NOTES FOR MONDAY, 09/25

REVISING AND EDITING CAUSE & EFFECT ESSAY

I. RevisingA. making changes in content and structureB. ask yourself these questions and truthfully answer them to make the necessary changes

1. Will my readers find my subject matter interesting?2. Will my readers be convinced by my analysis?3. Have I organized my cause-effect analysis logically?4. Have I included all the essential material?5. Have I maintained a consistent viewpoint and tone?6. Is the point of the essay clear?7. Is everything in the essay pointed toward the main idea?(Hudson 211)

C. above all, the thesis statement must be explicit1. allows for guidance while writing and researching your essay2. both the reader and writer will be able to grasp the material when the thesis statement is

understandable

(Hudson 211)II. Editing

A. the LAST stepB. minor changes can be made to structure and contentC. main focus is fine tuning word choice and grammar, spelling, and mechanical errorsD. grammar focus: pronouns

1. referring to people causing changes and those affected by those causes will sometimes result is pronoun errors.

2. review choosing the correct pronouns

(Hudson 401)

NOTES FOR Wednesday, 09/27

I. Transition wordsA. phrases or words that signal the relationship between/among ideasB. used to relate ideas within sentences, between sentences, & between paragraphsC. transition words and phrase should be used according to their functions (page 192 & 193, Models for Writers)D. other ways to make transitions

1. repeat key words & ideas—signals how the paper is moving forward2. use pronoun references—avoids monotonous repetition

II. Diction A. diction—writer’s choice of wordsB. should be precise & exactC. diction should be appropriate for the writer’s subject, purpose, & audienceD. inaccurate, imprecise, or inappropriate diction will cause confusion & misunderstandingE. connotation vs denotation

1. denotation—the dictionary definition of a word2. connotation—the associations and/or emotions attached to a work

a. home vs houseb. crown vs mobc. fragrance vs odor

F. abstract vs concrete words1. abstract—things no one can see, touch, or hear2. examples: love, wisdom, freedom3. concrete—things we can see, touch, or hear4. examples—chair, tree, ocean, pancake5. a balance of concrete & abstract will allow for convincing and interesting writing

G. general vs specific1. general—brings to mind assorted & mixed ideas about things 2. specific—clearly defined and specified3. a balance between general & specific allows for more convincing writing & for focus & direction

H. Clichés 1. don’t use overused words, phrases, or expressions2. examples: in the nick of time, as old as the hills, haste makes waste, etc.3. find a different way to freshen up the “idea” of the cliché 4. example: believe it or not could become you can decide for yourself

I. Jargon1. technical language, specialized vocabulary for a trade or profession2. jargon is used when the audience is aware of those terms3. for a general audience, jargon should be used carefully and with definitions and/or explanations of terminology 4. do not overuse jargon, out of context, or in an exclusionary manner

J. formal vs informal1. informal diction

a. used for friendly emails, writing w/colloquial language, etc.b. characterized with slang and contractionsc. refers to the reader at times

2. formal dictiona. used for academic writingb. impersonal and abstractc. does not use contractions

III. ToneA. the attitude the writer takes toward the subject & audienceB. “tone of voice” should be evident in our writingC. example

From: The School by Donald Barthelme.

And the trees all died. They were orange trees. I don’t know why they died, they just died. Something wrong with the soil possibly or maybe the stuff we got from the nursery wasn’t the best. We complained about it. So we’ve got thirty kids there, each kid had his or her own little tree to plant and we’ve got these thirty dead trees. All these kids looking at these little brown sticks, it was depressing.

IV. Figurative LanguageA. language used in a non-literal senseB. used to develop ideas & clarify meaningB. common figures of speech

1. similes-using “like” or “as” when comparing two things that are dissimilar

Example:“My heart is like an apple-treeMy heart it like a rainbow shell...”(from “A Birthday” Christina Rossetti)

2. metaphors—compare dissimilar items without using “like” or “as”

Example:Presentiment-is that long shadow-on the lawn-Indicative that Suns go down-The notice to the startled GrassThe Darkness-is about to pass-(Emily Dickinson)

3. personification—assigning human qualities to nonhuman things

example: “Hadn’t she felt it in every touch of sunshine, as its golden

finger-tips pressed her lids open and wound their way through her hair?” (“The Mother’s Recompense” Edith Wharton)

4. hyperbole—extreme exaggeration Example:I’ll love you, dear, I’ll love youTill China and Africa meet, (from “As I Walked Out One Evening” W.H. Auden)

5. understatement—intentionally making a situation less important than it isExample: Houston has recently received more rain than usual. (after Hurricane Harvey)

6. puns—a manipulation of words that have more than one meaning, usually intended for a humorous effectExamples: A chicken farmer's favorite car is a coupe.

A dog gave birth to puppies near the road and was cited for littering.

7. irony—when words are used so that their intentional meaning is different from their actual meaningExamples: I posted a video on YouTube about how boring and useless YouTube is.The name of Britain’s biggest dog was “Tiny.”

8. satire—used to criticize the foolishness and/or corruption of person, country, or aspect of society