Theme vs. Topic It is important to know the difference between a work's theme and its topic, or what the work is about. A topic can usually be described in one or two words: "friendship" or "war." A theme, however, is usually expressed using a complete sentence, such as "friendship is more valuable than money," or "war can turn ordinary people into heroes.                    ● To find the theme, ask yourself: What big message about life is the writer trying to tell me? Sometimes the author will directly tell you the theme in the story.

● Often, you will need to infer the theme of a work. That means you have to use details from the text and your knowledge about life to figure out the message.            Consider the plot and conflict

A story's plot often focuses on a conflict, or problem, that is important to the theme. Ask yourself: What conflicts do the characters face? How are those conflicts resolved?                                                             Analyze the Characters

Often, a theme is revealed through the main characters' words and actions. Ask yourself: What important statements do the characters make? How do the characters change? What lessons do they learn?

Make Connections

Consider what you already know about human nature. Ask: How can my own experiences or understanding of people's emotions help.                                                      Details that help support theme

Remember, a theme must be based on the details, events, and characters in the text. To find support for a theme, you must go back to the text. Look for things that the characters say or ways in which they change. These details often contain ideas or messages that support the theme.

The theme of a work is the message about life that the writer wants to communicate. It is different from the topic, or what the work is about. A theme is the writer's message about the topic. It usually takes a complete sentence to express a theme. You can infer, or guess, the theme of a work by examining the title, considering the plot and conflict, analyzing the characters, and making connections to your own life. Often, themes are sup.

A misplaced modifier is a modifier that is positioned too far away from the word, phrase or clause it is intended to modify and, as a result, appears to be modifying something else.

A misplaced modifier can be fixed by moving it so that it is connected to the right subject

Wrong: The waiter presented a steak to the guest that was medium rare.

Correct: The waiter presented a medium-rare steak to the guest.

Correct: The waiter presented a steak that was medium rare to the guest.                                 Dangling

A dangling modifier occurs when the subject of a modifier is missing from the sentence.

Dangling modifiers often take the form of an introductory phrase followed by a clause that doesn’t state the intended subject.

● Wrong: Fumbling in her purse, the keys could not be found.

● Correct: in her purse, she could not find the keys.

● Correct: As she fumbled in her purse, the keys could not be

found.                                                                    Essay Structure

Many essays follow a FIVE PARAGRAPH structure. This is an easy format to remember, and it allows you to clearly state your ideas. Our essay will include:

Introduction/Thesis Paragraph Body 1

Body 2

Body 3

Conclusion Paragraph                                         Introduction Paragraph

Your introduction paragraph tells the reader what you are going to write about in your essay. The intro paragraph should tell the reader:

The topic Which side you are taking (Claim) An idea the REASONS you will give

Body Paragraphs

A basic body paragraph:

Tells ONE of your reasons

Cites evidence

Explains how that evidence shows your reason is true.                                                       Body Paragraph-Template

Reason: State a good reason why your thesis is correct. Evidence 1: Introduce your evidence with some context.

Evidence 2: Use facts, statistics, or expert opinions to support your claim. (This is where you quote or paraphrase.)

Commentary: Explain why your evidence is important. Conclusion: Wrap up by restating your reason in new words.                 Conclusion Paragraph

Your conclusion paragraph tells the reader what you just explained in your essay. The conclusion paragraph should:

Re-state which side you supported (claim)

Summarize your three reasons

End with a strong statement about WHY you are correct.                                        Argumentative                                             In argumentative writing an author will write about a topic that can be debated in attempt to persuade the reader to his or her point of view.

In order to be able to effectively write an argumentative response you need to be familiar with its key components.                   Argument

An attemot to persuade someone on a topic open to debate

Ex Is sharing and trading across cultures caused by globalization mostly good or mostly bad?

Claim

A statement of the author's point of view

Ex: Sharing and trading across cultures caused by globalization is mostly a good thing.

Evidence

Facts, details, examples that the author uses to support their claim

Ex: According to the article "Chinese Guest Teachers..."