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TYPES OF PARAGRAPHS
WRITING
DESCRIPTION
1) STEP BY STEP
ARGUMENTATION1) TAKE A STAND
2) EVIDENCE
3) FACTS
4) ARGUE WHAT ISARGUABLE
EXPOSITION
1) EXAMPLES2) PROCESS
3) DEFINITION
4) CLASSIFICATION
5) CAUSE AND EFFECT
6) COMPARISON
NARRATION
1) STORY
2) TIME
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W RITING n DESCRIPTIVE
/NARRATIVE/ EXPOSITORY / ARGUMENTATIVEc
THE MEANINGS
1) DESCRIPTIVE
Science-related essays often require background
description : of a thing, process or state of affairs ±
analyzing it into its parts. This can be donechronologically, serially, hierarchically, etc. It is a test
of your ability to select and synthesise ³factual´
information.
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A description is a verbal picture of a person. it is a
word picture. use all five senses to portray a scene
in words. the senses are sight, hearing, taste, smell
and feel.to write a vivid description be precise on dominant
impression. it is the feature that stands out about
what you are describing.
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>A narration is writing that tells a story in words.> It can be a make-believe story (fiction) or something
that actually took place (a personal experience).
> Narration is normally written to entertain, but it may
also function as an information text or a persuasive text.
> The narrative follows a time order, so the sentences and the paragraphs are best linked by using proper
transitions such as :
1) after wards 7) not long after that
2) presently 8) since then
3) later 9) soon at last
4) before 10) immediately
5) how 11) after a short time
6) the next day 12) lately
13) suddenly
2) NARRATIVE
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3) EXPOSITORY
³Exposition´ is a rather formal term which really
means either ³information´ or ³explanation´, modes of
communication we might use to write a manual, offer
instructions on how things work or where to find
things, or recount what happened during arevolution, etc.
There are 4 types of expository essays :
i. Descriptive
ii. Explanatory
iii. Illustrativeiv. Analytical
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4) ARGUMENTATIVE
Argumentative literally refers to everything that
involves debate and possible disagreement, and to
opinion as opposed to the uncontested facts of
exposition. It means agreeing or disagreeing with agiven proposition, either strongly or tentatively.
In more general terms it refers to a more
subjective style of writing, where writers engage in
defining their terms or interpreting and evaluating the
views, evidence or data very clearly from their ownperspective or viewpoint.
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ARGUMENTATIVEESSAY
The argumentative essay is a genre of writing that requires the student to investigate a topic, collect, generate, and evaluate
evidence, and establish a position on the topic in a concise
manner.
Argumentative essay assignments generally call for extensive
research of literature or previously published material.
Argumentative assignments may also require empirical research
where the student collects data through inter views, sur veys,
obser vations, or experiments.
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THE STRUCTURE OF THE
ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAY
A clear, concise, and defined thesis statement that occurs in the first
paragraph of the essay.
In the first paragraph of an argument essay, students should set the
context by reviewing the topic in a general way. Next the author should
explain why the topic is important (exigence) or why readers should
care about the issue. Lastly, students should present the thesis
statement. It is essential that this thesis statement be appropriately
narrowed to follow the guidelines set forth in the assignment. If the
student does not master this portion of the essay, it will be quite
difficult to compose an effective or persuasive essay.
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C lear and logical transitions between the introduction, body, and
conclusion.
Transitions are the mortar that holds the foundation of the essay
together. Without logical progression of thought, the reader is
unable to follow the essay¶s argument, and the structure will
collapse. Transitions should wrap up the idea from the previous
section and introduce the idea that is to follow in the next section.
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Body paragraphs that include evidential support.
Each paragraph should be limited to the discussion of one general
idea. This will allow for clarity and direction throughout the essay. In
addition, such conciseness creates an ease of readability for one¶s
audience. It is important to note that each paragraph in the body of
the essay must have some logical connection to the thesis
statement in the opening paragraph. Some paragraphs will directly
support the thesis statement with evidence collected during
research. It is also important to explain how and why the evidence
supports the thesis (warrant).
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However, argumentative essays should also consider and explain
differing points of view regarding the topic. Depending on the
length of the assignment, students should dedicate one or two
paragraphs of an argumentative essay to discussing conflicting
opinions on the topic. Rather than explaining how these differing
opinions are wrong outright, students should note how opinions
that do not align with their thesis might not be well informed or how
they might be out of date.
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E vidential support (whether factual, logical, statistical, or anecdotal).
The argumentative essay requires well-researched, accurate, detailed,
and current information to support the thesis statement and consider
other points of view. Some factual, logical, statistical, or anecdotal
evidence should support the thesis. However, students must consider
multiple points of view when collecting evidence. As noted in the
paragraph above, a successful and well-rounded argumentative essay
will also discuss opinions not aligning with the thesis. It is unethical to
exclude evidence that may not support the thesis. It is not the
student¶s job to point out how other positions are wrong outright, but
rather to explain how other positions may not be well informed or up to
date on the topic.
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A conclusion that does not simply restate the thesis, but
readdresses it in light of the evidence provided.
It is at this point of the essay that students may begin to struggle.
This is the portion of the essay that will leave the most immediate
impression on the mind of the reader. Therefore, it must be
effective and logical. Do not introduce any new information into the
conclusion; rather, synthesize the information presented in the
body of the essay. Restate why the topic is important, review the
main points, and review your thesis. You may also want to include
a short discussion of more research that should be completed in
light of your work.
