Emily V. Walsh (9-2)

Teacher : Mrs. Cleary

Text : Sightlines 9

2009 / 2010

English 9

Study

Guide

Course Evaluation Writing & Representing 25%

- Demand Assessments (15%) Research 10% Speaking & Listening 15% Shakespearean Study 10% Reading & Viewing 20% Final CRT 20%

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Vocabulary

1. Essay : a short literary composition on a particular theme or subject. 2. Narrative (Essay): a story or account of events, experiences, or the like,

whether true or fictitious. 3. Descriptive (Essay): and essay that describes an object, person,

experience, etc. with powerful diction and great imagery. 4. Genre: a type of text or literary form.

5. Prose: the ordinary form of spoken or written language. 6. Short story: prose fiction that usually revolves around a single incident in a

character’s life. Short stories usually have only one turning point or climax. The essential elements of a short story include setting, characters, plot ad theme.

7. Novel: a story published as a separate book. The main difference between

a short story and a novel is that a novel revolves around many incidents in

the main character’s life.

8. Fiction: prose in which the characters and events are imaginary.

9. Non-fiction: any piece of writing that is true and is not based on the

imaginary.

10. Narrative: a piece of writing that tells a story.

Essays Analyzing and Understanding Types of Essays

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11. Expository: a piece of writing that explains how and why something

happens.

12. Descriptive: a piece of writing that gives the reader a clear picture of a

place, person, event or thing.

13. Persuasive: a piece of writing in which the author attempts to convince the

reader of a certain opinion.

14. Biography: an account of the life of an individual other than the writer.

15. Autobiography: a narrative about or from the person writing it.

16. Essay: a short piece or prose usually expressing the personal point of view

of the author. An essay has three main parts; an introductory paragraph,

main body, and a concluding paragraph.

17. Thesis: the position or opinion the writer is trying to defend (ex. In a

persuasive essay)

18. Objective: writing that presents factual information and a variety of

viewpoints.

19. Subjective: writing with a particular viewpoint with support selected to

support just that one viewpoint.

20. Formal: usually objective writing that deals with more serious ideas and

topics.

21. Informal: writing with the quality of everyday conversation and that

shows a great deal of the author’s personality.

22. Paragraph: a group of sentences relating to a single topic or idea.

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23. Topic Sentence: a sentence which expresses the main idea of a

paragraph.

24. Unity: a quality of writing in which all the sentences and paragraphs

support one main idea.

25. Coherence: a clear, logical flow in writing with smooth transitions

between sentences and between paragraphs.

26. Setting: time, place and circumstances the story or event takes place.

27. Point of View: the perspective from which the events are seen, a story is

told or an argument is made.

a. First Person: the narrator is “I”, and one of the characters in the

story. (ex. “I knew I wanted to go to the dance, but I wondered

why Bill was angry.”)

b. Third Person Limited: the narrator tells the story as he or they.

(ex. “Sarah knew she wanted to go to the dance, but wondered

why Bill was angry.”)

c. Omniscient Point of View: the narrator is all knowing and

describes the thoughts and feelings of all the characters but is not

a character in the story. (ex. “Sarah’s teasing made Bill angry but

he wasn’t going to think about that now.”)

28. Narrator: the person who tells the story

29. Protagonist: the lead character; the character around whom the main

action and conflict revolves. This character’s appearance, background,

feelings, and thoughts are all described in detail.

30. Antagonist: the character who struggles or fights against the protagonist.

31. Minor (Background) Characters: these characters are more a part of the

setting and atmosphere.

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32. Character trait: a personality quality, how a character behaves

33. Dynamic Character: a character who changes as a result of events in the

story.

34. Static Character: a character who remains the same throughout the

story.

35. Stereotype: a fixed idea where al members of a group are made out to

be the same without room for individual differences.

36. Characterization: the way an author creates characters. See your

handout for; direct, indirect, motivation, flat, round, dynamic, static.

37. Character sketch: a brief description of a character, using support and

evidence to show that character’s attitudes, feelings, thoughts and

personality.

