General Essay ReviewI. Parts of Essay

A. Introduction1. Opening Remarks--Attention

Getter 2. Thesis (main idea)

B. Body1. Support of the essay2. This can be composed of

multiple paragraphsC. Conclusion

1. Concluding statement2. Closing Remarks--Attention

Getter

• Writing process• Know your assignment

(journalistic questions)• Prewrite• Observe your subject• Brainstorm, cluster, etc.• Divine TS, order of support• First draft• Revise• Proof/edit• Final draft

EXEMPLIFICATION ESSAYS

Exemplification• Use examples to prove a main point• Questions ask writer to “illustrate” or “provide examples”

Example: Discuss the worst job you ever had, including specific examples to support your essay.

Coherency• Logical order• Paragraphs: Weakest/least important point to strongest/most

important point• Within paragraphs: weakest example to strongest example

Essay Outline• Introduction—attention getter

and thesis• Body• Support Paragraph 1• Topic Sentence presenting first

main point• Provide specific example(s)

• Support Paragraph 2• Topic Sentence presenting

second main point• Provide specific example(s)

• Support Paragraph 3• Topic sentence presenting third

main point• Provide specific example(s)

• Conclusion• Reinforce main idea in thesis• Summarize body/restate topic

sentences• End on attention getter

Chapter 14A Sample Essay• Support Paragraph 1• Main point: Extreme sports are dangerous• Examples used: snowboarding & skateboarding falls; rock climbing,

bungee jumping, sky diving performed at high altitudes; bungee cord tangling

• Support Paragraph 2• Main point: Extreme sports are difficult• Examples used: surfing in wind/waves; bungee jumping using

difficult stunts; BMX racing requires control over vehicle on mud• Support Paragraph 3• Main point: Extreme sports require special equipment• Example used: surfers need surfboards (long or short), wax,

wetsuits

DESCRIPTIVE ESSAYS

Descriptive Essays—Purpose • To describe a person, situation, place, thing, animal, emotion, experience, etc.•Writers create a dominant impression in the reader’s mind• Painting a picture—show, don’t just tell

Creating an Image“I am tired.”

vs.

“As I lounge in my blue recliner, covered by my favorite Steelers' fleece blanket, my eyelids become heavy, and

the paperback in my hands appears fuzzy as I drift lightly to sleep.”

Types of Description• Appealing to the senses• Describe, without flourish,

what you see, taste, smell, hear, and touch• Details that create a more

literal image of what you are describing

Example: The woman had light brown hair and blue eyes and wore a green shirt.

• Conveying your attitude and feelings with sensory detail• Can involve using figures of

speech (non-literal, or figurative, images)• Simile, metaphor,

personification.

Example: The woman, with hair the color of hay and eyes that shown like sparkling blue sapphire, wore a shirt as green as the grassy fields of Ireland.

Objective Description Subjective Description

Focus on What Senses Perceive• Taste• Touch• Hearing• Smell• Sight

Prewriting for Description• Observe the subject•Write down associated nouns, etc.write words to describe the nouns• Example: subject = pizza• Cheese—bubbly, oozing mozzarella• Sauce—red, tangy, tomato-flavored, speckled with parsley• Crust—golden brown, crunchy, thin, thick• Pepperoni (and/or other toppings)—spicy, sparsely covering pizza or

blanketing the pizza• Hot—mouth-watering, steaming

Prewriting: Questions to Consider•What overall impression are you trying to make? • Essay needs a purpose•What additional information do you associate with the topic? • What are/were you thinking when around the subject? • What were you feeling?

Prewriting: Organize Essay’s Points• Spatial order• Follow clear path—top to bottom, left to right• Focus on a specific area• End on strongest detail• Most important sensory characteristic• Anecdote—see sample essay in 14C

OutliningI. Introduction

A. Attention GetterB. Thesis (identify the subject

and your emotion)II. Body

A. Describe first section (i.e., eyes, mouth, etc.)

B. Describe second section (i.e., hair, skin, etc.)

C. Describe third area or present anecdote (i.e., physical build, voice, etc.)

III. ConclusionA. Concluding statement

reiterate main ideaB. Review descriptive

pointsC. Attention getter

Writing Tips• Be concise and choosy• Language = relevant, descriptive• R E M E M B E R…

Don’t just tell…SHOW!•Words like “lovely,” “ugly,” “beautiful,” etc., are vague, non-descriptive• Give details to explain why something is beautiful, ugly, etc.

Journal--Descriptive Practice Think of a scene from a TV show or movie and imagine yourself as the writer for this scene. Describe…•the physical location

Where does this take place?What do you see here?

•the characters in the scene

•What are their names, job titles, and general background stories•What do they look like?

PROCESS ESSAYS

Process Purpose• Two types• Explanation• To show how something is done without expecting reader to perform

the process• Present tense• Task is repeated, runs in cycles

• Past tense• Task not repeated

• Instruction• To show how to do something• Write in commands• Present tense

Process Essay Introductions• Can start in various ways• Start with short story• Example:

• When I was planning the budget for my wedding, I had a limited amount of money to work with. I needed to reserve most of the money for the reception—mainly, food and decorations. Therefore, when it came to the music, I had a very small amount of money to spare—about $150. Most disc jockeys charged much more than this, so I found an alternative: downloading the songs I wanted from the Internet and putting them in order on my own playlist.

• Start with a question• Example:

• What is the best way to create one’s own playlist that includes various artists to entertain guests at a party? (follow with supporting sentences)

Thesis in Process Essay Introduction•Need a main point• How doing something is fun, easy, timesaving, money-saving,

etc.• How a process is complex and involves several key steps to be

carried out successfully• Example (after narrative)• From my experience in serving as my own wedding DJ, I learned that

downloading music and arranging a playlist was easy and inexpensive.

Support Paragraphs in Process Essay• Each support paragraph should have…• Topic Sentence introducing a step or group of related steps• Support • Reminders and warnings related to steps and/or why this step or

group of steps is important• Concluding statement

Support in Sample Essay (206)• Step(s) 1: Reserve a spot; get a helper• Step(s) 2: sort through items• Extra details about how to do this• Step(s) 3: price the items• Extra details about challenges and lessons learned from this• Step(s) 4: pack items• Extra details about how to do this• Step(s) 5: set up tables; change from bank; collect bags,

newspapers• Step(s) 6: go to flea market and set up• Extra details about setup• Step(s) 7: sell the items• Extra details and examples about past experience with this• Step(s) 8: count money; pack up; leave

Conclusion in Process Essay• Concluding statement• Restates main idea• Example:• On the day of my wedding, the music played, from the wedding

ceremony to the reception, carried a lot of meaning—and very little financial burden—for me because I knew it was a compilation of my creation.

• Closing remarks• Summary of steps• Attention-getting

Process Essay Tips• Keep steps in clear order• Remember to be consistent in…• Voice • Person• Verb tense• Instructions in present tense• Explanations can be past or present• Rarely use future tense b/c explaining what you did (past) or what

someone is doing as they follow along (present)

Transitions in Process Essays• Use transitions…• Between steps in paragraphs• Between body paragraphs• Incorporate in TS • Include words that incorporates previous paragraph with next

paragraph• Examples of words to use:• First, The next steps, The last step(s)• Page 205

In-class Response Descriptive Essay• You will describe a person or place or thing• Focus on physical attributes, distinctive qualities of voice• Focus on personality (display through an anecdote?)• Use subjective and objective description

• Thursday, June 24• 1 hour, 15 minutes (first half of class)• Break from 6:15-6:20• Peer review (narrative essay), discuss Chapt. 24 to finish class