Essay Writing II

Essay Writing materialDaniela Brown2010/2011
UNIT 10
Phase I
c/ Mind-mapping
1. Visualising the plan(s)
Mind-mapping is the essayists attempt to arrange their thoughts, ideas and theories in a visual scheme which is
likely to enale them to uild the plan o! the essay more easily" #or some essayists, mind$mapping is indeed help!ul
in organising the material according to%
&" the instructional word in the title 'compare, discuss, examine, etc(
&&" content words 'related to a domain, style, a character, narrati)e techni*ue etc(
&&&" gathering e)idence
&+" interpreting e)idence
&n other words, you are ad)ised to turn the ,ser)ation - diagram into a spider diagram as seen in ,ser)ation ."
/y suggestion is that you%
0" take into account and permanently ha)e in mind the pattern o! the spider diagram in ,ser)ation . which
o!!ers you a 1E2E304 +&EW o! most o! the issues to e analysed with respect to the topic raised y your
essay title 'notice that all the *uestion categories around the instructional and content words are the same as in
,ser)ation -(" 5here!ore, the ,ser)ation . spider diagram o!!ers you an ideal pattern o! *uestion categories
which co)ers most o! the possile essay title re*uirements/*uestions" 5his means that !rom the whole diagram
you may need only a !ew *uestion categories to !ill in, only those strictly connected to your essay title" 5he
more you know aout a te6t, the more you control it7
B" identi!y the *uestion category your essay title contains in its key words and place that *uestion category in the
middle o! the diagram" #or e6empli!ication see ,ser)ation 8, with 59E/E in the middle"
:" gather and interpret e)idence y putting in the spider diagram only those answer categories which ha)e a
connection with the key words in your essay title"
D" impro)e the diagram while you go through the critical materials"
E" ne)er !orget that the in)estigation you are making in your essay mainly !ocuses on one or at most two answer
categories '!or instance, on atmosphere and setting("
;8
ke !"#ds in the title
$ased "n pe#s"nal ideas and c"mments% and "n c#itical mate#ial
"#ganised in the & 'uesti"n categ"#ies
The gene#al vie! "( mind-mapping activit
spide# diag#am

Attention! Achtung! Yo!
N"te that 'uesti"n categ"#ies (Identit% Theme% Time% )pace% etc) a#e num$e#ed e*actl the same as in Ta$le
1 (Gathering and Interpreting Evidence) (pp. +,-+&)% the#e("#e% in "#de# t" $ette# "#ganise "u# #esea#ch
st#ategies it ma $e a g""d idea t" keep the same num$e#s attached t" the same 'uesti"n categ"#ies !hen "u
gathe# the c#itical mate#ial "u have #ead int" (iles (see -$se#vati"n 1.//////////% p. 01).
-0
inst#ucti"nal and
c"ntent !"#ds
'de!ine them(
IDENTITY THEME
TIME
SPACE
MANNER
INTENSITY
e6plain
cha#acte#
e6plain
p"int "(
vie!
e6plain
events linked
to content
words
why e)ents
happen in that
pe#i"d o!
year/ day
why e)ents happen in
that place, why
characters mo)e/ are in
that setting
why gen#e and
stle are
important to the
content words
e6plain #elati"nship
etween characters
linked to the essay title
e6plain characters,
authors, speakers
attitude to the issue
mentioned in the title
e6plain the
characters, authors,
speakers t"ne with
respect to the issue in
the essay title
e6plain
atmosphere
-$se#vati"n 12
1
.
2
,
1
+
a
$ c
d

