Writing with a Thesis

Bad Management," Robynn Patrick. "Winstead's Best Burgers," Sarah Bryan Miller. What About Your Writing? (allusion). "I Was a Member of the Kung Fu Crew," Henry Han Xi Lau. What About Your Writing? (pronoun agreement). "My Glove: A Biography," Stefan Fatsis. What About Your Writing? (citation of authority). "All By Myself," Tom Reynolds. What About Your Writing? (comparisons). "Double Take," Melissa Lafsky. What About Your Writing? (hyperbole). "The Loneliness of Rose," Jon Katz. What About Your Writing? (unstated thesis). Office Hours: Notebooks: The Writer's Savings Account.4. EXAMPLES.Are There Enough Examples to Support Your Thesis? Are the Examples Fairly Chosen? Have You Stuck to Your Thesis? Have You Arranged Your Examples to Produce the Greatest Impact? Writing Suggestions for Example Essays. Visual Prompt: Examples. Student Essay: "Broke and Bored: The Summer Job," Ashley Hall. "Always Settle Scores at Noon," Robert Fulford. What About Your Writing? (sentence length). "Couple Lies," Adair Lara. What About Your Writing? ("Why didn't I say that?"). "Fruitful Questions," James Sollisch. What About Your Writing? (rhetorical questions). "Chores," Debra Marquart. What About Your Writing? (intensifiers). "How to Speak of Animals," Umberto Eco. What About Your Writing? (parallelism). Office Hours: Of Course They Count.5. PROCESS.Be Sure You Are Writing About a Process. Follow Strict Chronological Order. Before Describing the First Step of the Process, Indicate Any Special Ingredients or Equipment That Will Be Needed. Be Sure the Process Is Complete. Try to Anticipate Difficulties. If You Need to Handle Many Separate Steps, Arrange Them into Groups When Possible. Define Unfamiliar Terms. Avoid Highly Technical Processes. Avoid Subjects for Which Pictures Work Better Than Words. Writing Suggestions for Process Essays. Visual Prompt: Process. Student Essay: "How Not to Work Out," Max Greene. "Corn Bread with Character," Ronni Lundy. What About Your Writing? (introductions: how do I get my reader's attention?). "IT," Stephanie Pearl-McPhee. What About Your Writing? (repetition). "The Exploding Toilet and Other Embarrassments," Patrick Smith. What About Your Writing? (levels of usage). "Too Many Bananas," David R. Counts. What About Your Writing? (jargon). "The Spider and the Wasp," Alexander Petrunkevitch. What About Your Writing? (announcement of subject). Office Hours: Uses and Abuses of the Computer.6. COMPARISON AND CONTRAST.Patterns. Block Pattern. Alternating Pattern. Which Pattern? Writing Suggestions for Comparison-and-Contrast Themes. Block Pattern. Visual Prompt: Compare/Contrast. Student Essay: "Coming in Last," Annette P. Grossman. Alternating Pattern. Student Essay: "Dads and Dads," Reid Morris. "Lassie Never Chases Rabbits," Kevin Cowherd. What About Your Writing? (conclusions). "My Real Car," Bailey White. What About Your Writing? (onomatopoeia). "Dearly Disconnected," Ian Frazier. What About Your Writing? (topicality). "Speaking of Writing," William Zinsser. What About Your Writing? (thesis at end of essay). "Love Thy Playstation, Love Thyself," Reihan Salam and Will Wilkinson. What About Your Writing? (humor). Office Hours: Revision: An Overview.7. CAUSE AND EFFECT.Do Not Oversimplify Causes. Do Not Oversimplify Effects. Distinguish Between Direct and Indirect Causes and Effects. Distinguish Between Major and Minor Causes and Effects. Do Not Omit Links in a Chain of Causes and Effects. Play Fair. Writing Suggestions for Cause-and-Effect Papers. Visual Prompt: Cause/Effect. Student Essay: "A Few Short Words," Matthew Monroe. "Why We Crave Horror Movies," Stephen King. What About Your Writing? (sexism: he). "Beyond Chagrin," David Bradley. What About Your Writing? (elegant variation). "Cold Autumn," Steve Dublanica. What About Your Writing? (finding a subject: work). "Why I Quit the Company," Tomoyuki Iwashita. What About Your Writing? (qualifiers, rational tone). "The Best Years of My Life," Betty Rollin. What About Your Writing? (comma splice). Office Hours: Revision: Help from the Audience.8. DIVISION AND CLASSIFICATION.Division. Classification. Use Only One Principle of Classification. Be Consistent. Make the Classifications as Complete as Possible. Acknowledge Any Complications. Follow the Persuasive Principle. Writing Suggestions for Classification Themes. Visual Prompt: Classification. Student Essay: "Bookworm," Gracie Jane Watson. "Mother-in-Law," Charlotte Latvala. What About Your Writing? (finding a subject: romantic highs and lows). "Take a Left Turn onto Nowhere Street," Anne Bernays. What About Your Writing? (titles). "The Seven Lesson Schoolteacher," John Taylor Gatto. What About Your Writing? (ironic quotation marks). "A Brush with Reality: Surprises in the Tube," David Bodanis. What About Your Writing? (specialties of the author). "Three Kinds of Discipline," John Holt. What About Your Writing? (alliteration). Office Hours: Revision: The Psychology of It All.9. DEFINITION.A Definition Paper Can Compare and Contrast. A Definition Paper Can Classify. A Definition Paper Can Give Examples. A Definition Paper Can Trace a Process. A Definition Paper Can Study Cause-and-Effect Relationships. A Definition Paper Can Use Narration. Writing Suggestions for Definition Essays. Visual Prompt: Defining Terms. Student Essay: "Growing Up," Anonymous. "The Real Thing," Frankie Germany. What About Your Writing? (comic-book punctuation, exclamation points, etc.). "What Is Intelligence, Anyway?" Isaac Asimov. What About Your Writing? (simple thesis). "Cheap Thrills," Patricia Volk. What About Your Writing? (dialogue). "Sick in the Head," Jennifer Traig. What About Your Writing? (puns). "Catachresis," Patricia O'Hara. What About Your Writing? (having a gimmick). Office Hours: Deadlines.10. ARGUMENTATION.Go Easy on Universals--Qualify When Appropriate. Give Consideration to Differing Opinions. Be Cautious with Abuse and Ridicule. Devote Most of Your Attention to Supporting Your View, Not Advocating It. Some Common Logical Fallacies. Writing Suggestions for Argumentation Essays. Visual Prompt: Argumentation. Student Essay: "Sing It When It Counts," Ben Ruggiero. "Thanksgiving's No Turkey," Robert W. Gardner. What About Your Writing? (taking sides for fun, mental exercise). "Distracting Miss Daisy," John Staddon. What About Your Writing? ("And" at the start of a sentence). "The Smiley-Face Approach," Albert Shanker. What About Your Writing? (passive voice). "Working at McDonalds," Amitai Etzioni. What About Your Writing? (attack on an orthodox view). "Appeasing the Gods, with Insurance," John Tierney. What About Your Writing? ("You"). "Black Athletes on Parade," Adolph Reed, Jr. What About Your Writing? (turning tables, beating opponents to the punch). "A Modest Proposal," Jonathan Swift. What About Your Writing? (irony). Office Hours: What About the Rest of Your Writing?Credits.Index."