ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS

How do I create a publishable masterpiece

of my writing?

ESSAY
Definition: a short, nonfiction
work that deals with one
subject; some emphasize
personal feelings, others focus
on information both are true

ESSAY FORMAT
I.

Introduction
A. Attention-getter
B. Thesis statement the main idea of the whole essay
1. Topic of essay
2. Opinion of topic
3. Points to be discussed (at least 3)

II.

Supporting Paragraph 1
A. Topic Sentence Main Idea of first point / reason
B. Supporting Sentence
C. Supporting Sentence
Supporting Details / Evidence
D. Supporting Sentence
E. Clincher Sentence Powerful Punch

III.

Supporting Paragraph 2
A. Topic Sentence Main Idea of second point / reason
B. Supporting Sentence
C. Supporting Sentence
Supporting Details / Evidence
D. Supporting Sentence
E. Clincher Sentence Powerful Punch

ESSAY FORMAT
IV.

Supporting Paragraph 3
A. Topic Sentence Main Idea of third point/reason
B. Supporting Sentence
C. Supporting Sentence
Supporting Details /
Evidence

D. Supporting Sentence
E. Clincher Sentence Powerful Punch
V.

Conclusion
A. Restate thesis statement highlighting
each point
with what makes it
important
B. Final thought / implication

Do I have all parts of my essay?

Go through each paragraph of your essay and check off on your

REVISION CHECKLIST each part that you see.

If you dont see it, dont check it off.

You will need to add that part later Highlight it on your checklist!

TRANSITIONS

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
What is a transition?
What makes for a good transition?
How does this improve my essay writing?

WHY Transitions?
For writing to flow smoothly, effective

transitions are a must.

It does no good for you to have the most

well-documented and perfectly researched

paper if the reader cant follow your logic
because of ineffective transitions.

WHAT are Transitions?

A word, phrase, or sentence that creates a logical

connection between two thoughts or ideas

For example:

John sighed as he put away the last of the summer

furniture. Jill looked so silly in the photo.
Huh? Whats Jills photo have to do with the summer

furniture?
Try this:
John sighed as he put away the last of the summer
furniture. He smiled as the faded photograph above
the cabinet caught his eye. Jill looked so silly in the
photo.

Examples of Transitions?
From paragraph to paragraph, its common to

use the last sentence of a paragraph or the

first sentence of the next paragraph to
transition from one concept to another.
Research indicates that sedentary people
tend to have more health problems; for
example, high blood pressure and obesity
are commonly reported among those who
make no attempt to exercise.
High blood pressure is, of course, not limited
to sedentary persons . . .

WHERE to use Transitions?

Connect paragraphs to earlier paragraphs for a unified essay
Show relationships between ideas
Clarify relationships by giving reasons, comparing arguments,

and analyzing evidence

Help readers follow the logic of the paper
Clarify relationships between sources and claims

Two kinds of transitions

Canned

Homemade

Words and phrases that lead from one idea to the

Transition words that youve copied onto a list

next, often incorporating parts of the previous idea

to lead the reader to the next

Canned Transitions
Elementary: Next, First, Secondly, In addition
8th grade: This means, But, Another reason, On the other

hand, Some people say

Mature: While it may be true that, Nevertheless, There are

times when, This is significant because, As stated earlier,

Granted that, Even though, To emphasize

Let us try
Example

Revision

Not only do letters last longer than texts and

Letter writing is also something that has more

meaning than texts and emails. This means they

are more valuable. Also, they take more time to
write, showing love.

emails, but they provide more value and meaning.

Writing letters by hand takes longer to accomplish
than typing a message. This is significant
because it the times it takes shows love to the
person receiving the letter.

Let us try
Example

Revision

Granted, cursive has been around for a long time.

People know that cursive writing has been around

for a long time, but that does not mean it should

still be taught in school. There are more important
subjects to teach. It takes a long time to learn and
that time could be used learning other skills.

