Communication Arts 2 and Technical Writing
Communication Arts 2 and Technical Writing
Communication Arts 2 and Technical Writing
Writing
Based on the ideas presented above, what could be the importance of writing in the life
of a man?
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1. Prewriting
2. Rough
Draft
3. Editing
4. Revising
5. Final draft
6. Publishing
Activity No. 3: A Meet and Greet to Paragraph
Development
Activity No. 4: The Expository Writing
Expository writing is writing that has a purpose of explaining, informing, or describing. In other words, expository
writing is about providing information to the reader about a particular topic or subject. The purpose of expository
writing differs from creative writing or persuasive writing. The purpose is merely to inform-to provide information.
Steps of Expository Essay Writing
Expository essays need to follow a specific pattern. Here are steps a student needs to take in order to create a substantial
expository essay.
Step 1: Keep the main topic in sight. The topic is expected to be easy enough but try not to make it too general or too
narrow. And if you have a choice of the subject, try something interesting and new. Select a topic which is exciting to read
and avoid those ones that are difficult to write on.
Step 2: Collect the facts, do the background research. In the first place remember to mention the facts from reliable
sources like peer-reviewed journals, books, and newspapers. It is a great idea to use statistics, research findings, chronicles
of previous events and historical facts – everything that will provide your reader with a broad picture of the topic you have
chosen.
Step 3: Define your thesis statement. Try to use this statement in the first paragraph. You may also mention your thesis
statement in the last sentence of your essay. If you put it in your first paragraph, you should dwell on it in greater detail in
subsequent sentences. If you decide to put the statement at the end, make sure the sentences preceding it are logically
connected with one another, and gradually lead the reader to your thesis statement.
Step 4: Group the facts in body paragraphs. Each body paragraph should offer one main idea. Use relevant facts and
figures in each body paragraph. Avoid repeating same facts in different paragraphs.
Step 5: Use transition sentences between paragraphs. You should finish one paragraph logically and then transit into
the next one, making your entire text coherent and logical. If you don’t do this, your essay will lose its flow and structure.
Step 6: Make a conclusion. The conclusion of the essay sums up the essay and reiterates its main thoughts. Try not to
repeat what you mentioned in your introduction to avoid redundancy in your text.
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Unlike other essays, you may write in the first person (I, me, we) because it is a story about YOU!
In addition to telling a story, a narrative essay also communicates a main idea or a lesson learned.
Spend a good deal of time drafting your recollections about the details of the experience.
Rather than telling your readers what happened, use vivid details and descriptions to actually recreate the
experience for your readers.
Use descriptive language. This is made possible by using figurative language (similes, metaphors,
personification), sensory words (words using your 5 senses), and vivid words (“the author ‘stood timidly,’ or “my
grandmother looked at me with great concern as if I were the only person in the world that mattered.)
Don’t tell. Show. It’s not interesting to read about the garage sale. But it is fascinating to see, feel and
experience one. Don’t be greedy on details.
Think like your readers. Try to remember that the information you present is the only information your readers
have about the experiences.
Always keep in mind that all of the small and seemingly unimportant details known to you are not necessarily
known to your readers.
Your thesis statement should make clear to the reader the event that the essay will describe. Example: The
day that my father convinced me to conquer my fear of heights by standing on the top of the Empire
State Building was a day that I will never forget and that I will be forever grateful to him for.
The essay is essentially a story about something that happened. Just like any story that you read, your
narrative essay must have a beginning, middle, and an end. The writer (you) should give detailed descriptions
of the event by giving your reader a clear idea of the people, place, and events so the reader will get clear idea
of how the writer (you) feels about them. Example: The teacher smiled and waited patiently, for which I
was grateful. This type of language makes it clear to the reader the writer’s fears and sense of security
provided by the teacher who helped her get over her fear.
The final paragraph, the conclusion, should reflect the writer’s new understanding, or the importance of the
event or experience described. For example, the author may conclude that learning to swim has helped him or
her to feel more confident about his or herself in other new situations. Basically, explain how this event or
experience has changed you.