38. Conflict: the struggle between opposing forces.

a. Internal: a character struggling with a decision or own feelings

b. Interpersonal: character(s) versus character(s)

c. External: a character struggling against the outside world (ex.

Person versus a storm)

39. Plot: the plan, skeleton, framework

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1. Short Composition

2. Limited Topic

3. Four major categories : Persuasive, Descriptive, Narrative, Expository

4. Essays may be formal or informal.

Formal Essays: Informal Essays:

- Serious purpose - Logically organized - Informative/analytical - Formal Diction & writing

style - No slang - No abbreviations

- More personal writing - Slang - Casual writing style - Abbreviations

Narrative Essays

Narrative essays are told from a defined point of view, often the author’s,

so there is feeling as well as specific and often sensory details provided to

get the reader involved in the elements and sequence of the story.

Narratives are generally written in the first person, that is, using “I.”

However, third person (he, she, it, etc.) can also be used.

Narratives rely on concrete, sensory details to convey their point and

should create a dominant impression.

So narratives, as stories, should have a clear beginning, middle and end.

Narratives should also include these story contents: plot (including

setting), characters, climax and an ending.

To summarize the narrative essay:

Told from a particular point of view

Formal vs. Informal

Characteristics of the Essay

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Makes and supports a point

Is filled with precise detail

Uses vivid words

Uses conflict and sequence as does any story

May use dialogue

Has plot development

Answers the 5 w’s

Has chronological order.

Descriptive Essay

The writer recreates and shares his/her impression of people, places, or

experiences by using strong diction, which is full of rich imagery

Uses the senses to describe something to the reader( e.g., smell, sound,

sight, taste, or feel)

More than just telling a person something

It uses words to write a verbal picture. It does not just tell the reader

about an object, but uses the words to describe what the writer wants to

show

Using nouns, it allows readers to see; using verbs gives them the sense of

feeling

A descriptive essay may be objective or even subjective. The writer uses

tone, diction, and attitudes to get the message to the reader

o Objective: unbiased – very unemotional – “black and white”

o Subjective: biased – emotional – opinionated – “grey” – affected by

reader’s background

The purpose of a descriptive essay is to get specific and concrete details to

the reader about an object or place.

Expository Essay

The purpose of an expository essay is to present, completely and fairly,

other people’s views or to report about an event or situation

It outlines factual information and/or informs people of something. It

does not comment for or against something. It is unbiased.

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Often developed by the use of facts and statistical information, cause and

effect relationships.

It is written without emotion and usually in the third person point of view

(this means that the pronoun “I” is not usually found within the essay)

Expository essays also have a distinct format:

o The thesis statement must be defined and narrow enough to be

supported within the essay

o Each supporting paragraph must have a distinct controlling topic

and all other sentences must factually relate to it. The transition

words or phrases are important as they help the reader follow

along and reinforce the logic

o Finally, the conclusion paragraph should originally state the thesis

and the main supporting ideas. Finish with the statement that

reinforces your position in a meaningful and memorable way.

o NEVER introduce new material in the conclusion.

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Test – February 18, 2010

Possible Questions

1. Type of Essay (6 paragraphs)

2. Formal vs. Informal (3 paragraphs)

3. Coherence (6 paragraphs) (3 paragraphs)

4. Audience (1 paragraph)

5. Purpose (1 paragraph)

6. Unity (1 paragraph)

Notes:

1) Type of Essay:

Ensure you know the characteristics of each type of essay plus be able to

give supports for each

o Narrative:

5 w’s, dialogue, plot development, character development,

POV, vivid imagery

o Expository:

Distinct format, unbiased, POV, unemotional, thesis supported

by facts and examples, usually third person

o Persuasive:

Biased, emotional appeal, call to action, first person ALWAYS,

thesis supported by facts and examples

2) Formal vs. Informal

Formal: informative, analytical, serious, formal diction and writing style

Informal: casual, personal, slang, abbreviations, entertaining

3) Coherence

Pronouns (simply the use of them)

Parallel structure (all of the verbs are in the same conjugated tense)

