How to Write Paragraphs and Essays

EN 2/ENG 200

Communication Skills 2Prepared by:

Ma. Cecilia M. Eugenio

Instructor/Language and Education

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Topics

• The Writing Process• Understanding the Role of Purpose and Audience• Understand What A Paragraph Is• Understand What An Essay Is

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The Writing Process

DEFINITION:

Writing does not happen all at once. Writers go through several steps, each step bringing them closer to a finished piece of writing. All of these steps, taken together, are called the writing process.

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The Writing Process

The writing process is not so different from other processes you use every day, such as parking a car or tying a shoelace: They seem complicated at first, but once you become familiar with the stages and steps, you hardly notice that you are doing them.

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The Writing Process: Stages and Steps

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STAGES STEPS IN EACH STAGE

1. Prewrite

2. Plan

3. Draft

4. Revise

5. Edit

Why am I writing? What do I want to say? Who will read this?Find and explore your topicFind a main pointSupport your main point

How can I organize my ideas effectively for my reader?Arrange your ideas and make a plan

How can I show my reader what I meant?Write a draftWrite a conclusion and a title

How can I make the draft clearer or more convincing to my reader?

Add, delete, or change sentences or ideas to make your writing stronger

What errors will my reader notice? What other errors confuse meaning?

Find and correct errors in grammar, words use and spelling and punctuation and capitalization

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Understand The Role of Purpose and Audience

• In the outline of the writing process, each stage begins with questions about the purpose and audience of the piece of writing. Why?

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Understand Purpose

• Definition

Everything you write has a purpose, a point or a reason; otherwise you wouldn’t write it. In college, your purpose for writing is usually to show something, explain something, or create convincing argument.

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Understand Audience

• Definition

Everything you write also has an audience, someone who reads it, thinks about it, and responds to it. For most college writing, your primary audience is your instructor. Outside school, you have different audiences for different kinds of writing.

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THINKING CRITICALL Y WHILE WRITING A SUMMARY

Purpose Audience

FOCUS Remember that you are writing for a reason.

Remember that someone will read what you write.

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THINKING CRITICALL Y WHILE WRITING A SUMMARY

Purpose Audience

ASK

What is my assignment?

What topic will I be writing about?

Who is my audience?

What does my audience already know about the topic?

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THINKING CRITICALL Y WHILE WRITING A SUMMARY

Purpose Audience

ASK

What point do I want to make about my topic

What do I want my audience to think about my topic?

What does my audience want or need to know about my topics?Does my audience have a particular attitude or opinion about my topic?Do I need to address that specifically?

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THINKING CRITICALL Y WHILE WRITING A SUMMARY

Purpose Audience

WRITE Always write with your purpose and your audience in mind

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Topics

• The Writing Process• Understanding the Role of Purpose and Audience• Understand What A Paragraph Is• Understand What An Essay Is

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UNDERSTAND WHAT A PARAGRAPH IS

• Definition:

A paragraph is a group of sentences that work together to make a point. A good paragraph has three necessary parts – the topic sentence, the body, and the concluding sentence – which serve specific purpose.

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UNDERSTAND WHAT A PARAGRAPH ISPARAGRAPH PART PURPOSE OF THE PARAGRAPH PART

1. The topic sentence States the main point. The topic sentence is often the first sentence of the paragraph.

2. The body Supports (show, explains, or proves) the main point. It is usually made up of about three to six support sentences, which contain facts and details supporting the main point.

3. The concluding sentences

Reminds readers of the main point and often makes an observation.

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Understand What A Paragraph Is

Paragraphs often have a standard format or arrangement, moving from topic sentence to body to concluding sentence. When writers follow this format, they give readers important clues about how to understand what they see on the page.

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Sample Paragraph

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Topics

• The Writing Process• Understanding the Role of Purpose and Audience• Understand What A Paragraph Is• Understand What An Essay Is

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Understand What An Essay Is

Definition:

An essay is a piece of writing with more than one paragraph; it is usually between three hundred and six hundreds of words long. A good essay has three necessary parts: an introductory paragraph, the body, and a concluding paragraph.

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Understand What An Essay Is

ESSAY PART PURPOSE OF THE ESSAY PART

1. An introduction paragraph States the main point in a thesis statement.

2. The body Supports (shows, explains, or proves) the main point. It generally has at least three support paragraphs, which contain facts and details supporting the main point.

3. A concluding paragraph Reminds readers of the main point. It may also summarize the support or make an observation in a concluding sentence.

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The parts of an essay correspond to the parts of a paragraph:

The thesis statement is like a paragraph’s topic sentence.

The support paragraphs are like a paragraph’s supporting sentences.

The concluding paragraph is like a paragraph’s concluding sentence.

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RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PARAGRAPHS AND ESSAYS

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Sample Essay