Lecture Essay writing & presentation skills - Lecture 32: Course Review

Lecture 32

Course Review


Language Skills


Receptiv
e Skills

Producti
ve Skills

3


•

What is Communication?

•

How do we Communicate?

•

What is a Skill?

•

Language Skills

•

Types of Communication

•

The Communication Cycle

•

Barriers in Language
Communication

4


Encoding

Noise
Barrier

Decoding
5


Writing Skill
•

•

•

Writing skills are an important part of
communication.
This is a Productive Skill.
Good writing skills allow you to
communicate your message with clarity
and ease to a far larger audience than
through
face-to-face
or
telephone
conversations.


Formal and Informal Writing

Formal
Writing
Complex

Informa
l
Writing
Simple
Contractions and Abbreviations

Objective

Third Person
Full Words

Colloquial
Empathy and Emotion


Formal Writing Rules
•

Do not use the first or second person (I, my, we, us)

•

Do not use contractions (can’t, won’t, doesn’t)

•

Do not use metaphors or figures of speech

•

Avoid saying “The essay will discuss...” or “In my opinion...”

•

Avoid using “a lot”. If you do use it, take care not to repeat it often.

•

Avoid redundancy and repetition.

•

Be specific. Do not be vague. Do not use words such as “things” or “many
examples”.

•

Always follow MLA format

•

Font Style: Use size 12 pt font, Times New Roman, and standard 1” margins

•

EDIT, EDIT, EDIT!

•

Save your rough work.

•

When writing about literature, always write in the present tense.

•

I.e. “The Hamlet is a novel of Shakespeare” not “The Hamlet was a novel

Three Stages of the Writing
Process
•

Pre-writing

- Planning

•

Writing

-

•

Re-writing

- Finishing

Drafting, Editing, Revising


•

Remember, Writing is a
Processis practice for
Every writing assignment

the next one

•

Writing takes time

•

Go through every step of the process

•

Focus on your ideas first

•

Focus on grammar and spelling last

•

Get feedback from a peer, instructor, or
tutor


What is a paragraph?
•

•

It is a group of sentences that

introduces, presents and develops
one main idea about the topic.
It can be divided into three major
parts.
–

Topic Sentence (Beginning)

–

Supporting Details (Middle)

–

Closing Sentence(End)
11


What is an Essay?
•

•

 

An essay is an organized
collection of your thoughts on a
particular topic.
An essay consists of three major
parts:

1.

Introduction

2.

Main body

3.

Conclusion

12


What is an Essay?
•

•

The word “essay” is derived from the Latin
verb “exigere”, which means to:
–

Examine

–

Test

–

Drive out

What could the purpose of an essay be
given this definition?
13


What makes a good essay?
•

Well written:
–

grammatical;

–

correct spelling and punctuation;

–

good sentence structure

–

paragraphing and use of linking words and
phrases

–

Fully referenced using Harvard system


Types of Essay
Outlines
Topic outline
the headings are
given in single
words or brief
phrases

Sentence outline
all the headings
are expressed in
complete
sentences


Types of Essays
There are many different kinds of essays.
The following are a some of the most
common ones:
•

Descriptive Essay

•

Definition Essay

•

Compare and Contrast Essay

•

Cause and Effect Essay

•

Narrative Essay

16


Descriptive Essay
The descriptive essay provides details about how
something looks, feels, tastes, smells, makes one feel, or
sounds.
It can also describe what something is, or how something
happened.
These essays generally use a lot of sensory details. The
essay could be a list-like description that provides point by
point details.
Examples:

A descriptive essay could describe . . .

* a tree in my backyard;

17


Definition Essay
•

•

•

In a definition essay, you explain the
meaning of a certain term by giving a
detailed description of it.
You support your definition with clear
examples or facts.
Such explanations are needed if a term is:
–

special

–

Abstract

–

disputed or

–


Critical Essay
•

•

A critical essay is a piece of academic
writing
Its usually written in the form of a classic
composition, with:
–

an introduction,

–

full body, and

–
•

•

a summarizing conclusion

It provides interpretation and analysis of
a set text.

Critical Essay
A critical essay analyzes the strengths,
weaknesses and methods of someone
else's work.
A critical essay can be written about
another:
–

essay

–

Story

–

Book

–

Poem

–

movie, or

20

Narrative Essay
The narrative essay tells a story. It can
also be called a "short story."
–

Conversational in style

–

Tells of a personal experience

Examples: A narrative essay could tell of ...
* my brother's and my fishing trips;
* a boring trip to the grocery store;
* my near-death experience at the beach.

21


The Narrative Essay:
•

is told from a particular point of view

•

makes and supports a point

•

is filled with precise detail

•

uses vivid verbs and modifiers

•

•

uses conflict and sequence as does any
story
may use dialogue


How to Write a Narrative
Essay?
•

A narrative essay is type of essay writing
that is built around a narration of a
certain event or situation.

•

Basically, a narrative essay is a concise
form of a narrative novel.

•

Its main objective is to tell a story, so
that it is both engaging and interesting


Compare & Contrast Essay

The
compare/co
ntrast essay
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Compare & Contrast Essay
•

Comparison discusses similarities
–

•

Contrast discusses differences
–

•

•

Common properties
properties each have that the other lacks

Be certain which action is being
requested?
Is it either/or both?