Transcript Intro to The Writing Process

The Writing Process
•Basic Sentence Structure
•Complete Sentences
•Types of Sentences
•Fragments
•Run-Ons
•Paragraphs
•Elements of a Paragraph
•Outlining
Sentences
•Complete Sentences
•Types of Sentences
•Compound Sentences
•Fragments
•Run-On Sentences
Complete Sentences
 A complete sentence has a subject
and a predicate that work together to
make a complete thought.
Bobby laughed until he
cried.
Complete Sentences
 In order for a sentence to be
complete it must have the following
items:
 Start with a capital letter
 Have a noun or pronoun as the subject
 Have an action or linking verb with or
without helping verbs
 End with some form of punctuation:
period, exclamation point, or a
question mark
 Has a complete thought
Types of Sentences
 There are four types of sentences.
 Exclamatory
 Shows strong emotion & ends with an
!
 Interrogative
 Asks a question & ends with a
?
 Imperative
 Makes a demand or command & ends with
a period.
 Declarative
 Makes a statement & ends with a period
Combining Sentences
Sentences have to be
combined to avoid the
boredom that would happen if
all sentences were the same
length.
Avoid using several “simple”
sentences.
Compound Sentences
Contains two independent clauses
joined by a coordinating
conjunction.
Helpful hint: The first letter of each
of the coordinators spells FANBOYS.
The coordinating conjunctions are as
follows: for, and, nor, but, or, yet,
so.
Sentence Fragments
A SENTENCE FRAGMENT
fails to be a sentence in the
sense that it cannot stand
by itself.
Sentence Fragments
 May locate something in time
and place, but lack a subjectverb relationship.
Last Saturday after the ballgame
at the ice cream shop.
Sentence Fragments
 May describe something, but do
not have a subject-verb
relationship.
Shooting just before the
buzzer rang and hoping
to score the winning
point.
Sentence Fragments
 May have most of the makings
of a sentence, but still are
missing an important part of a
verb phrase.
Some of us going together to
the mall.
Sentence Fragments
May have a subject-verb
relationship, but cannot stand
by itself because it is missing
information to make it a
complete thought.
Even though she was the
prettiest girl and had a
great talent presentation.
Run-On Sentences
 A RUN-ON SENTENCE
(sometimes called a fused sentence)
has at least two parts.
 one part can stand by itself
 the other part needs to be connected
together with one or two words
 The run-on can be corrected with a
semi-colon. (;) or by using
Conjunctions
Run-On Sentences
 Remember: The length of a
sentence really has nothing to do with
whether a sentence is a run-on or
not; even a very short sentence could
be a run-on sentence.
• The books are heavy don’t carry
them. (incorrect)
• The books are heavy; don’t carry
them.
Run-On Sentences
 When two clauses are connected
by only a comma, they are a
run-on sentence that is called a
comma-splice.
The books are heavy,
don’t carry them.
Run-On sentences happen
 when an independent clause
gives an order or directive based
on what was said in the prior
independent clause.
The game is going to
be very close you have
to play your best.
Run-On sentences also happen
 when two clauses are connected by
words such as however, moreover,
or nevertheless.
My mom packed my
lunch today however
she forgot to put in
my drink.
The Paragraph
A paragraph is a collection of
related sentences dealing
with a single topic.
 Paragraphs are ALWAYS indented
Basic Rule of Paragraphs
 Keep one idea to one paragraph.
 One idea and several bits of
supporting evidence
 Several points as long as they
relate to the overall topic of the
paragraph
 If you begin to transition
into a new idea, it belongs
in a new paragraph.
Elements of a Paragraph
A paragraph should contain
each of the following:
 Unity
 Coherence
 Topic Sentence
 Adequate Development
Unity
The entire paragraph
should concern itself
with a single focus.
It begins with a one
focus or major point of
discussion.
Coherence

is the trait that makes the
paragraph easily
understandable to a reader.
 The paragraph will flow easily
Topic Sentences
 Topic sentences indicate a general
idea or relate thesis information and
what the paragraph is going to deal
with.
 Most topic sentences are located
within the first few sentences.
 Never use a question as a topic
sentence!
Adequate Development
 The topic (which is introduced by
the topic sentence) should be
discussed fully and adequately.
 Beware of “fake”paragraphs that
only have two or three sentences.
A paragraph is not fully developed
if it is too short.
 Good, adequate paragraphs
have five to six sentences.
Well-Developed Paragraphs
Include:
 Examples and illustrations
 Cite data (facts, statistics, evidence,
details, and others)
 Compare and contrast
 Evaluate causes and reasons
 Examine effects and consequences
 Analyze the topic
 Describe the topic
 Offer a chronology/time segments of an
event
How do I know when to
start a new paragraph?
 You should start a new paragraph
when:
 When you begin a new idea or point
 To contrast information or ideas
 Create a break if the paragraph
becomes too long or the material is
complex.
 When you are ending your
introduction or starting your
conclusion
Formal Essays
 In a formal essay, you NEVER use the
first person pronouns, I, me, mine etc
 You will never use the phrases:
I think… , In my opinion, I believe…
 You will NEVER start off answering
with “Yes” or “No”
 You make DECLARATIVE statements.
Formal Essays
 When responding to an essay prompt,
you will RESTATE the prompt by
paraphrasing
 NEVER rewrite the prompt to use as
one of your sentences in your
paragraph. That is PLAGIARIZING!!
Outlining
 Why create an outline?
 Aids in the process of writing
 Helps you organize your ideas
 Presents your material in a logical
form
 Shows the relationships among ideas
in your writing
 Constructs an ordered overview of
your writing
How do I create an
outline?
Determine the purpose of
your paper.
Develop the thesis of
your paper.
Outline Continued
 Then:
 Brainstorm: List all the ideas that you
want to include in your paper.
 Organize: Group related ideas
together.
 Order: Arrange material in
subsections from general to specific
or from abstract to concrete.
 Label: Create main and sub headings.