新世紀(jì)大學(xué)英語(yǔ)作文第三冊(cè)Introduction

1、IntroductionWhat is a good essay?How is an essay structured?Essay writing processStage 1 Generating ideas What to write aboutStage 2 Planning writing what structure to followStage 3 Writing and revisingStage 4 EditingIntroduction A good essay is an essay which has a logical flow of ideas and is cohe

2、sive. This means it holds together well because there are links between sentences and paragraphs. Writing which is cohesive works as a unified whole and is easy to follow because it uses language effectively to maintain a focus and to keep the reader on track. A good essay can be achieved or improve

3、d through the use of a number of devices. Some of these devices are MACRO or whole text devices while some are MICRO or more detailed devices for improving the effectiveness and cohesiveness of your writing.IntroductionMACRO DEVICES MICRO DEVICESclear organization and structure of textOrder of parag

4、raph relates to initial thesis statement. logical flow of informationClear logical relations develop between parts of the text.The order information is presented in building up argument.IntroductionMACRO DEVICES MICRO DEVICESlogical flow of informationConnective words are used to signal progression

5、of argument to the reader.Transition statements lead from one paragraph into the next.IntroductionMACRO DEVICES MICRO DEVICESSentence structure adds to logical flow of information in the text.The focus of the sentence is put in the first part of the sentence. The second part of the sentence contains

6、 new information which often becomes the focus of the following sentences.IntroductionMACRO DEVICES MICRO DEVICESparagraphs focused on single subjectSubject words are repeated or replaced with synonyms, pronouns or demonstratives, meaning the subject can be referenced throughout the text.Introductio

7、n In order for your essay to be convincing and make sense, it needs to be presented inside a well-structured piece of writing. How do you do this within the framework of an essays general structure of Introduction, Body and Conclusion? Firstly, you need to be clear about what elements you should inc

8、lude within these three sections of an essay. The table below outlines these elements. Introductoryparagraph General statement or orientation to topic Thesis statement Brief summary of the main topics/arguments/points made in the essayIntroductionBody paragraphs1. Topic sentence A a. supporting sent

9、ence b. supporting sentence c. supporting sentence These sentences support, expand or explain the point made in the topic sentence.2. Topic sentence B a. supporting sentence b. supporting sentence c. supporting sentence IntroductionBody paragraphs3. Topic sentence C a. supporting sentence b. support

10、ing sentence c. supporting sentence Concluding paragraphRestatement or summary of the main points made in the body paragraphs and a final comment (if appropriate)Introduction The function of the Introduction is to serve as a map of the essay, outlining to your reader the main argument and points whi

11、ch you develop in your essay. Most introductions begin with an orientation in the form of a brief general statement that leads the reader into the topic showing how the specific topic relates to bigger issues or to the discipline field. This is followed by your thesis statement, which is your concis

12、e response to the essay question, and then an outline of the argument presented in the essay. You may find it useful to think of an essays introduction as funnel-shaped moving from the general to the specific. Here is an example: The introduction of the essayIntroductionEssay Question: Italy on the

13、eve of 1860 has often been described as an unlikely nation. Why?Example of an essay introduction On the eve of 1860 the word Italy described not a nation, but a geographical area. The peninsula was split into eight separate states, all independent of one another. Economically, while the whole of Eur

14、ope seemed to be surging ahead, Italy was lagging behind. At this time, Italy was seen as an unlikely nation because of the many obstacles that lay in the way of unification. backgroundorientation to the topicthesis statementIntroduction The main obstacles were the dislike and distrust between the s

15、tates and the “slowness of the great bulk of Italians to accept or even comprehend the idea of Italy” (Mack Smith, 1968: 2). There was also a lack of planning and common goals amongst the minority of the population that supported and were prepared to fight for a unified country. This was exacerbated

16、 by the disagreement and dislike between the leaders of Il Risorgimento, the Italian independence movement.outline of argumentIntroduction The function of the essays body is to fully develop the argument outlined in the introduction. Each paragraph within the body of the essay elaborates on one majo

17、r point in the development of the overall argument. The main point in each paragraph needs to be clearly stated in the form of a topic sentence, which is then supported with evidence. The example below shows only the first (or topic) sentence of each paragraph. This is to highlight the way the main

18、points in the argument can be presented at the beginning of each paragraph to show the logical steps in the argument. The body of the essayIntroductionOne of the obstacles to the unification of the Italian nation was the failure of the majority of the population to take up the cause of unification .

