Post on 23-Dec-2015
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Write down thoughts and ideas whenever and wherever they occur
Getting started: The paper topic
Read the assignment and make sure your paper addresses it
Find your focus Ask questions to guide you to form a
tentative thesis Write down preliminary answers, but don’t
hold to them if your evidence proves otherwise
Turn your ideas and thoughts into notes
Sort them out and begin to organize
Come up with an interesting title that captures your theme -- NOT “History Paper”
WRITE!
When to write an introduction To organize thoughts Start writing something Perhaps write last, but in any case revise
DO WHAT WORKS FOR YOU
Put it aside for a day or two, then read it aloud
Begin revision
Imagine you are the reader, not the writer
Make sure your ideas are supported by evidence
Editing
First, backup your work
Ask yourself:
is this readable?
persuasive?
supported by facts and evidence?
Cross out excess words - concise andclear is ALWAYS better
Rewrite unclear sentencesCorrect anything that bothers you -
this might be some fact you really likebut that doesn’t work in the paper
Get rid of repetitions and redundancyof words or ideas
Edit for spelling, punctuation, grammar and typos
Make sure you use the ACTIVE voiceand forceful verbs as often as possible
Make sure you have used a consistentcitation style for footnotes
Use Chicago Manual of Style footnotes
Examples:First citation from a book:Jane Doe, A Brief History of the World
(Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2005), p. 1586.
Second citation:Doe, Brief History, p. 2431.
From an article:John Doe, “The Significance of Lentils in the Agricultural Revolution,” Journal of Medieval and Early
Modern Studies 26 (2003), p. 65.Second:Doe, “Significance,” p. 72.From the web:http://whatever.whateverWHEN TO CITE MATERIAL:Exact quotations or paraphrasesOriginal ideas
Make what you think will be the
final copy
THEN PROOFREAD IT AGAIN
and make final revisions
The IntroductionStart out with a quotation that captures
the theme of the paperor an anecdote or vignette from your
sources that makes the reader wantmore
The introductory paragraph will set thetone for the entire paper
Writing your introductionCapture reader’s attention
Do NOT tell the reader what you are going to do - just start doing it
Do not use “I” unless you cannot avoid it
Present some background facts about the subject of the paper
It’s acceptable to ask some questions you hope to answer
State thesis clearly
An introductory paragraph should be roughly 2/3 of a page in length
How not to start BAD:
“The environment that surrounds a person from an early age tends to be a major factor in determining their character.”
“This essay will study the satire of Monty Python.”
DUH! Do NOT use conjunctions in formal papers
Paragraphs:A good paragraph has
UnityOrganizationCoherence
Begin with a strong topic sentence that covers the theme and evidence of the paragraph
Conclusions
Do not restate the introductionA good conclusion rounds out the paper, beginning with a few summary remarksThen it goes further - with an inference
or an idea or statement that enriches what you’ve already said
Some possible ways to conclude:
End with a quotation that amplifies your thesis or something stated in the introductionEnd with an idea or detail from the introduction and bring it full circleEnd with an allusion, putting topic in a larger framework
THE GOAL: Round out your paper
Revising for Conciseness
Extra words and empty words
Eliminate extra words as well as vague or empty words or phrases
EXAMPLE:
Wordy:
“The economic situation of Miss Moody was also a crucial factor in the formation of her character.”
Concise (and stronger):
“Anne Moody’s poverty formed her character.”
PRACTICE: Print out an old essay and cross out every word that doesn’t add anything
Reword the following
The use of setting is also a major factor in conveying a terrifying type atmosphere.
It creates a better motivation of learning when students can design their own programs involving education. This way students’ interests can be focused on.
Weak Intensifiers and Qualifiers
At that time I was [very] idealistic.
We found the proposal [quite] plausible.
The remark, although unkind, was [entirely] accurate
It was a [rather] fatuous statement.
The scene was [extremely] typical.
The death scene is [truly] grotesque.
