©2003 Pearson Education Inc.,publishing as Longman Publishers.

PART FOUR

THE VISUAL GUIDE TO COLLEGE

COMPOSITION

JOANNA LEAKE * JAMES KNUDSEN

PowerPoint by Katherine Knapp GrubbsUniversity of Maryland at College Park

©2003 Pearson Education Inc.,publishing as Longman Publishers.

CHOOSING A WRITING MODE

• Writing modes– Determine the form of your essay– Determine the manner in which the essay

will be written

• Choose a mode to meet particular needs of assignment

• Consider assignment, audience, and resources

©2003 Pearson Education Inc.,publishing as Longman Publishers.

SPECIFIC WRITING MODE BLUEPRINTS

• Examples

• Comparison and contrast

• Cause and effect

• Division and classification

• Process

• Narration

• Definition

• Description

©2003 Pearson Education Inc.,publishing as Longman Publishers.

EXAMPLES

• Convince readers that ideas are reasonable

• Persuade that your thesis is valid

• Item that comes from a larger category or group

• Clearly identify the larger category or group in introduction

©2003 Pearson Education Inc.,publishing as Longman Publishers.

EXAMPLES

• Make your examples specific

• Make your examples convincing

• Use examples in a lively way

• Make sure you have enough examples

• Order examples in a pattern

• Let your examples lead you

• Stay focused on your examples

©2003 Pearson Education Inc.,publishing as Longman Publishers.

COMPARISON AND CONTRAST

• Examine the similarities (compare) and/or differences (contrast) between two things to make a point or lead to a conclusion

• Thesis should state an opinion about items being compared/contrasted

©2003 Pearson Education Inc.,publishing as Longman Publishers.

COMPARISON AND CONTRAST Cont.

• Body—two patterns– Chunk by chunk– Point by point

• Stick to two items only

• Focus on differences or similarities, not both

• Use the same pattern throughout

©2003 Pearson Education Inc.,publishing as Longman Publishers.

COMPARISON AND CONTRAST Cont.

• Identify your main points of comparison or contrast

• Don’t forget about categories to reduce long lists

©2003 Pearson Education Inc.,publishing as Longman Publishers.

CAUSE AND EFFECT

• Cause essay—present a condition and discuss what reasons/causes led to it

• Effect essay—present a condition and show what results/effects happened because of it

• Emphasis cause or effect, not both• Use this mode to explain the causes or

to predict the effects of a particular action/event

©2003 Pearson Education Inc.,publishing as Longman Publishers.

CAUSE AND EFFECT Cont.

• Distinguish major causes and effects from minor causes and effects

• Be logical

• Don’t skip any links in discussion

©2003 Pearson Education Inc.,publishing as Longman Publishers.

DIVISION AND CLASSIFICATION

• Division essay—take a whole unit and divide it into separate parts

• Classification essay—take a large group or general concept and arrange it in smaller groups or categories

• Be clear about what the items in each category have in common

• Identify the big group or concept clearly

©2003 Pearson Education Inc.,publishing as Longman Publishers.

DIVISION AND CLASSIFICATION Cont.

• Stick to the same point of classification throughout the essay

• Account for all aspects of your general topic

©2003 Pearson Education Inc.,publishing as Longman Publishers.

PROCESS

• Give step by step instructions on how to do something

• Motivate readers to master a process

• Give the steps in chronological order

• Present a sequence of steps, not tips/advice

• Steps in the process form the body of your essay

©2003 Pearson Education Inc.,publishing as Longman Publishers.

PROCESS Cont.

• Troubleshoot potential problems for your reader

• Don’t forget any steps or necessary equipment

• Know who your audience is

• Use timely advice if needed

©2003 Pearson Education Inc.,publishing as Longman Publishers.

NARRATION

• Telling a story to make a point

• Narration to support your thesis

• Tell the story of an actual event to convince your reader that your thesis is true

• Dramatize your point with a story

• Be entertaining; hook your reader in

©2003 Pearson Education Inc.,publishing as Longman Publishers.

NARRATION Cont.

• Tell your reader all interesting details

• Make sure the reader understands what is at stake

• Show, don’t tell your reader the point of your story

• To develop your style, use familiar words or phrases

©2003 Pearson Education Inc.,publishing as Longman Publishers.

DEFINITION

• Explain the connotation of a word or term—what the term being defined implies in a larger way

• Describe more fully concepts that cannot be captured by a dictionary definition

• Develop a new understanding of the concept, term, or situation

©2003 Pearson Education Inc.,publishing as Longman Publishers.

DEFINITION Cont.

• This mode works with subjective ideas also

• Use many different modes to develop your definition

©2003 Pearson Education Inc.,publishing as Longman Publishers.

DESCRIPTION

• Give reader sensory details to convey your attitudes about the central subject of the essay

• Visual information—with other types of sensory descriptions

• Descriptive information to convince your reader the thesis is true

• Don’t overlook details

©2003 Pearson Education Inc.,publishing as Longman Publishers.

DESCRIPTION Cont.

• Use metaphors to enhance descriptive language

• Use objective facts and subjective impressions

©2003 Pearson Education Inc.,publishing as Longman Publishers.

Visit the Companion Website to The Visual Guide to College

Composition

http://www.ablongman.com/leake