3 pa#ticula# vie! "( mind-mapping activit4
T56M6 in the essa title ke !"#ds
Pa attenti"n t" the (act that in the e*ample "((e#ed $ -$se#vati"n 1,% 'uesti"n categ"# .4 THEME
(753T is the te6t aout< 753T are characters/speaker/people doing, talking aout, thinking o!, commenting on< and
758 that theme<) has m"ved int" the middle $ecause this is !hat the essa title deals !ith% "u a#e asked t"
!#ite a$"ut the THEME OF SOMETHING.
3n 'uesti"n categ"# (1-Identit% 2- Time% 1$- Manne#4 #elati"nship% etc) c"uld $e in the middle "( the
spide# diag#am% that is% it c"uld $e the essa title% and then all the "the# 'uesti"n categ"#ies !ill $e #eshu((led
and ans!e#ed in cl"se inte#dependence !ith the 'uesti"n categ"# in the middle. )ee ne*t.
-1
instructional word =
T56M6
'de!ine it(
I96NTIT8
e6plain connection
etween cha#acte#s
> theme
e6plain what the
p"int "( vie!
rings to the theme
TIM6
e6plain why
the m"ment
is important
!or the theme
)P3:6
e6plain why > how
that place/ setting
a!!ects the theme
M3NN6;
e6plain how the
#elati"nship etween
characters in!luences
the theme
how gen#e
and stle
sustains the
theme
e6plain how the
speakers attitude is
connected to the
theme
e6plain the
speakers t"ne with
respect to the theme
INT6N)IT8
e6plain why
> how that
atm"sphe#e
acks up the
theme
-$se#vati"n 1,
.
1 2
1
a
$ c
d
+ ,
?uppose the essay title is Analyse the treatment of love in Shakespeares play Romeo and Juliet.
@ou ha)e read the play, you ha)e some course and seminar notes, so you plunge into Ahase &, which precedes the
writing o! your essay%
Phase I
d/ Mind<mapping activit ("# the essa title4 /ake a detailed e6amination or in)estigation o! 'analyse( the way
'treatment( ?hakespeare deals with the theme of love in Romeo and Juliet
9ere is one possiility out o! many%
3ememer that this is the mind$mapping acti)ity o! Ahase &, which means that you will certainly adBust it with
!urther reading and that you may realise you do not need all this material"
-2
a/ 8"u a#e given the essa title
$/ 3nalse the ke !"#ds in the title
c/ =athe# in("#mati"n > inte#p#et the evidence "( the title !"#ds
d/ Mind-mapping
e/ 9#a! the gh"st "( a plan
detailed e6amination o! the
T56M6 -? @-V6
'!amily 4", !riendship, marital
4"(
conse*uences o! 3omeos > Culiets
lo)e% !amily disgrace, death o! !riends,
anishment, hatred, desperate solution
suggested y !riar 4aurence, tragic end,
!amily reconciliation
a/ time o! secrecy% the night, when they
meet, they realise they are in lo)e, they
consummate their marriage
/ time o! chance% y accident the
messenger does not reach /antua, y
chance Culiet wakes a!ter 3omeo kills
himsel!
c/ un!a)orale times !or 3 > C '!amily
!eud(
a/ secrecy, / chance > c/
ad circumstance make
characters )ulnerale when
trying to control their
destinies
5he /ontagues
!amily duties !or 3"
3omeo
!riendship onds%
3omeo > /ercutio
5he :apulets
!amily duties !or C"
Culiet
!riendship > !amily
onds% Culiet > 5yalt
+erona, a setting o! !amily war
and hatred"
9owe)er, the two uild small
spaces o! togetherness% the
garden, the alcony, the chapel,
the ridal room, the ed, the
tom
their lo)e >
death turn
+erona into a
place o! harmony
and memory
there is a tension in the
#elati"nship etween their
!amily names and their
personal identity
/ontague 3omeo
:apulet Culiet
genre% t#agedA3s >
Cs hyris is that theyre
trespassing the laws o!
their !amilies through
lo)ing each other, which
ends in their death and in
reconciliation >
puri!ication !or parents
?hakespeares
attitude to lo)e '>
hate implicitly(%
passionate !eelings
ha)e tragic
conse*uences, i!
indi)idual choice is
not respected
the tragic t"ne goes
with the genre >
stresses the !eelings o!
guilt and loss !or 3s >
Cs parents
the atm"sphe#e o!
hatred > !amily !eud
gets Bu6taposed onto
that o! lo)eD lo)e >
guilt wash away
animosity
)3MP@6 BI
their personal sel)es,
their wishes o!
togetherness hit against
their oligations imposed
y their !amilies
1
.
2
,
$
1
a
c
+ .
d
Phase I
d/ 9#a!ing the gh"st "( a plan
.0
5he ghost o! a plan would e the !irst attempt to put the material you ha)e gathered into a structure"
21
&t is ased on
a minimum o! in!ormation%
the te6t itsel! 'the te6ts themsel)es, i! se)eral(
some general knowledge you 'may( ha)e on the topic
course and 'possily( seminar in!ormation you may ha)e hal! internaliEed, ut not !ully understood, not
e6tended, nor researched"
5here!ore, the plan 'ased on a little in!ormation, a little e6perience in the !ield, gathering and interpreting e)idence
!rom the te6t, and the spider diagram you make(, represents a 9@A,59E?&? Fa supposition made as a starting
point !or !urther in)estigation !rom known !actsG ':oncise ,6!ord Dictionary(, rather than your !inal !irm
composite opinion on the matter, sustained y solid e)idence and pro!essional ooks in the !ield" 5he research work
you ha)e to carry !urther is what will con!irm or deny you hypothetical plan" Ahases && and &&& teach you how to
adBust your plan to the new knowledge you gather !rom research work" 0s you can see, this !irst plan is paramount,
ecause it tests your power o! creati)ity, your intuitions and your will to concentrate on a theme, on a te6t you ha)e
not een used to dealing withD it !orces you to stretch the limits o! your mind, to go eyond the regular denotations
you are immersed in your daily li!e" 5his plan is thus a challenge which eckons you to emark upon an ad)enture
o! the mind"
Hn!ortunately, there are no general widely )alid recipes !or making good 'or ad( essay plans" 5he trick o! hitting a
good plan is in the wrist7 0 !ew suggestions o! what you should do to e success!ul may e o! help%
1" ?tick to the structure o! an essay ')id" H2&5 I("
2" 0ll through the essay, always deal with the content words in the title"
J" Do not let your hypothetical plan e the !inal )ersion, do not write an essay ased only on minimum o!
in!ormation and no research work, ecause this is the shortest way to super!iciality and the clearest proo! o!
immaturity"
22
I" Do not cheat y taking essay chunks !rom ooks or the internet" @our teachers ha)e proaly seen them e!ore
'maye they e)en wrote them7(, and they will 2,5 e impressed"
1. 9" n"t st#uctu#e the main ideas in the $"d acc"#ding t" the "#de# "( 'uesti"n categ"#ies (capti"ns) in
"u# spide# diag#am. :lea#l decide !hich 'uesti"n categ"#ies a#e st#ictl c"nnected !ith the title
'uesti"n and link them th#"ugh inte#-pa#ag#aph t#ansiti"ns and th#"ugh the l"gical (l"! "( ideas. )ee
ne*t4
20
5he content o! this part has no connection with Hamlet or the collection o! short stories Spooks in Your up!oard.
21
5he structure o! an essay re!ers to the !i6ed general set o! interconnected parts 'introduction, ody, conclusion and their
components( which uild the whole unit called an essay" 5he plan o! an essay re!ers to the personal arrangement o! ideas and
theories within the !i6ed rigid essay structure"
22
E)en heroes like those two in "en in #lack 'part & and part &&( must ha)e trained and worked )ery hard to ecome such
precise shooters and intelligent agents ridding our elo)ed planet o! aliens" But, this goes without saying, especially in a
comedy" Essay writing goes with a lot o! saying"
-J
4et us return to the essay title Analyse the treatment of love in Shakespeares play Romeo and Juliet. and to
the spider diagram in ?ample +&&&"
I( "u d" n"t have a l"gical (l"! "( main ideas in the $"d% i( "u d" n"t think "( an int#"ducti"n
and a c"nclusi"n% it !"uld $e 7;-N= t" d#a! a plan taken di#ectl (#"m the diag#am%
c"mpletel unp#"cessed. It !ill l""k like this4
-I
)3MP@6
BII
Analyse the treatment of love in Shakespeares play Romeo and Juliet.
Int#"ducti"n
a/ 0nnouncing the suBect ased on the key words in the title
/ 1eneral statement
c/ &ndicating the plan o! your essay
d/ 1i)ing a methodological statement aout you are going to do
C"d
1
st
/ain idea% I96NTIT8
5he /ontagues% 3omeo has !amily duties 'oeying his parents, de!ending the honour o! his !amily, hating the :apulets("
3omeo is also a good !riend o! /ercutio" ?o !amily duties and personal onds !or 3omeo"
5he :apulets% e)en more !amily duties !or Culiet 'marring whoe)er her parents want her to, y personal e6ample, keeping the
good name o! her !amily, honouring her !uture husand, hating the /ontagues etc"(" ?he is a good !riend o! 5yalt" ?o !amily
duties and personal onds !or Culiet"
Backing idea to 1
conse*uences o! 3omeos > Culiets lo)e% !amily disgrace, death o! !riends, anishment, hatred, desperate solution
suggested y !riar 4aurence, tragic end, !amily reconciliation
2
nd
/ain idea% TIM6
a/ time o! secrecy% the night, when they meet, they realise they are in lo)e, they consummate their marriage
/ time o! chance% y accident the messenger does not reach /antua, y chance Culiet wakes a!ter 3omeo kills himsel!
c/ un!a)orale times !or 3 > C '!amily !eud(
Backing idea to 2
'a( secrecy, '( chance > 'c( ad circumstance make the main characters )ulnerale when trying to control
their destinies
J
rd
/ain idea% )P3:6
+erona, a setting o! !amily war and hatred" 9owe)er, 3omeo and Culiet uild small spaces o! togetherness% the garden, the alcony, the
chapel, the ridal room, the ed, the tom
Backing idea to J
their lo)e > death turns +erona into a place o! harmony, reconciliation and memory in the end
I
th
/ain idea% M3NN6;% #elati"nship
there is a tension in the relationship etween their and their personal identity % /ontague )ersus 3omeoD :apulet )ersus Culiet
Backing idea to I
their personal sel)es, their wishes o! togetherness come against their oligations which are imposed y their !amilies
K
th
/ain idea% M3NN6;% gen#e
genre% t#agedA3s > Cs hyris is that they trespass the laws/regulations/traditions o! their !amilies y !alling in lo)e with each other,
which ends in their death and in the reconciliation > puri!ication o! their parents
&t is not a good plan ecause%
the main ideas a#e n"t l"gicall c"nnectedD
it has no introduction and no conclusionD
some o! the ideas repeat themsel)esD
there are too many things !or one essay"
&t could ecome a good plan i!%
"u (ind a l"gic (l"! "( ideas% like cause and e((ect% thesisAantithesisAsnthesis
etc.
you !ill in the introductory and the concluding parts
since the title is so generously general, you ha)e the lierty to limit $he $heme of %ove to, let us say%
onse&uences of Romeos and Juliets %ove for 'ach (therD y choosing to make the topic smaller, the chances
to control the theme grow"
-K
C"d- c"ntinued
;
th
/ain idea% M3NN6;% attitude
?hakespeares attitude to lo)e '> hate implicitly(may e that passionate !eelings ha)e tragic conse*uences, i! indi)idual
choice is not respected, taken into account"
-
th
/ain idea% M3NN6;% t"ne
the tragic t"ne goes with the genre > stresses the !eelings o! guilt and loss o! 3s > Cs parents
.
th
/ain idea% 3TM-)P56;6
the atm"sphe#e o! hatred > !amily !eud gets Bu6taposed onto that o! lo)eD lo)e > guilt wash away animosity
:"nclusi"n
a/ what the conse*uences o! what you ha)e written are
/ how the main ideas in the ody contriute to the demonstration o! the general statement, which is your
personal answer to the 'implied( *uestion in the title
9ere is an attempt to turn the gathered e)idence and interpreted in!ormation o! this spider diagram into a 1
st
dra!t
diagram plan
2J
"
5he ad)antage o! ha)ing put Ta$le 1 material into a diagram is that you can )isually comprise the wholeness o!
your work in Ahase 1, which may help you concei)e an essay plan"
0s & ha)e suggested e!ore, i! the essay title is too general, you can make it smaller" 5here!ore, !rom $he $heme of
%ove to%
Cone!"ence o# Ro$eo and %"&iet' (ove #or Each Other
5urning a spider diagram into a diagram plan
1" :ross out irrele)ant in!ormation" 9ere is one option%
5his is what you remain with%
2J
a diagram )essay* plan means rearranging a spider diagram which, in this ook, has a set o! *uestion categories in an
estalished succession, into logical plan in which each numer shows the succession o! main ideas and acking ideas, e6actly
the way they will e de)eloped upon in the written essay"
-;
:-N)6EU6N:6) -?
@-V6
4"(
conse*uences o! 3omeo > Culiets
a/ time o! secrecy% the night, when they
meet, they realise they are in lo)e, they
consummate their marriage
/ time o! chance% y accident the
messenger does not reach /antua, y
chance Culiet wakes a!ter 3omeo kills
himsel!
c/ un!a)orale times !or 3 > C '!amily
!eud(
a/ secrecy, / chance > c/
ad circumstance make
characters )ulnerale when
trying to control their
destinies
5he /ontagues
3omeo
!riendship onds%
3omeo > /ercutio
5he :apulets
Culiet
!riendship > !amily
+erona, a setting o! !amily war
and hatred"
9owe)er, the two uild small
spaces o! togetherness% the
garden, the alcony, the chapel,
the ridal room, the ed, the
tom
their lo)e >
death turn
+erona into a
place o! harmony
and memory
personal identity
/ontague 3omeo
:apulet Culiet
genre% t#agedA3s >
reconciliation >
?hakespeares
attitude to lo)e '>
hate implicitly(%
passionate !eelings
ha)e tragic
conse*uences, i!
not respected
the tragic t"ne goes
with the genre >
stresses the !eelings o!
guilt and loss !or 3s >
Cs parents
the atm"sphe#e o!
guilt wash away
animosity
their wishes o!
y their !amilies
1
.
2
,
$
1
a
c
+ .
d
2" 5hink o! a logical se*uence o! ideas !or your plan, there!ore, rearrange the diagram in the se*uential order o!
main ideas !or the !uture plan and add anything you think proper.
The num$e#s "u give t" capti"ns !ill $e the num$e#s t" mains ideas in "u# plan.
?ince one o! the key words in the title is conse&uence, perhaps you can approach the topic on a cause and effect
!asis.
What you can easily notice is that most o! the remaining captions re!er to a !ew ideas round your essay theme%
conse*uences o! the lo)e 3omeo and Culiet !elt !or each other"
9ere is a possile suggestion o! a diagram plan !or this topic%
The num$e#s given t" capti"ns indicate the se'uence "( main ideas and $acking ideas in the essa plan.
--
:-N)6EU6N:6) -?
@-V6
4"(
conse*uences o! 3omeo > Culiets
5he /ontagues
3omeo
!riendship onds%
3omeo > /ercutio
5he :apulets
Culiet
!riendship > !amily
their lo)e >
death turn
+erona into a
place o! harmony
and memory
personal identity
/ontague 3omeo
:apulet Culiet
genre% t#agedA3s >
reconciliation >
?hakespeares
attitude to lo)e '>
hate implicitly(%
passionate !eelings
ha)e tragic
conse*uences, i!
not respected
the atm"sphe#e o!
guilt wash away
animosity
their wishes o!
y their !amilies
1
.
$
1
a
c
+ .
+erona, a setting o!
!amily war and hatred
,
Essay Writing materialDaniela Brown2010/2011 -.
:-N)6EU6N:6) -?
@-V6
4"(
conse*uences o! 3s lo)e o! C !or !amily
and !riends% !amily disgrace, death o!
!riends, anishment, hatred, desperate
solution suggested y !riar 4aurence, tragic
end, !amily reconciliation
5he /ontagues
3omeo
!riendship onds%
3omeo > /ercutio
5he :apulets
Culiet
!riendship > !amily
personal identity
/ontague 3omeo
:apulet Culiet
genre% t#agedA3s >
reconciliation >
?hakespeares
attitude to lo)e '>
hate implicitly(%
passionate !eelings
ha)e tragic
conse*uences, i!
not respected
the atm"sphe#e o!
guilt wash away
animosity
their wishes o!
y their !amilies
I
.
+erona, a setting o! !amily war and
hatred, which, through 3s > Cs lo)e
turns into a place o! harmony,
memory and reconciliation
conse*uences o! lo)e !or 3 >C%
ecoming mature, understanding
the meaning o! essences% li!e, lo)e,
death" 0lso learning to de!end their
togetherness, assuming risks, li)ing
intensely
II
I
IV
I
I
V
VI
sel( >
(amil
t"!n
the !"#ld%
th#"ugh
gene#alisati"n
VII
9iag#am plan
J" 5rans!er the result into Ta$le . (The P&an into the Str"ct"re)
I" Be !ully prepared to add, adBust and change the plan once you go through critical material
)uggesti"ns ("# g""d essa plans in Phase I
1. )tick t" the st#uctu#e "( an essa (vid. UNIT) 1-+).
.. 3ll th#"ugh the essa% al!as deal !ith the c"ntent !"#ds in the title.
2. 9" n"t let "u# hp"thetical plan $e the (inal ve#si"n
,. ;est#ict the t"pic a#ea given $ the title as much as "u canD ann"unce
it in the int#"ducti"n% p"int a/
1. 9" n"t st#uctu#e the main ideas in the $"d acc"#ding t" the "#de# "(
'uesti"n categ"#ies in "u# spide# diag#am. 8"u clea#l decide !hich
'uesti"n categ"#ies a#e st#ictl c"nnected !ith the title 'uesti"n and
"u ve# l"gicall link them th#"ugh inte#-pa#ag#aph t#ansiti"ns and
th#"ugh the l"gical (l"! "( ideas !hich "u ann"unce in the
int#"ducti"n% p"int d.
-8
-$se#vati"n 11
Essay Writing materialDaniela Brown2010/2011 .0
6*e#cises ("# UNIT 10
P#"g#ess 'uesti"ns
What do you take into account when you do the mind$mapping<
What is the 1eneral +iew spider diagram use!ul !or<
What are the *uestion categories you put in the 1eneral +iew spider diagram<
Why is it important to uild a spider diagram<
What is the di!!erence etween a spider diagram and a spider diagram essay plan<
II.-III. 7#iting tasks du#ing class and discussi"n
Hse Ta$le . '5he Alan into the ?tructure( and write a good plan !or onse&uences of %ove in Shakespeares play
Romeo and Juliet !ollowing the spider diagram plan on page ;0"
IV. 5"me!"#k
1./ 9" the Phase I activit ("# the ("ll"!ing essa title4 Short S)irt Get One Married
a/ 0pproach the essay title y analysing its key words
/ 1ather in!ormation > interpret the e)idence o! the title words 'use Ta$le 1(
c/ Do the mind$mapping% spider diagram o! gathered in!ormation and o! interpreted e)idence and spider diagram o!
essay plan
d/ Draw the ghost o! a plan 'use Ta$le .(
../ 9" Phase I activit taking int" acc"unt the essa title4
Ana&*e the The$e o# (ove in E$i&* Dic)inon' Poe$
the essay plan
L5W0? a long parting, ut the time
#or inter)iew had comeD
Be!ore the Budgment$seat o! 1od,
5he last and second time
$
5hese !leshless lo)ers met,
0 hea)en in a gaEe,
0 hea)en o! hea)ens, the pri)ilege
,n one anotherMs eyes"
$
2o li!etime set on them,
0pparelled as the new
Hnorn, e6cept they had eheld,
Born e)erlasting now"
$
Was ridal eMer like this<
0 paradise, the host,
0 cheruim and seraphim
5he most !amiliar guest"
'/ultimedia 4irary :D(
UNIT) 11-1.4
The )ec"nd and Thi#d 9#a(ts
The th#ee successive phases p#i"# t" the !#iting "( "u# essa
Phases II and III
Phases II and III
;esea#ch !"#k% n"tes and c"ntinu"us #eadFustment "( "u# plan
0t this stage, perhaps you ask yoursel! whether you should ha)e done the research work and the mind$mapping
!irst, e!ore the laoratory work o! gathering and interpreting e)idence and o! making the plan" /y suggestion is
that you should proaly ask the !irst set o! e)en naN)e *uestions and you should make the ghost o! a plan e!ore
you plunge into serious research work" 5his is necessary ecause it gi)es you a !irst direction in approaching your
essay and, !rom the )ery eginning, it gi)es you the opportunity to !ormulate some hypotheses which you ha)e to
)eri!y in your research work" ?o a second re)ision 'second phase or dra!t( o! your essay plan should e made while
you ad)ance with your research and take notes" 5his will make you see whether your hypotheses ha)e een correct"
/ost likely, at the end o! your research, you will need a third re)ision o! your plan 'third phase or dra!t( that will e
ased on the new in!ormation and interpretation you ha)e gathered !rom your reading"
0s long as you are prepared to adBust the interpretation o! your e)idence and to change the initial plan you are on
the right track with your essay writing" 5he !inal plan is the result o! two or maye more dra!ts 'phases( and, you
are likely to make more changes in your !inal plan once you are well into writing the essay" 5ry to imagine the !inal
)ersion o! the written essay as eing like the polished sur!ace o! a classical statue, its shining sur!ace eing the
result o! the tedious chiselling o! successi)e layers o! stone" 5he more the sculptor chisels, the !iner the result" 0nd,
possily like yoursel!, the artist may !ind his !inal )ersion di!!ers !rom the initial plan he made when he thought he
saw the entire sculpture in the rough lock o! stone"
5here!ore, the second and third phases or dra!ts deal with manoeu)ring the Frough lock o! stoneG, e!ore cutting it
into a polished structure" & am re!erring to the ulk o! necessary in!ormation, in!ormation deris and layrinthine
theories, a whole lock o! e)idence and critical comments that are to e !ound in%
.1
(/ )ta#ting "u# #esea#ch !"#k (;ead "u# lectu#e% semina# n"tes% #ead (#"m $""ks% ph"t"c"pies%
the inte#net% :9-;"ms)
g/ Taking n"tes
h/ =athe#ing in("#mati"n > inte#p#eting evidence $ased "n #esea#ch !"#k and n"tes
i/ 9"ing the mind-mapping
F/ 9#a!ing the sec"nd d#a(t plan
k/ ?inishing "u# #esea#ch !"#k
l/ Taking m"#e n"tes
m/ =athe#ing m"#e in("#mati"n > #eadFusting the inte#p#etati"n "( evidence
n/ ;eadFusting the p#evi"us mind-mapping activit
"/ 9#a!ing the thi#d d#a(t plan
seminar and lecture notes
handouts gi)en y the teacher
notes you yoursel! ha)e collected or ha)e to collect !rom ooks
notes !rom articles in periodicals
notes !rom photocopies
in!ormation and ideas taken !rom the internet/ :D$3oms/ 5+ and radio programmes
your own opinions
0ll this amount o! in!ormation, e)idence, interpretation and theory has to e intelligently processed"
;esea#ch !"#k
"# 5"! t" p#"cess intelligentl the am"unt "( in("#mati"n% evidence% inte#p#etati"n
and the"# taken (#"m the a$"ve s"u#ces 1 t" &
3esearch work does not stick to a rigorous succession o! steps, like !inding a complete iliography on the issue,
reading it all, !ollowed y taking notes 'which means reading the material again( and then drawing the second and
third plans ased on the !irst and on the in!ormation you ha)e taken !rom the gathered material" 3esearch work is
most likely a comination o! the !our% while looking !or a list o! ooks to help you, you ha)e to read !ragments o!
materials diagonally, with the promise o! going ack to them and then, while you are reading !rom some ook or
!rom the internet, you also take notes, at the same time thinking how the material you ha)e !ound could get into
your 1
st
dra!t plan, and thus readBusting it continuously" 5"!eve#, some rigour in depositing in!ormation in !iles
and making use o! other stationery tools may e o! great help 'see" B(
5his way o! working appeals to the power o! your memory and o! your mind to synthesise scattered in!ormation,
e)idence and theory" 5he more organised you try to e, the etter the plan and the essay will come out"
5he ostacles you are con!ronted with at this stage are%
0" 5he di!!iculty o! identi!ying sources !or the suBect you are dealing with
B" 5he di!!iculty o! organising and thus controlling the amount o! material you !ind in di)ers sources 'internet,
ooks, handouts etc"(
:" 2ot knowing when to stop research and start readBusting the plan
4et us take them y turns%
3. The di((icult "( identi(ing s"u#ces ("# the su$Fect "u a#e dealing !ith.
/aking a iliography that co)ers your topic, that is, !inding some material in ooks, on the internet, in articles, on
:D$3oms etc" which o!!ers you in!ormation and e6planation strictly connected to the suBect under scrutiny can e
done y%
1"/ 0sking the teacher !or a !irst ook title or internet address" ,nce you ha)e this !irst source, which is close to
your suBect matter, read it and do not !orget to e6amine its iliography, which is right at the end, ecause it can
e *uite precious !or !urther titles in the !ield o! your study" ?o, this may e the eginning o! your ook list to look
!or in ook shops, liraries and/or on the internet"
2"/ 4ooking !or key words in lirary computers, lirary catalogue !iles and on the internet 'at home or elsewhere(
'Eco 8I$8K("
5he key words are !rom your essay title, i! you ha)e one, or !rom the suBect you ha)e to write aout"
.2
4et us take a pre)ious essay title, +iscuss the treatment of love in Shakespeares play 3omeo and
Culiet" 5he important words are% Shakespeare% love% and the play Romeo and Juliet. ?o once you ha)e
access to a lirary computer or a lirary wesite, start searching"
What & did in this case was to stay at home and access the #i!lioteca entral, -niversitar, wesite
'www"cu"ro(, & !irst tried ,utare Su!iet and typed Shakespeare dragoste, ut no title was !ound" &
thought then that the lirary should ha)e ooks in English too, so & typed Shakespeare love and !ound
my !irst title that could help me% Shakespeare on love and lust y /orris :harney" 2ew @ork%
:olumia Hni)ersity Aress, 2000. & also learned where the ook could e !ound, in one o! the B:H
ranches"
&! liraries do not ha)e in!ormation on the internet, they must ha)e it stocked in their computers or in
catalogue !iles, so you ha)e to spend some time in their catalogue rooms" #rom this !irst ook we may
e6tract two types o! in!ormation%
aout our topic 'it might ha)e a chapter dedicated to Romeo and Juliet or it might contain Bust a
!ew pages/paragraphs dealing with the theme o! lo)e in that particular play" &! there is no chapter
on the play, we can count on the ooks .ndex at the end with page numers on Romeo and Juliet
and the theme o! lo)e(
aout !urther ook/article titles and wesite addresses connected to our topic which are to e !ound
at the end o! the ook 'in the #i!liography(
J"/ ?couring the internet" @ou can use a search engine like 1oogle to look !or articles on the issue under scrutiny"
:opy and paste what you are interested in and put it in categories 'identity, theme, time, space"""(" Do 2,5 !orget to
mention the source 'see the notes on /40 style(, so as not to e accused o! plagiarism"
2I
5he internet is also e6tremely use!ul as a source o! literary te6ts" @ou can use the !ollowing internet addresses i!
you are in search o! ooks, articles, etc 'generally complete literary te6ts will only e a)ailale i! they are out o!
copyright(
2K
%
http%//www"gutenerg"org/catalog/
http%//onlineooks"lirary"upenn"edu/
http%//ooks"google"com '?elect /ull vie0 !ooks(
,nline te6ts are particularly use!ul as a source o! *uotationsD rememer that you can search them !or particular
words or phrases"
I"/ Hsing :D$3oms% it is paramount to ha)e a #ritannica or 'ncarta 'ncyclopedia :D$3om", pre!eraly Britannica
to go to in order to check up or !ind in!ormation"
0 dictionary is also a must% ,6!ord or 4ongman dictionaries, and !or 3omanian, 1oul +ic2ionar 'xplicativ al
%im!ii Rom3ne"
2I
Alagiarism !rom the internet is )ery easy to detect" @our teachers can use 1oogle Bust as well as you can, and they ha)e
proaly seen most o! the rele)ant wesites e!ore"
2K
&n other words, copyright in the the material has e6pired, and it can now e reproduced !reely, which means it is proaly at
least -0 years old"
.J
)3MP@6
BIII
C. The di((icult "( "#ganising and thus c"nt#"lling the am"unt "( mate#ial "u (ind in dive#s s"u#ces
(inte#net% $""ks% hand"uts etc.)
&t is important to ha)e a strategy !or organising a large amount o! material scattered in many places 'ooks at
home, ooks in liraries, notes in noteooks and on the computer, photocopied material, course and seminar notes,
handouts etc"(" 5here are many ways o! tidying up the piles o! in!ormation one !inds in se)eral locations% the
strategy goes with the indi)idual" What matters is !inding the one that suits you and helps you to ha)e easy access
to important in!ormation !or the suBect you are studying" & would like to suggest one possile method o! working
in a more organised way%
)tep 14 )tati"ne# t""ls
?uppose you are hal! way through uilding a iliographical list and you already ha)e some in!ormation on the
matter under study in seminar/lecture notes and handouts gi)en y the teacher, you can think o! getting se)eral
stationery tools%
8 !iles/undles/pages
one or se)eral markers to colour$code the sentences or paragraphs in the your noteooks and
photocopies" @ou can use some o! the colour$coded in!ormation and put it in the category *uestion !iles
mentioned ao)e
coloured/white 'sticky( paper to mark use!ul pages in materials which are not yours or which elong to
you ut you do not wish to mark permanently" ,n slips o! paper you can write the category *uestions
the !ragments you mark will go to% theme, manner$genre, etc"
a pair o! scissors to cut handouts and photocopies and !ile them according to category *uestions
)tep .4 :"l"u# c"de in("#mati"n and then put it in categ"# 'uesti"n (iles
0ll the material you ha)e gathered should e put in plastic/cardoard !iles and/or computer !iles !or most o! the
categories listed ao)e. & say FmostG, ecause it is the essay title which estalishes the range o! issues to scrutinise"
2ot all that you gather in your !iles will e directly use!ul !or your essay" &t is good !or you to try to answer a
W&DE3 range o! *uestions 'see ,ser)ation -( ecause%
a" e)en i! the re*uirement o! your essay is smaller than the in!ormation you ha)e gathered and the
interpretation you ha)e gi)en/ are going to gi)e, all the material gathered helps you understand the topic
etter within a wider conte6t" 5his will make you !ilter the in!ormation and come to your own theories and
conclusions, in other words, the !ide# #ange "( 'uesti"ns ma help "u inte#nalise the mate#ial"
" you do not know !or sure what e6actly you will ha)e to lea)e out later"
c" you may use some o! the gathered material !or other essays"
0s you continue reading !rom ooks, seminar and lecture notes, handouts, Bournals, photocopies, write down your
comments on the critical material e!ore your eyes" Write them down and put them on categories 'identity, theme,
time, etc( and within the 1
st
dra!t plan !ile" 3eadBust the 1
st
dra!t plan, whene)er you consider it should e done,
gi)en the !act you ha)e read a lot o! material on the topic under your scrutiny"
.I
Each !ile should correspond to each category *uestion descried in Hnit
K, ,ser)ation -, plus another three, as !ollows%
#ile 1% &dentity = why that character/narrator/person
#ile 2% 5heme =why that e)ent, matter
#ile J% 5ime = why that period
#ile I% ?pace/ setting =why that place
#ile K% /anner = why that genre, style, relationship, attitude, tone
#ile ;% &ntensity = why that )oice, atmosphere
#ile -% ,59E3% &t is proaly ad)isale to keep a !ile with whate)er you
might !ind interesting and potentially use!ul !or your essay
#ile .% B&B4&,130A9&:04 3E#E3E2:E?% all through your study
work, keep a record o! the titles you consult 'see /40 works cited(
#ile 8% Alan !ile
,#ganising "u# mate#ial int" (plastic "#/and c"mpute#) (iles
@ou can easily notice that the !irst se)en !iles are meant to support !ile 8, the plan making, there!ore, !ile 8 will
proaly contain two, three or more dra!ts" 5hey represent the result o! your thorough research work, they are *uite
precious ecause they are the !oundation o! your essay"
:. N"t kn"!ing !hen t" st"p #esea#ch and sta#t #eadFusting the plan
Do not take research work and readBusting your plan as two separate acti)ities, ecause you may get lost in a
layrinth o! data and theories and thus !orget aout your priority% making the plan o! your essay and writing the
paper" /y suggestion is !or you to readBust, chisel and polish your 1
st
dra!t plan 'your hypothesis plan( with e)ery
!urther reading into the topic o! your essay" 5he *uantity o! research work depends on the siEe o! your paper"
9owe)er, once you ha)e come to the !inal dra!t o! you plan, you must ha)e the courage to put in your essay only
those pieces o! in!ormation and theory that co)er the re*uirements o! the essay title"
I##elevant - #elevant
,! all the great amount o! in!ormation you are con!ronted with in your research work, you ha)e to%
a/ put away whate)er has no rele)ance to your topic 'in!ormation that has no connection with the key
words in your essay title(
.K
#ile 1
&dentity = why
that
character/narrator
/person
#ile 2
5heme =why
that
e)ent, matter
#ile J
5ime = why
that
period
#ile I
?pace/ setting =
why that
place
#ile K
/anner = why
that genre, style,
relationship,
attitude, tone
#ile ;
&ntensity = why
that )oice,
atmosphere
#ile -
,59E3%
whate)er you
might !ind
interesting/
use!ul !or your
essay
#ile .
Biliographical
3e!erences 'see
/40 works
cited(
#ile 8
1
st
dra!t plan
turning into 2
nd
>
J
rd
dra!t plan with
in!ormation taken
!rom #iles 1$-
-$se#vati"n 1+
/ !ind and keep the in!ormation that is )aluale !or your essay, in!ormation which you are going to
comment on"

