1. An Essay Writing Manual
How to Write an A+ Paper
An Essay Writing Manual

2. PART 1: MLA FORMATTING

3. Works Cited Page At the end of your essay on a SEPARATE page
Alphabetical order – with last name first
Works Cited title should be CENTERED – do not bold, italicize, capitalize, etc.
Should your citation be two or more lines, every line after the first line should be tabbed/indented
Different sources (articles, websites, books) all have different types of citation formats. If you are citing MORE than I am David, then please come see me for the format.

4. Format of a works cited
Last name of author, first name of author.
Title. Where it was published: publishing
company, date it was published. Print.

5. In-Text Citations In-text citations go INSIDE the body of your essay
It is better to OVERCITE than UNDER-CITE!!! Under-citation could lead to the teacher/professor accusing you of plagiarism
If it is not YOUR OWN THOUGHT, then you MUST use in-text citations. Even if you summarize the novel in your own words
The period goes OUTSIDE of the in-text citation
In MLA format, an in-text citation goes in brackets.

6. Format of an in-text citation
(AuthorSurname PageNumber).

7. Format of an essay
Your format MUST follow the MLA format. Write in Times New Romans with 1” margins all around (2.54 in Word)
Every page should have a page number at the top right hand corner with your last name

8. 1 inch margins
LastName Page
Your Name
Teacher’s Name
Class
Date that essay is due
Title – centered, Times New Romans, DO NOT BOLD
1 inch margins
1 inch margins

9. Short and Long Quotations
Quotes that are less than three lines can be included in your paper directly
These lines must be enclosed in quotation marks followed by your in-text citation
Quotes that are longer than four lines are introduced with a colon
The quotes are started on a new line.
Do not include quotation marks
These quotes must be indented 1” from the left.
Reference the source as you would for a shorter quote.

10. Introduced with a colon
Indent the entire quote
No quotation marks
Cite at end of the quote BEFORE the period

11. Adding or omitting words
If adding or replacing words in a quote to clarify what you are trying to say, using brackets ( ) to indicate that those words are not in the original quote
If omitting words, then use “ … “
Examples?

12. If you have any specific questions about MLA, go on Purdue Owl’s website for details:

13. PART 2: THESIS, INTRODUCTION, CONCLUSION

14. Thesis
What is a thesis?
Your thesis is the most important part of your essay
A thesis is a statement that summarizes all of your arguments into one sentence
It is your main point that you want the reader to understand
All of your arguments MUST relate back to your thesis

15. Thesis
DO NOT list your arguments in your thesis. Instead, look at all three of your arguments, and ask yourself, “What is similar or different about these arguments?”
Then you are going to create ONE STATEMENT that shows this.

16. Let’s Practice
Here are three arguments regarding junk food. Create a thesis statement using these three arguments.
a) Reduced levels of concentration during class time is a result from eating junk food.
b) Moodiness is another result of regular consumption of junk food which highly affects students’ relationship.
c) The characteristics of junk food causes a spoke in energy levels, luring one to continuously eat junk food which makes it more harmful. This eating pattern is likely to cause aggravated energy levels which affects academic achievement.

17. Introduction
What are the three parts to the introduction?

18. Introduction What are the three parts to the introduction?
Introductory Sentence
Summary of Arguments
Thesis Statement

19. Introduction Part 1. Introductory Sentence
An introductory sentence in the introduction does not have to keep to one sentence. However, do not exceed more than three sentences, otherwise your introduction will be too long (for the number of pages you were assigned)
Don’t make your statement TOO GENERAL – example. “at the beginning of time…”
Don’t make your statement TOO SPECIFIC – otherwise, this can seem like a thesis statement
Relate it to the topic you were given

20. Introduction
Using the arguments and thesis above in your “LETS PRACTICE” section, create a general statement.

21. Introduction Part 2. Summary of Arguments
For this section, summarize your arguments very briefly – in about 3-5 sentences
Don’t just “list” them. Make sure you are transitioning between your ideas

22. Conclusion Order of the conclusion: Thesis statement
Summary of arguments
Concluding sentence(s)/Call to action
However, everything must be REWORDED. DO not copy and paste from your introduction.

23. Conclusion Part 3. Concluding sentence(s)/Call to action
This should not be related to something that is off-topic
You do not direct the audience for this section

24. Conclusion For example…
If you are speaking about David and his change in character, you do not “command” the audience: “We need to change our character as David went through many changes” or “We need to donate money and help those that are less fortunate than us.”
If you cannot find a call to action, then instead, end with a concluding or general statement.

