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3. ARRANGEMENT 4. Drafting and Revising
















 RECOGNIZING A PATTERN


Sometimes arranging your ideas will be easy because your assignment specifies a particular pattern of development. This may be the case in a composition class where the instructor may assign or descriptive or on narrative essay. Also, certain assignments or exam questions so just how your material should be structured. For example, an instructor might ask you to tell you about how something works or an exam question might ask you to trace the circumstances leading up to an event. If you are perceptive, You will realize that your instructor is asking for a process essay and that the exam question is asking for either a narrative or a cause and effect response. The important thing is to recognize the cues such assignments give and to structure your assignments accordingly. 

For example, if questions like “what happened” and “when did it happen” yielded the most useful information about your topic, you should consider structuring your paper as a narrative. 


Understanding the parts of the essay. 

No matter what pattern of development you use your essay should have a beginning, a middle, and an end that is an introduction a body, and a conclusion.

The Introduction 

The introduction of your essay usually one paragraph and rarely more than two introduces your subject, creates interests,  and often states your thesis. 

You can use a variety of strategies to introduce an essay and engage your readers’ interest.

  1. You can begin with background information this approach works well when you know the audience is already interested in your topic and you can come directly to the point. This is due to see the especially useful for exams where there is no need for subtlety. 

  2. You can introduce an essay with your own original definition of a relevant term or concept. This technique is especially useful for research papers or exams, where the meaning of a specific term is crucial.  

  3. You can begin your essay with an anecdote or story that leads readers to your thesis.

  4. You can begin with a question.
    What was it like to live through the Holocaust? Elie Wiesel, in One Generation After, answers this question by presenting a series of accounts about ordinary people who found themselves imprisoned in Nazi death camps. As he does so, He challenges some of the assumptions we have about the Holocaust and those who survived.

  5. You can begin with a quotation. If it arouses interest, it can encourage your audience to read further.
    “There rich are different,” F. Scott Fitzgerald Shade more than 70 years ago. Apparently, they still are. As an examination of the tax code shows the wealthy receive more benefits than the middle class or the poor do. 

  6. You can begin with a surprising statement.
    Believe it or not, most people who live in the suburbs are not white and rich. My family, for example, fits into neither of these categories. 10 years ago, my family and I came to the United States from Pakistan. My parents were poor then, and buy some standards, they are still poor even though they both work two jobs still they eventually saved enough to buy a small house in the suburbs of Chicago. Throughout the country, there are many suburban families Like mine who are working hard to make ends meet so that their children can get a good education and go to college.

  7. You can begin with a contradiction. You can open your essay with an idea that most people believe is true and then get readers’ attention by showing that it is inaccurate or ill-advised.

  8. You can begin with a fact or static.

No matter which strategy select, Your introduction should be consistent in tone with the rest of your essay. If it is not, It can misrepresent your intentions and even damage your credibility. A technical report, For instance, Should have an introduction that reflects the formality and objectivity the occasion requires. The introduction to an autobiographical essay, however, should have a more informal, subjective tone.

What Not to Do in an Introduction

  • Don't apologize: Never use phrases such as “in my opinion” or “I may not be expert, but …” by doing so, you suggest that you don't really know your subject. 

  • Don't begin with the dictionary definition: Avoid beginning an essay with phrases like “According to Webster’s dictionary …”. This type of introduction is overused and trite. If you want to use the definition, develop up your own. 

  • Don't announce what you intend to do: Don't begin with phrases such as “In this paper, I will …” or “The purpose of this essay is to …”. Use your introduction to create interest in your topic, and let readers discover your intention when they get to your thesis statement. 

  • Don’t wander: Your introduction should draw readers into your essay as soon as possible. Avoid irrelevant comments or annoying digressions that will distract readers and make them want to stop reading.

The Body Paragraphs

The middle section, or body, of your essay, develop your thesis. The body paragraphs present the support that convinces your audience your thesis is reasonable. To do so each body paragraph should be unified, coherent, and well developed. Frequently, the main idea of a paragraph is stated in a topic sentence. Like a thesis statement, a topic sentence acts as a guidepost, making it easy for readers to follow the paragraph’s discussion. Although the placement of a topic sentence depends on a writer’s purpose and subject, beginning writers often make it the first sentence of a paragraph.

Sometimes the main idea of a paragraph is not stated but implies by the sentences in the paragraph. Professional writers often use this technique because they believe that in some situations - especially narratives and descriptions - a topic sentence can seem forced or awkward. As a beginning writer, however, you will find it helpful to use topic sentences to keep your paragraphs focused. 

Whether or not you include a topic sentence, Remember that each sentence in the paragraph should develop the paragraph’s main idea. If the sentences in the paragraph do not support the main idea, the paragraph will lack unity.

The topic sentence placed at the beginning of the paragraph enables readers to grasp the writer’s point immediately.

The Conclusion

Since readers remember best what they read last, your conclusion is very important. Always end your essay in a way that reinforces your thesis and your purpose.

Like your introduction, your conclusion is rarely longer than a paragraph. Regardless of its length, however,  your conclusion should be consistent with the rest of your essay - that is you should not introduce points that you have not discussed earlier. Frequently, a conclusion will restate your essay’s main idea or review your key points. 

  1. You can conclude your essay by reviewing your key points or restating your thesis.

  2. You can in a discussion of a problem with the recommendation of a course of action.

  3. You can conclude with a  prediction. Be sure however that your prediction follows logically from the points you have made in the essay. Your conclusion is no place to make new points or to change direction.

  4. You can end with a relevant quotation.



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