Nevertheless, that is not reason enough to

continue to teach it in school. We are in times where
math and reading skills are more important and
more worth the time. To emphasize this, look at
the world ranking and see how low the United
States it. Schools should spend that time on math
and reading.

Support #1:
Topic sentence:

Explanation:

Text Support:

Explanation:

In the beginning of the novel, Tyler is

overcome with negative thoughts because of all
of the trouble that he caused. At this point, he
believes that he is nothing but a troublesome
teenager more troublesome than anyone else.
In the text, Tyler describes how he feels when
he says, Maybe I was a born loser, some kind of
unfixable lemon doomed to screw up, no matter
what (Hayes 94). In fact, he sees himself as a
lemon, a problem not worth fixing. He feels like
he doesnt belong and just needs to be traded in
on a new and better model.

Support #1:
Throughout the story, Tylers negative thoughts
Describe shift: are ripped away, and he learns to look at life
differently, when he realizes that he is not the only
person to ever be in trouble. Here he learns that
Explain new feeling:his perfect brother was also in trouble from time
to time. In the text, Mrs. Saunders enlightens
Tyler by sharing some of Chriss antics. [Chris]
Text Support:
wasnt perfect either, not by a long shot. He got
into his share of fights and believe me, he could be
filled with the devil when he wanted to be (Hayes
126). After this revelation, Tyler realizes that he
Explanation
is not just a lemon, but that hes actually just a
Explains how it normal teenager, just like his brother. This new
Proves theme:
information shifts his perspective and he realizes
that life is not what he originally thought. Tyler
Clincher:
realizes that he is not any more of a troublemaker
Punches
Thesis
than anyone else, and his thinking shifts to show
Point

Transition to next paragraph . . .

Topic Sentence
Explain:

In addition to believing that he is

troublesome, Tyler also carries negative thoughts
about his role in his parents divorce. Tyler
believes that it is his troublesome behaviors that
cause his parents to divorce. . .

POINT TO REMEMBER
Transitions are words or phrases that are like a bridge

between ideas. They keep the reader from becoming lost

and confused.

YOUR CHALLENGE
Highlight all of your bridges between each part of your

essay.
Find places where your writing jumps from one idea to the

next.
Then use a red pen to build a bridge so the reader can

jump with you from one idea to the other.

Do not allow your reader to drown!

Using Formal
Formal
Using
andInformal
Informal
and
Language
Language
Appropriately
Appropriately

Formal vs. Informal

Characteristic of Formal
and Informal Language
Formal

Informal

serious
objective
impersonal
reasoned
controlled
reserved

light
humorous
personal
casual
offhanded
"loose"
plainspoken
simple

Why does it even matter?

Official or serious situations are often
signaled by the use of formal language,
while ordinary or relaxed situations are
signaled by the use of informal language.

Certain Situations
Formal Situations

Informal Situations

job interview
principals office visit
business letter
class essay

text message
friendly letter
locker conversation
Journal-style writing

What makes INFORMAL

language?
Simple grammatical
structure

Personal evaluation
Colloquial or slang
vocabulary

What makes formal language?

Uses correct grammar
Does not use contractions
Avoids personal pronouns such as: you, I, us, me,
and we
Includes more polysyllabic wordsBIGGER
words
Complex, complete sentences
Avoids slang vocabulary

Remember when you are speaking, writing or

What
to
avoid
in
formal
writing
analyzing language in a formal situation
Clichs

Slang Exclamation marks

Vague words (things, stuff . . . )
Contractions
Filler words like well and you know
Abbreviations - In formal English, you talk on the telephone, not the phone
First and second person point of view
Limit your use of absolute terms, such as "everybody," "always," "never"

Common Informal Words

Kinda, kind of, sorta, sort of

Pretty
Real, really
Shall, will, should, would
Ain't
Anyways
Anybody, anyone
Could of, would of, should of

So
Until, till, til
Use to
Yeah
For sure
Get / got
Gonna, wanna
Kid

Formal or Informal?
After reading The Red Badge
of Courage, it is easy for you
to see Cranes purpose in
telling the story.