19、Example of the body of the essay (skeleton framework)Main point in the paragraph presented as the topic sentenceThe divisiveness between the states was another major obstacle to national unity .Main point in the paragraph presented as the topic sentenceThe mistrust that existed between the states al

20、so created an obstacle for unification .Main point in the paragraph presented as the topic sentenceIntroductionA further obstacle obstructing the formation of a united Italy was the lack of common goals and the poor planning associated with the unification uprisings that were occurring throughout It

21、aly .Main point in the paragraph presented as the topic sentenceThe final major obstacle to the unification of the Italian nation was the dislike and disagreement between the main agitators in the independence movement known as “Il Risorgimento” .Main point in the paragraph presented as the topic se

22、ntenceIntroduction The function of the essays Conclusion is to restate the main argument. It reminds the reader of the strengths of the argument: that is, it reiterates the most important evidence supporting the argument. In addition, the conclusion should match the introduction in terms of the idea

23、s presented and the argument put forward. Finally, the conclusion is not the place in your essay to introduce new information or new ideas. The conclusion of the essayIntroductionEssay Question: Italy on the eve of 1860 has often been described as an unlikely nation. Why?Example of an essay conclusi

24、on Before 1860, only a tiny minority of the population believed that Italy could ever become a unified nation under one Italian ruler. Yet, despite this belief and the many obstacles blocking the path to unificationreference to essay questionreiteration of thesis pointIntroductionsuch as differences

25、 and suspicion between the many regions of the peninsula, the lack of planning and common goals that saw many uprisings fail and the divergent views and politics amongst the men who fought for unity, overview of main arguments explaining the obstacles to Italys unificationIntroductionthe Piedmont re

26、gion emerged “as the nucleus around which the rest of Italy could gather” (Mack Smith, 1959: 17). On March 17, 1861, the Kingdom of Italy was proclaimed. Italy was no longer a geographical expression, it was a nation.concluding comment and reference to essay question(Adapted from the webpage: http:/

27、.au/main.html)Introduction Essay writing is a process; it is usually not linear in sequence. The essay writing process is a dynamic one and involves 4 stages.Generating ideas: What to write aboutPlanning writing: What structure to followWriting and revisingEditingStage 1Stage 1Sta

28、ge 3Stage 4Introduction When given a writing assignment, students need to take time to understand the assignment and decide what to write about, considering the length, purpose, audience, occasion and their own knowledge about the topic. You may ask yourself:Is it a two page paper or a ten page one?

29、 How much time do I need to spend on completing the task? LengthPurpose Am I writing in this assignment to persuade others to take action, to inform my audience or just to express my own feelings or opinions? Other purposes include:- to analyze - to entertainIntroductionPurpose - to hypothesize- to

30、assess- to summarize- to question- to report- to recommend- to suggest- to evaluate- to recount- to describe- to request- to instruct Which type of purpose can I fulfill best in my writing?IntroductionAudienceWho are they? My teacher? Classmates? Experts or professionals? Officials?Why would they li

31、ke to read my writing?How much background knowledge do they have for the topic? (For example, my classmates and I know much about bio-engineering because that is our major, but how about my English teacher? Does she know much about this field?)Introduction In this particular period, students are enc

32、ouraged to use free writing to narrow down the topic and find the most interesting part they want to write about. After free writing for about five or ten minutes without stop, look at what you have written on the paper and underline the ideas you want to further explore and structure your essay aro

33、und those ideas.KnowledgeWhat do I know about this topic?What do I need to find out about this topic?What can I learn after I complete this writing assignment?Where can I get more information about this topic? Where are the resources?Introduction After you generate enough ideas for your writing, it

34、is necessary for you to group ideas to see how you can structure your essay. One way to do so is to use the clustering method. Clustering is a way of visually arranging your ideas so that you can see immediately where ideas belong and whether or not you need to include more information. To begin clu

35、stering, choose a word that is central to your assignment. For example, if you are writing a paper about the value of college education, you may choose the word “expectations” and write that word in the middle of your paper. Circle “expectations,” then write words all around itwords that occur to yo

36、u as you think of “expectations.” Write down all words that you associate with “expectations,” words that at first may seem to be random. IntroductionWrite quickly, circling each word, grouping words around your central word. Connect your new words to previous ones with lines; when you feel you have

37、 exhausted a particular avenue of associations, go back to your central word and begin again.Introductionexpectationsjob skillsjobs I wantcompany workfreelanceknowledgeabout subjectsintellectual growthsmarterhappierIntroduction Clustering is a process of discovery. By looking at the words you have j

38、otted down on paper, you find the inherent logic of your ideas. Some words will take you nowhere; with other words, however, you may discover that you have many related words to write down. Random associations may eventually become patterns of logic. Clustering does not take the place of a linear, t

39、raditional outline, but, as the example shows, it allows you to explore ideas before committing them to a particular order. After completing the process, you may try to get more specific by moving outward from the center of the page. Try to identify the facts, details, examples, and opinions that ex

40、pand your main points.Introduction Before you actually decide on the structure of your writing, you need to consider your essays thesis. A thesis is the main idea of your essay, its central point. It controls the organization of your essay and specifies the purpose of your writing. You always need t