Etc.
CircumlocutionsI came to the realization that
She is of the opinion that
The question is supportive of
Concerning the matter of
During the course of
For the period of a week
In the event that
Regardless of the fact that
For the simple reason that
If the case was such that
At that point in time
Wordy Beginnings
Reword:
“By analyzing carefully the last lines in this stanza, you find the connections between the loose ends of the poem.”
[Better: “The last lines of the stanza tie the poem together.”]
“What the cartoonist is illustrating and trying to get across is the greed of the oil producers.”
[Better: “The cartoon illustrates the greed of the oil producers.”]
Empty Conclusions That Say Nothing
“’Those Winter Sundays’ is composed so that the reader can feel what the poet was saying.”
Being the first in my family to go to college was quite a learning experience.”
Wordy uses of “to be,” “to have” and “to
make” “The rising price of oil is reflective of the spiraling cost of all goods.”
[“The rising price of oil reflects the spiraling costs of all goods.”]
“The stanzas make a vivid contrast between Heaven and Hell.”[“The stanzas vividly contrast Heaven and Hell.”]
“The friar has knowledge that Juliet is alive.”[“The friar knows Juliet is alive.”]
Instead of Use
Is taking TakesAre indications IndicateAre suggestive SuggestHas drunk DrankIs eating Eats
NOW - Can you think of even stronger verbs to use in some of these cases?
Examples: “Drank” - compare different Meanings of
guzzledimbibedconsumedsippedthrew backgulped
Each implies something different about your subject
Redundancy
Unnecessary repetition in expression of ideas
Example: “I have no justification with which to excuse myself.”
[“I have no excuse.”]
Get rid of words in the following phrases:
Throughout the entire article
A conservative type suit
His own personal opinion
Elements common to both of them
Emotions and feelings
Shared together
Falsely padded expense accounts
Negative Constructions
“After reading the second paragraph you aren’t left with an immediate reaction as to how the story will end.”
“Housing for married students is not unworthy* of consideration.”
*The second sentence can work under certain circumstances -- say it out loud and you will see why.
Use of subordination
WORDY:
“The Book of Ruth was probably written in the fifth century BC. It was a time when women were considered the property of men.”
CONCISE:
“The Book of Ruth was probably written in
the fifth century BC, when women were considered the property of men.”
WORDY:“The first group was the largest. This group was seated in the center of the dining hall.”
CONCISE:“The first group, the largest, was seated in the center of the dining hall.”
Revising for Clarity
“Good writing is clear, not because it presents simple ideas, but because it presents ideas in the simplest form the subject permits. A clear analysis doesn’t falsely reduce a complex problem to a simple one; it breaks down into its simple, comprehensible parts and discusses them, one by one, in a logical order.”
General RulesUse the simplest, most exact, most specific language your subject allows.Put together what belongs together, in the essay, in the paragraph, and in the sentence.Keep your reader in mind, particularly when you revise.
Using the Right Word
Use the word with the right denotation (explicit meaning) Look at examples: Friend, boyfriend, young man, lover Dine, eat Underdeveloped nations, developing
nations, emerging nations Upbringing, conditioning, brainwashing Emigrate, defect, seek asylum Intelligence gathering, espionage, spying
Be specific VAGUE:“The clown’s part in Othello is very small.”
SPECIFIC:
“The clown appears in only two scenes in O.”
“The clown in O. speaks only thirty lines.”
Passive vs. Active Voice
Passive:
The student was kicked by Professor X.
Active:
Professor X kicked the student.
Last but not least…
Don’t use slang or colloquialisms
Vary sentence structure
***Give appropriate and interesting quotations as evidence -- it is your proof
Make sure paragraphs are neither too short or too long
NEVER hand in a first draft - we know ;)
Quotations
Use ample quotations from primary sources -- they provide evidence to prove your argument.
Grammar
Who, whom
That, which
Commas
Semicolons
What makes up a sentence?