Writing Vocabulary: Words to know when writing an essay

Fox – Writing Skills English I and IIA Thesis/claim A sentence with a subject and opinion (also called commentary). A thesis appears at the end of the introductory paragraph. Fox – Writing Skills English I and IIA

Fox – Writing Skills English I and IIA Detailed Paragraph A detailed paragraph is a body paragraph of an essay that follows a specific 10-sentence pattern of support and detail. A detailed paragraph is broken into “chunks.” Fox – Writing Skills English I and IIA

Fox – Writing Skills English I and IIA Topic Sentence The first sentence of a body paragraph. This must have a subject and an opinion (commentary) for the paragraph. It does the same thing for a body paragraph that the thesis does for the whole essay. Fox – Writing Skills English I and IIA

Fox – Writing Skills English I and IIA Concrete Details Specific details that form the backbone or core of your body paragraphs. Synonyms for concrete details include: quotes, text evidence, facts, specifics, support, proof, or plot references Fox – Writing Skills English I and IIA

Fox – Writing Skills English I and IIA Commentary Your opinion or comment about something; NOT concrete detail! Synonyms include: opinion, insight, analysis, interpretation, inference, personal response, evaluation, reflection. Fox – Writing Skills English I and IIA

Fox – Writing Skills English I and IIA Chunk One sentence of concrete detail and two sentences of commentary. It is the smallest unified group of thoughts that you can write. Fox – Writing Skills English I and IIA

Fox – Writing Skills English IIA Color-coded Chunks: In the following examples, the sentences are color-coded: Yellow = Topic Sentence Green = Concrete Detail Blue = Commentary (include 2) Fox – Writing Skills English IIA

Fox – Writing Skills English I and IIA Belle is a brave young girl. When the beast refuses to let her father go, she offers to take his place as the Beast’s prisoner. This action shows bravery because Belle only knows the beast to be harsh and vengeful, yet she still offers to stay in place of her father. Belle sacrifices her personal safety and comfort for that of her ailing father, showing her true courage. Fox – Writing Skills English I and IIA

Stofflet – Writing Skills English I and IIA Marlon is an overprotective father. He does not want Nemo to go to school or to swim in the open ocean. Because Marlon lost his wife, Nemo’s mom, to a predator fish, he tries to protect Nemo, his only surviving family, from harm. This frustrates Nemo, however, who feels he is ready to grow up and explore the ocean. Stofflet – Writing Skills English I and IIA

Stofflet – Writing Skills English I and IIA Lightning McQueen is not a likeable character at the start of the movie, CARS. McQueen arrives in Radiator Springs, or as he calls it, “hillbilly hell,” sullen and self-centered, thinking he is better than others because he is a race car. He sees no problem in criticizing the townsfolk and putting down their town. Lightning McQueen had never had true friends before and he did not know how to be a friend. Stofflet – Writing Skills English I and IIA

Fox – Writing Skills English I and IIA You Try: On the next slide you will attempt this writing strategy. Open your notebook to the writing section. On your paper, write down the provided Topic Sentences and Concrete Details. Then, write 2 sentences of commentary that EXPLAIN the concrete detail. Fox – Writing Skills English I and IIA

Fox – Writing Skills English I and IIA You Try: #1 TS: In “The Three Little Pigs,” the big, bad wolf is a cruel character. CD: Because he is hungry, the wolf tries to destroy the homes of the three little pigs so he can eat them. CM: Fox – Writing Skills English I and IIA

You Try: #1 – STUDENT SAMPLE TS: In “The Three Little Pigs,” the big, bad wolf is a cruel character. CD: Because he is hungry, the wolf tries to destroy the homes of the three little pigs so he can eat them. CM: To satisfy his hunger, the wolf tries to kill the helpless pigs. CM: The big bad wolf is a cruel antagonist who only thinks about himself. Fox – Writing Skills English I and IIA

Fox – Writing Skills English I and IIA You Try: #2 TS: The loneliest person on the ranch has to be Crooks, who suffers from extreme loneliness because he is black and he is living on a ranch and in the surrounding area which is very racist. CD: He is desperate for company and for someone to talk to, so when Lennie comes into his room he doesn’t care if Lennie is listening or not because according to Crooks “a guy goes nuts if he ain’t got nobody. Don’t matter no difference who the guy is, longs he with you. I tell ya a guy gets too lonely an he gets sick” (105). CM: Crooks is desperately in need of a friend to talk to and he is at the point where he is becoming emotionally sick. CM: Crooks suggests that having a guy to talk to will help develop championship, which will develop a sense of well-being. Fox – Writing Skills English I and IIA

Fox – Writing Skills English I and IIA You Try: #3 TS: Create a topic sentence based on the topic you wish to explore. CD: CM: Fox – Writing Skills English I and IIA

Essay Development Part I Spend the rest of today’s English period constructing your current writing assignment. Fox – Writing Skills English I and IIA