LITERARY ESSAY

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From Paragraph to Essay: BOOK REVIEW

"From Paragraph to Essay: Developing Composition Writing"is a book written by Maurice L. Imhoof and Herman Hudson. In this book the authors present different ways of developing paragraphs with the purpose of helping readers to improve the writing of essays.

The book consists of several chapters; each chapter briefly develops a paragraph development style: by listing, by examples, by comparison, by contrast and finally by comparison and contrast. Every chapter is organized in the same way. First, you find an explanation of what the paragraph development style is about. Then, there are some characteristics of that kind of paragraph development and some techniques, as well as tips to write it correctly. Finally, after all those explanations, there is a sequence of exercises.

The expected audience of the book is advanced students. Clearly the authors communicate effectively to them as regard with the terminology. However, the fact that the book does not contain the key of the exercises given limits the audience to not being able to develop their knowledge or not being able to improve their writing without the help of a more knowledgeable person. I think this is an error of the authors because it is supposed that the audience is limited to advanced students but without the keys, the book is actually limited to students who read this book in a course where a teacher can support them.

The explanations and techniques presented throughout the book are clear and useful for those who need to improve their essays. Furthermore, the exercises give the students the opportunity to apply what they have read.  Nevertheless, I would not say that this book is an essential reading. There is a great deal of material that deals with the same topic.

In conclusion, I think the book has more strengths than weaknesses. I would highly recommend this book to work with students in a course or for a student who is supported by a tutor. I think the book really fulfills its function, It enhances writing.

From paragraph to essay

Book review

WHAT IS A BOOK REVIEW?

 A book review is a reaction paper. It focuses on purpose content and authority in which strengths and weaknesses of the material are analyzed. In a book review you look at what the author tried to do, you evaluate it and then you provide evidence to support that. 

HOW TO WRITE A BOOK REVIEW


 •Reading part:

                         -Read actively and critically 
                         -Underline and highlight passages
                         -Write notes in the margins 
                         -Make predictions 
                         -Ask questions 

Once you have finished the reading process you can start the writing process. 


 •Writing part: A book review has four parts: 

 1) INTRODUCTION: In your introduction you should include:

• The name of the author and the book title and the main theme.
• Relevant details about who the author is and where he/she stands in the genre or         field of inquiry.
• The context of the book and/or your review.
• The thesis of the book.
• Your thesis about the book.

 2) SUMMARY OF CONTENT: In this part of the book review you write in your own words what the book is about. It restates the main purpose of the author. 

TIPS: Avoid chapter by chapter summary. Avoid excessive quoting from the source. The length of the introduction must be between a quarter and a third of your paper. 

 3) ANALYSIS: This is a detailed evaluation of the thesis presented by the author. Your analysis and evaluation should be organized into paragraphs that deal with single aspects of your argument. In order to write the analysis you need to:

• be able to be objective.
• avoid excessive quotes.
• ask and answer questions of the text. For example:                                                        Who is the audience? Is the author communicating effectively to that audience?            Does the author assume that you as a reader have certain background or information?  Does the author have the necessary expertise to write this book? Is the author an expert in the field? Has the author written other works on the same topic? Does the book relate to other sources on the same topic? Does the author use appropriate terminology? Does the author present a clear thesis? What is the purpose and does the author fulfill that purpose? Does the author contribute anything new  to the field? Is this a fresh perspective? Are there any errors in the author’s logic? 
• Look at the sources that were used. 
• Look for the author’s preconceived notions or presuppositions. 

 4) CONCLUSION: Sum up or restate your thesis or make the final judgment regarding the book. This paragraph needs to balance the book’s strengths and weaknesses in order to unify your evaluation. 

 sources: [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_IWMoKJMRw 

(n.d.). Writing Center of University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Books review.

Five Paragraph Essay

Thesis Statements: Four Steps to a Great Essay

Source:
[60second Recap®]. [2014, Nov 4].Thesis Statements: Four Steps to a Great Essay
. [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9R0ivCaLtnY

FOUR STEPS TO FORMULATE A THESIS
STATEMENT:

1) Formulate a question which you will answer in your thesis statement answer
that question.

2) Refine your answer into a more focused thesis statement. 

3) Focused with examples: Before you finish refining your thesis, you
need to know which examples will help you make your case. Revise your
thesis again.

4) Ask yourself if you are really saying all you could be saying with
your thesis and if you are saying it in the clearest possible way.

Thesis Statements--How to Construct and Compose (A Review)

Source: [Heafner,Chris]. [2011,Ago. 24].Thesis Statements--How to Construct and Compose (A Review). [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfUkhdh8Z08

To compose a thesis statement you must have:

•A TOPIC: What your paper will deal with.

•YOUR CLAIM: What you think about the topic.

