Composition Workshop
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This document provides guidance for students on writing effective essays and papers. It outlines the steps in the writing process, including choosing a topic, brainstorming, outlining, conducting research, drafting, and revising. Key aspects are covered such as developing a thesis statement, organizing paragraphs, varying sentence structure, integrating quotes and citations, and avoiding plagiarism. Students are encouraged to visit the university's Language Development Center for assistance at various stages of the writing process.
Composition Workshop
- 1. COMPOSITION WORKSHOP University of the Sacred Heart Department of Humanities Center for Language Development Across the Disciplines LAD
- 2. Objective To help the student write effective and organized essays and papers
- 3. Choose a Topic Select a topic that you like or that is familiar to you See if there is enough information on your chosen topic
- 4. Brainstorming Select a topic Write down what comes to your mind Group the ideas that are related Choose the group of ideas that interests you and are related to the topic Organize your notes into an outline
- 5. Do Some Research… … on the topic by asking the –wh questions: who, what, when, why and how … use the library, Internet, TV broadcasts, newspapers, magazines, etc…
- 6. Prepare an Outline Introduction Thesis statement (topic sentence) Body Main idea Supporting ideas (details) Main idea Supporting ideas (transition to next paragraph) Conclusion
- 7. Starting Your First Draft
- 8. Paper Format centralize the title 1” margins double-spaced text indent each paragraph 1” margins Recommended font: Courier or Times New Roman justified margins
- 9. Essay Content Make sure to include the thesis statement in your introduction Develop your ideas according to the outline Close your argument with a conclusion Summarize information from the previous paragraphs Do introduce new information in the conclusion
- 11. Sentence Variety By using expansions (adjectives, adverbs, verbal and prepositional phrases and appositives) Example: Mary has a long, red skirt . In structure (use of compound and complex sentences) Example: I went to Baskin Robbins , and I ate a sundae . ( compound sentence )
- 12. Sentence Variety In structure – complex sentence Example: I saw the woman, who was killing the cockroach , scream crazily . In sentence arrangement Example: In the middle of the desert , Will Smith punched the alien.
- 13. Other Techniques Achieve unity Use correct word order for emphasis Use occasional questions, exclamations, or commands Use connectives (and, but, therefore…)
- 14. Also Remember Writing purpose Narrate Describe Compare / Contrast Persuade The tone (sad, humorous, serious, concerned…) Your audience (formal / informal)
- 15. Avoid the Following Breaking one idea into short, monotonous sentences Including sentences with unrelated or illogical details Using too many details even though related
- 16. Avoid the Following Redundancy Unnecessary changes in point of view Run-ons (A run-on sentence has at least two sentences. Each one should be written separately.) Incorrect: Do you see the man in the car he is my father. Correct: Do you see the man in the car? He is my father.
- 17. Citation Short quotations (three lines or less) should be enclosed in quotation marks Example: “Don’t ask what your country can do for you, but ask what you can do for your country.” John F. Kennedy
- 18. Citation On a new line, indent longer quotations ( four or more lines ), and set off in single space without quotation marks. Return to the original margin when you finish the quote. Always identify the source using APA or MLA style My country, ‘tis of thee, Sweet land of liberty, Of thee I sing: Land where my fathers died, Land of the pilgrims’ pride, From every mountainside Let freedom ring. -America , by Samuel Francis Smith
- 19. Plagiarism When you use someone’s ideas without citing, you receive credit for someone else’s intellectual effort To avoid plagiarism, make sure to identify and document all your quotes, cites, and reference sources
- 20. Save Your Work If you use a computer or word processor, make sure you save your work Make more than one copy !
- 21. Go to the LAD Center! Proofread Check grammar Check work format Check essay outline Check quotations and citations
- 22. Prepare Your Second Draft… … and go back to the LAD Center for a second opinion
- 23. Preparing Your Final Paper Make sure to include the following: Cover page with your name, student number, the title of your work, course and section, professor’s last name, and date Reference list at the end of your work Revise quotations and citations
- 24. References Capital Community College Library. Available at http://webster.commnet.edu Purdue University Online Writing Lab. Available at http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_mla.html The Research Paper. Available at http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~brians/general_handouts/research_guide.html
- 25. Questions? Prepared by: Thalia N. Nazario-Santiago Coordinator for the Center for Languages and Culture Center for Language Development Across the Disciplines (LAD) February 2003 Revised by: Patricia Kidd August 2004 Revised by: Prof. Delia Serrano January 2005