TIPS IN WRITING AN ESSAY • Always remember to answer the question given to you. Never veer away from the question, let alone change the question given to you; else, you'll receive a grade of ZERO for that matter. • Don't start your essay with a "Yes" or "No". • It is recommended to write in this format for more impressive results: o Intro -­‐ include some background info, and state the premise of the question: The THESIS STATEMENT. One recommendation is to present the thesis statement as an indirect question. o Body -­‐ must include the following: § Your response and your explanation § Some examples and further explanation to support your arguments o Conclusion -­‐ this is a recap of your previous arguments, worded differently from the way the Body is written. This should leave an impression on the evaluator. • The following MUST be observed VERY CAREFULLY: o Proper capitalization of letters and proper usage of writing symbols o Subject-­‐verb agreement and pronoun-­‐antecedent agreement o Consistency in logic o Proper use of conjunctions o Parallelism of the sentence components (consistency in the structure of phrases and clauses) • Watch out for any error in grammatical structure, including misplaced and/or dangling modifiers. Most of the students tend to overlook such errors. • REFRAIN FROM STARTING A SENTENCE WITH A COORDINATING CONJUCTION!!! PRETTY PLEASE! You're not writing a paper for a creative writing class. o If a coordinating conjunction is to be followed by an independent clause, it is implied that there MUST be independent clause before that coordinating conjunction. • The evaluators will show no mercy. Don't forget EVEN THE BASICS OF YOUR WRITING SKILLS!! If writing sentences with all letters capitalized is your style, you're in SERIOUS TROUBLE! • Write in print. AVOID CURSIVE WRITING!!! • Don't use the pronouns of the second person if the question is about YOUR OPINION. You are not asked to tell anything directed to the reader. Use the first-­‐person perspective (I, we, etc.) Exercise: 1. Write a lie about yourself. The lie MUST be believable. 2. Prompt: "A little inaccuracy saves a world of explanation." -­‐-­‐C.E.Ayers Assignment: Is it always essential to tell the truth, or are there circumstances in which it is better to lie? Plan your response, and then write an essay...