Ms. Elouej's CLEAR Method Paragraph Writing Guide

CLEAR Paragraph Structure

CLEAR Method paragraph structure diagram

  • C (Claim): Topic sentence.

  • L (Lead-In): Contextual lead-in to evidence.

  • E (Evidence): Direct quote or paraphrase.

  • A (Analysis): Critical analysis of the evidence.

  • R (Return): Return to thesis or return to argument (if required/necessary).

Style and Formatting Requirements

  • Third-Person Point of View: Write strictly in 3rd person; do not use 1st person (I, we, us, our) or 2nd person (you, your, yourself).

  • Title Conventions:

    • Italicize (or underline if handwritten) book-length works, novels, plays, and albums (e.g., Lord of the Flies, A Wizard of Earthsea, The Taming of the Shrew, OK Computer).

    • Enclose poems and songs in quotation marks (e.g., "Dreams", "The Tourist").

  • Avoid Announcement Phrases: Do not call attention to the assignment or text mechanics (e.g., avoid "this quote…", "this evidence", "in Chapter x", "on pages x-x", "the assigned reading", "at the end of the novel"). Discuss specific story moments within a character's journey instead.

  • Clarify Pronoun Reference ("This"): Never leave "this" standalone or vague (such as "This shows…"); pair it with an explanatory noun (e.g., "This argument shows…", "This tense conversation shows…").

Quotation and Citation Rules

  • Lead-In Punctuation:

    • Comma (,): Use after dependent clauses or verbs such as says, thinks, explains, describes, laments, states, or remembers (consult the "How to Quote Like a Boss" guide).

    • Colon (:): Use after a complete independent clause.

    • No punctuation: Typically required when the lead-in concludes with connective words like that or how.

  • Parenthetical Citation Placement:

    • Follow guidelines from Ms. Elouej's Essay Bootcamp (slides 14 and 15).

    • Place terminal periods outside the closing parenthesis of the citation, not inside the quotation marks.

    • Internal question marks or exclamation points remain inside the quotes, followed by the citation and a closing period. Place ? or ! after the citation only if your own sentence asks the question or exclaims.

Forms and Proofreading Checklist

  • CLEAR Response Form Fields: Complete the "Assigned reading" box (with proper title and page/chapter numbers), "Subject /Thematic concern" box, and "Word count" box whenever applicable.

  • Eight Common Proofreading Errors to Eliminate:

    1. Proper nouns left uncapitalized.

    2. Common nouns randomly capitalized.

    3. Missing or misplaced apostrophes.

    4. General misspellings.

    5. Confusing colons (:) with semicolons (;).

    6. Comma splices.

    7. Extraneous spaces placed before periods and commas.

    8. Splitting "cannot" into two words ("can not").