Writing Workshop

ST

Study Topics Guide

The following is a list of topics that will be covered in the course, ones that will be included on the Final Exam.

This is not a complete list, just a review of major study elements. Some new points may be added to the curriculum before the semester begins.

1. KNOW AND BE ABLE TO LIST THE FOLLOWING:
1. Brainstorming techniques
• Listing
• Freewriting
• Clustering
2. Parts of Speech
• Nouns
• Verbs
• Adjectives
• Adverbs
• Pronouns
• Prepositions
• Conjunctions
• Interjections
3. Sentence structure
• Subject
• Predicate
• Complement
• Direct Object
• Indirect Object
• Subject Complement
• Object Complement
• Adjunct
4. Clauses
• Independent
• Dependent
• Nominal
• Adjective (Relative)
• Adverbial (Subordinate)
5. Phrases
• Noun
• Verb
• Gerund (verbal)
• Participial (verbal)
• Infinitive (verbal)
• Prepositional
• Absolute
• Appositive
6. Conjunctions
• Coordinating conjunctions
• Subordinating conjunctions
• Conjunctive adverbs (logical connectors)
7. Paragraph Structure
• Topic sentence
• Major supporting details
• Minor supporting details
• Length of paragraph
• Amount of detail in paragraph
• Direct support for main ideas
2. BE ABLE TO:
1. Brainstorm & Write an Outline
• Don't just start writing; begin by generating ideas
• Create an outline with essay & paragraph structure
• Outline Structure (I, A, 1, a)
2. Write interesting and relevant introduction techniques
• Anecdote
• Question
• Quotation
• Interesting fact / statistic
• Disagree with someone
• Use more than one technique in an introduction
3. Create clear and focused topic sentences and thesis statements
• See textbook chapter on thesis statements
• Thesis statement effectively summarizes whole essay
• Should bear the idea or opinion of author
• Should be general enough to summarize whole essay, but focused enough so you can explain everything in the essay
• Should follow the assignment given by teacher
4. Write well-structured paragraphs
• Know where your topic sentences and major supporting details are
• Be careful of Support
• Add as much detail as possible
• Stay on topic
5. Create well-structured sentences
• Begin with basic S-V-C sentences, add phrases, clauses, modifiers
• Make sure you pay attention to all parts of the sentence, and that they are formed / located correctly
• Not too long: no more than 2 independent clauses, 3 clauses total, 25 words
6. Correct grammar so that errors are at a minimum
• Try to proofread as you write
• Leave extra day or two for proofreading before due date
• Check for the most common error types: articles, prepositions, verbs
• spend several hours proofreading
7. Use capitalization correctly, according to MLA
8. Find reliable, original sources of research material which can be used to support your thesis statement;
9. Correctly make in-text citations and Works Cited lists for periodicals, books, web pages, and online databases;
10. Use MLA formatting in your essay (header with page number, 1" margins, double spacing, indents, etc.)
11. Use quotation marks and italics in titles of works
• Use quotation marks for smaller works which are parts of larger works, e.g. articles, songs, TV episodes, book chapters;
• Use italics for the titles of longer works, such as books, magazines/journals, movies, music albums, and TV shows.
12. Find and correct problems with Conciseness
3. BE ABLE TO RECOGNIZE AND DEFINE (See the web pages for each for definitions):
1. Unity
2. Structure
3. Support
4. Development / Details
5. Clarity
6. Conciseness
7. Coherence / Flow