Essay writing it pretty simple. Think of it like math. In math, there is a formula. There is also a formula to essay writing. It may be basic, but it's effective. We call it the Hamburger Method. As you can see, a hamburger really is nothing without the top and bottom buns. They hold the hamburger together. The introduction and the conclusion do the same thing. They hold the essay together. The insides (the body paragraphs) are the content that fills the essay just like the meat and vegetables are what fills the burger.
When writing an essay, one must create body paragraphs in order of least important to most important. A person can have a hamburger without the veggies on top, but a burger is not a burger without the meat part. That's why it is at the bottom. The last body paragraph will contain the most important claim in the essay. **Remember, though, that a hamburger is not a hamburger without the meat.** What Does an Essay Consist Of? -Introduction : introducing the topic The intro includes: 1. Hook: question, fact, quote, anecdote, etc, that catches the reader's attention. 2. Bridge: basic background information (pretend the reader has no clue) 3. Thesis Statement: states you claims, arguments, etc. ***The thesis statement is the single most important sentence in the essay. Keep this in mind!*** -Body Paragraphs: Focus on the thesis statement BP1: 1st claim in thesis BP2: 2nd claim in thesis BP3: 3rd claim in thesis Must include: -Topic sentence: transitional words, and the claim -Supporting sentences: examples and evidence -Conclusion Restating thesis and final remarks
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In most English sentences with an action verb, the subject will be performing the action. In other words, the subject is doing the verb.
Ex:) The man must have eaten five hamburgers. MAN (subject) is doing the EATING (verb) Ex:) Marilyn mailed a letter. MARILYN (subject) is doing the MAILING (verb) Ex:) Colorful parrots live in the rainforests. PARROTS (subject) is doing the LIVING (verb) Because the subject is acting upon the verb, the sentence is considered to be in active voice. You can change the word order of the sentence from active voice to a passive voice by having the direct object become the subject. Ex:) Five hamburgers must have been eaten by the man. HAMBURGERS (subject) are being EATEN (verb) Ex:) The letter was mailed by Marilyn. LETTER (subject) was being MAILED (verb) ***Note that the Colorful parrots sentence cannot be changed to passive due to having no direct object.*** Change a sentence from ACTIVE to PASSIVE Example sentence: Carla is walking the dog. 1. Move the active sentence's direct object into the subject spot. The dog is walking Carla. ***still an active sentence*** 2. Place active sentence's subject into a prepositional phrase beginning with "by" The dog is walking by Carla. ***still an active sentence*** 3. Add form of the auxiliary (helping) verb "be" to the main verb and change the verb's main form. The dog is being walked by Carla. ***NOW it's passive*** Change a sentence from PASSIVE to ACTIVE Example sentence: The letter was mailed by Marilyn. 1. Move the passive sentence's subject into the active sentence's direct object slot. By Marilyn was mailed the letter. 2. Remove the auxiliary verb "be" from the main verb and change the main verb's form if needed. By Marilyn mailed the letter. 3. Remove passive sentence's object of preposition "by" into the subject slot. Marilyn mailed the letter. Pretty simple! Most sentences are said in the active voice because passive takes too long. There are only a few occasions where passive voice is necessary. That's for another time. Here's a quick review on Direct Objects. It will help you when determining active or passive voice. Direct Objects A direct object is a noun, pronoun, or word group that tells who or what is receiving the action of a verb or shows the results of the action. Ex:) Germs cause illness. Germs (subject) cause (verb) illness (direct object). Ex:) What a scary movie we saw! What a scary movie (direct object) we (subject) saw (verb)! Ex:) Josh was riding his bicycle. Josh (subject) was riding (verb) his bicycle (direct object). When locating the direct object, find the subject and verb first. Then, ask yourself WHO or WHAT is receiving the action. Hello, all!
You should remember that in life, everything has a trickle effect. One action can cause a slew of other reactions, some good and some bad. For example, when one chooses to bully, that leads to the one being bullied to have lower self esteem. That lower self esteem could result in less focus on school, which will result in grades slipping, which could result in failure, etc etc. You get the point. This is called cause and effect. In literature, cause and effect is used to build and drive the conflict. It is our job as readers to decide what the causes of the effects are. Let me put it into this perspective. Katniss Everdeen is thrown into The Hunger Games. What's the cause of this? Too much love for her sister. She was so worried about her sister being chosen in the lottery, that when she was, she volunteered herself as tribute. So her predicament of having to fight for her life in The Hunger Games was caused by love. In the short story "The Rights to the Streets of Memphis," we see a little boy named Richard who is living in tenement housing with his mother and his brother. He describes feeling starvation and hatred of his father for having left his mother, brother, and himself to fend for themselves in a difficult world. So, the cause of their poverty and starvation was his father leaving the family. The story goes on to describe Richard making a choice between staying at home and living in shame by his mother for running away from a neighborhood gang or standing up for himself. He chose to fight. He ends up defeating his adversaries, getting the groceries his mother sent him for, and earning his "rights" to the streets of Memphis. So, what was the cause of his getting picked on by the neighborhood gang? Most likely, it was because of his small stature (he was a little boy, after all, and a hungry one at that). He was an easy target. The effect this had on him was that it instilled fear inside him. He used that fear to his advantage, however, and came out victorious. Keep in mind that knowing the causes of the effects in stories will help when you are mapping out plot structure and understanding conflict. We are able to dissect a story down to its bones and analyze where the conflict began, how it was resolved, and how it affected the main character. Would you stand up for yourself if the situation called for it? Would you earn the "rights" to your own street? Your own life? Who knows, the effect it may have on you may be life changing. |
AuthorHi, all! My name is Kaitlin Mauro. I'm an English teacher, mother, dog mom, sushi lover, and obsessed with all things grammar and literature. I have two little boys named Davide and Liam, and I'm married to an adorable Italian man named Alessio. |