Ccontents: 1.The Writing Process 2.The First and Second Steps
in Writing
3.The Third Step in Writing
4.The Fourth Step in Writing
5.Four Bases for Revising Writing 6.Paragraph Development
Explaining
Cause and Effect
What
caused Pat to drop out of school? Why are soap operas so
popular? Why does our football team do so poorly each year?
How had retirement affected Dad? What effects does divorce
have on children? Every day we ask such questions and look
for answers. We realize that situations have causes and also
effects-good or bad. By examining causes and effects, we
seek to understand and explain things.
Cause
Paragraph Example:
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Topic Sentence
Going Nowhere
My decision to
return to school was motivated by my desire to better
myself. After working for minimum wage for two years,
I realized that without a degree, I couldn't earn enough
money to support myself, let alone support a family. My
salary barely covered my living expenses, with nothing left
over for emergencies, extras, or savings. Without a degree,
I had no hope of getting a promotion or a raise. My job and
my life were going nowhere, and I was beginning to feel like
a loser, I needed to make a change, to do something to turn
my life around and have a brighter future. When I found out
I could take classes part-time and still keep my job, I
decided that going back to school was the perfect solution.
It would allow me to work towards a degree while supporting
myself.
Effect Paragraph Example:
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Topic Sentence
Poor but Proud
My decision to
return to school has had a big impact on my life.
First, because of the added expense of books and tuition, I
have even less spending money than I did before I came back
to school. This has meant that I've had to postpone making
big purchases such as replacing the dishwasher when it
broke, and I've had to cut back on small expenses such as
going out to eat and going to the movies. Not only do I have
less money than I did, but I also have less time. Rather
than watching TV after dinner, I now study. Gone are the
days when I could spent hours hanging out with my friends.
These days, most of my free time is spent studying and
completing reading and writing assignments for my classes.
By far the most important effect to on my life, however, has
been the change in the way I see myself. Through my
experiences in school, I have gained a new respect for
myself. I have learned I can set my mind to something and do
it, and this new confidence in myself far outweighs the
temporary inconveniences of not having as much time or money
as I once did.
Comparing Or Contrasting
Comparison
and contrast are two everyday thought processes. When we compare
two things, we show how they are similar; when we
contrast two things, we show how they are different. We
might compare or contrast two brand-name products (for
example, Nike versus Adidas running shoes), two television
shows, two instructors, two jobs, two friends, or two
courses of action we could take in a given situation. The
purpose of comparing or contrasting is to understand each of
the two things more clearly and, at times, to make judgments
about them.
Comparison
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Topic Sentence
Fred and
Ralph
Fred Flintstione of
The Flinstones and Ralph kramden of The
Honeymooners are remarkably similar. The first of
these similarities is their appearance. Both have black hair
and five o'clock shadows; in addition, both have large
paunches and wear loud, baggy clothes. Their personalities
are also similar. both have large appetites, boisterous
personalities, and a tendency to act before they think.
Moreover, they both have best friends who play second fiddle
to them: Barney Rubble for Fred and Ed Norton for Ralph
Additionally, both Fred's and Ralph's favorite activity on a
Friday might is to go out bowling with the guys. Finally,
when Fred and Ralph put down their bowing balls, they earn
their living by working remarkably similar jobs, Fred drives
a truck in a gravel pit, and Ralph drives a city bus. In
spite of the differences in the two shows' settings, the
main character share a number of similarities.
Contrast Paragraph
Example:
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Topic Sentence
Football
vs. Soccer
Although football
and soccer are both popular sports for kids, football is
more expensive and more dangerous than soccer.
Because of the specialized equipment necessary for football,
parents must pay well over one hundred dollars for a two
month season of peewee football. In addition to this fee,
the shoes and protective gear each child must purchase can
easily cost upwards of fifty dollars. On the other hand, a
season of youth soccer, which runs for two months in the
fall and two months in the spring, costs only seventy-five
dollars. Soccer shoes, which generally cost between fifteen
and twenty-five dollars, are recommended but not required.
Not only is football more expensive than soccer, but it is
also a more violent and, therefore, more dangerous sport.
Children tackle and block one another, and these maneuvers
result in frequent bruises, strains, and pulls. More serious
injuries such as fracture, broken bones, and concussions are
not unusual. Soccer, on the hand is not a contact sport and
is, therefore, less likely to result in injury. Children can
fall and bump into one another, but these accidental
contacts rarely result in anything more serious than grass
stains or loss of breath. Given the differences in these two
sports, there is no question that I would prefer my son to
play soccer rather than football.
Defining
a Term
In
talking with other people, we sometimes offer informal
definitions to explain just what we mean by a particular
term. In a written definition, we make clear in a more
complete and formal way our own personal understanding of a
term. Such a definition typically start with one meaning of
a term. The meaning is then illustrated with a series of
examples or a story.
Definition
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Topic Sentence
Deadbeat
Dads
A
deadbeat dad is a biological father who refuses to live up
to his financial responsibilities to his child. Any
man who fathers a child and fails to support that child
financially, whether mandate by a court to pay child support
or not, is considered a deadbeat dad. A biological father
can be classified as deadbeat regardless of whether he is or
ever was married to the mother of his child because
fatherhood, not marriage, determines responsibility. A
deadbeat dad can be distinguished from other deadbeat
citizens who default on their legal debts because the
deadbeat dad harms those for whom he is morally responsible.
The effects of a deadbeat father extend beyond the material
realm of financial deprivations, for children of deadbeat
dads often suffer from low self worth and feelings of
abandonment. Long after a child has grown up, he may still
harbor resentment and hostility toward male authority
figures as a result of his deadbeat dad.
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