#or e6ample, suppose your essay title is +iscuss the treatment of love in Shakespeares play 3omeo and Culiet, and
in a ook o! critical essays, you read, among other things, that%
a/ ?hakespeare had three children or
5he 3enaissance !irst appeared in &taly or
Romeo is a !oreign name to the English
/ 5imes ironies go)ern lo)e in the play or
5he two lo)ers are partially responsile !or their catastrophe"
Ahases && and &&& are a continuum% you ha)e to permanently readBust your plan according to your successi)e
reading" &t is important to correct your !irst dra!t plan 'Ahase &( a!ter you ha)e read some critical material, and then
reshape it e)ery time you consider it has to e done" 5he readBusting mo)ement o! you essay plan makes a 4,,A
which you repeat until you consider the !inal dra!t satis!actory"
:"ntinu"us activit "( d#a!ing the plan% #esea#ch !"#k and
#eadFusting the plan
.;
I;;6@6V3NT !or your essay title, so not to e used
;6@6V3NT, these things can e
used in your essay as long as you
mention the s"u#ce in rackets 'in$
te6t citation( and you add your own
c"mments on them"
)3MP@6
BIV
1" Drawing the 1
st
dra!t
'the hypothesis plan(
2" '?tarting( research
work% reading, annotating
and !iling in!ormation
J" 3eadBusting the plan y
comparing your 1
st

hypotheses with critical
material
I" /ore research work
K" Aer!ecting the latest
)ariant o! your 'dra!t( plan
+. 7#iting the essa $ased
"n "u# (inal plan
-$se#vati"n 1&
Essay Writing materialDaniela Brown2010/2011 .-
6*e#cises ("# UNIT) 1.-11
P#"g#ess 'uesti"ns
a"/ Why is it important to !irst draw the ghost o! a plan ased only on the te6t 'i! there is one( and your
'possily )ague( knowledge o! the issue<
"/ 9ow do you start research work<
c"/ 9ow can you organise the piles o! materials you ha)e to deal with<
d"/ Do you ha)e a strategy !or tidying up the material !or the essay other than the one suggested in this
unit<
e"/ 9ow do you !ind a primary source te6t on the internet<
!"/ 9ow can you make the di!!erence etween rele)ant and irrele)ant in!ormation<
II. and III.
7#iting task du#ing class and discussi"n
@ou are gi)en the essay title% ooking 4ancakes in Ancient Rome.
1" 1ather in!ormation > interpret the e)idence 'make use o! Ta$le 1 gi)en to you in a pre)ious
seminar(
2" Do the mind$mapping% spider diagram o! gathering and interpreting e)idence > spider diagram o!
essay plan
J" Draw the ghost o! a plan y putting it into the essay structure 'use Ta$le .4 $he plan of the follo0ing
essay title5 into the structure of the essay(
5"me!"#k
:ontinue the acti)ity you started during your class%
I" Do the research work o! the ooking 4ancakes essay 'go to ooks in the lirary, internet in!ormation,
specialised magaEines, 5+ programmes, etc"(
K" ,rganise the material in 8 !iles
;" 3eadBust the plan at least twice ' show the teacher at least two dra!ts( written in Ta$le .4 $he 4lan
into the Structure of the 'ssay
-" Write the essay"
UNIT) 12-1,
;evising -$se#vati"ns and 6*e#cises
The Ge 7"#ds in the essay title are%

1. inst#ucti"nal !"#ds 'FdiscussG, FillustrateG, FinterpretG etc(
.. c"ntent !"#ds 'related to a domain, style, a character, narrati)e techni*ue etc(
0" EU6)TI-N) 'who<, what<, where<, when<, how<, how intense<, why<( !or
essays ased on te*t analsis !ocus on the key words in the title essay and on the
actual te6t e!ore your eyes"
B" EU6)TI-N) !or essays ased on !ide# t"pics !ocus on the key words in the
essay title and on the entire ook or topic under scrutiny"
I. A.+,. Gathering evidence

II. A.+ ,. Interpreting evidence
..
-$se#vati"n 10
-$se#vati"n 11
!h
!h"
identity
!hat
theme
!hen
time
!he#e
space
h"!
manner
h"! much
intensity
identit
why that
character/
narrator<
theme
why that
e)ent/
matter
time
why that
period
space
why that
place
manne#
why that
genre
relationship
attitude
tone
intensit
why that
)oice
atmosphere
-$se#vati"n 1.
The gene#al vie! "( mind-mapping activit
)pide# diag#am

.8
-$se#vati"n 12
inst#ucti"nal and
c"ntent !"#ds
'de!ine them(
IDENTITY THEME
TIME
SPACE
MANNER
INTENSITY
e6plain
cha#acte#
e6plain
p"int "(
vie!
e6plain
events linked
to content
words
why e)ents
happen in that
pe#i"d o!
year/ day
why e)ents happen in
that place, why
characters mo)e/ are in
that setting
why gen#e and
stle are
important to the
content words
e6plain #elati"nship
etween characters
linked to the essay title
e6plain characters,
authors, speakers
attitude to the issue
mentioned in the title
e6plain the
speakers t"ne with
respect to the issue in
the essay title
e6plain
atmosphere
1
.
2
,
1
+
a
$ c
d

3 pa#ticula# vie! "( mind-mapping activit4
T56M6 in the essa title ke !"#ds
80
instructional word =
T56M6
'de!ine it(
I96NTIT8
e6plain connection
etween cha#acte#s
> theme
e6plain what the
p"int "( vie!
rings to the theme
TIM6
e6plain why
the m"ment
is important
!or the theme
)P3:6
e6plain why > how
that place/ setting
a!!ects the theme
M3NN6;
e6plain how the
#elati"nship etween
characters in!luences
the theme
how gen#e
and stle
sustains the
theme
e6plain how the
speakers attitude is
connected to the
theme
e6plain the
speakers t"ne with
respect to the theme
INT6N)IT8
e6plain why
> how that
atm"sphe#e
acks up the
theme
-$se#vati"n 1,
.
1 2
1
a
$ c
d
+ ,
)uggesti"ns ("# g""d essa plans in Phase I
1. )tick t" the st#uctu#e "( an essa (see UNIT) 1-+).
.. 3ll th#"ugh the essa% al!as deal !ith the c"ntent !"#ds in the title.
2. 9" n"t let "u# hp"thetical plan $e the (inal ve#si"n
,. ;est#ict the t"pic a#ea given $ the title as much as "u canD ann"unce it in
the int#"ducti"n% p"int a/
1. 9" n"t st#uctu#e the main ideas in the $"d acc"#ding t" the "#de# "(
'uesti"n categ"#ies in "u# spide# diag#am. :lea#l decide !hich 'uesti"n
categ"#ies a#e st#ictl c"nnected !ith the title 'uesti"n and ve# l"gicall
link them th#"ugh inte#-pa#ag#aph t#ansiti"ns and th#"ugh the l"gical (l"!
"( ideas !hich "u ann"unce in the int#"ducti"n% p"int d.
,#ganising "u# mate#ial int" (plastic "#/and c"mpute#) (iles
81
-$se#vati"n 11
#ile 1
&dentity = why
that
character/narrator
/person
#ile 2
5heme =why
that
e)ent, matter
#ile J
5ime = why
that
period
#ile I
?pace/ setting =
why that
place
#ile K
/anner = why
that genre, style,
relationship,
attitude, tone
#ile ;
&ntensity = why
that )oice,
atmosphere
#ile -
,59E3%
whate)er you
might !ind
interesting/
use!ul !or your
essay
#ile .
Biliographical
3e!erences 'see
/40 works
cited(
#ile 8
1
st
dra!t plan
turning into 2
nd
>
J
rd
dra!t plan with
in!ormation taken
!rom #iles 1$-
-$se#vati"n 1+
:"ntinu"us activit "( d#a!ing the plan% #esea#ch !"#k and
#eadFusting the plan
82
1" Drawing the 1
st
dra!t
'the hypothesis plan(
2" '?tarting( research
work% reading, annotating
and !iling in!ormation
J" 3eadBusting the plan y
comparing your 1
st