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A COMPLETE ARGUMENTPerhaps it is helpful to think of an essay in terms of a conversation or
debate with a classmate. If I were to discuss the cause of World War II
and its current effect on those who lived through the tumultuous time,
there would be a beginning, middle, and end to the conversation. In
fact, if I were to end the argument in the middle of my second point,
questions would arise concerning the current effects on those who
lived through the conflict. Therefore, the argumentative essay must becomplete, and logically so, leaving no doubt as to its intent or
argument.
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NARRATIVE ESSEY
DEFINATION OF NARRATIVE ESSEYAs a mode of expository writing, the narrative approach, more than any other,offers writers a chance to think and write about themselves.We all have experiences lodged in our memories, which are worthy of sharingwith readers.Yet sometimes they are so fused with other memories that a lot of the timespent in writing narrative is in the prewriting stage.
When you write a narrative essay, you are telling a story. Narrative essays are told from a defined point of view, often the author's, sothere is feeling as well as specific and often sensory details provided to get thereader involved in the elements and sequence of the story.The verbs are vivid and precise. The narrative essay makes a point and thatpoint is often defined in the opening sentence, but can also be found as the lastsentence in the opening paragraph.
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How to Write a Narrative
Essay Writing a Narrative Essay
There's nothing like reading a great narrative.Whether in novel or essay form, a narrative pieceof writing transports readers into the time andspace of the world portrayed by the writing.
There's also nothing like w riting a greatnarrative. Through reflecting upon an event, and
through recreating the experience for otherreaders, writing a narrative essay can enable youto develop new, subtle, and rewardingperspectives
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Basic qualities of a narrative essay:
A narrative essay is a piece of writing thatrecreates an experience through time.
A narrative essay can be based on one of your
own experiences, either past or present, or it
can be based on the experiences of someoneelse.
In addition to telling a story, a narrative essay
also communicates a main idea or a lesson
learned.
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First steps for writing a narrative essay:
Identify the experience that you want to write
about.
Think about why the experience is significant.
Spend a good deal of time drafting yourrecollections about the details of the
experience.
Create an outline of the basic parts of your
narrative
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Writing about the experience:
Using your outline, describe each part of yournarrative.
Rather than telling your readers what happened,use vivid details and descriptions to actuallyrecreate the experience for your readers.
Think like your readers. Try to remember that theinformation you present is the only informationyour readers have about the experiences.
Always keep in mind that all of the small andseemingly unimportant details known to you arenot necessarily known to your readers
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Communicating the significance of the
experience:
It's often effective to begin your narrativewith a paragraph that introduces the
experience and communicates the
significance. This technique guarantees that
your readers will understand the significanceof the experience as they progess through the
narrative.
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You might also consider introducing the
experience in the first paragraph but delaying
your expression of the significance of theexperience until the end of the essay. This
approach heightens your readers' sensitivity
to the significance of the narrative.
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Potential prompts for your narrative essay:
If you're having trouble choosing an
experience to write about, take a quick glancethrough these prompts. They might help you
remember or identify a particularly
interesting or significant experience to focus
on.
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A childhood event. Think of an experience whenyou learned something for the first time, or whenyou realized how important someone was for
you. Achieving a goal. Think about a particularly
meaningful achievement in your life. This couldbe something as seemingly minor as achieving agood grade on a difficult assignment, or this
could be something with more long-lastingeffects, like getting the job you desired orgetting into the best school to which youapplied.
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A failure. Think about a time when you did
not perform as well as you had wanted.
Focusing on an experience like this can resultin rewarding reflections about the positive
emerging from the negative.
A good or bad deed. Think about a time
when you did or did not stand up for yourself or someone else in the face of adversity or
challenge
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A change in your life. Think about a time when
something significant changed in your life. This
could be anything from a move across town to a
major change in a relationship to the birth or
death of a loved one.
A realization. Think about a time when you
experienced a realization. This could be anything
from understanding a complicated math
equation to gaining a deeper understanding of a
philosophical issue or life situation
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How To summarize, the
narrative essay is told from a particular point of view
makes and supports a point
is filled with precise detail uses vivid verbs and modifiers
uses conflict and sequence as does any story
may use dialogue
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The purpose of a narrative report is to describesomething. Many students write narrative reportsthinking that these are college essays or papers.While the information in these reports is basic toother forms of writing, narrative reports lack the"higher order thinking" that essays require. Thusnarrative reports do not, as a rule, yield high gradesfor many college courses. A basic example of anarrative report is a "book report" that outlines a
book; it includes the characters, their actions,possibly the plot, and, perhaps, some scenes. That is,it is a description of "what happens in the book." Butthis leaves out an awful lot
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What is left out is what the book or article isabout -- the underlying concepts, assumptions,arguments, or point of view that the book or
article expresses. A narrative report leaves asidea discussion that puts the events of the text intothe context of what the text is about. Is the textabout love? Life in the fast lane? Society? Wealthand power? Poverty? In other words, narrativereports often overlook the authors purpose orpoint of view expressed through the book orarticle
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Once an incident is chosen, the writer should keep threeprinciples in mind.
Remember to involve readers in the story. It is much moreinteresting to actually recreate an incident for readers than
to simply tell about it. Find a generalization, which the story supports. This is the
only way the writer's personal experience will take onmeaning for readers. This generalization does not have toencompass humanity as a whole; it can concern the writer,men, women, or children of various ages and backgrounds.
Remember that although the main component of anarrative is the story, details must be carefully selected tosupport, explain, and enhance the story.
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Conventions of Narrative
EssaysIn writing your narrative
essay, keep the following
conventions in mind.Narratives are generally
written in the first person,
that is, using I. However,
third person (he, she, or
it) can also be used.