Repetition (of words and ideas, not repetition of any word, must be an

important word)

Transitions (use of effective transitional words and phrases – you need

examples from the beginning, middle and end)

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4) Audience

The target group for whom a selection was written

Look at the thesis, topic, writing style and diction

Be as specific as possible

5) Purpose

The reason for a which a selection was written

o To persuade about something through something

o To inform about something through something

o To entertain about something through something

o To evoke an action

o To make a statement about something

6) Unity

The creation of a focus or a focus on a single topic. All parts of the essay

must contain details and/or facts that support the thesis statement

Elements of unity:

o Closing by return (restating thesis in conclusion)

o Repetition of words and ideas throughout

o Dominant impression (stay on topic for entire essay)

o Transitional words and phrases

The following are different ways to support your argument in a persuasive essay:

Facts: a powerful means of convincing, facts can come from your reading

observation or personal experience

o NOTE: Do not confuse facts with truths. A “truth” is an idea

believed by many people but that cannot be proven.

Statistics: These can provide excellent support. Be sure your statistics

come from responsible sources. Always cite your sources.

Quotes: Direct quotes from leading experts that support your position are

invaluable.

Examples: They enhance your meaning and make your ideas concrete.

They are the proof.

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Persuasive Essays

Persuasive writing utilizes logic and reason to show that one idea is more

legitimate than another idea.

It attempts to persuade a reader to adopt a certain point of view or to take

a particular action (call to action).

The argument must always use sound reasoning and solid evidence by

stating facts, giving logical reasons, using examples, and quoting experts,

as well as using personal stories (e.g., organ donation).

When planning a persuasive essay or speech, follow these steps:

1) Choose your position. Which side of the issue or problem are you

going to write about, and what solution will you offer? Know the

purpose of your essay!

2) Analyze your audience. Decide if your audience agrees with you or

disagrees with you and your position. (Adopt your “voice.”)

3) Research your topic. A persuasive essay must provide specific and

convincing evidence. Often, it is necessary to go beyond your own

knowledge and experience. You might need to go the library or

interview people who are experts on your topic.

4) Structure your essay. Figure out what evidence you will include and in

what order you will present it. Remember to consider your purpose,

your audience, and your topic.

Key Elements:

o Emotional appeal (“tugs at your heartstrings”)

o Biased

o Thesis supported by facts/examples

o Call to action (related to thesis)

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Final Test Revision (in more specific detail)

Test moved to February 17th

1. Type of Essay: Narrative, Persuasive, or Expository

Narrative

o Plot Development: explain that the essay has a clear beginning

(time, place, circumstance), middle (conflict, climax) and end

(resolution)

o Dialogue: gives the reader insight into the thoughts and feelings of

the character

o 5 W’s: answers who, where, what, when, and why

o Point of View: explain first or third person point of view and how

it’s effective (first – closeness to narrator)

o Character Development:

o Vivid Imagery:

Expository

o Unbiased: informs the audience by using many facts and examples,

often in the form of statistics and appeals to authority. But it shows

two sides to the topic.

o Unemotional

o Serious Purpose and Topic

o Distinct Format/Thesis: academically and logically organized; clear

thesis followed by facts and examples; chronological order

o Third person point of view

Persuasive

o Biased: shows one side of argument

o Call to action: appears in the conclusion – call for audience to take

action

o Emotional appeal: there are examples of facts in the essay that

have an emotional impact on the reader (tugs at your heartstrings)

o Thesis supported by facts/examples

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2) Audience – target group for whom a selection is intended

Ask yourself, after reading the essay, who (i.e. what group) would be able

to make change, or influence, or benefit. This should be your audience.

Most likely 1 paragraph. If asked for 3, stretch out topic sentence as

introduction and conclusion sentence as conclusion.

3) Purpose – the intent or reason a selection was written

Look at the diction, content, and topic

“The purpose is to _______1__________ about ___(something)____

through _______2__________.

(1 = persuade, expose, inform)

(2 = specific facts and examples)

*NO UNITY QUESTION