hypotheses with critical
material
I" /ore research work
K" Aer!ecting the latest
)ariant o! your 'dra!t( plan
+. 7#iting the essa $ased
"n "u# (inal plan
-$se#vati"n 1&
Essay Writing materialDaniela Brown2010/2011 8J
;evising e*e#cises ("# Units 12-1,
7#iting tasks du#ing class and discussi"n
@ou are gi)en the essay title% After graduation, emigration is the only solution. +iscuss. Do phases &, && and &&&"
essay plan
II. 5"me!"#k
9ere is a !ragment !rom Da)id 4odges no)el Small 6orld. 5he essay title is ompare the message conveyed !y
7eoffrey haucers opening lines in the 1eneral Arologue of his :anterury 5ales 0ith +avid %odgess 84rologue9 in
his novel ?mall World.
@ou are kindly asked to do Ahases &, && and &&&%
essay plan
e/ Write the essay
When 0pril with its sweet showers has pierced the drought o! /arch to the root, and athed e)ery )ein o! earth with
that li*uid y whose power the !lowers are engenderedD when the Eephyr, too, with its dulcet reath, has reathed li!e
into the tender new shoots in e)ery copse and on e)ery heath, and the young sun has run hal! his course in the sign o!
the 3am, and the little irds that sleep all night with their eyes open gi)e song 'so 2ature prompts them in their hearts(,
then, as the poet 1eo!!rey :haucer oser)ed many years ago, !olk long to go on pilgrimages" ,nly, these days,
pro!essional people call them con!erences"
5he modern con!erence resemles the pilgrimage o! medie)al :hristendom in that it allows the participants to indulge
themsel)es in all the pleasures and di)ersions o! tra)el while appearing to e austerely ent on sel!$impro)ement" 5o
e sure, there are certain penitential e6ercises to e per!ormed$ the presentation o! a paper, perhaps, and certainly
listening to the papers o! others" But with this e6cuse you Bourney to new and interesting places, meet new and
interesting people, and !orm new and interesting relationships with themD e6change gossip and con!idencesOD and yet,
at the end o! it all, return home with an enhanced reputation !or seriousness o! mind" 5odays con!erees ha)e an
additional ad)antage o)er the pilgrim o! old in that their e6penses are usually paid, or at least susidised, y the
institution to which they elongO
5here are con!erences on almost e)erything these days, including the works o! 1eo!!rey :haucer"
'4odge FArologue9(
When 0pril with his showers sweet with !ruit
5he drought o! /arch has pierced unto the root
0nd athed each )ein with li*uor that has power
5o generate therein and sire the !lowerD
When Pephyr also has, with his sweet reath,
Quickened again, in e)ery holt and heath,
5he tender shoots and uds, and the young sun
&nto the 3am one hal! his course has run,
0nd many little irds make melody
5hat sleep through all the night with open eye
'?o 2ature pricks them on to ramp and rage($
5hen do !olk long to go on pilgrimage,
0nd palmers to go seeking out strange strands,
5o distant shrines well known in sundry lands"
UNIT) 11-1+
6c"n"m "( 7"#ds and Ideas4 7#iting !ith )tle
6c"n"m "( 7"#ds and Ideas4 7#iting !ith )tle
FWords must e used like precision toolsG '?tott et al" 22(" 5he reason why it is paramount !or you to write clearly
is that your reader should concentrate on the message in your pages, and not on your writing" 1ood writing should
e sel!$e!!acing, so that argumentation, the string o! logical ideas, the structure o! the whole plan and the conclusion
should come !orth with ease in the readers mind 'Cohnson K-(" ?o, essays should not look like crosswords7
Writing essays with style starts with precision o! ideas impersonally e6pressed in simple words acked up y
e)idence and argued with reason, words which !low in a se*uential and logic way" &n academic writing, there are
certain con)entions o! punctuation, )ocaulary, essay structure, tone, as you ha)e already !ound out, which we
might call academic style" ,nce you ha)e ac*uired most o! the essay writing skills, your particular )oice and train
o! thought can still e discernile among the many rules you ha)e to stick to"
5here!ore, writing with style presupposes%
I. :la#it "( 6*p#essi"n
Be!ore you ecome an e6pert in essay writing, e!ore you ha)e made a style o! your own which trespasses some o!
the many rules o! Fscholarly practiceG, it is ad)isale that you should try and pro)e to your reader/ audience that
you are capale o! con)eying a crystal clear message in a well structured !orm" @ou do that y%
1/ $eing c"ncise and di#ect% do not use a phrase i! a word will do"
&nstead o! F?he eha)ed in an irrational mannerG, you can write F?he eha)ed irrationallyG"
F&t lea)es the reader with the thought thatOG F&t lea)es the reader thinking thatG
'Rane 20K(
2"/ the clea# use "( "u# 6nglish% this means that punctuation, spelling, grammar, sentences and paragraphs should
e good enough to mirror the signi!icance and logic o! your ideas"
J/ using a pu$lic impe#s"nal ("#mal stle, that is, a style that includes academic )ocaulary, a re*uired distance, a
prudent tone, a negotiating attitude and a language understood y readers who do not know you well, !or which
reason you should a)oid a rhetorical, con)ersational or collo*uial style" Bear in mind that your reader is neither
your uddy, nor a child"
8I
)3MP@6 BV
?o, try to a)oid writing like this%
F@ou know, & guess ?hakespeare tra)elled a lot around Europe, ecause he used lots o! !oreign
names in his plays" E)en in his poems7 ,r maye not" Why is this so important< Because it shows
how smart he was"G
&n an academic style the in)ented *uotation ao)e may e translated into%
F&t would e appropriate to in)estigate the sources which ?hakespeare had at hand !or his
characters names, some o! which were !oreign, and also to try and outline possile reasons
?hakespeare might ha)e had !or such a use"G
0)oid%
collo*uial e6pressions 'mind you, lets face it, 0hat the heck, you kno0 0hat . mean etc(
contracted !orms 'its, cant, hasnt(
unnecessary wordiness 'two or more epithets which mean appro6imately the same thing% His
novels are complex, ela!orate and composite(
dogmatic statements '$he author means that5(" Hnless you ha)e met the author or he/ she
stated what he/she meant, you ha)e no idea what the author means in a particular te6t" &nstead,
you should take a distance and say% $he author seems to !e suggesting that5 or A possi!le
reading: interpretation of 0hat he meant is5':oles ;.$-2(
I/ 5aving a clea#l st#uctu#ed pape#. 5his means that the reader should e ale to !ollow discernile
argumentation all through your essay ecause o! the logical connections and permanent re!erence to the 'implied(
*uestion in the title"
K/ Making the mate#ial #elevant. 5he e)idence, the interpretation and the e6amples gi)en should e strictly
connected with the matter under discussion/ in)estigation"
II. M"dalit. 5he tone should e oBecti)e and cautious captured in phrases like this might lead us to the
conclusion that, it could !e said that, some critics are of the opinion that:have claimed that
III. Use "( 3#gument. 0rguments should e clear and open to challenge" 0cademic essays argue, they do not
accuse and they do not ause" When you argue, you should try to%
a/ 3v"id a p"etic language that mo)es in circles and !alls into )agueness ostructing the meaning" 5hose who
try this type o! argumentation may e hiding ehind a highly metaphorical language ecause they !ind it is
di!!icult to control the topic o! their discussion or they may think they can challenge the original te6t they are
analysing, competing thus against authors like ?hakespeare, /ilton or Browning"
5ry not to write in such a style%
F5he magni!icent outursts o! 3oert Brownings semantic energies !all onto the humled and
mesmerised reader with the power o! destructi)e tsunamis" &n awe7 &n awe7 3eaders o! Browning
were in awe7G
8K
)3MP@6 BVI
)3MP@6
BVII
&n a normal academic style, the te6t ao)e could e rewritten like this%
FHnlike 5ennyson, 3oert Browning !ocused at times on strong, consuming !eelings which he
relentlessly e6plored in some o! his poems" 5his aspect o! his poetry might ha)e had a power!ul
impression on the +ictorian reader, used to calmer sways o! poetic moods"G
/ 3v"id c"mplicated and/"# "ve#-te#min"l"gical language. T"tall unnecessa# highly academic, hea)y
language or long$sentenced )erose paragraphs disguise argumentation and, again, more o!ten than not, they
hide the essayists di!!iculty in passing a clear meaning and message onto their reader/ interlocutor" 0nother
possile reason !or those who use a omastic style is the o)erwhelming wish to e e6hausti)e% the intention
may sometimes e good, ut the result is to lur the readers mind and to lose him or her on the way" 5hose
who use a hea)ily neologistic style may do so in order to show how much they know and how ele)ated they
are, which to a seriously pro!essional and academic reader/audience may seem immodest" 5he choice o! such a
style may denote a tendency to challenge your reader/interlocutor to !ollow your style, a wish to teach him/her
something more re!ined or it may show a certain degree o! intolerance and disregard !or the reader, who is
meant to e elittled y the enciphered language o! e6tra$supra$super$*uasi$academic FaracadaraicG
terminology"
5he aim o! writing an essay is !irstly to communicate a message in clear language and content, and secondly to
pro)e to your reader/interlocutor 'who, more o!ten than not, elongs to the academic community( that you ha)e
the intellectual capacity and the philological skills to process a material on a gi)en or chosen topic into an
intelligile academic !orm and a highly controlled structure that can e easily understood and appreciated"
/any uni)ersity teachers and students would agree that an essay should e written in the spirit o! academic
ethics"

3n essa sh"uld $e !#itten in the spi#it
"( academic ethics (see als" -$se#vati"n 1% p. 2. "n the 6T5-) "( an
a#gument)4
8;
-$se#vati"n 10
d" n"t cheat 'ecause thou shall go ack to s*uare 1 or less(
adFust "u# level "( disc"u#se t" the level "( the #eceive# 'writers should
respect their readers y writing clearly, y making use
o! academic )ocaulary and gradually introducing
readers to specialised terminology and theory, and not
thunder goledegook in order to !laergast and
humiliate them" 5he latter may e a !irst sign o! a
writers unrestrained )anity and/or the wish to hide a
structureless essay("
#emem$e# that it is m"#e imp"#tant ("# the message c"ntained in "u#
!#iting t" #each "u# #eade# in a clea# and unscathed ("#m
'rather than to show your intellectual muscles or waste
peoples time with primary school linguistics and
platitudes aout the world at large(
#espect the #eas"ning capacities "( "u# #eade#s
y trying to persuade them through e)idence and
argument rather then y assertions '#airairn and Winch
1K8("
!#ite !ith m"dest% p"liteness and gene#"sit 'y not throwing your !indings
into the readers !ace as ultimate truths that are not to e
negotiated with("
$e t"le#ant !ith "the# pe"pleHs "pini"ns and $e #ead t" neg"tiate
av"id se*ist and $iased language

9ere is one possile e6ample o! complicated and unnecessarily o)er$terminological language
which may target at some readers thick deposits o! awe"
F,n the one hand, when young, the poet !amiliarised himsel!, as in a temporary moment o! word
practice, with his own polyphonic introspecti)e )oice o! mester de Buglaria
2;
y intertwining
portmanteau words
2-
in 9oratian$like carpe diem
2.
caudae
28
, which, although taken with the
solemnity o! Bests, they did not end up in Baerwocky
J0
, on the contrary, they drew their sap !rom
the !oundation o! medie)al thought, !rom the much appreciated sententiae
J1
o! the 12
th
centuryD on
the other hand, his later pithy
J2
ose*uial
JJ
)erse is much closer to mester de clerecSa
JI
, proaly
written in response to the ui*uitous
JK
pu!!ery
J;
o! readers not at all used to the )erose
paraphernalia
J-
o! much younger and ine6perienced poetsG"
5here is a method o! e)aluating how di!!icult an essay is to read" &t is known as The ?-= inde*. 'Williams
;;(
The ?-= inde* sh"!s h"! di((icult an essa is t"
#ead

