5/17/2016

WEEK 3
The Essay
An Overview of
Essay Development

The INTRODUCTION

The BODY PARAGRAPHS

What it contains?
Background information, which attracts or
‘hooks’ the reader.

What it contains?
Topic sentences which follow the thesis statement. Transitions introducing each sub topic.
Relevant and generous convincing support
(unity) and coherence.
A closing remark (concluding sentence) showing the relevance of the support.

A thesis statement, which limits the topic and states a precise opinion.

The CONCLUSION
What it contains?
A paraphrase of the thesis statement.

INTRODUCTION

A summary of the main points.
A closing remark (final remark).

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1. Start with a general statement
(funnel approach)

HOW DO YOU
CREATE A
HOOK?

2.Start with an idea/situation that is the opposite of the one you intend to develop We live in an era where television is the national pastime.
Since the invention of the television set, people have been spending more of their free time watching television than doing anything else. Many of the television addicts feel that this particular pastime is not a bad one; indeed, they argue that if you look long and hard enough, you can probably find some programs that are educationally motivating, But, for the most part, it can be said that watching television is a waste of time.

ideas progress from general to the specific.
Traveling to a foreign country is always interesting, especially if it is a country that is completely different from your own. You can enjoy tasting new foods, seeing new sights, and learning about different customs. If you were to visit my country, for instance, you would probably think that my people have some strange attitude, as these three examples will illustrate.

3.Start with an anecdote
(an incident or a brief story)
The story should be brief and related to the main idea The incident can be something that happened to you, something you heard about, or something you have read in the newspaper or magazine.
A dramatic, humorous, or interesting opening will capture the interest in the reader.

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Example

A young mother dresses her little girl warmly and gives her a candy bar, a picture book and some crayons. Together, they drive down to the shopping mall, where the little girl is told to wait on the stone steps until the mother comes back from the ATM.
The young mother then gets in her car, shuts the door and drives off. This incident is one of the thousands of cases of child neglect and abuse that occur annually. Perhaps the automatic right to be a parent should no longer exist. Would-be parents should be forced to apply for parental license for which they would have to meet three important conditions. 4.Start with a quotation
A quotation in your introductory paragraph lets you add someone else’s voice to your own You can quote :
1. An authority on the topic
2. A popular saying or proverb
e.g. Birds of a feather flock together

3. A current or recent advertising slogan
e.g. Think Different ~ Apple Co.
Impossible is Nothing ~ Adidas

Example of using a quotation in an introduction
“Fish and visitors, ”wrote Benjamin Franklin,“ begin to smell after three days.” For many Asians, there is only a thin line between honest hospitality and obligation by duty. Hosting a guest can be a delightful experience but it can just as soon turn into something very frustrating. Three of the more common reasons why many Malaysians secretly detest hosting guests are presented in this essay.

5.Ask one or more questions
You may want the reader to think about the possible answers or plan to answer the question later in the paper. (also known as Response Questions)
What is love? How do we know that we are really in love? When we meet that special person, how can we tell that our feelings are genuine? And if they are genuine, will these feelings last? Love as we know, is difficult to define. But most people agree that true and lasting love involves far more than mere physical attraction. Love involves mutual respect, the desire to give rather than take, and the feeling of being wholly at ease.

(Another type of question which does not require answers from the reader is Rhetoric Questions)

Updated: SemesterJan201501

THE THESIS STATEMENT
The strongest statement in the essay.
Strong enough to carry a single controlling idea.
Defines the scope of the topic.

UNDERSTANDING
THESIS
STATEMENT

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Examples of thesis statement
An area of concern here is to discuss the benefits of emotional quotient in working life.
Advertising has negative effects on all levels of society. Biotechnology is an area of work that brings various benefits Creating a thesis statement highly depends on the type or genre of the essay.

The difference between a thesis statement & a topic sentence
The Thesis statement governs the content of the whole essay whereas the Topic sentence guides the development of a paragraph.
Example
Thesis statement: Watching television is not a waste of time as many people claim.
Topic sentences
It is a valuable educational tool
It entertains and cheers us up
It is a wholesome family activity.