41、o state your thesis and develop your essay in a way that supports your thesis. There are certain criteria you can follow to find out whether you have written down a strong thesis statement.Introduction1. A strong thesis takes some sort of stand. Your thesis needs to show your conclusions about a sub

42、ject. For example, if you are writing a paper for a class on fitness, you may be asked to choose a popular weight-losing product to evaluate. Here are two thesis statements:There are some negative and positive aspects to the Banana Herb Tea Supplement. This is a weak thesis. First, it fails to take

43、a stand. Second, the phrase “negative and positive aspects” is vague.Because the Banana Herb Tea Supplement promotes rapid weight loss that results in the loss of muscle and lean body mass, it poses a potential danger to customers. This is a strong thesis because it takes a stand.Introduction2. A st

44、rong thesis justifies discussion. Your thesis should indicate the point of discussion. If your assignment is to write a paper on kinship systems, using your own family as an example, you might come up with either of these two thesis statements:My family is an extended family. This is a weak thesis b

45、ecause it states an observation. Your reader wont be able to tell the point of the statement, and will probably stop reading.While most American families would view consanguine marriage as a threat to the nuclear family structure, many Iranian families, like my own, believe that these marriages help

46、 reinforce kinship ties in an extended family. This is a strong thesis because it shows how your experience contradicts a widely-accepted view. A good strategy for creating a strong thesis is to show that the topic is controversial. Readers will be interested in reading the rest of the essay to see

47、how you support your point.Introduction3. A strong thesis expresses one main idea. Readers need to be able to see that your paper has one main point. If your thesis expresses more than one idea, you might confuse your readers about the subject of your paper. For example:Companies need to exploit the

48、 marketing potential of the Internet, and web pages can provide both advertising and customer support. This is a weak thesis statement because the reader cant decide whether the paper is about marketing on the Internet or about web pages. To revise the thesis, the relationship between the two ideas

49、needs to become clearer. One way to revise the thesis would be to write:Because the Internet is filled with tremendous marketing potential, companies should exploit this potential by using web pages that offer both advertising and customer support.Introduction This is a strong thesis because it show

50、s that the two ideas are related. Hint: a great many clear and engaging thesis statements contain words like “because,” “since,” “so,” “although,” “unless,” and “however.”4. A strong thesis statement is specific. A thesis statement should show exactly what your paper will be about, and will help you

51、 keep your paper to a manageable topic. For example, if you write a paper on hunger, you might say:World hunger has many causes and effects.Hunger persists in Appalachia because jobs are scarce and farming in the infertile soil is rarely profitable. This is a weak thesis statement for two major reas

52、ons. First, “world hunger” cant be discussed thoroughly in five or ten pages. Second, “many causes and effects” is vague. You should be able to identify specific causes and effects. A revised thesis might look like this:Introduction This is a strong thesis because it narrows the subject to a more sp

53、ecific and manageable topic and it also identifies the specific causes for the existence of hunger.(/wts/pamphlets/thesis_statement.shtml#strongthesis)Introductiontake a stand: 表明觀點(diǎn)或者立場(chǎng)Introductionkinship: 家族關(guān)系，親屬關(guān)系Introductionconsanguine: 同宗族的IntroductionGeneral Format Usually

54、an essay consists of several paragraphs: an introduction that presents your thesis statement, several body paragraphs that develop and support your thesis, and a conclusion that reinforces your thesis and provides an ending. It is worth noting that each body paragraph should support the thesis state

55、ment. Each paragraphs topic sentence should express one of the supporting ideas. For example:Introductory paragraphThesis statement: Despite the emphasis by educators on quality education, there are three reasons why education is anything but quality-oriented in China.IntroductionBody paragraphTopic

56、 sentence: Education lacks quality because many children in the less developed areas are deprived of educational resources. Body paragraphTopic sentence: In addition, many teaching curriculums in Chinas education are based on the requirements of the national examinations instead of the true needs of

57、 students.Body paragraphTopic sentence: Finally, young talents and college graduates are more attracted to business and governmental jobs than to contributing to the educational cause.IntroductionConcluding paragraph Restatement of thesis: Even though educational authorities give much lip service to

58、 the quality of education, the truth is that this ideal has been hard to achieve.Introduction The conclusion should be brief, but it should reinforce the thesis and purpose of your essay. Being consistent with the content of the essay, it should not introduce ideas that you have not discussed in the

59、 previous part of your essay.Types of Introductionbackground information Pennsylvania plans to begin paying the relatives of organ donors $300 toward funeral expenses. It would be the first jurisdiction in the country to reward organ donation. Indeed, it might even be violating a 1984 federal law th

60、at declares organs a national resource not subject to compensation. Already there are voices opposing the very idea of pricing a kidney. IntroductionScenarios You waited forty-five minutes for your dinner, and when it came it was cold and not what you ordered in the first place. You washed your supp