The writing should be lively and interesting by engaging the reader’s interest by adding significant details and
personal observations. Sharing personal thoughts and feelings will invite the reader into the writer’s world and
make them care about the writer’s experiences.
After spending time away from the draft of your narrative essay, read through the essay and think about
whether the writing effectively recreates the experience for your readers.
Ask other people to read through the essay and offer their impressions.
Identify and consider removing any information that seems to distract from the focus and main narrative of the
essay.
Think about whether you've presented information in the most effective order.
1. A childhood event. Think of an experience when you learned something for the first time, or when you realized
how important someone was for you.
2. Achieving a goal. Think about a particularly meaningful achievement in your life. This could be something as
seemingly minor as achieving a good grade on a difficult assignment, or this could be something with more long-
lasting effects, like getting the job you desired or getting into the best school to which you applied.
3. A failure. Think about a time when you did not perform as well as you had wanted. Focusing on an experience like
this can result in rewarding reflections about the positive emerging from the negative.
4. A good or bad deed. Think about a time when you did or did not stand up for yourself or someone else in the face
of adversity or challenge.
5. A change in your life. Think about a time when something significant changed in your life. This could be anything
from a move across town to a major change in a relationship to the birth or death of a loved one.
6. A realization. Think about a time when you experienced a realization. This could be anything from understanding a
complicated math equation to gaining a deeper understanding of a philosophical issue or life situation.
General guidelines:
A rule familiar to a lot of essay writers is to give one idea per paragraph.
- A story has to follow some logical pattern. Chronological is the easiest one.
- With every new paragraph underline the significance of experience and the universal truth the story brings to the audience.
Use descriptive language. This is made possible by using figurative language (similes, metaphors, personification), sensory
words (use your 5 senses to place your reader where you are) and vivid words (smiled brightly, explained softly).
Peddling On My Own
Learning how to ride a bike for the first time was a nerve racking independent moment. I was about five years old
when my sister informed me that I was too old to still be riding a bike with training wheels. That was the time I decided not
to depend on them anymore. Even though I had some doubt, my sister and I went outside and started to take the little
wheels off my bike. After my bike went through the transformation, I was now ready for the big moment. With butterflies in
my stomach, I slowly got on the bike, and with my shaky hands, I gripped the handles tightly. Meanwhile my sister was
holding on to me to help keep my balance. I was so afraid the she would let go, yet I was determined to ride this bike on my
own. Next with a little push from her, I started to peddle. The faster my bike went the faster my heart raced. Finally I looked
back nervously and noticed that my sister let go of my bike a long time ago. I was so excited that I accomplished freedom
on my bike that I forgot to peddle. The next step I remember, I was lying on the ground, yet I did not care because of the
adrenaline rush. I will never forget the exhilarating moment and growing up stage of riding a bike without training wheels.
~© Fallon Fauque 2005~
The most embarrassing moment of my sophomore year was how I earned my nick name, Crash. It all started right
after school when I turned on to the busiest street by the school. First I pulled up right behind this truck at a stop sign. After
a second, a fellow older student told me that I was really close and that I was going to hit the truck in front of me. At the
moment I was trying to tell the kid that I was giving a ride to to get back in the car because he was hanging out the window.
Since I was distracted, I thought the long line of traffic had started to move, but it hadn’t. In the blink of an eye I hit the back
of the truck in front of me. The devastation sunk in. I was so worried that I damaged the truck, but all that I did was scratch
his bumper. Lucky for him! Then it came time to look at my car. My car was ruined. The hood was buckled, the front end
was pushed back, and my headlights were broken. Humiliated and scared, I still had to drive my totaled care home. During
School that year, I never did hear the end of what had happened that day.
~© Tiffany Haggerty~
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2. Good descriptive writing often makes use of figurative language such as analogies, similes and metaphors to help paint
the picture in the reader's mind.