2;
mester de ;uglar<a= ?" Lart o! the minstrel" &t re!ers to oral and epic narrati)e poetry o! the 12
th
$1I
th
centuries which was
meant to entertain the audience ':uddon K0;(
2-
portmanteau= #" porter=to carry, manteau= Lcloak" 0 word !ormed y comining two or more words" &t is also known as a
telescope word ':uddon ;.8("
2.
carpe diem= 4" LseiEe the day, in other words, LenBoy yoursel! while you can" &t !irst appears in 9oraces (des ':uddon
11J(
28
cauda>caudae% 4" Ltail" &n a stanEa, it is the short line or tail which usually rhymes with another short line ':uddon 11K("
J0
;a!!er0ocky= !rom 4ewis :arrolls Alice through the %ooking 7lass. a !orm o! nonsense, unintelligile speech or writing
':uddon IJJ(
J1
sententia>sententiae= 4" L!eeling, opinion, Budgement" 0 short concentrated statement which e6presses an opinion ':uddon
.0.(
J2
pithy= condensed style
JJ
o!se&uial= !uneral
JI
mester de clerec<a= ?" Lart o! the clericsG" Didactic poetry composed y learned scholars and clerics ':uddon K0K$;(
JK
u!i&uitous= present e)erywhere
J;
puffery= o)er$!lamoyant praise
J-
paraphernalia= )arious kinds o! things
8-
)3MP@6 BVIII
BVIII
-$se#vati"n 1I
T" (ind "ut the ?-= inde* "( a piece "( !"#k "u d" the ("ll"!ing4
1./ Take a sample "( at least 100 !"#ds
../ ?ind the ave#age num$e# "( !"#ds pe# sentence $ dividing the t"tal
num$e# "( !"#ds $ the num$e# "( sentences. #or e6ample, 10. words
in 2 sentences makes KI 'a)erage numer o! words per sentence(
2./ :"unt the !"#ds !ith th#ee "# m"#e slla$les in "u# sample. Cut d"
N-T c"unt4 A !"#ds sta#ting !ith capital lette#s
c"m$inati"ns "( sh"#t% eas !"#ds like date&ine
A ve#$s tu#ned int" 2 slla$les $ adding JedH "# JesH
,./ add the ave#age num$e# "( !"#ds pe# sentence t"
the th#ee "# m"#e slla$le !"#ds.
'suppose there are 21 three$or$more syllale words% KI=21T-K(
1./ multipl the t"tal num$e# 'in our case -K( $ 0.,
"u# ?-= inde* is -K60"ITJ0
Inte#p#eting #esults "(
?-= inde* num$e#s4
A1A eas level "( !#iting
A&/0Astanda#d
AI t" 11A(ai#l di((icult
A1. t" 11Adi((icult
A1&K ?-==I@8
:U;I-U)6; >
:U;I-U)6;
c/ 3v"id (allacies
d/ 3v"id gene#alisati"n. 0)oid grand statements whose meaning goes eyond your topic o! research and
argumentation" 0 general assertion at the end o! your essay, which co)ers more ground that is necessary, may
simply pro)e that you ha)e di!!iculty drawing a rele)ant conclusion connected strictly to all the e)idence you
ha)e interpreted 'Aearson and Ahelps 120$121("
0)oid generalisation%
?uppose there is an essay discussing the appropriateness o! sending the e6pensi)e space$shuttle
FDisco)eryG out into space when people in 2iger are star)ing to death" 5he writer in)estigates the
issue gi)ing !or and against arguments aout !unding space e6ploration, and particularly the
Disco)ery mission, and arguments aout !unding programmes to sa)e the population o! 2iger" &n
the end, instead o! drawing a conclusion in connection with the two prolems 'space e6ploration
and star)ation in 2iger(, the writer puts down%
FE6ploring the outer space in the 21
st
century when millions o! people are still star)ing to death
ecause o! drought and po)erty proves the extraordinary complexity of life, no matter the time 0e
are living in.9 U777V
e/ 3v"id naLve% immatu#e statements" Do not e tempted to write the way you speak with your colleagues
aout pets, sweethearts or cinema stars" 2ow you know there is a certain propriety in academic )ocaulary and
tone which allows you to keep a distance !rom the te6t or topic under scrutiny" 2either should you plunge into a
highly schematic, me$5arEan$you$Cane sort o! analysis"
&t is not wise to write anything like the !ollowing%
a"/ F9amlet is cuteG"
"/ F1rendels mother is a real itchG"
c"/ F&n 9oleins painting, king 9enry +&&& looks like a turkeyG"
5he !irst sentence could e rewritten this way%
F9amlets comple6ity o! mind and spirit un!olding in the most critical scenes o! the play may
inspire a certain !eeling o! attachment in the reader/audience
V. The p#"pe# use "( pe#s"n4 (i#st% sec"nd "# thi#d/
?ome students seem to think that they should a)oid the use o! the 1
st
person in their essays" 9owe)er, the 1
st
person
is necessary when stating your own opinions, intentions etc" in order to di!!erentiate them !rom other critics ideas"
,n the other hand, an essay consisting entirely o! personal opinions 'Fin my )iewOG, F& thinkOG, Fthe way & see
itOG( is proaly too suBecti)e !or the academic conte6t"
8.
)3MP@6
BIB
)3MP@6 BB
?e)eral authors o! essay writing materials, among whom & mention 1a)in C" #airairn and :hristopher Winch, are
o! the opinion that choosing the 1
st
person or the J
rd
person in an essay remains a matter o! personal pre!erence, i!
the teacher or the re*uirements o! the course do not speci!ically ask !or the use o! a certain person '1JK("
1
st
pe#s"n4
FWhen & hear and read that literary people are a sort o! reed o! philosophes !loating in isolation
and idealism, & tend to agree with the general )oice, considering & am one mysel!"G
2
#d
pe#s"n4
F9owe)er, it should e also clear that it is not easy !or women to sur)i)e as heads o! single$parent
!amilies" !emale$headed households !ace a situation o! relati)e social isolation"G '1onEleE de la
3ocha *td" in :rWme and 4ea 102(
5he !ragment does not re!er to the writer, ut it deals with single$parent !amilies treated socially
and economically rather than as an indi)idual matter, so there is no need !or the 1
st
person"
88
7hen !e need the 1
st
pe#s"n (MIN% M!eN)
&n general, literary, theological and
philosophical essays go well with the 1
st
person"
&t is less your personal intimate F&G and more
your FHni)ersity &G 'or persona( as an oser)er
and a commentator" 5he 1
st
person is needed%
1/ when writers intention is to make their
presence !elt in the te6t y speci!ically gi)ing
their opinions in contrast to some other critics
or sharing some o! their e6periences"
2/ when, in the introduction, you estalish your
position in relation to your material e!ore
turning to the material itsel! and dealing with it
in a more distanced way 'in the J
rd
person(
&! you choose to use the 1
st
person, you ha)e to
e rather cautious and not o)er$use it, in order
!or your presence not to intrude upon the
message you are con)eying"

7hen !e need the 2
#d
pe#s"n (MheN% MsheN% MitN%
MtheN)
5he J
rd
person writing is intended to e more distant and
unin)ol)ed, with the writer remaining in the ackground
as an indi)idual" Writers choose this point o! )iew
ecause they considers that the e)idence and
argumentation they present should capture the readers
entire attention" But an o)erdose o! J
rd
person may turn
the te6t into a rather pompous piece o! work" #or this
reason, it is possile and ad)isale to use oth persons in
your essay paper, without losing anything o! its
coherence"
)3MP@6 BBI
)3MP@6 BBII
Using $"th 1
st
and 2
#d
pe#s"ns in the same
te*t
5his happens when the essay writer wishes to
speci!ically distinguish etween the general
assumptions he is dealing with, other peoples
opinions and theories and his personal )iew on
the matter's(" &t is *uite common to comine
the 1
st
and the J
rd
persons, as long as the writer
has personal arguments to de!end in a sea o!
more general assumptions"
The use "( the .
nd
pe#s"n
2
nd
person is needed when the writer
gi)es ad)ice, as & do in this present ook" &n
your essay using it will e less re*uired"
1
st
and 2
#d
pe#s"ns in the same essa4
F5hese propositions seem to e6press our intuiti)e con)iction o! the primacy o! Bustice" 2o dout
they are e6pressed too strongly" &n any e)ent & wish to in*uire whether these contentions or other
similar to them are sound, and i! so, how they can e accounted !or 5o this end it is necessary to
work out a theory o! Bustice in the light o! which these assertions can e interpreted and assessed"G
'Cohn 3awls *td" in #airairn and Winch 1J8(
0s you can notice, philosopher Cohn 3awls uses the J
rd
person when he makes general remarks
aout his suBect matter and he switches to the 1
st
person when he tell us what he intends to do"
1
st
pe#s"n plu#al4
FDont write like a te6took7 5heres one !eature o! academics writing and lecturing that you
should not try to imitate% namely, the Lauthority with which they sometimes imue their material"
0n academic may use authority$implying e6pressions such as LWe considerO, L&n our
Budgement,"", L0s so$and$so rightly says,O" 0ll these carry the implications that he or she is an
authority on the suBect and not to e challenged" &! you as a student use them, what you say and
write will strike your teachers as pretentious and inappropriateG"
'4e)in .I(
&n academic writing in 3omanian it is common !or authors to adopt the 1
st
person plural when
stating their own opinions or intentions, ut this is not normal usage in English" @ou should only
use FweG i! you really mean FweG, in other words, i! you are speaking oth !or yoursel! and your
imagined readers" #or e6ample, the plural is appropriate in a sentence like% F5hrough his
solilo*uies, we are gi)en access to 9amlets intimate thoughtsG, where FweG re!ers to the audience
or readers in general"
7#iting !ith stle p#esupp"ses4
100
)3MP@6 BBIII
-$se#vati"n .0
I. :la#it "( 6*p#essi"n
1./ :lea# 6nglish
../ :"ncise !"#ds
2./Pu$lic impe#s"nal ("#mal stle
,./ :lea#l st#uctu#ed pape#
1./ Mate#ial made #elevant
II. :auti"us ph#asing
III. :lea#% "pen-t"-challenge a#guments
a./ 3v"id p"etic language
$./ 3v"id "ve#-te#min"l"gical language
c./ 3v"id (allacies
d./ 3v"id gene#alisati"n
e./ 3v"id naLve% immatu#e statements
IV. The p#"pe# use "( pe#s"n
)3MP@6
BBIV
Essay Writing materialDaniela Brown2010/2011 101
6*e#cises ("# UNIT) 11-1+
P#"g#ess 'uesti"ns
a/ What is writing with style<
/ What types o! language should you a)oid when you write an essay<
c/ What is the #,1 inde6<
d"/ What is academic ethics<
7#iting tasks du#ing class
1"/ 5urn the !ollowing naN)e statement into an academic$looking one% Doesnt 9enry +&&& look a it like a stu!!ed turkey<
2"/ #ind the #,1 inde6 to the ?ample X+ te6t"
J"/ /ake the small te6t !rom ?ample X+ academically simple and intelligile
y
a"/ replacing the unnecessary hea)y words with clear, una!!ected ones
"/ maintaining a strictly academic le)el
I"/ 3ewrite sentences "/ and c"/ !rom ?ample X+&& so that they can e
considered academic"
9iscussi"n
3ead the opening paragraph !rom 5ony 5anners .ntroduction to the Aenguin
edition o! Cane 0ustens "ansfield 4ark '*td" in ?tott et al" 2-(=
/any great no)els concern themsel)es with characters whose place
in society is not !i6ed or assured" #oundlings, orphans, outsiders,
people mo)ing !rom one country to another, people mo)ing !rom one
class to another, those who ha)e to create the shape o! their li)es as
they go along, or those who !ind themsel)es in mo)ements or
changes o)er which they ha)e only partial control such people are
common !re*uenters o! the no)el" Whether you think o! 5om Cones,
or Culien ?orel 'in %e Rouge et le noir(, or Becky ?harp 'in ?anity
/air(, or Cude #awley 'in Jude the (!scure(, or &sael 0rcher 'in
4ortrait of a 4ady(, or Aaul /orel 'in Sons and %overs(, O these are
all characters who at the start o! the no)el are not de!ined or !ul!illed
y their status or locality or position" 5hey cannot and do not take
their place in society !or granted, and they end up whether happily
or otherwise with a di!!erent social identity" &n the course o! such
no)els there has een choice and change" 5he characters may ha)e
their )irtue ultimately rewarded, like 5om ConesD or their amitions
thwarted, like CudeD or they may e imprisoned y the hate!ul
conse*uences o! their own errors, like &sael 0rcher" &n e)ery case
we can generally say that we are watching the initially unde!ined
and uncommitted sel! ha)ing to take on de!inition through what
happens to it in society"
0nswer the *uestions asked y 3eecca ?tott et al" in making Your ase= A practical 7uide to 'ssay 6riting '2;(%
Does the e6tract meet the e6pectations and con)entions o! academic writing as we ha)e outlined them ao)e<
9ow does it con)ey a sense o! oBecti)ity<
9ow does the author make you !eel that he knows the suBect<
What words do you consider FacademicG<
M"#e e*e#cises ("# UNIT) 11-1+
5"me!"#k
1/ F5ranslateG this sentence into simple language%
Asittacism o! isochronous *uasi$e6egetes may at times lead to dadaistic !unniosities in e6pression and content due
to a peripeteic e)ent% e6posure"
2/ 3ead the passage elow"
What is it aout the style that urges you to read more< What words, !eatures and techni*ues can you learn !rom this style
and incorporate into your own essay writing<

FWhen 3ichard && anishes the noleman 5homas /owray !or li!e, it is not the loss o! !amily, !riends, property, or e)en
country that /owray laments" &t is the loss o! language, or rather o! his language, the language into which he was orn%
L5he language & ha)e learned these !orty years, my nati)e English, now & must !orgo 'Richard .. &"J 1KJ$I(" /owrays
anticipation o! the loss$ Lso deep a maim '1K0($ turns anishment into as se)ere a penalty as e6ecution% LWhat is thy
sentence then ut speechless death, / What ros my tongue !rom reathing nati)e reath< '1;;$-(" 5o depri)e a man o! his
language is to depri)e him o! li!e itsel!, !or speaking is as necessary to li!e as reathing" 0s we learn later when his
anishment is repealed, /owray does not long sur)i)e this death sentence" 0!ter ha)ing li)ed out his days in a )enture
re*uiring no English, crusading in the 9oly 4and against Llack pagans, 5urks, and ?aracens 'I"&".;(, he retires to +enice
and dies"
/owrays poignant response to anishment reminds us that the English o! ?hakespeares plays was hardly the uni)ersal
language it would one day ecomeG" 'De 1raEia I8(
UNIT) 1&-10
=#amma#% punctuati"n and c"u#te"us language
F5he crediility o! any report you write at work will e reduced y poor e6pression" 1rammatical or spelling
mistakes may create dout as to your competence in other areas" 4ack o! clarity in the way you write will imply a
lack o! clarity in the way you thinkG ':ameron *td" in :urrie 12I(" &n the pre)ious unit, we discussed the necessity
o! writing clearly and concisely, now we shi!t to the necessity o! keeping the !orm limpid" What you can easily
notice in the ao)e *uotation is the crystal$clear idea that a messy !orm and a !oggy content may pin you down as
shallow and unpro!essional eyond the students happy years o! essay writing tasks" 5here!ore, you must
permanently keep in mind the use o! accurate English grammar, correct punctuation and courteous language"
a./ =#amma# and v"ca$ula#
5his point starts !rom the presumption that you ha)e sorted out most/se)eral/more$than$a$!ew grammar mysteries
o! the English language and, i! ale to !ocus upon your own strategies o! writing
J.
, you yoursel!
can/might/sh"uld detect some o! the possile grammar mistakes you are liale to make"
9ere is a list o! common errors you should a)oid in your essays ':urrie 1J0(%
9- N-T use4
&" ?/? and internet te6t message !orms% F&ll dot IHG"
&&" ?lang
J8
% F5he manuscript cost 10,000 !ucks, which was a pretty cool price at the timeG"
&&&" #igures" &nstead o! F1, 2, JOG, spell out the numers% Fone, two, threeOG"
&+" /i6ed tenses !or the same time content" &t is ad)isale to use Aast 5ense when re!erring to e)ents in the real
world and to use Aresent 5ense when re!erring to the content o! a ook"
#or e6ample% 7reat 'xpectations was pulished in 1.;0 to 1.;1" &n it, the main character tells us aout his
childhood"
+" 5oo long sentences"
9- T3G6 INT- 3::-UNT 'Cohnson JK$J.(4
1"/ 0greement etween the suBect and the )er
2"/ Word$order in a sentence
J.
5his means learning to proo!$read each word, phrase, sentence and paragraph in your writing separately 'Wyse 101("
J8
slang= n" words, phrases, and uses that are regarded as )ery in!ormal and are o!ten restricted to special conte6ts or are
peculiar to a speci!ied pro!ession, class, etc" 'racing slangD schooloy slang(':oncise ,6!ord Dictionary :D("
10J

