Formal Writing - The Paragraph (ENG1D)

Formal Writing

·Language

·Quotations

·The Thesis

·Planning

·Works Cited

FORMAL INFORMAL

Avoid using colloquial words/expressions (substitute with children, man/boy, wonderful, many, etc.)Avoid using contractions, write the words out fully (cannot, will not, should not, etc.)

May use colloquial words/expressions (kids, guy, awesome, a lot, etc.) May use contractions (can't, won't, shouldn't, etc.)

Language

FORMAL INFORMAL

Write in third person (except in business letters where first person may be used).

May use first, second, or third person.

Language

vs

Language

YOU

FORMAL INFORMAL

Avoid addressing readers using second person pronouns (use one, one's, the reader, the reader's, etc.)

May address readers using second person pronouns (you, your, etc)

Language

FORMAL INFORMAL

Avoid clichés (use many, was absent, etc.)

May use clichés (loads of, conspicuous by absence, etc.)

Language

FORMAL INFORMAL

Longer and more complex sentences are preferred (short simple sentences reflects poorly on the writer)

May use short and simple sentences.

Language

FORMAL INFORMAL

State your points confidently and offer your argument firm support.

Difficulty of subject may be acknowledged and empathy shown to the reader.

Language: Transition Words

Language: Verb Tense Usage

Always write about literature in the PRESENT TENSE.

Quotations: Integration

On their own, quotations don't mean anything, they are just more words on a page. However, using point-proof-explanation, the quotations make your arguments valid. They are the PROOF.

Try to make the quotations fit in grammatically correct sentences. Don’t let them just hang there, and don’t just stick them in.

Lead into your quotation and then follow it up with an explanation that expands on how that moment in time relates to your thesis.

POINT PROOF EXPLANATION

Spotting the problem:

If you have a period before a quotation, that is a clear indication that the quotation is not incorporated.


If the verb tense shifts, that is another indication that the quotation is not incorporated.


Solution #1: The quick fix:

Begin by naming the person who makes the statement, and then, add the appropriate verb -

Romeo proclaims,Juliet asks,Paris whispers,

The Prince declares,

Solution #2: The academic approach:

Try to put the quotation in context, and be sure to only use the portion that is the most relevant. Make the text sound like it belongs, and that it is something you have written yourself.

When Friar Laurence agrees to marry Romeo and Juliet, he does so thinking that the marriage will “turn the households’ rancor to pure love” (II, iii, 92). Unfortunately, he does not consider the ramifications of marrying two your people without their parents consent, and as a result...


Quotations: Formatting

Rule #1: For shorter quotations: (3 or fewer lines)

If you are quoting three of fewer lines of a verse, use quotation marks and incorporate the quotation into your text. Put the citation AFTER the quotation, and the punctuation AFTER the citation.

Example: Tybalt attempts to antagonize Romeo into a fight when he exclaims “thou art a villain” (III, i, 58).

Here is another example:

Desperate to be with Romeo, Juliet begs her nurse to “find him! Give this ring to [her] true knight, / And bid him come to take his last farewell” (III, iii, 142-143).


The forward slash “/” indicates a line break so the reader knows which part is line 142, and which 143. The square brackets around the word “her” indicate that a word within the quotation has been changed for grammatical purposes. The original quotation read “Give this ring to my true knight” which changes the point of view and does not fit the sentence.


If you do not require an entire quotation, you may omit sections by using ellipses.

Friar Laurence attempts to save Juliet when he says: “I hear some noise, lady…come, come away” (V, iii, 151-154).

It is always best to keep quotations short. The focus of your paper should be on your words using the text as support, NOT the other

way around.


Rule #2: For longer quotations: (4 or more lines) there is a different set of rules to follow...

· Insert one line between the your point and the quotation· Have an indented margin on both sides quotation· Insert a space after the quotation and before the body of the essay begins again· DO NOT use quotation marks· SINGLE SPACE the quotation· Copy the lines of text exactly as they appear in the original text - where the line ends in the book, you will end the line in your intended quotation.· Record the citation information directly under and to the right of the last line of the quotation.

At the end of the play Romeo and Juliet, Capulet and Montague

make amends. Montague declares that he

… will raise [Juliet’s] statue in pure gold,That while Verona by that name is known,There is no figure at such rate be setAs that of true and faithful Juliet

(V, iii, 299 - 302)

and Capulet agrees to do the same, showing that they have learned

the error of their ways.


The Thesis

The thesis is the main idea. It is the topic and the opinion combined into ONE statement, and it must constantly be referred back to throughout you paper.

The TOPIC SENTENCE is the first sentence of a paragraph, and it mimics the thesis, outlining the main ideas being discussed in said paragraph.

PLANNING

Once you have chosen your topic, it`s time to start with the planning. This chart will help you organizer your thoughts into the POINT PROOF EXPLANATION format.

Thesis:

POINT PROOF EXPLANATION

Remember to apply the RULE OF 3!

Work(s) Cited Page

A Work(s) Cited page credits your sources and allows your to avoid plagiarism.

The main information you have to make note of when using outside sources are:

·The title of the source·The edition (if applicable)·The name of the author and/or editor·The name of the Publisher·The place of publication·The copyright date·The URL (if accessed on the Internet)·The Date of access (if an electronic resource)

Work(s) Cited Page

Let`s put a citation for Romeo and Juliet together now for practice.

For a book, here is the format to follow:

Author (last name first, first name last). Title (underlined). Place of publication: (colon) publisher, (comma) date of copyright. (period)

* Note: if you have more than ONE book on your Works Cited page, you list the citations alphabetically by the first letter.

Work(s) Cited Page

There are many different ways to FORMAT the citations depending on the type of text being cited. If you visit my web site, you will see examples. Also, you can Google ``MLA citations``. Lastly, if you have Microsoft Word 2007 or 2010, there is actually a feature that allows you to fill in blanks and the program will create appropriate citations and a works cited page for you - it is under the `Reference`tab.

Using Microsoft Office 2007 +

For citations and Works Cited pages:

Click on the "Reference" tabthen "Insert Citation"

Later on, you click on "Bibliography" and choose MLA to format your Work(s) Cited page.

Another useful function is the "Readability" feature...

This function will help you when if comes time for proofreading.

To access this function, click on "File" then "Options". From there, click on "Proofing" then the box next to "show readability statistics". (note this feature is off by default so you will have to enable it by going through the process above.

Now, when you finish spell checking your paper, you will also have your readability statistics. As you edit your paper, your readability level should improve. In this case, you are aiming for a 10+ as you are in grade 10.

Using Microsoft Office 2007 +

Education

Formal Writing - The Paragraph (ENG1D)