25. PART 3: THE BODY

26. The body of your essay consists of ARGUMENTS
The arguments should be structured like a PARAGRAPH is structured
Each of your arguments should THREE parts:
Topic Sentence
Supporting Details
Concluding Statement

27. The Triangle Model

28. The THREE parts to a Body
A topic sentence tells the reader what you will be discussing in the paragraph. It is the main idea of the paragraph.

29. The THREE parts to a Body
Example:
I went to the zoo over the summer holidays and saw many animals, but my favourite was the lion. The lion was my favourite because it is the coolest animal. The lion is considered the king of the jungle and for good reason. They are powerful hunters and can kill any animal with a swipe of its claw. Because of these reasons, the lion has become my favourite animal.

30. Supporting Details are any evidence, analysis, examples, statistics, facts, quotes, opinions that support your topic sentence and provide a deeper level of detail than your topic sentence.

31. Example.
I went to the zoo over the summer holidays and saw many animals, but my favourite was the lion. The lion was my favourite because it is the coolest animal. The lion is considered the king of the jungle and for good reason. They are powerful hunters and can kill any animal with a swipe of its claw. Because of these reasons, the lion has become my favourite animal.

32. Concluding sentence
Also called the wrap-up sentence. This connects your reasoning and your topic sentence, and it shows how your information is related. You can do this by either summarizing what you have just said or repeating words/phrases from your topic sentence.

33. Example.
I went to the zoo over the summer holidays and saw many animals, but my favourite was the lion. The lion was my favourite because it is the coolest animal. The lion is considered the king of the jungle and for good reason. They are powerful hunters and can kill any animal with a swipe of its claw. Because of these reasons, the lion has become my favourite animal.

34. Tips 1) Be clear, concise, and organized
Each argument/paragraph should limit the discussion to ONE general idea.
This will allow for your ideas to be concise and clear throughout the essay.
Conciseness creates your reader to be able to understand what you are trying to say.

35. Tips 2) Support your claim
Each of your topic sentences should support your thesis statement.
Ask yourself: do my arguments relate back to my thesis? Does my supporting evidence support my topic sentence?

36. Let’s Practice Thesis statement: Uniforms are beneficial for students.
1) Uniforms promote social equality in students.
2) Uniforms help student academically as they are not concerned with their appearances.
3) Uniforms are clothes that some private schools make students wear.
Which one does not support the thesis statement?

37. Tips Transitioning between ideas
You need clear transition between the introduction, body, and conclusion and in between arguments and ideas as well.
Transitions are what hold the essay together. Without logical progression of thought, the reader can get confused and the reader is unable to follow the arguments

38. Tips
Transitions should continue the idea from the previous section and connect the idea that is follow in the next section
You can do this with transition words:
Examples?

39. Tips
4) Connect Ideas
Use a warrant (which is also referred to as a bridge to explain and connect why and ho the data supports your claim.
A warrant is an explanation of why or how the data supports the claim; it connects your data to your claim.

40. Tips
If you present data to your audience without explaining how it supports your thesis, your readers may not make a connection between the two or they may draw different conclusions.
A note: not all supporting details need a warrant. If you do not include a warrant, you may simply transition the idea to the next detail with a transition word/phrase.

41. Tips
Example.
Argument Topic Sentence: Hybrid cars are an effective way to fight pollution due to the long lifespan of a car.
Supporting evidence/details: Each vehicle produced is estimated to stay on the road for at least 12 to 15 years.
Warrant: Because cars generally have a long lifespan, the decision to switch to a hybrid car will make a long-term impact on pollution levels, especially if the majority of the population switches to a hybrid car.

42. Tips
Topic Sentence: Although God has the power to control everything, he has provided all humans will free will as a gift which can be seen through the story of Creation.
Supporting Details: A Biblical example of how humans have free will is in Genesis 1:26-27: “Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’ So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”
Warrant: This quote demonstrates that because we are created in the image of God, we resemble God. Thus, we are able to display qualities such as love and justice, and like the Creator, free will.

43. Tips
Always connect a quote or fact with an explanation of how it relates to your topic sentence!

44. Some overall tips:
Do not address your audience directly. No “you”, “we”, “our”, “your”  instead, use “an individual” or “one”
Do not “command” your audience  “You should be more like Superman” or “Think about this”
Make sure you are proofreading – grammar, punctuation, spelling, TENSES!
Do not address “all of humanity” or “humankind” – be more specific
Use formal language “guy, “like”, “yeah”, “so” etc. are not appropriate. No slang. No abbreviations.
Do not use “I”  the only time you can use “I” is perhaps when writing your thesis – “I will be discussing…” Another good option is to write “This paper will discuss…”