Word$order prolem can trigger gierish statements" 9ere is an ad)ertisement in the 4unch
magaEine%
FWanted% armchair !or old gentleman with sliding ack and oak legsG '*td" in Cohnson J-("
0 notice in a 4ondon hospital%
F+isitors% two to a ed !or hal! an hourG"
J"/ 5he passi)e tends to e used more in written than in spoken English '!or instance, to a)oid using the 1
st
or
J
rd
personal pronoun in the singular or in the plural( 'Bailey 10.(% F5he !inal term essays will e se)erely
e)aluatedG instead o! F&/the teacher will se)erely e)aluateOG"
I"/ E)ery word counts" 5here!ore, try to choose the est word to !it your conte6t and a)oid synonyms which
only ser)e to co)er the page"
K"/ Hse a persons !ull name when you introduce them into the te6t !or the !irst time 'a!terwards you can put
only the persons surname(% FEmily BrontY is one o! the mostOG, and then FBrontes no)el is characterised
yOG '4ester 1I;("
=#amma# 9- N-T) and 9-)
("# "u# essas
$./ Punctuati"n
FAunctuation O is the e*ui)alent o! the pauses, emphasis, and in!le6ion which we use whilst speakingG 'Cohnson
2-(" &t helps the reader get a clear understanding o! the essay content"
Brace up your courage, ecause what !ollows is not an e6hausti)e oring in)entory o! punctuation regulations with
their e6ceptions to e6ceptions, ut rather a selection o! de!initions which are meant to counteract the most recurrent
punctuation mistakes among 'some( students"
10I
)3MP@6 BBV
-$se#vati"n .1
9- N-T U)64
I )M) and inte#net te*t message
II )lang
III 1% .% 2 instead "( M"ne% t!"% th#eeON.
IV Mi*ed tenses ("# the same time c"ntent
V T"" l"ng sentences
9- U)64
1./ 3g#eement $et!een the su$Fect and the
ve#$
../ 7"#d-"#de# in a sentence
2./ The passive in "#de# t" av"id 1
st
> 2
#d

pe#s"nal p#"n"uns
,./ The (ull name "( a pe#s"n "u
int#"duce in the te*t ("# the (i#st time 'a!ter
that$ only the surname(
1./ The th"ught that eve# !"#d c"unts
7hat is special a$"ut4
1./ The :"mma (%)
,0
'Cohnson 2-, Rane 2.;$288 and ?wan IKK(%
../ The )emic"l"n (D) 'Cohnson 2. and Rane 2.2$2.K(%
5his marks a pause that is shorter than a !ull stop and longer than a comma" &t is used%
&" Be!ore clauses which egin with for instance, for example, nevertheless, therefore, and even so.
E6ample% F9e was a man o! many wordsD ne)ertheless, he was speechless at that momentG"
&&" When the second independent clause e6plains the !irst"
E6ample% F2either o! them uttered a wordD they Bust looked at each other in utmost surpriseG"
&&&" 5o separate items in a list when any o! these items already includes a comma" &t is the presence o! the
comma which asks !or a longer stop in order to a)oid con!usion"
E6ample% F5hese are the things that you need% three sheets o! paper, two o! which should e colouredD ink,
pre!eraly lackD and a lot o! inspirationG"
2./ The :"l"n (4) 'Cohnson 28 and Rane 2.1$2.2(
5his introduces *uite a strong pause in a sentence" 0part !rom its use to introduce a list, to precede a speech or a
*uotation or to introduce a clause which e6plains the pre)ious statement, the colon is also used%
&" 5o show a )ery sharp contrast"
E6ample% F/y mother lo)es shopping% my !ather hates itG"
&&" 5o introduce rhetorical *uestions which contain general statrements" 5he common practice is to egin the
*uestion with a capital letter"
E6ample% F5he prolem is% 9ow should we tackle this<G
I0
the comma is a pause mark, the least emphatic" 5he other pause marks are the semicolon, the colon, the dash, and the period
or !ull stop"
10K
3. The c"mma is used
&" to separate adBecti)es which *uali!y a noun in the
same manner% F0 kind, placid personG"
&&" optionally, !or emphasis and rhythm, in a list o! items
Boined y coordinating conBunctions% F9e had toast, and
cheese, and utterG"
&+" in non$de!ining relati)e clauses% F0ll images are
symols, 0hich make us think a!out the things they
meanG '?usanne R" 4anger *td" in Rane 281("
+" in 0merican usage, !or dates% 0ugust ., 200;
+&" &n 0merican English, in a list o! items, a comma is
usually used e!ore and% F& enBoy skiing, tennis+ and
!ootallG"
+&&" when the noun is a long construction 'a noun
clause(% F6hat makes you so very different from the rest
of us, is that you are not so much o! a takerG"
+&&&" to separate coordinated independent clauses% F5his
is something that cannot e e6plained in a !ew lines, and
its meaning usually goes *uite deepG"
C. The c"mma is n"t used
&" when the adBecti)es are o! a di!!erent kind% F0n
important !oreign ministerG"
&&" as a rule, in a list o! items Boined y coordinating
conBunctions% F9e had toast and cheese and utterG"
&+" in de!ining relati)e clauses% F5he girl 0ho 0as sitting
in an arm chair was my !riendG"
+" in European usage, !or dates% . 0ugust 200;
+&" &n British English, in a list o! items, a comma is
usually not used e!ore and, unless there is a long list o!
items"
2ot used% F& enBoy skiing, tennis and !ootallG"
Hsed% F& went to the cinema, & then dined out with my
!riends+ and had a long !riendly discussion aout going
aroad"
,./ The ?ull )t"p "# Pe#i"d (.) 'Cohnson JJ$JID #airairn and :hristopher Winch .2$.I(
5he most common prolems in connection to the !ull stop or period arise with are)iations, contractions and
acronyms"
1./ The 9ash (A) 'Rane 288$J01(
Do not mi6 it up with the hyphen '$(, which is shorter" &t acts as a strong comma and as an in!ormal replacement o!
the semicolon 'D(, the colon '%(, and the parenthesis" &t is introduced to create emphasis" 5here is no space e!ore
and a!ter a dash"
&" &t introduces an emphatic pause e!ore the last word's( o! a sentence% F5hese last days were a orea
complete and utter oreG"
&&" &t triggers dependent interupting constructions 'appositi)es, ad)er)ial phrases and clauses, non$de!ining
relati)e clauses( !or emphasis% F#rom time to timewith a pain in his lims and hea)ing reath that
seemed to deter him !rom ad)ancingCohnathan li!ted his eyes to scutinise the horiEonG"
&&&" &t replaces the colon when it less !ormally introduces a series o! speci!ics% F5he storm came down on us
with all its mighty elementshail, wind, pouring rain, derisG"
&+" &t introduces and ends completely independent sencences 'known as intrusive sentence a!solute( caught in
the middle o! a statement with which they are not syntactically tied in any way" &t can e replaced y
parenthesis, ut this is generally a !unction which goes with the dash"
E6ample% F5he opening scene o! the playit is actually the most known scenetakes the audience into the
)ery centre o! the plotG"
+./ The 3p"st#"phe (H) 'Rane J02$J0K, 5russ K;(
5he most common uses o! the apostrophe is to show possession 'the girls eyes, the .onescus dog(, contraction
'thats right@(, elision
I1
)neer 0ill . do that@(, and letters in the plural 'ho0 many ps in 8disappear9A( rules
which you all know *uite well '<(
I2
" 9ere are though a !ew interesting selecti)e details%
I1
'lision means dropping a sound !rom a word 'Rane J0I("
I2
Why do you think & ha)e put%
a"/ the *uestion mark
"/ the *uestion mark in rackets
10;
The pe#i"d is used
&" with most are)iations that are not so widely used%
4rof., Rev. '3e)erend(, (ct. ',ctoer(
&&" with are)iations that ha)e lower$case letters%
4h.+. 'Doctor o! Ahilosophy(, ".'d. '/aster o!
Education
The pe#i"d is n"t used
&" /ost ooks on writing ad)ise one not to put !ull stops
a!ter commonly used titles like "r, "rs, "s, +r, o.
&&" 5he same as ao)e seems to apply !or well known
companies or organisations like ##, .#", 7", 1A$(,
-1'S(, '-, -1.'/ 'Hnited 2ations &nternational
:hildrens Emergency #und(
3p"st#"phe t" sh"! p"ssessi"n
&! proper nouns end in siilants 'letters sounded with a
hiss% $s, $sh(, opinions )ary% some pre!er Bs 'Reynoldss
painting(, some others pre!er Cs 'Reynolds paintings("
9owe)er there are two cases when the rule goes !or Cs
'Jesus churchD names !rom the ancient world% Derxes
weapons, 0chilles heel(
3p"st#"phe t" ma#k elisi"n
Elision appears in rapid collo*uial speech and old
poetry, ut it should neer e present in composition"
E6amples% goin, een '!or even(
3p"st#"phe !ith plu#al ("#ms "( lette#s
&n general, letters and numerals used in the plural simply
end in Cs 'A#sE the FGGHs(" But the apostrophe is used
!or%
1"/ :apital letters that ha)e !ull stops% F5he uni)ersity
graduated twenty /" Ed"sG
2"/ :apital letters that look con!using with a simple Cs%
F9e had got his 0s and is pleasedG"
J"/ 4ower case letters used as nouns% FBe care!ul how
you write your rs and sG"
&./ The Eu"tati"n Ma#ks4 d"u$le (MON) and single (JOH) 'Rane J0K$J0. and $he 'conomist ..(
Quotation marks are used !or%
a.: direct &uotations
!.: certain titles
c.: 0ords to 0hich the 0riter gives a special meaning )irony, for instance* and 0hich can also !e singled out !y
italics.
E6ample% 5hey were really Fra)eG 'or !rave( that day when they ran out o! the room at the sight o! mama"
5here is a di!!erence in using *uotation marks in 0merican ?tyle and in British ?tyle"
a.: Iuotation "arks 0ith +irect Iuotations=
@ou can either stick to either o! the styles scrupulously or you can comine 0merican ?tyle doule *uotes !or
direct *uotations with the use o! !ull stops and commas !ollowing the British style 'as & pre!er("
10-
3me#ican )tle
&" Doule *uotes 'FOG( to mark a *uote"
&&" ?ingle *uotes 'LO( mark a *uote within a *uote"
E6ample% 9e said% F& do not know why she
Lcould not come right away,
when it was so important !or herG"
&&&" When closing *uotations, commas and !ull stops
al!as come inside the *uote mark"
E6amples% ?he said% F& am not doing it"G
5his is the !irst line o! Donnes
F+alediction"G
C#itish )tle
&" ?ingle *uotes 'LO( to mark a *uote"
&&" Doule *uotes 'FOG( mark a *uote within a *uote"
E6ample% 9e said% L& do not know why she
Fcould not come right awayG, when
it was so important !or her"
&&&" When closing *uotations, commas and !ull stops
come
inside the *uote marks, i! they are part o! the
*uotation
E6ample% ?he said% L5his is a mess"
outside the *uote marks, i! they not part o! a
*uotation 'i"e" i! the *uote marks are used to single
out a word, or to indicate a title(
E6ample% 5his is what she would call La
mess"
&+" When closing *uotations, *uestion marks '<( and e6clamation points
'7( are placed
inside the *uote marks, i! they are part o! the *uotation
E6ample% 9e asks me% F0re you coming or what<G
outside the *uote marks, i! they are part o! the whole sentence
which also contains the *uotation
E6ample% Did you say% F2ice to see you tooG<
+" E6tended written *uotations 'proaly more than !i)e linessee p"8(
should e indented, in which case *uotation marks are no longer
needed"
"/ *uotation marks with certain titles%
E6amples% ?hakespeares play Hamlet is minutely analysed in Biilescus essay F5he 9amlet in /eG"
,ne o! 5hackerays chapters o! ?anity /air is called F9ow to 4i)e on 2othing a @earG"
&n todays 5+ show FAaro6ysms o! :ultureG, we are going to discuss /el Brooks !ilm Ro!in Hood,
"en in $ights"
Alease, notice the !act that most words in titles are written in capital letters, e6cept de!inite and inde!inite articles,
short prepositions and co$ordinating conBunctions"
0./ The 5phen (-) 'Rane J08(
5his marks the di)ision o! words at the end o! lines and the separation o! components within compound words" 0s
you know, some words are hyphenated 'pay>off, give>a0ay, co>operation( in con)entional compounds, ut there are
other types o! compounds 'called nonce
JK
compounds( which are made up and used !or a conte6t only" 5hey do not
e6ist as a standard idiom"
E6ample o! nonce compound% F9e ga)e me a sure>.>am>going>to>kiss>you lookG"
/ark that there is no space e!ore and a!ter a hyphen 'this remark is )alid when you type hyphens in your
computer("
I./ Pa#entheses ($la% $la% $la) 'Rane J10(
3emarks are put in parentheses 'which could also e punctuated with dashes( ecause they contain necessary and
interesting in!ormation, grammatically related or unrelated to the rest o! the sentence" ,)eruse o! parentheses
ecomes annoying, so pay heed7
0 recurrent 3omanian misuse is to put in parentheses words or whole sentences which one has realised are
misplaced or incorrectly written"
IJ
for the nonce means F!or the time eingGD F!or the present occasionG ':oncise ,6!ord Dictionary :D("
10.
Titles "( !"#ks
are
!#itten in ita&ic (i( "n the
c"mpute#) "# unde#lined
(i( !#itten in hand!#iting)
titles o!%
ooks
plays
long poems 'like the .liad(
mo)ies
put in 'u"te ma#ks
titles o!%
short stories
short poems
essays
articles in magaEines and
periodicals
chapters/sections in a ook
tele)ision and radio shows
7;-N=4 9enry +&&& was 'emperor( king o!
'Britain( England"
:-;;6:T4 9enry +&&& '& shall deal with the
pre)ious se)en 9enrys later on in this essay( was
king o! England sometime in the past"
10./ C#ackets POQ 'Rane J11(
&" 5hese contain any personal remarks, e6planations or comments the writer wishes to introduce in a *uotation"
E6ample% F& grie)e to see the rule Uwhat rule<V applied the other way roundG '5russ 1K2("
&&" ?ometimes, the writer has to adBust the *uotation a little to make it !it the grammatical conte6t
E6ample% 5he writer says that FessaysOUwereV written y complete eginners with a lot o! EestG"
&&&" Brackets are also used to mark a remark within parentheses"
E6ample% 5he present essay deals with the necessity o! sleep '& mysel! !eel like !alling into sleep Ua )ery
short one, thoughV while writing all this( during the con)entional night hours o! aurora orealis"
c./ :"u#te"us language 'Waliman 1K1 and 4ester 1K0$1KJ(
@ou ha)e to e cautious with words not to o!!end indi)iduals or groups o! people inside or outside your te6t" @ou
should re!rain against any ausi)e statement on gender, age, race, ethnicity, religion and disaility%
1./ gende#
0)oid masculine pronouns that stand only !or men or only !or women
II
as in the !irst W3,21 e6ample%
Hse 0oman and male 'as adBecti)es( in most instances, e6cept when re!erring to animals and statistics"
E6amples% Woman doctor, male doctor
#emale gorilla
5wo males and three !emales out o! !orty males and !i!ty !emales ha)e lue eyes in this small
community"
5he !ollowing is list o! words adapted !rom Donald :urries ook +eveloping and Applying Study Skills=
6riting Assignments, +issertations and "anagement Reports 'p" 1J2(" 5his may help you a)oid writing or
II
0s, perhaps, you will soon notice, the !urther e6ample does not raise to the academic le)el o! writing" &t was meant to draw
your attention on the correct use o! gender"
108
7;-N=
FEach reader should rack his rains to understand this
poets worksG"
F'ach reader should rack his or her rains in order to
understand this poets workG"
:-;;6:T
FReaders should rack their rains in order to understand
this poets works"
F'ach reader should rack their rains in order to
understand this poets worksG"
&! the sentence is e6tended, this kind o!
prose ecomes )ery di!!icult to read
and awkward" 5here!ore, use it seldom
with short sentences only"
uttering statements that seem to re!er e6clusi)ely to one gender and there!ore risk eing seen as discourteous to
other people%
ZF0ir stewardessG and F!iremanG are no longer used in !ormal conte6ts"
,thers in the !irst column are inappropriate to re!er to occupations in general, ut can e used to re!er to indi)iduals
o! the respecti)e gender" 3ememer that in English the word FmanG is gender$speci!ic" &t applies only to males"
:ompounds like FmanpowerG and Fman$madeG should also e a)oided as !ar as possile 'these can e replaced y
Fhuman resourceG, FworkersG and FsyntheticG, Farti!icialG, respecti)ely"
../ 6thnic "# #acial identit
Be care!ul to a)oid terms that deride and o!!end ethnic minorities and racial identity"

