1. Writing Good Essays (looking at your writing through someone else’s eyes)

2. When you write something, do you ever stop to think about how other people will look at it?

3. Good essay writing is:

7. Which room is more interesting? This one? Or this one?

8. When you use the same old vocabulary again and again, your writing is kind of like this bedroom …… Why not use a variety of vocabulary to make it more colorful?

9. Your fingerprints are unique Your irises are unique

11. When you go to a restaurant …. Q: What will you do if the waitress brings you the wrong order? Are you going to eat it, or are you going to send it back to get what you really wanted?

12. “Enjoy your fish.” “Fish? I ordered PIZZA! I want PIZZA!”

13. Q: When you go to the tailor or a shop to pick up your wedding dress, how will you feel if they give you this?

14. Q: When you go the salon to get your hair done for a party or special occasion, how will you feel if they style your hair like this?

15. Of course, you expect to get exactly what you asked for. Anything less is unacceptable! You would surely agree that following directions and doing things correctly is important. Teachers, just like you, should receive exactly what they ask you for on your assignments.

17. You’re still hungry? Have some coffee ….

18. Q: When you buy perfume, how will you feel when you open the box and find this? Or this?

19. When you go to a restaurant, you expect a complete dinner. When you buy perfume, you expect a full bottle. Teachers, like you, want the complete package. When you write an essay, give lots of details and examples.

21. “I’m a mechanic ….. so I look for certain things in certain places.”

22. “If I want to check the engine, I don’t look inside of the car!”

23. “If I want to check the oil, I don’t look at the tires!”

24. “ I’m a doctor, and when I check someone’s blood pressure … I don’t look at his feet!”

25. Doctors, like mechanics, look for certain things in certain places “I look for the heart in the chest, not on top of the head!”

26. So do teachers … “I’m looking for an introduction with a main idea in it.”

27. “To find the details, I look at the body paragraphs.”

28. “When I look at a conclusion, I expect to find a restatement of the main idea.”

30. The “canned essay” …… ??? ESSAY

31. 1-2 general sentences specific main idea topic sentence detail sentences restatement of main idea 1-2 general closing comments Introduction Body Conclusion topic sentence detail sentences Body

33. it has simple sentences it has compound sentences it has complex sentences

34. My name is Mariam. I live in Al Ain. I have a big family. We live in Zakher. My major is Business. I enjoy shopping.

35. My name is Mariam, and I live in Al Ain. Because I have a big family, we have a large villa in Zakher. I want to have my own company, so my major is Business. On the weekends, I spend time with my family. In addition, I enjoy shopping with friends.

42. Is your handwriting messy ?

44. Is your handwriting so tiny that no one can read it? (so tiny that no one can read it?) Do people need special equipment to read your handwriting? !

45. Remember! Like you, teachers like to look at attractive things.

47. sloppy appearance = (often) sloppy content effort with appearance = (often) effort with content

49. Common Writing Problems

50. Problem: Are your sentences like spaghetti (too long and stringy?)

51. On the weekend I like to spend time with my family, and we go to the desert or sometimes I go with my friend Mariam to the shopping mall because it’s fun there, and my favorite mall is Dubai Mall because it has a huge cinema, aquarium, Burj Khalifa and lots of other stores.

52. Solution: add some punctuation On the weekend I like to spend time with my family, and we go to the desert. Sometimes I go with my friend Mariam to the shopping mall because it’s fun there. My favorite mall is Dubai Mall because it has a huge cinema, aquarium, Burj Khalifa and lots of other stores.

53. Problem: Are your sentences like chopped onions (too short?)

54. My name is Noof. I’m from Sharjah. I have 10 brothers and sisters. We have a big villa. I like computers. My major is I.T.

55. Solution: combine some of your sentences My name is Noof, and I’m from Sharjah. I have 10 brothers and sisters, so we have a big villa. Because I like computers, my major is I.T.

56. Problem: Are your sentences too “salty” (because you repeat the same vocabulary?)

57. I like to go to Al Ain Mall because it’s near my home. My favorite restaurant is Hatim because I like the food there. I shop at Paris Gallery because it has all my favorite perfumes. I also like to go there because of the games area and the cinema has good movies.

58. Solution: use synonyms I like to go to Al Ain Mall because it’s near my home. My favorite restaurant is Hatim since I like the food there. I shop at Paris Gallery as it has all my favorite perfumes. Another reason I like to go there is for the games area, and the cinema has good movies.

59. Problem: Are your sentences like cars that have crashed into each other (without periods at the end?)

60. Samira’s schedule is busy, first she wakes up at 6:30 and eats breakfast, then she goes to the university, after that she has English class at 8:00, next she takes Math at 10:00, then from 12:00 to 1:00 she has a break. (1 full stop)

61. Solution: add some punctuation Samira’s schedule is busy. First she wakes up at 6:30 and eats breakfast, and then she goes to the university. After she has English class at 8:00, she goes to Math at 10:00. Then, from 12:00 to 1:00 she has a break. (4 full stops.)

62. Problem: Are your paragraphs empty like a desert (with too few details?)

63. My bedroom is my favorite room. It is pink and. It’s quiet. I like to sit in there with my sister. I can do what I want there.

64. Solution: add details My bedroom is my favorite room. The walls are pink, and the carpet is white. My bed has a pink cover with lots of white pillows. The curtains are also pink. There’s a large window, so I can see our garden. Some family pictures are on the walls. Beside my bed there’s a table with a lamp. Also, I have a desk and large wardrobe. This room is quiet, so I can study or read there. My sister likes to sit with me in my bedroom, and we can do what we want.

65. Now your desert is a garden!