•REASONS THAT SUPPORT YOUR CLAIM: three points that will persuade your readers to believe your claim. You can list your reasons at the beginning or at the end of the thesis. But
also we can have two separate sentences where we list the thesis statement and
then we list the reasons in the next sentence.

How to Write an A+ Thesis Statement

 Source: [Nawal, Nader]. [2010, February 19].How to Write an A+ Thesis Statement . [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HePQWodWiQ

A thesis statement is the single specific claim that your essay supports. It includes a topic, a precise opinion and reasoning. 

PARTS OF A THESIS STATEMEN:

1) THE SUBJECT: The topic of your essay. It can not be broad.

2) THE PRECISE OPINION: Your opinion on the subject or the topic of your essay. You can do a little research to help you formulate your opinion.

3) THE BLUE PRINT OF REASONS TO BACK UP YOUR OPINION: This is where you show your reader how you plan to argue and prove your opinion. You should have three strong pieces of evidence to support your opinion. It is important to research evidence to support your opinion.  

The blue print is only effective if:
-I explain what I mean about each blue print in the body paragraphs.

-Provide detailed examples for each blue print point.

Parts of a Paragraph - English Academic Writing Introduction

Source:

[Maker Alex]. [2009, May 19). Parts of a paragraph- English Academic Writing

Introduction. [Video file]. Retrieved from

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCuExRE6N-4

PARTS OF PARAGRAPHS

 •TOPIC SENTENCE: It states what you are writing about, what is your subject. In order to write an effective topic sentence, you have to choose an interesting topic and give your opinion on it.

•BODY: This is the heart of your. This is where you get all the supporting details and arguments for your topic sentence. You can order the details in two ways: by order of importance and by chronology.

•CLOSING SENTENCE: It has two functions. The first one is to remind the audience what you are

writing about. The second one is to keep the audience thinking once they finish reading.

Examples of paragrapahs with their topic sentences:

 1-There are two broad theories concerning what triggers a human's inevitable decline to death. The first is the wear-and-tear hypothesis that suggests the body eventually succumbs to the environmental insults of life. The second is the notion that we have an internal clock which is genetically programmed to run down. Supporters of the wear-and-tear theory maintain that the very practice of breathing causes us to age because inhaled oxygen produces toxic by-products. Advocates of the internal clock theory believe that individual cells are told to stop dividing and thus eventually to die by, for example, hormones produced by the brain or by their own genes. (from Debra Blank, "The Eternal Quest" [edited]).

2-We commonly look on the discipline of war as vastly more rigid than any discipline necessary in time of peace, but this is an error. The strictest military discipline imaginable is still looser than that prevailing in the average assembly-line. The soldier, at worst, is still able to exercise the highest conceivable functions of freedom -- that is, he or she is permitted to steal and to kill. No discipline prevailing in peace gives him or her anything remotely resembling this. The soldier is, in war, in the position of a free adult; in peace he or she is almost always in the position of a child. In war all things are excused by success, even violations of discipline. In peace, speaking generally, success is inconceivable except as a function of discipline. (From H.L. Mencken, "Reflections on War" [edited]).

3- Although the interpretation of traffic signals may seem highly standardized, close observation reveals regionals variations across this country, distinguishing the East Coast from Central Canada and the West  as surely as dominant  dialects or political inclinations.  In Montreal, a flashing red traffic light instructs drivers to careen even more wildly through intersections heavily populated with pedestrians and oncoming vehicles. In startling contrast, an amber light in Calgary warns drivers to scream to a halt on the off chance that there might be a pedestrian within 500 meters who might consider crossing at some unspecified time within the current day. In my home town in New Brunswick, finally, traffic lights (along with painted lines and posted speed limits) do not apply to tractors, all terrain vehicles, or pickup trucks, which together account for most vehicles on the road. In fact, were any observant Canadian dropped from an alien space vessel at an unspecified intersection anywhere in this vast land, he or she could almost certainly orient him-or-herself according to the surrounding traffic patterns.

Speech acts

The theory of speech acts by J.L.

Austin

Speech acts are words that are actions; those actions include (but are

not limited to): ordering, promising, apologising, warning,

sentencing, christening, marrying, etc.

In this theory the author differentiates two separate parts of speech:

CONSTATIVES and PERFORMATIVES. On the one hand, constatives are sentences

that describe something as true or false. For example a sign that reads

"The Park closes at 6pm". On the other hand, performatives are

sentences that denote an action, they act upon the world. For example a trash

bin that reads "recycle", here the performative of recycle is

requesting people to put their trash into the proper receptacle.

Performatives depend on context and reception or "felicity

conditions" that are the rules under which performatives can be enacted. The

performatives should have proper authority; it should be understood, clear and

able to be executed in order to have the power to denote antion. Although the

performative fulfills those conditions, it does not mean that it is implicity

followed.

Advice on academic writing, University of Toronto

Advice on academic writing de micaelamosqueira