Structuring Documents PDF - Functional English (ENGL1114)

UNIVERSITY OF EDUCATION BANK ROAD CAMPUS, LAHORE FUNCTIONAL ENGLISH (ENGL1114) STRUCTURING DOCUMENTS What is an Essay? The essay is a written piece that is designed to present an idea, propose an argument, ex...

UNIVERSITY OF EDUCATION BANK ROAD CAMPUS, LAHORE FUNCTIONAL ENGLISH (ENGL1114) STRUCTURING DOCUMENTS What is an Essay? The essay is a written piece that is designed to present an idea, propose an argument, express the emotion or initiate debate. An essay consists of several paragraphs. What is a Paragraph? A paragraph is a group of sentences that develops an idea. Example: My husband and I bought our first house last November, and we love it. It is located in west Provo near Utah Lake. Although we cannot see the lake from our house, we do have a beautiful view of Mountains. Our house has three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a living room, a family room, a large kitchen and dining area. We also have a large backyard and a small garden. We are very happy to own our own home, and I hope that we will live there for several years. A Bad Example: I live in a house in west Provo. I like the view from our house. We have lived there since November. We also have a car that I like very much. We were in an accident a few months ago. We hit a deer that was crossing the street at night. I felt sorry for the deer, but it cost a lot of money to repair the car. An essay or a written text consists of:  Introductory paragraph  Body paragraph (3 or more)  Concluding paragraph 1 Prepared By: Ms. Fatima Aslam  Structure of Writing an Essay: Introductory Paragraphs: An introductory paragraph, as the opening of a conventional essay, composition, or report, is designed to grab people's attention. It informs readers about the topic and why they should care 2 Prepared By: Ms. Fatima Aslam about it but also adds enough intrigue to get them to continue to read. In short, the opening paragraph is your chance to make a great first impression. The primary purpose of an introductory paragraph is to pique the interest of your reader and identify the topic and purpose of the essay. It often ends with a thesis statement. You can engage your readers right from the start through a number of tried-and-true ways. Posing a question, defining the key term, giving a brief anecdote, using a playful joke or emotional appeal, or pulling out an interesting fact are just a few approaches you can take. Use imagery, details, and sensory information to connect with the reader if you can. The key is to add intrigue along with just enough information so your readers want to find out more. In general, an introduction should do the following: 1. Attract the Reader’s Attention: Begin introduction with a "hook" that grabs the reader's attention and introduces the general topic. Here are some suggestions on how to create a “hook”:  State an interesting fact or statistic about the topic  Ask a rhetorical question  Reveal a common misconception about the topic  Set the scene of the story: who, when, where, what, why, how?  Share an anecdote (a humorous short story) that captures the topic 2. State Your Focused Topic: After the “hook”, write a sentence or two about the specific focus of the writing. What is the writing about? Why is this topic important? This part of the introduction can include background information on the topic that helps to establish its context. 3. State your Thesis: Finally, include your thesis statement. The kind of thesis you include depends on the type of paper you are writing, but, in general, your thesis should include:  your specific topic  your main point about that topic  the points of discussion you will include in your paper 3 Prepared By: Ms. Fatima Aslam  Your thesis should be clear, and easy to find. Most often, it is the last sentence of the introduction. Sample Introduction: Body Paragraphs: A paragraph should have a logical structure that is easy to put into an outline: 4 Prepared By: Ms. Fatima Aslam  I. Topic Sentence II. Supporting Detail III. Supporting Detail IV. Supporting Detail V. Concluding Sentence Example: First of all, just getting to the theater presents difficulties. Leaving a home equipped with a T.V and a video recorder is not an attractive idea on a humid, cold or rainy night. Even if the weather cooperates, there is still a thirty-minute’ drive to the theater down a congested highway, followed by the hassle of looking for a parking space and then, there are the lines. After hooking yourself to the end of a human chain, you worry about whether there will be enough tickets, whether you will get seats together and whether many people will sneak into the line ahead of you. Reaching to the theatre is a tough journey in current circumstances. Topic Sentence: Introduction:  A topic sentence is often, but not always the first sentence of the paragraph.  It tells the main idea of the paragraph.  It also tells what author wants to tell.  It states the purpose and subject of the paragraph.  It summarizes what the entire paragraph is all about.  It introduces a paragraph. 5 Prepared By: Ms. Fatima Aslam Definition: A topic sentence is the sentence that tells the reader the main idea of the paragraph. A topic sentence is a statement that tells what your paragraph will be about. Examples:  Browsing in the library is a rewarding and enjoyable experience.  My trip to the zoo taught me a lot about animals.  Public transportation can be a great way to assist a community.  When I was a child, I lived in a house that had a strange atmosphere.  There is a canyon in Northern Arizona that is the most beautiful place on Earth.  My favorite item of clothing is a comfortable, worn pair of jeans that I have had for many years. Bad Examples:  I went to the Grand Canyon this winter and to Mexico in the spring of 1994.  My friend is nice.  I like my bedroom. Functions of a Topic Sentence:  Helps you stay focused on the topic of your paragraph (limited topic).  Helps readers to know what your paragraph will be about. (Presents your attitude, feeling, idea, opinion, or point of view about that limited topic.) Parts of a Topic Sentence: A topic sentence has two parts: 1. The first part is the topic which is the key word or phrase of the sentence (subject of sentence). 2. The second part is the direction or general word, which may be a conclusion, an opinion or a statement about the topic (controlling idea of the sentence). Functions of a Subject/Topic:  What you’re writing about 6 Prepared By: Ms. Fatima Aslam   Subject can be fairly broad. Examples:  Tooth decay  Eid  Spare travel  Roses  Healthy diet Controlling Idea: The controlling idea will limit the subject.  