writer has presented in

the essay?

Coherence Does the essay stay on topic throughout?

Grammar • Is the essay free of the four most serious

errors?

• Are all words correctly spelled?

• Are all punctuation and mechanics correct?

Timeliness Was the essay submitted on time?

Other:

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WRITING ESSAYS

56 Part One • How to Read and Write in College

Sample Student Essays

The following examples and analyses of each example will help you under-

stand how rubrics may be used to evaluate student essays. For a key to the

correction symbols used, see the chart at the back of this book.

TOPIC: As we mature, our hobbies and interests are likely to change. In

an essay of no more than ﬁ ve hundred words, describe how your inter-

ests have changed as you have gotten older.

STUDENT ESSAY #1

I had many hobbies over the years. I use to play T-ball but I

moved on to playing real Baseball. I played baseball for more than

ten years ﬁ naly I became a pitcher for my High School varsity squad.

The one hobby that I can think of that I use to have that I don’t do

anymore is riding bicycles. My friends and I cruised all over our

neighborhood on our bicycles looking for trouble to get into all the

time and once even running from the cops, who caught my friend

Jimmy, who was the leader of our so called gang. When I got in

high school, though I got another hobby which took all my time and

money, my car was my new love. I got it when I was 17 and I put

everything I had into it and I loved it almost as much as my girlfriend

Kate. As you can see, by my senior year, my only hobbies were play-

ing baseball for my school team and taking care of my sweet car.

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