TFL207 Academic

Writing
 Outline

1. Formal writing: types

2. Essay structure
3. Paragraph structure
4. Signposting
 Formal writing: types

1. Argumentative (Persuasive)
2. Expository
3. Narrative
4. Descriptive
 Argumentative Essay

- An argumentative essay is a piece of writing that

takes a stance on an issue.
- In a good argumentative essay, a writer
attempts to persuade readers to understand
and support their point of view about a topic by
stating their reasoning and providing evidence
to back it up.
 Argumentative Essay

Skills required:
- Forming an opinion via research
- Building an evidence-based argument
- Organisation
Example prompt:
Has the rise of the internet had a positive or
negative impact on education?
 Argumentative Essay

3 ways to structure an argumentative essay:

1. Classical / Aristotelian:
- Present the main argument, state your opinion, and
do your best to convince the reader why your stance
is the right one.
- It’s effective when your audience doesn’t have a lot
of information or a strong opinion about your topic,
as it outlines the facts clearly and concisely.
 Argumentative Essay

3 ways to structure an argumentative essay:

2. Rogerian:
- Present the problem, acknowledge the opposing side of
the argument, state your point of view, and explain why
yours is the most beneficial to the reader.
- This type of argument is effective for polarizing topics,
as it acknowledges both sides and presents the middle
ground.
 Argumentative Essay

3 ways to structure an argumentative essay:

3. Toulmin:
- Present your claim, present grounds to back up that
claim, and then justify that the grounds are linked to the
claim.
- This type of argument is also effective for polarizing
topics, but rather than present both sides, it presents
one, hinging particularly on facts presented in a way that
makes the claim difficult to argue with.
 Expository Essay

- The expository essay is a genre of essay that

requires you to investigate an idea, evaluate
evidence, expound on the idea, and set forth an
argument concerning that idea in a clear and
concise manner.
- This can be accomplished through comparison
and contrast, definition, example, the analysis
of cause and effect, etc.
 Expository Essay

Skills required:
- Knowledge of a topic
- Communicating information clearly
- Organisation
Example prompt:
Explain how industrialisation shaped literature in
Victorian era.
 Narrative Essay

Skills required:
- Creative language use
- Presenting a compelling narrative
Example prompt:
Write about an experience where you learned
something about yourself.
 Narrative Essay

- A narrative essay is one that tells a story.

- This is usually a story about a personal experience
you had, but it may also be an imaginative
exploration of something you have not experienced.
- Narrative essays test your ability to build up a
narrative in an engaging, well-structured way.
 Narrative Essay

- They are much more personal and creative than other

kinds of academic writing. Writing a personal statement
for an application requires the same skills as a narrative
essay.
- A narrative essay isn’t strictly divided into introduction,
body, and conclusion, but it should still begin by setting
up the narrative and finish by expressing the point of
the story—what you learned from your experience, or
why it made an impression on you.
 Descriptive Essay

Skills required:
- Creative language use
- Describing sensory details
Example prompt:
Describe an object that has sentimental value for
you.
 Descriptive Essay

- A descriptive essay provides a detailed sensory

description of something.
- Like narrative essays, they allow you to be more
creative than most academic writing, but they
are more tightly focused than narrative essays.
- You might describe a specific place or object,
rather than telling a whole story.
 Descriptive Essay

- Descriptive essays test your ability to use language

creatively, making striking word choices to convey a
memorable picture of what you’re describing.
- A descriptive essay can be quite loosely structured, though
it should usually begin by introducing the object of your
description and end by drawing an overall picture of it.
- The important thing is to use careful word choices and
figurative language to create an original description of your
object.
 Essay structure

- The basic structure of an essay always consists

of an introduction, a body, and a conclusion.
- There are two main things to keep in mind
when working on your essay structure: making
sure to include the right information in each
part, and deciding how you’ll organize the
information within the body.
 Essay structure: Parts of an essay

Introduction:
- Presents your topic
- Provides background
- Gives your thesis statement
 Essay structure: Parts of an essay

Body:
- Core arguments and analysis
- Presents evidence (e.g. quotes)
- One main point per paragraph
- Each paragraph starts with a topic sentence
- All paragraphs relate to your thesis
 Essay structure: Parts of an essay

Conclusion:
- Ties together your main points
- Shows why your argument matters
 Essay structure

I. Introduction
1. General statements
2. Thesis statement
II. Body
3. Topic sentence
4. Support
5. Support
6. Concluding sentence
III. Conclusion
Restatement or summary of the main points; final comment
 Paragraph structure: Thesis statement

A thesis statement:
- tells the reader how you will interpret the significance of the
subject matter under discussion.
- is a road map for the paper; in other words, it tells the reader
what to expect from the rest of the paper.
- directly answers the question asked of you.
- makes a claim that others might dispute.
- is usually a single sentence near the beginning of your paper
(most often, at the end of the first paragraph) that presents
your argument to the reader.
 Paragraph structure: Thesis statement

How do I create a thesis?