What is Genre?
Genre is defined as ‘category/type of literary or artistic work’
Dictionary.com
In essay writing, genre is used to categorise the type of essay.
There are several essays in academic writing such as: cause-effect, problem-solution, argumentative, and compare-contrast .
However, in this subject, only three(3) types of essays are discussed.
Updated: Semester 201501

3 Genres of Essay
A.
B.
C.

Cause and Effect
Problem and Solution
Argumentative

Each of these essays has different ways of writing the thesis statements and body paragraphs. Updated: Semester 201501

Cause-Effect Essay Outline
Introduction
Body 1: Cause 1
Effect 1
Body 2: Cause 2(Effect 1)
Effect 2
Body 3: Cause 3(Effect 2)
Effect 3
Conclusion

Updated: Semester 201501

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Problem-Solution Essay
Outline

Argumentative Essay Outline
Introduction
Body 1: Reason 1 to support argument
Body 2: Reason 2 to support argument
Body 3: Refuting argument
Conclusion

Introduction
Body 1: Problem
Body 2: Solution 1
Body 3: Solution 2
Conclusion

Updated: Semester 201501

Updated: Semester 201501

Here are examples of thesis statement based on the genres

Argumentative
Capital punishment should be implemented on rapist in Malaysia.

Cause and Effect
Thinking about the assignment’s topic led most students to failure in performing in English test.

Problem-Solution
Tertiary students are facing an excessive amount of stress and this could be solved by reducing the number of subjects taken per semester and by promoting extracurricular activities as a part of coursework. 3 main parts:
1. Topic sentence
-tells what the paragraph will explain

THE BODY

2.Supporting sentences
-middle sentences
- give examples or details about the topic
3. Concluding sentence
- last sentence in a paragraph
- often repeats the topic sentence in different words or summarizes the main points. 5

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A TOPIC SENTENCE

TOPIC SENTENCE tells the reader what the specific topic of the paragraph is. is the main idea in a paragraph is structured as a complete sentence is usually (but not always) the first sentence in a paragraph

TOPIC
=TOPIC +
SENTENCE

Subject talked about Same topic but different controlling ideas

Example 1
Nuclear power is our greatest hope for solving the energy crisis.

CONTROLLING
IDEA

Specific information about the topic

Positioning: Can be either at the start or end of a sentence

Example
Topic
1.English

Controlling idea borrows words from other languages

Topic

Example 2
Nuclear power is the greatest threat to life on the planet.
Topic

Controlling Idea
Topic
2. Other Languages give words to English

Controlling idea

THE CONCLUDING PARAGRAPH

HOW TO END OR
CONCLUDE?

Signals the end of the essay
It is a chance to remind the reader of your main points. You can do this in one of the two ways:
* summarize your subtopics
* paraphrase your thesis
It is often introduced by a transition such as - “in conclusion,” “therefore” “in sum”

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2. End with a prediction

Common methods of Conclusions

Online shopping at home then, has several advantages. Such shopping is convenient, saves money, and saves your time. It is not surprising that growing numbers of people are doing the majority of their shopping on the Internet, for everything from spices to computers. If people stop to think before acquiring pets, there would be fewer instances of cruelty to animals. Many times, it is the people that adopt pets without considering the expenses and responsibility involved who mistreat and neglect their animals. Pets are living creatures. They do not deserve to be treated so carelessly as one would treat a stuffed toy.

3. Suggest a solution, make a recommendation, or call for action

4.Quote an authority on the topic

1. Restate the thesis in different words

Our schools provide a key to the future of the society. We must take control of them, watch over them, and nurture them if they are to be set right again. To do less is to invite disaster upon ourselves, our children and our nation.

In conclusion, costs are rising and financial aid is declining, with the result that many can no longer afford to go collage. If our nation is to prosper, increased government funding for education is essential, even if it requires higher taxes. As Horace Mann argued in his
Fifth Annual Report, a nation’s economic wealth, will increase through an educated public. It is therefore in the self-interest of business to pay the taxation for public education.
Horace Mann (1796-1859) is considered the father of public education in the United States.

• Effective

academic writing has convincing content, effective organization, and correct use of sophisticated grammar and vocabulary.
• Each point of view should have a specific focus and purpose.
• Avoid first and second person unless you are giving personal examples or instructing. Thirdperson plural(people, they, them, their) is preferred because it is inclusive of both men and women, and it is smoother than thirdperson singular( a person, he or she, him or her, his or her).
Updated: Semester201501

The use of point of view( first, second, and third person) should be consistent: students, they, them, themselves
NOT
Students, us, you, we, they
•

Updated: Semester201501

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THE END
OF
PART 1

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