Developing Writing Skills - Part 3

​Developing Writing Skills:

Process-based Approach to Writing

• Drafting the essays

  • Developing thesis statements

  • Paragraph writing

  • Writing topic sentences and supporting details

  • Writing introductions

  • Writing conclusions

Writing the First Draft

• Goals:

  • State thesis clearly

  • Develop content with plenty of details

• ​Don't worry yet about grammar, punctuation, spelling

• ​Put aside the draft and allow some time before revising

Step 1: Begin with a Point or Thesis

• Write out the point you are trying to make as a single sentence

• ​Serves as a guide while writing your essay

• ​Presented as the thesis statement in the introductory paragraph

• ​Good thesis statement:

  • ​tells readers the topic

  • ​presents the writer's attitude, opinion, idea, or point about the topic

• ​Examples:

  • ​Owning a pet has several important benefits.

  • ​The Internet has led to new kinds of frustration in everyday life.

  • ​Vaping should be completely banned for three reasons.

  • ​My first night as a security guard turned out to be one of the most frightening experiences of my life.

Step 1: Begin with a Point or Thesis

• Topic should not be too broad nor too narrow.

• Use clustering to gather information and limit the topic.

Step 1: Begin with a Point or Thesis

• Focus on ONE central idea (main point of the topic)

• ​Write several thesis statements about the same topic.

• ​The purpose of the essay will help determine the main point and shape the organization of the essay.

Multiple Choice

1. Write statements, not announcements.

Which thesis statement is better?

• The subject of this paper is the recent increase in Covid-19 cases.

• ​The recent increase in Covid-19 cases has several underlying causes.

Multiple Choice

2. ​Avoid statements that are too broad.

Which thesis statement is better?

• The Covid-19 pandemic has changed how students learn.

• Disease has shaped human history.

Multiple Choice

3. Avoid statements that are too narrow, i.e. dead-end statements.

Which thesis statement is better?

• The requirement that voters must be at least 21 years old is unreasonable.

• A person must be at least 21 years old to cast votes in elections.

Multiple Choice

4. Make sure the statement develop only one idea.

Which thesis statement is better?

• Group study has several benefits, but it also has drawbacks.

• Group study has several benefits.

Step 2: Support the thesis with specific evidence

• Use a scratch outline to ensure adequate support

• ​Thesis

  • ​Supporting points (3)

    • ​​specific details

• ​Specific details:

  • Excite the readers' interest

  • ​Explain the writer's point

Step 2: Support the thesis with specific evidence

• Must have ENOUGH specific details to fully support the point in the paragraph

• ​DO NOT DISGUISE the lack of specific details through repetitions and generalities.

Multiple Choice

Which supporting paragraph contain specific details?

Step 3: Organise and connect the specific evidence

Common methods of organisation

• ​Time order / chronological order

  • ​Details are listed as they occur in time

• ​Emphatic order

  • ​Place the most interesting or important detail in the last part of the paragraph / the final supporting paragraph

• ​If all the details are equally important, use a personal order that seems logical or appropriate.

• ​Combination of time order and emphatic order can be used in the same essay

Step 3: Organise and connect the specific evidence

Transitions

• ​Transitional words

  • ​Signal the directions of the writer's thoughts

Step 3: Organise and connect the specific evidence

Transitions

• ​Transitional sentences

  • Between paragraphs

  • ​To tie together the supporting paragraphs

  • ​Enable the reader to move smoothly from the idea in one paragraph to the idea in the next paragraph

Step 3: Organise and connect the specific evidence

Other connecting words

• Repeated KEY words

  • ​help tie together the flow of thoughts

  • ​remind readers of the central idea

• ​Pronouns

  • connect ideas

  • avoid needless repetitions

  • ​Check for:

    • ​pronoun agreement

    • ​pronoun reference

• ​Synonyms

  • avoid needless repetition

  • ​​increase variety and interest

Step 3: Organise and connect the specific evidence

1. How many times is the key word cold used?

2. What is the pronoun that is used for the writer and his/her family?

3. Synonym for:

• cookstove (S3)

• chilblains (S10)

• cold (S12)

Writing Introductory Paragraph

Functions of Introduction

• Attracts readers' interest

  Supplies background information

  Presents a thesis statement

  • ​Usually appear at the end of the introductory paragraph

• ​Indicates a plan of development

  • List the major supporting points in the order they appear​

  • May appear in the same sentence as the thesis statement

  • ​May not appear in some essays

Writing Introductory Paragraph

Common methods of introduction

• Begin with a broad general statement of the topic and narrow it down to the thesis statement

  • ​Ease the reader

Writing Introductory Paragraph

Common methods of introduction

• Start with an idea or a situation that is the opposite of the one you will develop

  • ​surprise and intrigue the readers by the contrast

Writing Introductory Paragraph

Common methods of introduction

• Explain the importance of the topic to the reader

  • ​to convince the reader that it applies to them and they should know more about it

Writing Introductory Paragraph

Common methods of introduction

• Use an incident or a brief story

  • ​appeal to the readers' curiosity by grabbing their attention immediately

Writing Introductory Paragraph

Common methods of introduction

• Ask one or more questions

  • for readers to think about possible answers

  • ​to answer later in the essay

Writing Introductory Paragraph

Common methods of introduction

• Use a quotation

  • add someone else's voice to your own

Writing Concluding Paragraph

• The LAST chance to remind readers of the central idea

• To bring the essay to a natural and graceful end

​

Common methods of conclusion

• End with a summary and final thought

Writing Concluding Paragraph

Common methods of conclusion

• Include a thought-provoking question or short series of questions

  • ​May provide an answer to the question

  • ​Questions deal with one of these:

    • ​Why the subject is important

    • ​What might happen in the future

    • ​What should be done about this subject

    • ​Which choice should be made

Writing Concluding Paragraph

Common methods of conclusion

• End with a prediction or recommendation

​Prediction = what may happen in the future

​Recommendation = what should be done about a situation or problem

Tutorial Task

1. Read the NINE professional essays again.

2. ​For each of the essays, identify:

   1. the thesis statement

   2. ​the topic sentence for each of the supporting paragraphs in the essay

   3. ​the method of organisation

   4. the method of introduction

   5. the method of conclusion

3. Choose one of the essays and underline:

   1. transitional words

   2. transitional sentences

   3. ​repeated words

   4. ​pronouns

   5. ​synonyms

Poll

Which of the following do you prefer?

• Online Class (like Week 1 to Week 7)

• Hybrid Class (like today)

• No particular preference

Open Ended

Give reasons for your previous response. Why do you prefer online class? OR Why do you prefer hybrid class? OR Why don't you have any preference?