110
:-;;6:T
#lack or !lack person
6hite
Hispanic
%atino
African American
1ative American
Asian
Asian American
hicano '0merican o! /e6ican
origin(
Rom/Roma
7;-N=
1egro
!lack 'instead o! Black(
(riental 'instead o! 0sian(
7ypsy
oloured people
=6N96;-)P6:I?I:
T6;M)
N-N-=6N96;-
)P6:I?I: T6;M)
ai# ste!a#dessR (light attendant
$usinessman%
$usiness!"man
ent#ep#eneu#
came#aman "pe#at"#% ph"t"g#aphe#
ne!spape#man F"u#nalist% #ep"#te#
(i#emanR (i#e-(ighte#% (i#e c#e!
dustman #e(use c"llect"#
("#eman supe#vis"#
p"liceman% p"lice
!"man
p"lice "((ice#
chai#man% chai#!"man chai#pe#s"n
manh""d% !"manh""d adulth""d
sp"kesman%
sp"kes!"man
sp"kespe#s"n
2./ 3ge
#oy and girl are words appropriate to use !or youngsters up to 1; years old"
Young man and young 0oman:lady descrie youngsters o)er 1;"
,./ 9isa$ilit
111
:-;;6:T
a person 0ith disa!ilities
a person 0ith:0ho has 4arkinson, sclerosis,
learning difficulties, +o0ns syndrome5
7;-N=
handicapped:disa!led person, retarded person
6*e#cises ("# UNIT 1&-10
P#"g#ess 'uesti"ns4
What are the common errors one should a)oid in one essays<
9ow can you a)oid the use o! 1
st
and J
rd
personal pronouns<
When is the comma used<
What are the di!!erences etween a colon and a semicolon<
?hould you put !ull stops a!ter "r, ##, "iss, 4h+, 1A$(, o, 4rof, "'d, 1ovA
What is the di!!erence etween a dash and a hyphen<
When is the dash used<
What are the rules concerning the apostrophe when it shows possession<
What a re the di!!erences etween the 0merican and the British styles with *uotation marks<
9ow are titles o! works emphasised% in italics, with *uotation marks, underlined<
What are nonce compounds<
0re misplaced or incorrect words put in parentheses<
When can one put rackets within parentheses<
9ow can you a)oid ausi)e statements on gender, ethnic and racial identity<
7#iting tasks du#ing class4
1"/ &nsert the punctuation marks where they are missing%
5he idea o! art as an imitation o! li!e goes ack a long way at least to Alato 3epulic Books 2 J and 10 and 0ristotle the
latter o! whom claimed that imitation or mimesis was a human instinct 0ccording to his Aoetics it was the di!!erent manner
o! imitation or representation that distinguished di!!erent kinds o! work We can say that it is the particular way in which a
no)el operates that leads to it eing commonly identi!ied as realistic although yes !ictitious
Walder 1I
2"/ 5ranslate into English%
Dup[ uraganul Ratrina, o parte din negrii care locuiser[ \n 2ew ,rleans au !ost nemul]umi]i de !elul cum administra]ia de la
Washington a gestionat criEa"
^nso]itoarea de ord a adus c\te dou[ pahare de whisky oamenilor de a!aceri care a)eau locuri la clasa &"
0gentul de poli]ie Cohn ?mith a \nt\mpinat$o la aeroport pe noua lui coleg[, Deorah Wea)er, agent de poli]ie de numai trei
luni"
Aarcarea aceea este pentru persoane cu handicap, )[ rugam s[ nu )[ pune]i ma_ina acolo"
9iscussi"n4
1" Discuss commas in the !ollowing sentence%
&t eats, shoots, and lea)es"
What happens i! you remo)e it/them<
'By the way, do you know the Boke with the panda that is somehow connected to something concerning the words FshootsG
and Flea)esG<(
5"me!"#k4
Write your 1
st
essay paying e6plicit attention to punctuation and courteous language" 5he title is +iscuss ?Lclav Havels
6ords= a real test of 0hether a country is a democracy is ho0 it treats its minorities.

Unit 1I
7#itten 6*am 6ssas.
-#al P#esentati"n "( an 6ssa
a
b
c
d
e
7#itten 6*am 6ssas
Writing good essays in midterm or !inal e6ams re*uires special techni*ues which in)ol)e writing comprehensi)ely
on a gi)en topic in well controlled English at high speed '9ennessy, 'ssay to 6riteA-8("
0n e6am paper has to look good, that is, to ha)e an appealing !ormhandwriting which is easy to comprehend, an
aesthetic look, and an intelligent content" 5he good !orm can e attained with little e!!ort, the content re*uires
more concentration, pre)ious serious study and a certain techni*ue o! working on the topic under in)estigation and
under pressure"
5here!ore, the way to a high mark in written e6am essays is to look a!ter%
&" The ?"#m o! your e6am paper should ha)e4
:lear handwriting% try to a)oid writing !or small insects
IK
D a)oid huddling letters together" 0ccess to the content
o! your essay should not e a test o! crosswords ailities !or the teacher"
0esthetic look% your paper should aim at ha)ing as !ew lotches o! ink as possile, !ew corrections, its writing
in straight lines, !ew in$etween sentences or words, and no asterisks that stand !or omitted issues"
0 !ully signed !ront page 'in lock letters with your !ull nameespecially i! you are called &onescu or
Aopescu(
II. The :"ntent o! your written e6am paper should ha)e4
:lear English% this is something you should ha)e accumulated in *uite a !ew years o! undergraduate study and
is something which can e continuously polished y attending practical course seminars and y using any other
methods o! sel! impro)ement"
I;
'?hort( coherent English sentences which can e produced i! you ha)e a good command o! English Word
,rder, o! the ?e*uence o! 5enses and o! a rather rich )ocaulary o! English words and phrases 'the suBect
)ocaulary asics included(
Rnowledge o! the topic" & cannot help you here" @ou either study or you do not"
III. 3 ce#tain techni'ue o! working on the topics%
5here are many strategies !or dealing with e6am topics during e6ams" &! you want to e doomed, cheating is one" 0t
the other end, the mysterious techni*ue o! splashing the whole essay onto the paper as i! the topic is eing reathed
into your ear y ,eron himsel! is another possiility 'unlikely, though, ut you ne)er know(" /ost likely, !rom
what we, teachers, see going on at e6ams, the rough copy is used y many students to scrile a !ew ideas in a kind
IK
2o matter what you think o! the readerother than yoursel!"
I;
#or instance% talking to yoursel! in English, attending 'other( courses in English, going aroad in English speaking countries,
going to the seaside in Bulgaria, co)ering the 5+ sutitles o! !ilms 'you ha)e seen se)eral times(, reading in English
'whate)er(, translating !or money, pretending to e !oreign in your own country, etc"
11J
a/ Timing
$/ P#inted hand"uts
c/ Visual aids
d/ ;het"#ical st#ategies
o! loose plan, which then is enlarged into a more$o!ten$than$not loose essay with a Belly$like structure" +ery rarely
do teachers ha)e the pleasure o! coming across an essay paper with a clear, well$made plan with key words, general
statement, each main idea and the ghost o! a conclusionall the result o! care!ul planning" 0s anyone can guess,
these get the highest marks, as a rule"
5here!ore, my suggestion is that you plan your written essays a little etter 'during e6ams(" @ou can do that y
using the short )ersion strategy o! essay writing techni*ue which students use !or serious research work at home
and/or at the lirary
The sh"#t ve#si"n st#ateg "( essa !#iting techni'ue du#ing !#itten e*ams c"nsists
"( a spide# diag#am and a diag#am plan4
1. spide# diag#am.
.. diag#am plan which means rearranging a spider diagram
I-
into a logical plan in which each numer shows the
succession o! main ideas and acking ideas, e6actly in the order they will e de)eloped upon in the written essay"
'see pp" ;I$;;(
I-
&n this ook, spider diagrams ha)e a !i6ed set o! *uestion categories arranged in a !i6ed well estalished succession"
11I
:"nnect the ke !"#ds t"
the su$Fect "( "u# t"pic
7h"se
I96NTIT8
> !h that/
7hat T56M6
> !h that/
7hat TIM6
> !h that/
7hat )P3:6%
)6TTIN= >
!h that/
7hat =6N;6%
)T8@6 > !h
that/
7hat
;6@3TI-N)5IP
> !h that/
7hat and
!h"se
3TTITU96
> !h that/
7hat and
!h"se T-N6
> !h that/
5"! intense is
3TTM-)P56;6
> !h that/
1
. 2
,
1
+
&t is not necessary !or you to gi)e a *uotation !rom the !ragment you are analysing or a paraphrase !rom the ook
you are dealing with in each and e)ery main idea" &t eats time" 5wo or three e6amples may e enough in a two page
essay"
Aieces o! ad)ice%
/ake sure you ha)e enough time !or each topic" &! , during the e6am, you !ind you ha)e e6ceeded the time you
ha)e allowed yoursel! !or one topic, start a new paragraph, in case you can come ack to !inish it later, and
immediately pass onto the ne6t topic" 5he idea is that two nearly !inished essays are marked higher than one
!inished one and one you ha)e arely started or ha)e not started at all"
,n your rough copy do the spider diagram and the diagram plan, and then write the essay straight onto the
o!!icial paper" Autting your essay into its !inal !orm on the rough copy and then trans!erring it onto your e6am
paper is e6tremely time consuming and possily *uite )ulnerale a strategy, ecause it presupposes your aility
to mentally process the spider diagram 'that is, answer the *uestions and interpret your gathered e)idence( and
to mentally draw the diagram plan"
Alanning starts !rom the key words in the essay title, so make sure you understand the instructional word
'discuss, comment, analyse5(
Do not produce sentences you ha)e learned y heart at home, ecause they ne)er !it the conte6tual re*uirement
o! an e6am, and out o! their copyright printed conte6t, they cannot uild a structure to your paper" Alanted into
your essay, among your own words, they always look /artian" 0lso, do not try to !latter course teachers y
parroting their e6act sentences and/or ideas they once uttered in the e6citement o! their course teachings,
ecause they do not/sh"uld n"t wish to read themsel)es under your name"
&! you are asked to write an essay on literaturetitle and sentences in !lowing logic, the e6am paper should
not contain !ragments o! plans marked numers, dashes, letters or points, or scraps o! ideas enciphered in key
words which !loat sentenceless"
?pend si6 to eight minutes re)iewing your written e6amD read it with a critical mind, !ishing !or grammar
mistakes, irrele)ant in!ormation, long incoherent sentences, sentimental remarks, collo*uial language" ?ee
whether your essays ha)e a comprehensi)e plan structure with a logical !low o! ideas"
11K
#inal e6am
5itle essay
Bla, la, la, la, la$la, la, la%
la, la" Bla la la, la la, la,
la la" Bla, la< la, la, la la
la lala, la, la, la"
Bla, la, e)en so, la, la, la,
la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la,
la, la, la, la, $ecause4
la,la, la, la,
li, li, li, li, li
lu, lu, lu
200;
)3MP@6
BBVI
N" schemes "# diag#ams in "u#
!#itten "((icial e*am pape# "n a
lite#a# su$Fect
5ry a !ew mock e6ams
I.
at home to train your mind into the techni*ue"
-#al P#esentati"n "( an 6ssa
0 good oral presentation is aout communicating as clearly and concisely as possile a topic which is 'made(
interesting and ser)es a purpose" 0s with e)erything else in li!e, the way you sell your ideas is paramount, ecause
people want to understand !ast what the content o! your speech is and their attention is easily di)erted elsewhere i!
you do not know how to keep them alert" 5here!ore%
a/ Timing "u# p#esentati"n t" the given num$e# "( minutes is vital.
&n order to e ale to control the minutes assessed to your speech, you ha)e to learn to rehearse your oral
presentation at home, measuring the time care!ully and adBusting the contents to !it the minutes to the dot"
$/ P#inted hand"uts may help you pass your message clearly onto your listeners, i! they are simple and )isually
comprehensi)e" Do not presume that your oral presentation gains in weight i! your handout is thorough, on se)eral
pages with headings, su$headings, di!!erent siEes o! !onts and many italic and old letters" 0nd parentheses" 0nd
!ootnotes" 0nd complicated tales and scriled diagrams"

P#inted hand"ut plan
suggesti"n
I.
& do not mean & ad)ise you to mock at your e6ams, ut to take a topic and pretend you are in an e6am"
11;
INT;-9U:TI-N
a: Announcing the su!;ect !ased on the key 0ords in the title
!.: $he general statement
C-98
F.: "ain idea
a.: the explanation of the topic sentence )connected to the general statement*
a !: your comment on the evidence, your argument to prove a point !ased on
the main idea
b c: )optional* &uotation or:and paraphrase
M.: "ain idea
c !: your comment on the evidence, your argument to prove a point !ased on
the main idea
d c: )optional* &uotation or:and paraphrase
#acking idea to paragraph M )if the case*=
a.: the explanation of the topic sentence
)connected to the general statement*
e !: your comment on the evidence, your argument
to prove a point !ased on the main idea
f c: )optional* &uotation or:and paraphrase
6))38 TIT@6
-$se#vati"n ..
c/ Visual aids4 3,% 32 pape#s% "ve#head t#anspa#enc p#"Fect"#s% c"mpute# p#"Fect"#s% etc.
&! you consider that your message can reach your audience more easily y means o! )isual aids, it is good to use
them" But try to a)oid the idea that !orm can stand in !or content, and do not crowd your listeners with 0I or 0J
images, tales or diagrams, o)erhead proBected transparencies or AowerAoint graphics which come !loating !rom
the !our corners o! the screen" +isual aids are meant to emphasise the points that you are making, not to oscure
them 'Wyse 1J.(" 5here!ore, what you show them should e constantly related to the minute analyses you make in
your oral presentation" Dominic Wyse cautions his readers with respect to some )isual aids y paraphrasing !rom
Edward 5u!!tes ook $he ognitive Style of 4o0er4oint% F5he *uality, rele)ance and integrity o! the content o!
your presentations are what you will ultimately e Budged on, not how pretty they look" &mpressi)e looking slides
do not mask weak content"G '1J8(
d/ ;het"#ical st#ategies should aim at%
con)eying clarity to your plan structure"
persuading the audience your ideas are worth listening to" 5here!ore, speak with con!idence, in a regular
rhythm
I8
in !luent English, in a loud )oice
K0
looking at all your listeners" Emphasise the words you consider
sustantial !or your demonstration, and e polite and modest"
@ou may lea)e a much etter impression i! you 9- N-T4
use redundant words turned into )eral tics% . dont kno05,6ell5, You see5,
.ts kind of5, You kno05, So5 'used at the eginning o! paragraphs that do
not conclude anything(
Especially the persistent use o! . dont kno0 may denote an unconscious wish
deny any responsiility !or your statements and a possile !eeling o!
uncertainty with respect to your topic"
use leading remarks% 6hat . like a!out it is O
use redundant sounds% Aaa5, hmmmm5, eeee5
use e6clamations% 6o0@ Yo@
simply read aloud a written te6t
learn the te6t y heart at home and then spit it *uickly and reathlessly e!ore
the audience
smile too much, apologetically as i! you know you are wasting the listeners
time
laugh at your own comments with delight
speak with arrogance to elittle your audience
speak in too low a )oice as i! a!raid you might e heard
!lap your hands in the air
wiggle
e clownish
e theatrical
I8
not too slowly, not too !ast
K0
not too loud, though
11-
:-N:@U)I-N
a: 0hat the conse&uences of 0hat you have 0ritten are
K, J, N main ideas and !acking ideas )if necessary*
9-
N-T
D&A4,/0 A3,5,:,4
f
g
h
i
11.
6*e#cises ("# UNIT 1I
Unit .0
;evising "$se#vati"ns and (inal e*e#cises