Formal or Informal?
Native American literature is
rich in cultural information
and poetic language.

Formal or Informal?
Native American literature isnt
rich in Puritan characteristics.

Formal or Informal?
Native American Literature
is oral. It is passed down by
word of mouth.

Formal or Informal?
Everybody knows that
Snickers is the best candy
bar.

Formal or Informal?
The field trip participants will
meet at the A-Town WalMart.

Your job . . .
Highlight any informal language and use your black pen
to rewrite it in formal language

How (and Why) Do I

Write in Literary
Present Tense?
Writing a Literary Essay

The Literary Present

Literary works, paintings, films, and other artistic creations are assumed to exist
in an eternal present. Therefore, when you write about writers or artists as they
express themselves in their work, use the present tense.

The

Basic Rule: You should use the past tense when

discussing historical events, and you should use the
literary present when discussing fictional events.

Since

you can turn to a literary work at any time and the

action is still happening, you use present tense when
discussing the actions of any text.

The Literary Present

When

commenting on what a writer says, use the

present tense.

Example: Hayes begins his work with a view into the life of a young
boy in a state of insecurity.

Example: Through this anecdote, Hayes illustrates common

misconceptions many of us have about our role in this world.

The Literary Present

When

discussing events in a book or story, always use

the present tense, unless there is a shift in the time
frame within the world of the text.

Example: Tyler then rolls onto his belly to view his name
engraved on the wall, only to discover that it has been
vandalized.
has been vandalized is
used because that action
occurred before the action
being discussed in this
sentence

TO DO . . .
Pass your essay one person to your right

Study the essay and look at each verb

Circle every verb in blue ink

Then rewrite the verb in present tense

EXAMPLE:

In the beginning of the novel, Tyler was

is overcome with negative thoughts because of all of
the trouble that he causes
caused. Hebelieves
believed that he was
is nothing but a troublesome teenager
more troublesome than anyone else. In the text,describes
Tyler described how
he felt when
he said,
says
feels
Maybe I was a born loser, some kind of unfixable lemon doomed to screw up, no matter what
(Hayes 94). In fact,
like he
feelsHe felt doesnt
seeshe saw himself as a lemon, a problem not worth fixing.
didnt belong and just needed to be traded in on a new and better model.

needs

CHOOSING A
TITLE
A VERY IMPORTANT PART OF THE WRITING PROCESS

These are great titles: bold,

inviting . . .

They are intriguing, not boring.

When it comes down to it, titles

serve two purposes:
1.
2.

Titles that POINT - They point to or

indicate the contents of the writing.
Titles that SHOUT They grab the
audiences attention and entice
them to read.

The Importance
of a Title
Two intriguing titles:
The Heart Is a Lonely
Hunter
Engulfed in Flames

Titles are the single

most important
determiners of
whether your writing
will be read.
Titles (when a student remembers to
include one at all) tend to be afterthoughts,
a handful of words haphazardly thrown
together and slapped on the page as a
finishing touch. These poor, abused
headings receive the least amount of effort
in their creation by a writer when, in fact,
they receive themostamount of attention
from a would-be reader.

Well written titles can turn a paper on an uninteresting topic into a paper that I can't wait to get my
hands on.
One excellent example -- on the benefits of improving the prison education system was this title:

The Pros of Educating Cons

Quite frankly, I'm not all that interested in how good or bad our prisons' education system is. That title,
however, not only piqued my interest in the topic, it also made me want to read more from a writer who
had the creativity to come up with such a catchy headline (regardless of the topic!).

Remember that the next time you're putting together a writing

project, putting a little bit of thought into writing the perfect title will
go a long way towards how receptive your audience is to your
message.

Your title should . . .

Fit the whole piece

Not be a label (My Trip to Disney

World)

Attract the readers attention

Be memorable

Uses a strong or beautiful

combination of words and sounds

Be a result of some brainstorming

TITLE
WRITING TIPS

YOUR JOB . . .

PLAN A CATCHY TITLE