It expresses an opinion.  It also tells what you think about the topic.  It provides a focus by answering a question.  It may suggest a list. Examples:  Tooth decay is caused by three major factors.  Eid is my favourite festival due to many reasons.  Roses can be grown easily by following these steps.  A healthy diet includes fruits and vegetables. Do’s of a Topic Sentence:  It states the main idea.  It addresses one aspect of the paragraph.  It controls other sentences in the paragraph.  It limits the topic to one specific area (controlling idea).  It is a complete sentence with a subject, a verb and a controlling idea.  It is neither too general nor too specific.  It is generally the first sentence in the paragraph. 7 Prepared By: Ms. Fatima Aslam Don’ts of a Topic Sentence:  A topic sentence is not a simple fact. For Example: Thomas Edison invented the light bulb.  A topic sentence is not a question. For Example: Who invented the light bulb that we use today? Types of a Topic Sentence: There are two types of topic sentence: 1. Stated or Obvious 2. Implied 1. Stated/Obvious Topic Sentence: It is directly/ clearly stated in a paragraph. Example: Trees are very essential in our lives. The newspaper you read daily and the book you study were trees once. Your home, your furniture, your clothes come from trees. In addition, forests provide a wonderful place where you can hold picnics and have good times 2. Implied Topic Sentence: The topic sentence that is not directly stated in the paragraph. Example: Yellow is a bright cheery color; it is often associated with spring and hopefulness. Green, since it is a color that appears frequently in nature has come to suggest growth and rebirth. Blue, the color of the sky may suggest eternity or endless beauty. Red, the color of both blood and fire, is often connected with strong feelings such as courage or lust. Different colors may bring different meanings or symbolic representations. A topic sentence answers one of the following questions about the subject:  What  Where 8 Prepared By: Ms. Fatima Aslam   Why  How  Which TASK1 Write a topic sentence for each of the following topics.  Energy Crisis in Pakistan  Communication and Man  Youth and Drugs  Globalization TASK 2 Visit the given links to solve an online quiz. https://quizizz.com/admin/quiz/57f6e813d4f5f8db4504ed14/to pic-sentences https://www.proprofs.com/quizschool/story.php?title=njq2ndg5gff2 Supportive Details/Sentences:  Supportive details are the ways to convince the reader by the writer that the point is correct.  Support the topic sentence (explain or give proof of the idea contained in the topic sentence providing specific details and facts).  These may come after the topic sentence and make up the body of a paragraph.  Supportive details are often introduced by transition words like; firstly, moreover, while etc.  All supporting sentences should begin differently. Functions of Supportive Sentences:  They give details to develop and support the main idea of the paragraph.  Supportive sentences should bring variety in writing.  Supportive sentences should be coherent to show connectivity in the write-up. Different Forms of Supporting Details are:  Examples  Statistics 9 Prepared By: Ms. Fatima Aslam   Incidents  Quotations  Description (details)  Others (Any supportive points) Example: There are three reasons why Canada is one of the best countries in the world. First, Canada has an excellent health care system. All Canadians have access to medical services at a reasonable price. Second, Canada has a high standard of education. Students are taught by well-trained teachers and are encouraged to continue studying at university. Finally, Canada's cities are clean and efficiently managed. Canadian cities have many parks and lots of space for people to live. As a result, Canada is a desirable place to live. Supportive details can be:  Major: Often uses transitions like; Firstly, next, moreover etc.  Minor: Often uses transitions like; for example, for instance, on such case etc. Relationship between Main Idea and Supportive Details:  Main idea (General)  Major supportive details (specific) 10 Prepared By: Ms. Fatima Aslam   Minor supportive details (most specific) Example: First of all, just getting to the theater presents difficulties. Leaving a home equipped with a T.V and a video recorder in not an attractive idea on a humid, cold or rainy night. Even if the weather cooperates, there is still a thirty-minute’ drive to the theater down a congested highway, followed by the hassle of looking for a parking space and then, there are the lines. After hooking yourself to the end of a human chain, you worry about whether there will be enough tickets, whether you will get seats together and whether many people will sneak into the line ahead of you. Suggestion for Writing a Coherent Paragraph: All paragraphs should contain at least three supporting detail sentences.  Firstly, initially, in the beginning  Second, next, then  Last, finally, at the end Self-Assessment Write supportive details on any one the topic sentences, you wrote in your previous session (Topic sentence). Conclusion: The conclusion has three major parts: 1. Answer: the thesis statement, revisited 2. Summary: main points and highlights from the body paragraphs 3. Significance: the relevance and implications of the essay's findings A conclusion works to remind your reader of the main points of your paper and summarizes what you want your reader to “take away” from your discussion. Consider these tips when writing your conclusion:  Begin with your rephrased thesis statement to remind your reader of the point of your paper.  Summarize the points you made in your paper and show how they support your argument; tie all the pieces of your paper together. 11 Prepared By: Ms. Fatima Aslam   Tell your reader what the significance of your argument might be. Why is the discussion important? Do you want your reader to think differently, question something, or perform some action? Make a recommendation of what your reader should "do" with the information you just gave them, or share the importance of the topic. Sample Conclusion: References:  Technical Writing and Presentation Skills  Essay Writing and Academic Writing  Writing. Advanced by Ron White. Oxford Supplementary Skills. Third Impression 1992.ISBN 0194354073  College Writing Skills by John Langan. McGraw-Hill Higher Education. 2004.  Patterns of College Writing (4th edition) by Laurie G. Kirszner and Stephen R.MandelLSt.- Martin's Press  Oshima, A, Hogue, A. (2007). Introduction to Academic Writing, (3rd Ed). Copyright © 2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. 12 Prepared By: Ms. Fatima Aslam