- A thesis is a result of a lengthy thinking process.
- Formulating a thesis is not the first thing you do after
reading an essay assignment.
- Before you develop an argument on any topic, you
have to collect and organize evidence, look for
possible relationships between known facts, and
think about the significance of these relationships.
- Once you do this thinking, you will probably have a
“working thesis” that you may change later
 Paragraph structure: Thesis statement

How do I know if my thesis is strong enough?

When reviewing your first draft, ask yourself the following
questions:
- Do I answer the question?
- Have I taken a position that others might challenge or
oppose?
- Is my thesis statement specific enough?
- Does my thesis pass the “So what?” test?
- Does my essay support my thesis specifically and
without wandering?
- Does my thesis pass the “how and why?” test?
 Paragraph structure: Thesis statement

Example:
Suppose you were assigned to write an essay on the following topic:
Discuss the impact of social media on education

Looking back at your notes, you might start with this working thesis:
Social media impacts education in both positive and negative ways.
 Paragraph structure: Thesis statement

You can use the questions discussed before to check

the effectiveness of your thesis:
- Do I answer the question?
- Have I taken a position that others might challenge
or oppose?
- Is my thesis statement specific enough?
- Does my thesis pass the “So what?” test?
- Does my thesis pass the “how and why?” test?
 Paragraph structure: Thesis statement

A possible alteration:
Because not every voice on social media is reliable,
people have become much more critical consumers of
information, and thus, more informed learners.
 Paragraph structure: Topic sentence

- Topic sentence is the first sentence of a paragraph

- Topic sentences string together paragraphs in a
way that progresses nicely and facilitates reading.
They help maintain the flow of the overall piece of
writing—and readers’ focus as a result.
- Topic sentences also “preview” what the reader can
expect from the rest of the paragraph.
 Paragraph structure: Topic sentence

Types of topic sentences:

1. Simple:
New research indicates a link between a person’s cognitive style
and the type of content they prefer to consume on social media.
2. Command:
Now let’s consider the alternative.
 Paragraph structure: Topic sentence

Types of topic sentences:

3. Complex:
Although many still believe in the flat earth theory, the truth is
that the opposite has been proven scientifically centuries ago.
4. Purely transitional
However, not everyone agrees.
 Paragraph structure: Topic sentence

Types of topic sentences:

5. Pivot:
By contrast, Nikola Tesla saw alternating current as a better
solution.
Both purely transitional and pivot topics sentences are
generally written within a paragraph.
Paragraph structure: Supporting sentences

- The supporting sentences of a paragraph develop

the main idea you presented in the topic sentence.
- When writing supporting sentences you should be
giving examples, reasons, or descriptions to
support your topic sentence.
 Paragraph structure: Supporting sentences

Supporting sentences should focus on the following:

- They should provide the main supporting points for the
paragraph's main idea (topic sentence)
- There are usually 2 - 4 supporting sentences in a
paragraph.
- They should be arranged in a logical order.
- They should NOT begin a new topic or introduce a new
idea.
Paragraph structure: Supporting sentences

Example:
Ice cream is one of the few desserts that is enjoyed all
over the world! In Italy, they call ice cream gelato. Ice
cream, or helado, can be found on the street corners of
Argentina. The same is true in Japan, Australia, and New
Zealand. Now I want to travel the world just to try out all
the amazing ice cream offered in other countries!
Paragraph structure: Concluding sentences

- The concluding sentence is the last sentence in

a paragraph.
- Its job is to summarize the main idea of the
paragraph.
- If the paragraph is part of an essay, the
concluding sentence also transitions to the next
paragraph.
Paragraph structure: Concluding sentences

To write an effective concluding sentence:

- Restate the big idea of the topic sentence using
different words or a different order.
- Summarize the big idea of the paragraph without
repeating the exact same words.
- Give the reader something to think about. So what?
- Transition to the next paragraph.
 Paragraph structure: Concluding sentences

Example:

Topic sentence Concluding sentence

From the passage, we can infer It is clear from Mrs. Jones’
that Mrs. Jones has high interactions with Roger that she
standards enforced by her caring has high expectations for
compassion. behavior; however, those high
standards are conveyed through
kindness, which makes her
lessons even more poignant.
 Signposting

- Signposting allows you to write coherent and

cohesive essays
- Signposting means using phrases and words to
guide the reader through the content of your
essay/dissertation.
 Signposting

There are two main types of signposting:

1. introductions, conclusions and outlining main
arguments / the direction of the argument in
paragraphs/opening phrases.
2. connecting words help guide the reader
through the argument by linking ideas,
sentences and paragraphs.
 Signposting

To access a list of words and

phrases you can use to signpost
ideas in your writing:
 References

Anson, Chris M., and Robert A. Schwegler. (2010). The Longman Handbook for Writers and
Readers, 6th ed. New York: Longman.

Lunsford, Andrea A. (2015). The St. Martin’s Handbook, 8th ed. Boston: Bedford/St Martin’s.

Ramage, John D., John C. Bean, and June Johnson. (2018). The Allyn & Bacon Guide to Writing,
8th ed. New York: Pearson.

Ruszkiewicz, John J., Christy Friend, Daniel Seward, and Maxine Hairston. (2010). The Scott,
Foresman Handbook for Writers, 9th ed. Boston: Pearson Education.

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