3. Good descriptive writing uses precise language. General adjectives, nouns, and passive verbs do not have a place in
good descriptive writing. Use specific adjectives and nouns and strong action verbs to give life to the picture you are
painting in the reader's mind.
4. Good descriptive writing is organized. Some ways to organize descriptive writing include: chronological (time), spatial
(location), and order of importance. When describing a person, you might begin with a physical description, followed by how
that person thinks, feels and acts.
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A clear, concise, and defined thesis statement that occurs in the first paragraph of the essay.
In the first paragraph of an argument essay, students should set the context by reviewing the topic in a general way. Next
the author should explain why the topic is important (exigence) or why readers should care about the issue. Lastly,
students should present the thesis statement. It is essential that this thesis statement be appropriately narrowed to follow
the guidelines set forth in the assignment. If the student does not master this portion of the essay, it will be quite difficult to
compose an effective or persuasive essay.
Clear and logical transitions between the introduction, body, and conclusion.
Transitions are the mortar that holds the foundation of the essay together. Without logical progression of thought, the reader
is unable to follow the essay’s argument, and the structure will collapse. Transitions should wrap up the idea from the
previous section and introduce the idea that is to follow in the next section.
Each paragraph should be limited to the discussion of one general idea. This will allow for clarity and direction throughout
the essay. In addition, such conciseness creates an ease of readability for one’s audience. It is important to note that each
paragraph in the body of the essay must have some logical connection to the thesis statement in the opening paragraph.
Some paragraphs will directly support the thesis statement with evidence collected during research. It is also important to
explain how and why the evidence supports the thesis (warrant).
However, argumentative essays should also consider and explain differing points of view regarding the topic. Depending on
the length of the assignment, students should dedicate one or two paragraphs of an argumentative essay to discussing
conflicting opinions on the topic. Rather than explaining how these differing opinions are wrong outright, students should
note how opinions that do not align with their thesis might not be well informed or how they might be out of date.
The argumentative essay requires well-researched, accurate, detailed, and current information to support the thesis
statement and consider other points of view. Some factual, logical, statistical, or anecdotal evidence should support the
thesis. However, students must consider multiple points of view when collecting evidence. As noted in the paragraph above,
a successful and well-rounded argumentative essay will also discuss opinions not aligning with the thesis. It is unethical to
exclude evidence that may not support the thesis. It is not the student’s job to point out how other positions are wrong
outright, but rather to explain how other positions may not be well informed or up to date on the topic.
A conclusion that does not simply restate the thesis, but readdresses it in light of the evidence
provided.
It is at this point of the essay that students may begin to struggle. This is the portion of the essay that will
leave the most immediate impression on the mind of the reader. Therefore, it must be effective and logical. Do not
introduce any new information into the conclusion; rather, synthesize the information presented in the body of the
essay. Restate why the topic is important, review the main points, and review your thesis. You may also want to
include a short discussion of more research that should be completed in light of your work.
A complete argument
Perhaps it is helpful to think of an essay in terms of a conversation or debate with a classmate. If I were to discuss
the cause of World War II and its current effect on those who lived through the tumultuous time, there would be a beginning,
middle, and end to the conversation. In fact, if I were to end the argument in the middle of my second point, questions would
arise concerning the current effects on those who lived through the conflict. Therefore, the argumentative essay must be
complete, and logically so, leaving no doubt as to its intent or argument.
The issue is that fast food isn’t healthy. Healthy foods don’t contain many of the chemicals that fast foods do, they
don’t affect the body in the same way. Healthy foods come from wholesome ingredients and don’t have preservatives or
other pesticides or growth hormones in them. We all know that that’s food ingredients are in exactly healthy, but many of us
failed to read the list of ingredients for our favorite menu items. Because of this many of us lack the billet he to understand
how bad the first food we consume is.
Will you believe that fast food you come with a warning just like any other product you purchased? You want to
know exactly what’s going to happen to your body and you have the right to know that information. It should not be hidden
from you, and it should not be kept away as some company secret. Every person has the right to understand how that food
will affect their body. From then on they can make their choices if they want to eat it or not.
