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Description | Narration | Process | Classification | Comparison/Contrast
Definition | Cause/Effect | ArgumentationSample Descriptive Essay
My Own Little World
Passage taken from Theodore Johnston and James Gonzales, The Writers Advice Book, Ginn Press, Massachusetts, 1987, p. 72The door to my study is nearly always closed. It's the place I go to read and work in tranquility. Today, however, I'm inviting you in for a visit.
As you open the door, notice the Guatemalan crucifix with its bright gold and maroon flowers; it joyfully reminds me to dedicate my work to God. Although the room is small, I hope you find it cozy. A big cheerful window lets in the morning sunshine, which saturates the room with its warmth and embraces us with light. Birds chirp outside, beckoning you to enter.
An old-fashioned doctor's desk with brass drawer handles sits in front of the window, its wood full of nicks from many careless moves and tow once-teething puppies. May I introduce you to Ralph, my friendly computer, who sits on top of the desk? When I turn him on, he'll crackle "hello" and blink an inviting amber command on the screen. That's my dog Chico under the desk, snoring in harmony with Ralph and the birds.
Against the left wall are my book cases, sagging with the wise weight of cheap paperbacks and a few expensive gold-spined volumes interspersed. A bronzed Indian chief in a watercolor squints knowingly at us from the wall. Won't you have a seat in the tattered old green armchair nestled in the other corner? I know you smell the freshly perked coffee. I made it specially for your visit. Use my favorite cup there on the tray; it's the one with red and blued balloons around the rim.
Stay as long as you wish, but when you're ready to leave, be sure to close the door behind you. I like the peaceful security of this, my own little world.
Sample Narrative Essay
Senior Prom
Passage taken from Theodore Johnston and James Gonzales, The Writers Advice Book, Ginn Press, Massachusetts, 1987, p. 14
My senior prom night became a comedy of errors when I was asked to represent the Drama Club. I expected it to be a night that dreams are made of; instead, I was provided with a less than perfect evening.
I wanted to give Richard, my date and escort, a dazzling first impression by meeting him at the door in my beautiful Southern belle dress. When Richard arrived, he was met at the door by my father instead of me, and he found my mother lying at my feet on the living room floor, sewing the hem in my formal. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, my mother announced that she was finished and that we were late for the prom.
I decided to relax and compose myself in the car, but instead of a comfortable coach, I found a cramped pumpkin awaiting me in the form of a Fiat. As I got inside the car, I realized that most of my dress was still outside. Quickly, I began piling layer after layer of fabric on my lap until it reached the ceiling and obscured my view out of the car windows.Arriving at the prom in silence, my escort and I were quickly ushered into position behind the other representatives. The procession started; I felt like Cinderella at the ball. While the announcer introduced the representatives and their escorts, I visualized myself walking gracefully up the ramp as the audience looked on.
Before I knew it, the spotlight was on us. As we slowly made our way up the ramp, the announcer introduces us as Judy and Juan. Hearing the names of someone else shocked both of us. Then it happened- as we turned, our feet became entangled in my formal; with a hop, skip, and jump, we tripped down the ramp towards the stairs. Determined to climb the stairs gracefully, I started a slow ascent. Upon reaching the top step, I realized I had also climbed up the inside of my dress and was now on my knees. My escort had to carefully back me down the steps until we could once again make our climb.
As the evening concluded, I realized that with all that happened, only my friends knew the true identity of the two clowns in the procession. Everyone else thought it was Judy and Juan.
Sample Process Essay
Giving Blood
From Nucleus: English for Science and Technology (General Science), Longman Press, 1983Every hospital needs large supplies of blood for transfusions. It is given by donors.
Before giving blood, the donor is given tests to determine his blood group and make sure he is not suffering from certain diseases. When this has been done his blood can be taken.
First he lies down with his arm on a pillow. Next the nurse puts the cuff of the sphygmomanometer around his upper arm, and inflates it to compress the veins. At this stage she cleans his skin with ether and inserts the needle into a vein. As she does this the blood begins to flow into a bottle until it is full. Meanwhile the donor opens and closes his hand to increase the flow.
As soon as the bottle is full the nurse takes off the sphygmomanometer and withdraws the needle. Finally, she puts a dressing on the donor's arm. The blood is immediately labeled and refrigerated.
Before giving blood, the donor is given tests to determine his blood group and make sure he is not suffering from certain diseases. When this has been done his blood can be taken.
Sample Classification Essay
The Human Body
From Nucleus: English for Science and Technology (General Science), Longman Press, 1983, p.47
The human body is made up of a number of different systems. Each system has a separate function, but some work together.
