part V essay writing(6)

VI. Practice in Organizing and Connecting Specific Evidence

You now know the third step in effective writing: organizing the specific evidence used to support the thesis of a paper. This closing section will expand and strengthen your understanding of the third step in writing. You will work through the following series of activities:

1. Organizing through time or emphatic order 2. Providing transitions

3. Identifying transitions and other connecting words 4. Completing transitional sentences 5. Identifying introductions and conclusions

1. Organizing Through Time or Emphatic Order

Exercise 1:

Use time order to organize the scrambled lists of supporting ideas below. Write l beside the supporting idea that should come first in time, 2 beside the idea that logically follows, and 3 beside the idea that comes last in time.

1. Thesis: When I was a child, Disney movies frightened me more than any other kind.

_____ As a five-year-old, I was terrified by the movie Pinocchio, about a puppet

transformed into a boy.

_____ Although I saw Bambi when I was old enough to begin poking fun at \

the scene during which Bambi's mother is killed has stayed with me to this day.

_____ About a year after Pinocchio, I gripped my seat in fear as the witches and goblins of

Fantasia flew across the screen.

2. Thesis: There are techniques to help you overcome three common pitfalls in making a

cheesecake.

_____ There's only one way to remove the cake cleanly and easily from its pan.

_____ Plan in advance to have your equipment ready and the ingredients at room temperature.

_____ Remember to time the baking process and regulate the oven temperature while the

cake is baking. 3. Thesis: Applying for unemployment benefits was a confusing, frustrating experience.

_____ It was difficult to find both the office and a place to park.

_____ When I finally reached the head of the line after four hours of waiting, the clerk had

problems processing my claim. _____ There was no one to direct or help me when I entered the large office, which was

packed with people.

Exercise 2:

Use emphatic order (order of importance) to arrange the following scrambled lists of supporting ideas. For each thesis, write 1 in the blank beside the point that is perhaps less important or interesting than the other two, 2 beside the point that appears more important or interesting, and 3 beside the point that should be most emphasized.

1. Thesis: My after-school job has been an invaluable part of my life this year.

_____ Better yet, it has taught me how to get along with many kinds of people.

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_____ Since it's in the morning, it usually keeps me from staying up too late.

_____ Without it, I would have had to drop out of school. 2. Thesis: We received some odd gifts for our wedding.

_____ The winner in the odd-gift category was a large wooden box with no apparent

purpose or function.

_____ Someone gave us a gift certificate for a massage.

_____ Even stranger, my uncle gave me his favorite bowling ball. 3. Thesis: Donna is my most loyal friend.

_____ She has taken time to do special favors for me.

_____ She's always there in real emergencies or emotional crises. _____ She once lent me her favorite necklace to wear on a date.

2. Providing Transitions

Exercise:

In the spaces provided, add appropriate transitions to tie together the sentences and ideas in the following essay. Draw from the words given in the boxes above the paragraphs. Use each word only once.

Annoying People

President Richard Nixon used to keep an \like. I'm ashamed to confess it, but I, too, have an enemies list—a mental one. On this list are all the people I would gladly live without, the ones who cause my blood pressure to rise to the boiling point. The top three places on the list go to people with annoying nervous habits, people who talk in movie theaters, and people who talk on car phones while driving.

For example First of all Another However

_______________, there are the people with annoying nervous habits. ________________, there are the ones who make faces. When in deep thought, they twitch, squint, and frown, and they can be a real distraction type when I'm trying to concentrate during an exam. __________ type of nervous character makes useless designs. These people bend paper clips into abstract sculptures or string the clips into necklaces as they talk.

__________, neither of these groups is as bad as the people who make noises. These individuals, when they are feeling uncomfortable, bite their fingernails or crack their knuckles. If they have a pencil in their hands, they tap it rhythmically against whatever surface is handy—a desk, a book, a head. Lacking a pencil to play with, they jingle the loose change or keys in their pockets. These people make me wish I were hard of hearing.

On the contrary Then As a result After second A __________ category of people I would gladly do away with is the ones who talk in movie theaters. These people are not content to sit back, relax, and enjoy the film they have paid to see. ________________ they feel compelled to comment loudly on everything from the hero's hairstyle to the appropriateness of the background music. _______________, no one hears a word of any dialog except theirs. __________ they have been in the theater for a while, their interest in

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the movie may fade. __________ they will start discussing other things, and the people around them will be treated to an instant replay of the latest family scandal or soap-opera episode. These stories may be entertaining, but they don't bel …… 此处隐藏：10265字，全部文档内容请下载后查看。喜欢就下载吧 ……