English 1301 Class Vocabulary

The introduction is the first paragraph of an essay; the purpose of this paragraph is to introduce your topic to your reader. Think about your introduction like this: your \"introduction acts as a bridge that transports your readers from their own lives into the 'place' of your analysis\" (UNC Chapel Hill).

The conclusion is the paragraph that ends an essay; the purpose of this paragraph is to close your points on the topic and leave your reader with a clear sense of your overall point. \"Your conclusion should make your readers glad they read your paper. Your conclusion gives your reader something to take away that will help them see things differently or appreciate your topic in personally relevant ways\" (UNC Chapel Hill).

In writing, brainstorming refers to a process where you basically write down any and all thoughts you have about a topic. Brainstorming can be messy, and that's no problem. This process simply helps you get all of the information \"out of your head\" and onto paper so you can see what you are working with. (Tip! Brainstorming usually works best on physical paper rather than on a screen.) You then move on to organizing and outlining the ideas you've come up with in your brainstorming list.

Any time we present out ideas, we present to an audience. The audience is whomever would be interested and/or benefit from the information being presented. It is crucial to think about the audience's perspective when writing.

Typically, the thesis statement is one sentence early in an essay that briefly conveys the writer's topic and position. The thesis statement is a bit like an essay's mission statement. Another way to think about thesis statements is this: if your friend asked you to tell her in one sentence what your essay is about, what would you say? The thesis statement is important because it helps narrow your topic, clarify your purpose and keep your writing on track.

Here the concept of the \"main point\" refers to the main supporting points you have in your essay. Typically, each body paragraph in a research essay details and explains one main point that supports the thesis statement. When we outline for a topic, we begin to group ideas together from our brainstorming that support similar main points. The similar groups of points turn into our body paragraphs.

Structure refers to how something is put together. The first step to building a house isn't to put in windows. In the same way, we don't typically organize a (well-structured) essay by simply writing everything we know until we hit the minimum page length or word count required. Structure has to do with the framework we give our writing, the order in which we present our ideas and how we organize our points. To determine the structure for your essay, it might be helpful to think about your audience - what would your audience need to know first to understand your point? Help your reader follow your thinking by using structure to organize your paragraphs and points.

Academic and professional reading involves annotation. We are annotating when we actively read and make notes on a text. Annotation generally requires that a text be read at least twice. First, we read to get a general idea of the author's point and we make notes on any confusing, interesting or unclear areas. Annotation might involve making an outline or identifying the main points of a text. Annotation is useful because it helps us to absorb, retain and understand the information provided.

Body paragraphs are those paragraphs in a piece of writing that are not included as part of an introduction or conclusion. Body paragraphs each detail one main point that supports, explains and/or expands on the thesis statement. The Purdue OWL explains that well-structured paragraphs should focus on one point and include unity, coherence, a topic sentence and adequate development.

If you have ever created a grocery shopping list, then you know what brainstorming is. If you took your grocery list and then organized all of the items on the list according to where they are located in the store, then you would be more efficient with your money, time and energy when you get to the store. This is the same as outlining. We start with a brainstorming list of all the things we know about our topic. But this list is probably pretty disorganized. So we then move to outlining where we organize several of the things from our brainstorming list into similar groups or paragraphs and we put some logical order to the points.

A draft is the organized text written that follows and expands on each of the points listed in the outline. A draft typically contains an introduction, body paragraphs and a conclusion. It is important to write your first draft as early as possible before your assignment due date. This gives you time to walk away from the piece of writing and come back to it to review for clarity and errors. Writing a draft also gives you time to get additional input on your writing from a tutor or another reader. Typically, a writer will go through multiple draft revisions to achieve a polished, well-crafted piece of writing. Drafting allows writers time to reflect on and improve their message.

A source is a place where we receive information. For example, you might have a friend who is a source for cooking advice because he is a chef. Professionally, sources should be relevant, valid and timely. We want to look for sources that convey a certain amount of authority on a subject. Your friend's professional status as a chef gives him a certain amount of \"authority\" on culinary subjects. In academics you will want to learn how to find reputable sources such as books and articles that discuss your topic. Finding sources relevant to your topic is called research.

According to the Purdue OWL, \"summarizing involves putting the main idea(s) into your own words, including only the main point(s). Once again, it is necessary to attribute summarized ideas to the original source. Summaries are significantly shorter than the original and take a broad overview of the source material.\" Both academically and professionally, you must give credit to the source any time you incorporate the words or ideas of others into your own work.

When you paraphrase information from a source you put \"a passage from source material into your own words. A paraphrase must also be attributed to the original source. Paraphrased material is usually shorter than the original passage, taking a somewhat broader segment of the source and condensing it slightly\" (Purdue OWL). Both academically and professionally, you must give credit to the source any time you incorporate the words or ideas of others into your own work.

Quoted material from any source \"must be identical to the original, using a narrow segment of the source. They must match the source document word for word and must be attributed to the original author\" (Purdue OWL). Both academically and professionally, you must give credit to the source any time you incorporate the words or ideas of others into your own work.

The topic in any piece of writing is the subject of main focus. The topic can typically be summed up in one word or a brief phrase and is always included in the thesis statement. Sub-topics are smaller main points all about the topic. If a topic (or thesis) is too broad, it means the topic is too general to adequately cover in the given length of the essay. A topic that is too broad should be narrowed in focus.

In any piece of writing, we are presenting ideas that are connected in some way. We cannot, however, assume our audience will see the connections and/or follow the organization of our points. Therefore, we must incorporate smooth transitions within and between paragraphs. UNC Chapel Hill emphasizes, transitions provide \"logical connections between sentences, paragraphs, and sections of your papers... [and] signal relationships between ideas.\"

In the academic and professional world, the term \"argument\" does not necessarily mean disagreement. Generically, argument refers to any position on any topic. \"In academic writing, an argument is usually a main idea, often called a 'claim' or 'thesis statement,' backed up with evidence that supports the idea\" (UNC Chapel Hill). Any text can be an argument. A restaurant menu or advertisement is an argument in sales. A product review is an argument on the worthiness of the product. The argument is the writer's position regarding the topic.

If we have a somewhat controversial topic, we can use an argument method called Rogerian Strategy which respects and accepts other truths and is particularly useful when the topic has the possibility of becoming emotional and/or hostile. Rogerian Strategy calls for us to think about the position(s) of others and look for common ground rather than seeking to create distance, highlight differences or otherwise disparage the positions of others with whom we might disagree.