© 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. An Introduction to Writing: Part 3 English Brushup, 3E John Langan

© 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. English Brushup, 3E Introduction: Part 3 Structure of the Traditional Essay Parts of an essay: Introductory Introductory paragraph Body (supporting) Body (supporting) paragraphs Concluding Concluding paragraph

© 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. English Brushup, 3E Introduction: Part 3 Point and Support in an Essay Point and Support in an Essay essay thesis introductory paragraph support paragraphs that follow. In an essay, the thesis appears in the introductory paragraph, and the support appears in the paragraphs that follow.

© 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. English Brushup, 3E Introduction: Part 3 Introductory Paragraphs should attract interest; attract the reader’s interest; advanceadvance the thesis; and previewpreview the major points that will support the thesis.

© 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. English Brushup, 3E Introduction: Part 3 Common Methods of Introduction general statement 1: Begin with a general statement of your topic. idea or a situation opposite 2: Start with an idea or a situation that is the opposite of the one you will develop. incident or a brief story 3: Use an incident or a brief story. questions 4: Ask one or more questions.

© 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. English Brushup, 3E Introduction: Part 3 Body/ Supporting Paragraphs Body/ Supporting Paragraphs should begintopicsentence begin with a topic sentence that states the point to be detailed in that paragraph.

© 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. English Brushup, 3E Introduction: Part 3 Transitional Sentences Transitional, linking, sentences Transitional, or linking, sentences are used between paragraphs to help tie them smoothly together. Many of the other patrons are even more of a problem than the concession stand. Ex.: Many of the other patrons are even more of a problem than the concession stand. (Concession stand reminds us of the previous supporting paragraph, while Many of the other patrons introduces the point to be developed next.)

© 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. English Brushup, 3E Introduction: Part 3 Concluding Paragraphs briefly restate thesis supporting points, briefly restate the thesis and the main supporting points, and present concluding thought subject of the paper. present a concluding thought about the subject of the paper. The End

© 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. English Brushup, 3E Introduction: Part 3 Common Methods of Conclusion summary and a final thought. 1: Provide a summary and a final thought. prediction recommendation. 2: End with a prediction or recommendation.

© 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. English Brushup, 3E Introduction: Part 3 Some Tips on Writing with a Computer First and most important tip: If you don’t write using a computer,

© 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. English Brushup, 3E Introduction: Part 3 Some Tips on Writing with a Computer Save Save your work frequently. Keep backup disk. Keep a backup disk. Print Print out your work at the end of every session. Copy Copy your file before making major changes – you might want to go back to the original!