General essay instructions General essay instructions

What do good intros have?

Hook, brief background, basis

What does the IVF mean?

Information, verb, finish

what do strong paragraphs have?

Topic, sentence, claim, reasons/literal devices, signal phrase, example, analysis, transition, example, analysis, wrapup

What are topic sentences?

Many claims for paragraphs

What is signal phrase/context?

Lead with a brief summary of what is happening in the story just before the quote

Went to summary

Use when highlighting main ideas of a big piece

When to paraphrase

Referencing the smaller part of the piece

When to quote

When language is vivid or expressive

What is the analysis?

Should be the largest part of your paragraph

When to transition

Between each example or analysis

What do good conclusions have

Repeating your thesis, supporting points, food for thought

When to italicize things

Books, plays, novels, albums, newspapers, magazines, websites

When to use quotes

Chapter titles, song, titles, poems, article, titles, speeches, webpages