essay writing 英文写作

Organize Your Ideas
• Develop an outline to organize your ideas. An outline shows your main ideas and the order in which you are going to write about them.
Essay Writing
Essay Titles
On the test paper there is a small box where examinees should write the title of their essay. • The purpose is for the marker to quickly see what question has been chosen. Examinees need not come up with a clever title; a simple title repeating the essay question or changing it a little is all that is required. • The title can be written in lower-case letters as it is in the question or it can be capitalized.
Structure
• Every essay or paper is made up of three parts:
• Introduction • Body • Conclusion
a Five Paragraph Essay
• an introduction • three main body paragraphs • a conclusion
Introduction
• The introduction should start with a general discussion of your subject and lead to a very specific statement of your main point, or thesis. Sometimes an essay begins with a "grabber," such as a challenging claim, or surprising story to catch a reader's attention. The thesis should tell in one (or at most two) sentence(s), what your overall point or argument is, and briefly, what your main body paragraphs will be about.
Brainstorming
– – Sit down with a pencil and paper, or at your computer, and write whatever comes into your head about your topic, no matter how confused or disorganized. Keep writing for a short but specific amount of time, say 3–5 minutes. Don't stop to change what you've written or to correct spelling or grammar errors. After a few minutes, read through what you have written. You will probably throw out most of it, but some of what you've written may give you an idea you can develop. Do some more brainstorming and see what else you can come up with.
Transitions
• Does the first paragraph tell us a pro and the second a con? ("on the other hand . . .") • Does the second paragraph tell us something of greater significance? ("more importantly . . .")
Transition words and phrases
• • • •
but on the contrary in contrast however althotly as a result therefore as a consequence
Transition words and phrases
• Essay question: What are your career goals? • Essay title: My Career Goals • Essay question: “The Internet has improved our lives.” Discuss. • Essay title: The Internet has improved our lives The Internet Has the Internet Improved Our Lives?
– Write down all the main ideas.
–
List the subordinate ideas below the main ideas.
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Avoid any repetition of ideas.
The person I most admire
optimistic personality good at DIY can fix the car plays the guitar talented My father friendly Never complains
• For example, in an essay about the importance of airbags in cars, the introduction might start with some information about car accidents and survival rates. It might also have a grabber about someone who survived a terrible accident because of an airbag. The thesis would briefly state the main reasons for recommending airbags, and each reason would be discussed in the main body of the essay.
• • • •
and/also besides this moreover furthermore in addition
because of/because • due to • owing to • since • as
Main Body Paragraphs (3)
• Each main body paragraph will focus on a single idea, reason, or example that supports your thesis. Each paragraph will have a clear topic sentence (a mini thesis that states the main idea of the paragraph) and as much discussion or explanation as is necessary to explain the point. You should try to use details and specific examples to make your ideas clear and convincing.
Body
• The body of the paper follows the introduction. It consists of a number of paragraphs in which you develop your ideas in detail. • Limit each paragraph to one main idea. (Don't try to talk about more than one idea per paragraph.) • Prove your points continually by using specific examples and quotations. • Use transition words to ensure a smooth flow of ideas from paragraph to paragraph.
–
–
The person I most admire
optimistic friendly good at DIY My father can fix the car plays the guitar Never complains
Works hard for family
gave up musical career for family
• The introduction is the first paragraph of the paper. It often begins with a general statement about the topic and ends with a more specific statement of the main idea of your paper. The purpose of the introduction is to • let the reader know what the topic is • inform the reader about your point of view • arouse the reader's curiosity so that he or she will want to read about your topic