Lecture 3: Coherence and Cohesion (Essay Writing)

Lecture 3 Supporting details: facts, quotations and statistics; First and second steps in essay writing A  Academic writing requires that you support your ideas and opinions with: 1. Facts,...

Lecture 3 Supporting details: facts, quotations and statistics; First and second steps in essay writing A  Academic writing requires that you support your ideas and opinions with: 1. Facts, 2. Statistics, 3. Quotations, (and similar kinds of information).  Sources such as books, magazines, newspapers, Web sites, personal interviews, and so on. ations and similar information.. ThAcademic writing requires to support the ideas and opinions with facts, statistics, quotations and similar information. e average model weights 25 pe Academic writing requires to support the ideas and opinions with facts, statistics, quotations and similar information. rcentlessthantheaveragewomanofthesameheight. Academic writing requires to support the ideas and opinions with facts, statistics, quotations and similar information. 2.Photographsofultrathinfashionmodelssendthewrongmessagetogirlsandyoungwomen. 3.Fashionmodelsareunnaturalythin Academicwritingrequirestosupporttheideasandopinionswithfacts,statistics,quotationsandsimilarinformation.1.Theaveragemodelweights25percentlessthantheaveragewomanofthesameheight. 2.Photographsofultrathinfashionmodelssendthewrongmessagetogirlsandyoungwomen. 3.Fashionmodelsareunnaturalythin Academicwritingrequirestosupporttheideasandopinionswithfacts,statistics,quotationsandsimilarinformation.cademicwritingrequirestosupporttheideasandopinionswithfacts,statistics,quotationsandsimilarinformation.ademicwritingrequirestosupporttheideasandopinionswithfacts,statistics,quotationsandsimilarinformation.  Facts versus Opinions Opinions are subjective statements based on a person`s belief and attitudes. Eg., Men are better drivers than women; Smoking is a bad habit; English is an easy language to learn. - Opinions are not acceptable as support. Facts are objective statements of truth. At sea level, water boils at 100 degrees Celsius; Women live longer than men; Cigarettes are addictive. Sometimes even facts need proof. You have to use specific supporting details to prove that these statements are true facts. Kinds of supporting details, are as follows:  Examples  Statistics  Quotations Practice 1: (decide between opinion, facts, supporting details) p.40-41, Oshima  Using outside sources - Examples from personal experience; - Gather quotations and statistics by performing an experiment; - Take a survey or interview people; Three ways to insert outside information into your own writing: 1. You can quote it; 2. You can summarize it; 3. You can paraphrase it.  Plagiarism Definition: Plagiarism is using someone else's words or ideas as if they were yours. How to avoid plagiarism: 1. Put quotation marks around an exact text (do not need if changing the text); 2. Cite the source of info (telling where you got the information).  Citing a source is a two-step process 1. Insert a short reference in parentheses at the end of each piece of borrowed information. This short reference is called an in-text citation. 2. Prepare a list describing all your sources completely. This list is titled "Works Cited“ (References) and appears as the last page of your paper. Eg: p.42  Quotations Quotations from reliable and knowledgeable sources are good supporting details. Direct quotations – you copy another person`s exact words and enclose them in quotation marks. Indirect quotations – you report the person`s words without quotation marks, but with a reporting expression such as according to, claims, maintains, believes that, etc. Illustration: Drugs and Olympic Games 1  Reporting verbs and phrases To introduce borrowed information - direct quotations, indirect quotations, or statistics: according to, assert, insist, report, suggest, claim, maintain, say, write, declare, mention, state. - Rules for using reporting verbs (place in the sentence, subordinator as, in any verb tense, credible source; p.44, Oshima) - Direct quotations - punctuation (p.45, Oshima) - Practice 2, p.46, Oshima - Indirect quotations – no quotation mark, add the subordinator that, verb tense change if necessary, change pronouns; - Three exceptions, p. 48, Oshima - Practice 3, p.49, Oshima  Statistics 1. Good supporting details; 2. Cite the source of statistical data (the same as with quotations). - E.g., “World Population Growth”, p.51, Oshima: read the text and answer the questions.  First and second steps in essay writing 1. Begin with a point, or thesis. 2. Support the thesis with specific evidence. 1. Begin with a point, or thesis. Discover what point you want to make. 2 reasons: You want to know from the start if you have a clear and workable thesis; You will be able to use your thesis as a guide while writing your essay; At any stage you can ask – is this supporting my thesis? Practice, p. 56, Langan Practice, p.57-59, Langan: limiting the subject  Tells readers an essay’s topic Presents the writer`s attitude, opinion, idea or point about the topic Example: Owing a pet has several important benefits The topic – owing a pet Writer`s main point – several benefits of owning a pet  How to limit and focus your thesis Clustering – a good way to gather information The information you know The information you may find from other sources List the important information You can write several different statements about the same topic 1. Write Statements, Not Announcements: - The subject of this paper will be my parents. - I want to talk about the crime wave in our country. Correct: - My parents each struggled with personal demons. - The recent crime wave in our city has several apparent causes. 2. Avoid Statements That Are Too Broad Disease has shaped human history, vs. In 2020, Covid-19 changed people's views about regularly wearing face masks when in public. 3. Avoid Statements That Are Too Narrow A hurricane hit southern Florida last summer, vs. Federal officials made a number of mistakes in their response to the recent Florida hurricane. 4. Make Sure Statements Develop Only One Idea Practice, p.64-65, Langan  Support the Thesis with Specific Evidence Write down a brief version of your thesis idea and then work on the three points that will support the thesis: a scratch outline, After defining the supporting points they must be developed with specific details, Details spark the readers’ interest, Make writing a pleasure to read, Serve to explain the writer’s points, Give the evidence needed to understand general ideas, Provide enough specific details to fully support the point in a body paragraph of an essay, Example, p. 65, p.69, Langan - Adequate details: no repetition, generalities, Example, p.71, Langan Practice, one example from each exercise, p.72-85, Langan