Com 211 Expository Writing Test 1

Don’t just say details, show them through actions, dialogue, choices, and description. Factual details can be weaved into the piece.

What does it mean to show, don’t tell? How can this be done?

data, information, showing your work - support for the claims

What are details in expository writing?

true

T/F Details in expository writing is not about just adding adjectives and adverbs, but strong nouns and verbs

• Who is your audience? What will be of interest to them

• What is the purpose of your piece?

• What tone should you use?

• What are your constraints? Time, assignment requirements, length

What questions should be asked when analyze your writing situation

• Do you want primarily to inform, entertain, or persuade your readers? 

• What major points do you want to make? 

• What change, if any, do you want to bring about? 

• How do you want your readers to respond?

What are questions to ask about purpose?

• purpose

• tone

• authenticity

What three main situations need to be analyzed about a writing situation? What are the three elements of an effective persona?

What attitude am I projecting here? Is this the tone I want?

What question(s) should be asked about tone?

• When appropriate, research and document your findings

• Quote authoritative sources to support your assertions

• Respect your readers

• Acknowledge other points of view

• Avoid extreme claims

• Sound confident

What are ways a writer might create authenticity?

• Who are your readers?

• Why will they be reading what you write?

• What kind of evidence will interest them?

• How much do they already know about the topic?

• What additional information will they need or welcome?

• What questions will they want answered?

What questions should be asked to identify the audience?

choose the smallest scope you can

How should your topic be limited?

outline

free writing

word mapping

research

What are ways to plan out organization of a paper?

With a/an…

• illustrative example

• quotation

• anecdote

• description

• summary paragraph

What are the strategies to open a piece of writing?

• reasoning from evidence

• assertion and support

• definition

• cause and effect

• comparison and contrast

• classification

• narration

• choosing and combining patterns

What are common patterns of organization?

• It is clear

• It is economical

• It is free of spelling and grammatical errors

• It says something of consequence with vigor

What does good writing include?

• large scale (global) revision

  • Substantial changes are made

  • shift/narrow the focus of your writing, redirect your writing to better suit your audience, modify the central purpose of your writing, make substantial cuts, expand on some points, and reorganize your writing to change the emphasis

• small-scale (local)

  • changes that affect style, tone, and unity but usually not content

  • add examples, anecdotes, and more details, cut excess words and phrases to eliminate clutter, add graphics or illustrations as needed, consider whether you can find stronger verbs, improve transition, rearrange some words or phrases to improve style, and review and perhaps rewrite opening and closing paragraphs.

• editing

  • focuses on mistakes/omissions, not content or style

  • review any specifications, check for accuracy and inconsistencies, check for awkwardly repeated words, check for common errors, check spelling and run your spell checker, see if you could improve your document’s appearance, and proofread.

What is the difference between large scale revision vs. small scale vs. editing?

• They give a change to write for an immediate audience other than your instructor

• you get the chance to discuss your drafts with actual readers who respond to your work

• you get immediate feedback as you develop your work

• working with other writers can bolster your confidence. You’ll see firsthand that other writers also struggle and that most writers’ first drafts are less than excellent.

• You’ll get in the habit of working collaboratively, a skill you’ll find valuable in many situations

What are the benefits of working in groups to revise?

• review any specifications

• check for accuracy and inconsistencies

• check for awkwardly repeated words

• check for common errors

• check spelling and run your spell checker

• see if you could improve your document’s appearance

• proofread

What should be considered when editing?

• Don’t wait for inspiration. They write whether they feel like it or not

• Work on schedule

• Have trouble starting occasionally, but don’t panic and expect delays

• Gather material constantly

• Work best under a deadline. If necessary, they set their own.

• Seldom know exactly what they will write; they expect to discover new ideas and insights as they work.

• Plan before they write but keep plans flexible.

• Work with an audience in mind

• work slowly, but deliberately

• expect to write two-three drafts

• often procrastinate, but they usually know how long they can put off writing and still avoid disaster

How do professional writers write?

explanatory writing is writing that conveys information; exploratory writing is writing that deals with ideas

What is the difference between exploratory vs. explanatory writing?

Sprinters

• compose first draft rapidly, getting ideas down quickly and seldom hesitating about word choice.

• Most think of first draft as a discovery draft and plan to revise heavily on the next draft

Plodders

• write much more slowly, stopping frequently to reread and think about what they’ve written.

• They change words, delete, and move sentences around, and spend considerable time staring at their screen

• Doesn’t usually regard the first draft as the final, but feels that when it is done the hardest part of the job is probably over

Bleeders

• have to get everything right the first time.

• they cannot go on to another paragraph until they are completely satisfied with the one they’ve just written

• Don’t be a bleeder

What are the three different writing paces?

put people as the subject of sentences

use specific examples

What are good writing advice?

relative clause

• shows the reader which phrase hold the main idea (main clause)

• reduces word count

• determines the content of the sentence that follows

• relates info in the clause back to the noun it works on (an adj. functionally)

by replacing a noun or noun phrase with the relative pronouns — who, whom, which, and that

How is a relative clause constructed?