If you’ve looked at documentaries such as the McDonald’s documentary and other fast food documentaries you
probably noticed that fast food as a long-term effect on a human’s health. Fast food isn’t bad as long as you eat it every
once in a while, but many people choose to eat fast food every single day. This is not a healthy way of living and can end up
causing you permanent damage to your body because of the chemicals you were introduced into your body every time you
eat at fast food meal.
There are many of people who don’t want to know what’s in their food. But that’s only a small population. Every
person has a right to know how a product will affect them. Just as you see on labels such as pills, medications, and even
products such as workout equipment for scans. All of these come with a warning on what could go wrong when you’re using
it or consuming it. So why should fast food be any different? Just because a small population of people doesn’t want to
know what’s in their food doesn’t mean that the rest of the population shouldn’t at least have a warning sticker.
As you can see, everyone has the right to know what chemicals and products go onto their food. I don’t know me
that, but they also deserve to know by consuming the fast food what kind of effects they should expect on their body. Many
people think that fast food will only affect their calorie intake for the day, this is not true. Fast food can affect a person’s
Brain, psyche, and body. This is why we believe the fast foods should come with a warning.
Example #2: Should Schools Switch to Electronic Textbooks to Save Money & Paper?
If you noticed many students in college are getting their textbooks from either Amazon or another website which
has their textbook listed online. Real textbooks are made up of multiple hundreds of pages of information, but this
information is being written on paper. Writing A textbook on all paper takes so many pages that it can be harmful to the
environment and cost more money. Which would you rather be using? Would you rather be using a textbook that is online
or a textbook that has been printed into a real book?
The issue here is that it takes so many pieces of paper to write just one textbook. A regular class of college
students has at least 50 to 100 students in that class. If the average textbook takes around 300 to 400 pages or more, you
can see how this can be damaging to the environment and end up costing a lot more money. Some students have a ready
learned that by buying textbooks online through Amazon, Chega, Kindle and other websites you can save almost half the
money you would originally be spending on a real textbook.
We are advocating for all textbooks to be switched to being electronic textbooks. Not only will the switch help
reduce the cost of textbooks, but it will also be saving the environment by reducing waste and reducing the amount of paper
used. The only concern we have is some teachers refuse to allow their students to use textbooks online instead of real life
textbooks. This is unfair and is only hurting the environment and the student’s wallet. What side would you be on? Do you
support textbooks? Or do you support electronic textbooks?
For every textbook that is bought and in stores you are essentially supporting at least 600 pages on average to be
wasted. Many textbooks can only be used for that year as they are constantly being upgraded to new versions. All the old
tax end up just going in the trash or are recycled, however, if you take a closer look at electronics textbooks they almost
have zero waste and are quite affordable. So, why wouldn’t you want to make the switch? Electronic textbooks give you
instant access to all of the same information, and you can even highlight, search, and bookmark any pages that you would
a normal book.
Many institutions argue that standard textbooks are still the way to go. One of the reasons for this is because many
colleges make their income based off of their textbooks. So it only makes sense that they would want to continue selling
their textbooks to you. But times are changing, and these institutions need to change their mind and want to come to
electronic textbooks. Sure they won’t be making as much money, but they can save money by not shipping those books and
having them in print, or by keeping them in stock in their bookstores. Think about how much money they waste shipping in
all of those textbooks and making sure that they are up to date and have all the information that you need to graduate.
In conclusion, electronic tech books are the better option when it comes to learning. They save the environment
and our eco-friendly. They are less expensive than traditional textbooks. And they do not cost as much money as regular
textbooks. Not only they have all these benefits, but they also give you instant access to all the information you need.
Perform searches, highlight, and copy and paste all the information you need from your textbook into any other document to
write your notes. This is why we believe electronic textbooks are the best way to go when it comes to purchasing textbooks.
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