3n essa sh"uld $e !#itten in the spi#it
"( academic ethics4
118
-$se#vati"n 10
d" n"t cheat 'ecause thou shall go ack to s*uare 1 or less(
adFust "u# level "( disc"u#se t" the level "( the #eceive# 'writers should
respect their readers y writing clearly, y making use
o! academic )ocaulary and gradually introducing
readers to specialised terminology and theory, and not
thunder goledegook in order to !laergast and
humiliate them" 5he latter may e a !irst sign o! a
writers unrestrained )anity and/or the wish to hide a
structureless essay("
#emem$e# that it is m"#e imp"#tant ("# the message c"ntained in "u#
!#iting t" #each "u# #eade# in a clea# and unscathed ("#m
'rather than to show your intellectual muscles or waste
peoples time with primary school linguistics and
platitudes aout the world at large(
#espect the #eas"ning capacities "( "u# #eade#s
y trying to persuade them through e)idence and
argument rather then y assertions '#airairn and Winch
1K8("
!#ite !ith m"dest% p"liteness and gene#"sit 'y not throwing your !indings
into the readers !ace as ultimate truths that are not to e
negotiated with("
$e t"le#ant !ith "the# pe"pleHs "pini"ns and $e #ead t" neg"tiate
av"id se*ist and $iased language
The ?-= inde* sh"!s h"! di((icult an essa is t"
#ead

7#iting !ith stle p#esupp"ses4
120
-$se#vati"n 1I
T" (ind "ut the ?-= inde* "( a piece "( !"#k "u d" the ("ll"!ing4
1./ Take a sample "( at least 100 !"#ds
../ ?ind the ave#age num$e# "( !"#ds pe# sentence $ dividing the t"tal
num$e# "( !"#ds $ the num$e# "( sentences. #or e6ample, 10. words
in 2 sentences makes KI 'a)erage numer o! words per sentence(
2./ :"unt the !"#ds !ith th#ee "# m"#e slla$les in "u# sample. Cut d"
N-T c"unt4 A !"#ds sta#ting !ith capital lette#s
c"m$inati"ns "( sh"#t% eas !"#ds like date&ine
A ve#$s tu#ned int" 2 slla$les $ adding JedH "# JesH
,./ add the ave#age num$e# "( !"#ds pe# sentence t"
the th#ee "# m"#e slla$le !"#ds.
'suppose there are 21 three$or$more syllale words% KI=21T-K(
1./ multipl the t"tal num$e# 'in our case -K( $ 0.,
"u# ?-= inde* is -K60"ITJ0
Inte#p#eting #esults "(
?-= inde* num$e#s4
A1A eas level "( !#iting
A&/0Astanda#d
AI t" 11A(ai#l di((icult
A1. t" 11Adi((icult
A1&K ?-==I@8
:U;I-U)6; >
:U;I-U)6;
-$se#vati"n .0
S. :la#it "( 6*p#essi"n
1./ :lea# 6nglish
../ :"ncise !"#ds
2./Pu$lic impe#s"nal ("#mal stle
,./ :lea#l st#uctu#ed pape#
1./ Mate#ial made #elevant
IV. :auti"us ph#asing
V. :lea#% "pen-t"-challenge a#guments
a./ 3v"id p"etic language
$./ 3v"id "ve#-te#min"l"gical language
c./ 3v"id (allacies
d./ 3v"id gene#alisati"n
e./ 3v"id naLve% immatu#e statements
IV. The p#"pe# use "( pe#s"n
=#amma# 9- N-T) and 9-)
("# "u# essas

P#inted hand"ut plan
suggesti"n
121
-$se#vati"n .1
9- N-T U)64
I )M) and inte#net te*t message
II )lang
III 1% .% 2 instead "( M"ne% t!"% th#eeON.
IV Mi*ed tenses ("# the same time c"ntent
V T"" l"ng sentences
9- U)64
1./ 3g#eement $et!een the su$Fect and the
ve#$
../ 7"#d-"#de# in a sentence
2./ The passive in "#de# t" av"id 1
st
> 2
#d

pe#s"nal p#"n"uns
,./ The (ull name "( a pe#s"n "u
int#"duce in the te*t ("# the (i#st time 'a!ter
that$ only the surname(
1./ The th"ught that eve# !"#d c"unts
:-N:@U)I-N
a: 0hat the conse&uences of 0hat you have 0ritten are
INT;-9U:TI-N
a: Announcing the su!;ect !ased on the key 0ords in the title
!.: $he general statement
C-98
F.: "ain idea
g !: your comment on the evidence, your argument to prove a point !ased on
the main idea
h c: )optional* &uotation or:and paraphrase
M.: "ain idea
i !: your comment on the evidence, your argument to prove a point !ased on
the main idea
j c: )optional* &uotation or:and paraphrase
#acking idea to paragraph M )if the case*=
a.: the explanation of the topic sentence
)connected to the general statement*
j !: your comment on the evidence, your argument
to prove a point !ased on the main idea
l c: )optional* &uotation or:and paraphrase
K, J, N main ideas and !acking ideas )if necessary*
6))38 TIT@6
-$se#vati"n ..
?inal 6*e#cises ("# UNIT 1.
=l"ssa# "( @atin Te#ms
5he list elow is a adapted !rom ?oca!ulary and Argument y 3" 0" Aearson and 5" Ahelps '2, I$K, .$8( and the
electronic oncise (xford +ictionary" 5hese are)iations and words in 4atin are *uite commonly used y critics,
and students are supposed to know and use them as well"
ad in(initum A in!initely, !or e)er
ad li$ (ad li$itum) as one pleases
a p"ste#i"#i ad;., adv. 'o! reasoning( inducti)e'ly(, empirical'ly(D proceeding !rom e!!ects to causes"
a p#i"#i A ad;. 'o! reasoning( deducti)e 'opp" a posteriori(" 'o! concepts, knowledge, etc"( 2ot deri)ed !rom
e6perience 'opp" empirical(" 2ot sumitted to critical in)estigation 'an a priori conBecture("
$"na (ide genuine'ly(, sincere'ly(
c. (ci#ca) appro6imately
c(. (c"n(e#) compare
de (act" adv" in !act, whether y right or not"
ad;" that e6ists or is such in !act
de Fu#e ad;" right!ul"
adv" right!ullyD y right"
d". (ditt") the same
e.g. (e*empli g#atia) A !or e6ample
e#g" there!ore, in conclusion
et. al. (et alia) and the others
etc. (et cete#a) and so on and so !orth
esp" especially
i$id. (i$idem) in the same place
i.e. (id est) that is
in a$sentia in his/ her/ their asence
ips" (act" y that )ery !act, therey
mutatis mutandis 'in comparing cases( making the necessary alterations
N.C. (n"ta $ene) this is important
12J
"p.cit. ("pe#e citat") in the works cited
p. 2 et. se' (et se'uens) page J and the !ollowing pages
passim throughout, e)erywhere
pe# se A y or in itsel!D intrinsically"
p#imus inte# pa#es noun. a !irst among e*ualsD the senior or representati)e memer o! a group"
'uasi- seeminglyD apparently ut not really '*uasi$scienti!ic(" eing partly or almost '*uasi$independent("
'uid p#" 'u" a thing gi)en as compensation, return made '!or a gi!t, !a)our, etc"(" U4atin, T something !or
somethingV
sine 'ua n"n an indispensale condition or *uali!ication" U4atin, T without which notV
v. (ve#sus) opposed to
ve#$atim word !or word" &t means that the material/ speech is eing gi)en e6actly as in the original" F5he student
*uoted !rom a )eratim lecture o! his course teacherG"
vid. (vide) see F5he latest results in the !ield are astounding ')id" 4ewis, 3oger(G"
sic" thus" &t is used in *uotations a!ter some mistake that elongs to the author you are *uoting !rom" @ou put it
in s*uare rackets" F 5hey soon comed Usic"V to the conclusion thatOG
status 'u" noun. the e6isting state o! a!!airs
status 'u" ante noun. the pre)iously e6isting state o! a!!airs
sui gene#is ad;. uni*ue
12I
,W4? ',nline Writing 4as(
?ome o! these ,W4? are no longer )alid" :heck it up7
9ere is a list o! wesites taken !rom Dr" Derek ?oles ook $he Academic 'ssay= Ho0 to 4lan, +raft,
6rite and Revise in which you can !ind !urther in!ormation aout essay writing, rules o! good writing and
Facademic writing assignments in school, college, and uni)ersity"G 'p"1I-(
www"inkspot"com
1opher%//1opher"gsu"edu%-0/11/Departments/write
http%//!ur"rscc"cc"tn"us/cyerproBect"html
http%//www"dsu"edu/departments/lieral/cola/,W4
http%//owl"english"purdue"edu/
http%//www"rpi"edu/dept/11c/writecenter/we/home"html
http%//www"trincoll"edu/writcent/aksmith"html
http%//www"ls*"umich"edu/ec/,W4/owl"html
http%//www"missouri"edu/`writery
12K
Ci$li"g#aph
0le6ander, 4" 1" 'ssay and %etter 6riting. 9arlow% 4ongman, 1888
Bailey, ?tephen" Academic 6riting= A 4ractical 7uide for Students. 4ondon% 3outledge#almer, 200I
BBark, 4ennart et al", eds" $eaching Academic 6riting .n 'uropean Higher 'ducation. Dordrecht% Rluwer
0cademic Aulishers, 200J
:reme, Ahyllis and /ary 3" 4ea" 6riting at -niversity= A 7uide for Students. 2
nd
ed" /aidenhead% ,pen
Hni)ersity Aress, 200J
:uddon, C" 0" ", ed" A +ictionary of %iterary $erms and %iterary $heory.I
th
ed" ,6!ordD Blackwell Aulishers,
188.
:uddon, C" 0" $he 4enguin +ictionary of %iterary $erms and %iterary $heory. I
th
ed" 4ondon% Aenguin Books,
1888
:urrie, Donald" +eveloping and Applying Study Skills= 6riting Assignments, +issertations and "anagement
Reports. 4ondon% :hartered &nstitute o! Aersonnel and De)elopment, 200K
De 1raEia, /argreta" F?hakespeare and the :ra!t o! 4anguageG" $he am!ridge ompanion to Shakespeare.
Ed" /argreta de 1raEia and ?tanley Wells" :amridge% :amridge Hni)ersity Aress, 2001
Dragomir, 0le6andru" rase #analit,2i "etafiOice. Arelegeri reconstituite de 1ariel 4iiceanu _i :[t[lin
Aartenie" Bucure_ti% 9umanitas, 200I
'ncyclopaedia #ritannica. :D" 4ondon% Encyclopaedia Britannica, 200J
'ssay 6riting and Scholarly 4ractice. Warwick% Hni)ersity o! Warwick Department o! English and
:omparati)e 4iterary ?tudies, n"d"
#airairn, 1a)in C and :hristopher Winch" Reading, 6riting and Reasoning= A 7uide for Students. 2
nd
ed"
Buckingham% ,pen Hni)ersity Aress, 188;
9ennessy, Brendan" 'ssay to 6riteA. 2
nd
ed" ,6!ord% 9owtoooks, 2002
9ennesey, Brendan" 6riting an 'ssay= Simple $echni&ues to $ransform your ourse0ork and 'xaminations.
,6!ord% 9owtoooks, 200I
Cohnson, 3oy. .mprove Your 6riting Skills. /anchester% :li!ton Aress, 188K
Cordan, 3" 3" Academic 6riting ourse. 4ondon% 9arper :ollins Aulisher, 1880
Rane, 5homas ?" $he 1e0 (xford 7uide to 6riting. 2ew @ork% ,6!ord Hni)ersity Aress, 188I
12;
4e)in, Aeter" 6rite 7reat 'ssays@= Reading and 'ssay 6riting for -ndergraduates and $aught 4ostgraduates.
/aidenhead% ,6!ord Hni)ersity Aress, 200I
4ester, Cames D" 6riting Research 4aper. A omplete 7uide. 8
th
ed" 2ew @ork% 4ongman, 1888
4ewis, 3oger" Ho0 to 6rite 'ssays. :amridge% 5he 2ational E6tension :ollege, 18-;
%i!rary of the /uture. :D" Witney, ,6on% #our ?easons 9ouse, 188-
4odge, Da)id" Small 6orld. 4ondon% Aenguin Books, 18.K
"erriam>6e!ster (nline +ictionary
/ounsey, :hris" 'ssays and +issertations. ,6!ord% ,6!ord Hni)ersity Aress, 2002
2ewton, R" /" $heory into 4ractice= A Reader in "odern %iterary riticism. Basingstoke% /acmillan, 1882
(xford Advanced %earners 'ncyclopedic +ictionary. 2
nd
ed" ,6!ord% ,6!ord Hni)ersity Aress, 188I
Aearson, 3" 0 and 5" Ahelps" Academic ?oca!ulary and Argument= An .ntroductory 7uide. ?he!!ield% Aa)ic
Aulications
Aerkins, D" :" Aids to 'ssay 6riting. 4ondon% :eltic 3e)ision 0id, 18.2
Airie, Da)id B" Ho0 to 6rite ritical 'ssays= A 7uide for Students of %iterature. 4ondon% 3outledge, 18.K
Aolytechnic o! 2orth 4ondon" Study 7uides= Suggestions for $eaching 'ssay 6riting. 4ondon% A" 2" 4", 1882
3edman, Aeter" 7ood 'ssay 6riting. 4ondon% ?age pulications, 2001
?igismund 9u!!, 0nne" 6riting for Scholarly 4u!lication. 5housand ,aks% ?age Aulications, 1888
?mith, Aauline" 6riting an Assignment= 'ffective 6ays to .mprove Your Research and 4resentation Skills.
,6!ord% 9ow to Books 4td", 2002
?oles, Derek" $he Academic 'ssay= Ho0 to 4lan, +raft, 6rite and Revise. Bishops 4ydeared% ?tudymates,
200K
?oukup, :harlesD 5itsworth ?cott" (vervie0 of $oulmins %ayout of Argumentation, 188. in http%//www"
unl"edu/speech/comm108/5oulmin/layout""htm<<<<<<<<<<<
?tott, 3eecca, et al" "aking Your ase= A 4ractical 7uide to 'ssay 6riting. 9arlow% 4ongman, 2001
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Essay Writing II

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Essay Writing materialDaniela Brown2010/2011

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