• Use “that” for restrictive info (required to make sense or set distinction)

• Use “which” for nonrestrictive clauses  (not necessary to make sense)

When should “which” or “that”?

a word that looks like a verb, but acts as an adjective. It modifies/describes a noun.

Most can be identified by -ing or -ed (some by -n or -en).

What is a participle?

it modifies an entire independent clause and always contains a noun, almost always contains a participle. It can be as short as two words: noun and participle

What is an absolute?

a noun or noun phrase that adds information to the noun. 

It adds details and clarifying info about the noun it modifies

What is an appositives

Nonrestrictive

• not required for the sentence to make sense, punctuated by commas, dashes, or colons

Restrictive

• required for sentence to make sense, do not have punctuation

Difference between nonrestrictive and nonrestrictive appositive?

• Relative clause: A type of dependent clause that modifies a noun and begins with relative pronouns like who, which, that, whose, whom.

• Participle: Verb forms used as adjectives (present participle: -ing, past participle: -ed/-en) to modify nouns or pronouns.

• Absolutes: A noun and participle combination that modifies an entire sentence, not just a single word; often provides background or context.

• Appositives: Noun or noun phrase that renames or identifies another noun, usually set off by commas.

• Prepositional phrases: Begin with a preposition (in, on, at, with, for, etc.) and include a noun or pronoun as the object and acts as adjectives (modifying nouns) or adverbs (modifying verbs/adjectives/adverbs).

• Infinitive phrases: Begin with to + base verb and function as nouns, adjectives, or adverbs. Can act as subject, object, or modifier in a sentence.

• Coordination: Connecting two or more equal grammatical elements (clauses, words, or phrases) using coordinating conjunctions: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so

• Subordination: Joining a dependent clause to an independent clause using subordinating conjunctions (because, although, if, when, etc.).

What is/are the difference(s) between:

• Relative clauses 

• Participles 

• Absolutes 

• Appositives 

• Prepositional Phrases 

• Infinitive Phrases 

• Coordination and Subordination 

• tell a story — anecdotal

• tell about an experience

• make it personal—authentic

What are ways to open a narrative?

uses story to make a larger point and convey a moral or idea

What is the purpose of a narrative?

• includes elements of story: introduction, setting, foreshadowing, plot, characters, action, climax, and conclusion.

• Chronology, but not always strict chronology

• Pace and tone is controlled

• Make sure verbs and subjects agree when switching from past to present tense.

How should a narrative be structured and organized?

• provides reasons and explanations for events, conditions, and behavior

• how one set of conditions (the cause) leads to another to another event (the effect).

• Can focus on effect(s) where it traces probable or possible effects that result from a certain cause or can focus on cause(s) where it examines one ore more effects and discusses the reasonable or known causes.

What is a cause and effect essay?

• introduction (1st paragraph)

  • hook/lead

  • connecting thoughts/context/definitions

• Causes and effects (paragraphs 2-4)

  • each in separate supporting paragraphs

• Conclusion

  • Restate thesis based on summary of evidence presented

  • may include suggestion/prediction

What is the structure of a cause and effect essay?

• summary and short overview of the main points of a text

• shows understanding of key ideas and how they’re used

• demonstrates that you understand the message

What is a summary and analysis essay?

quickly give an idea of the material

what is the purpose of a summary and analysis paper?

• 5 paragraphs

• intro, support, conclusion/analysis

  • Intro clearly state author and work being analyzed, the context of the topic, and ends with a statement that ends with a statement that lists the key idea(s) from the work

    Body states the main ideas and the supporting arguments given by the author, attribute, and keeps opinions out of the summary.

  • Supporting paragraphs start with a topic sentence, adds details, and use transitions between paragraphs or sentences

  • analysis should remain free of your direct opinion. Evaluate how well the author accomplished his/her goal. Describe weaknesses in their argument or compare to other works or positions.

• 2nd person or 3rd person

• ration is about 2/3 summary and 1/3 evaluation

What is the structure of a summary and analysis paper?

• analysis: break the subject up into parts and define each element individually

• etymology: research the roots

• classification: does it fit within a class of similar words or ideas?

• Comparison or contrast: define by showing how similar or different definitions are

• details: what are the characteristics of the word

• negation: explain what it isn’t to narrow down what it is

• origins and causes: what is the origin of the concept? what is the background info? What is its history?

• Enumeration: list concepts related to the word

• results, effects, and uses: describe the after-effects and uses of the term

What are ways to define a word in a definition essay?

Denotation: literal definition, dictionary definition

Connotation: suggest or implied meaning(s)

Denotative vs. connotative meaning?