One system is the skeleton, which serves to support the body and protect the internal organs. The respiratory system enables us to breathe and take oxygen into the blood, which moves around the body by means of the circulatory system. The digestive system enables us to take in food needed for growth. Waste matter is ejected from the body by means of the urinary system. The nervous system controls the other systems and enables human beings to think.The endocrine system consists of various glands, such as the thyroid, sex and adrenal glands. The function of these glands is to secrete chemicals, known as hormones, into the blood. These hormones control various processes in the body, such as growth, sexual activities and digestion..
Each system is made up of organs. The lungs, for example, are part of the respiratory system. The heart is an organ in the circulatory system. The liver functions as part of the digestive system and other systems.Every organ is composed of several kinds of tissue. Epithelial tissue, which includes the skin, forms a covering over organs. Connective tissue supports and holds together parts of the body and includes bone and cartilage. Other types of tissue include nerve tissue and blood tissue.
All tissue consists of cells. These are so small that they are measured in thousandths of a millimeter and can only be seen with a microscope. Each cell is covered with a thin membrane which surrounds a nucleus, and a jelly-like substance, called cytoplasm. This in turn contains minute particles, each with its own special function.
Sample Comparison/Contrast Essay
Paragraphs and Essays
Passage taken from Theodore Johnston and James Gonzales, The Writers Advice Book, Ginn Press, Massachusetts, 1987, p. 130[College students in the United States often become confused with academic-composition terminology. They hear teachers talking about topic sentences that are too general or thesis statements that are too broad. They are asked to compose paragraphs and expand them into more comprehensive essays about the topic.
How can students better understand the structures of these two writing structures in the English? Perhaps discussing similarities and differences between the two would help.]
The structure of an essay is like the structure of a paragraph. Just as the controlling idea of a paragraph is expressed in the topic sentence, the controlling idea of an essay is expressed in the thesis statement . The topic sentence of a paragraph is generally placed at the beginning of the paragraph, and the thesis statement of an essay is placed in the introductory paragraph. In both paragraphs and essays, specific support in the form of facts, details, and examples is needed to validate the opinion expressed in the controlling idea. Finally, both paragraphs and essays tend to restate the controlling idea at the end of the discussion rather than simply coming to an abrupt stop.
The difference between a paragraph and essay is primarily one of development. Whereas a paragraph usually deals with only one dimension of a topic, an essay can turn a thought through several dimensions. Once a writer starts to make notes on a subject, he may discover that the complexity of the subject demands more than a one-paragraph treatment. The paragraphs of an essay treat a sequence of key points; each of the paragraphs in turn focuses on the one key point the writer assigns it. Thus, the writer turns the thought just to a certain point in each of the body paragraphs. When the essay is successful, the totality of the turns unlocks a complex sequence of thoughts which the writer can share with the reader.
[Perhaps and analogy would help. A person spending weekends or only a few days in the mountains would require very little space: room for a bed, limited cooking supplies, a restroom or outhouse, and perhaps a chair or two. On the other hand, someone who lives in the mountains all of time would require much more space and materials for survival. In the same way, a person writing only briefly about a topic might skim major aspects of that topic in an essay whereas someone wishing to elaborate more on a broader topic might choose to develop ideas through an essay.]
Sample Definition Essay 1- TO PROVIDE MORE IN DEPTH INFORMATION
The Earth
From Nucleus: English for Science and Technology (General Science), Longman
Press, 1983, p.27.
The earth is a solid sphere. It is made up of three concentric spheres or layers. These are called the core, the mantle, and the crust. The solid sphere is surrounded by a gaseous sphere, which is called the atmosphere.
We know most about the crust of the Earth which is the outermost sphere. This layer is very thin compared with the diameter of the whole Earth. It is only about 10 km thick under the ocean and about 30 km thick on land. It consists of rock which contains a lot of minerals. These are usually in compounds called oxides, containing oxygen, or sulfides, containing sulfur.
The mantle is much thicker than the crust. It is about 30 km thick. It consists mainly of rocks, but we do not know much about their composition.The core, which is situated inside the mantle, seems to be divided into two parts. The inner core is about 2800 km in diameter. We believe that it is mainly composed of iron, but it also contains about 10% nickel. The layer surrounding the inner core is called the outer core and is approximately 2000 km thick. It is probably composed of molten iron and nickel. However, the metals in the inner core seem to be rigid, and therefore solid. This is because they are under very high pressure, which causes solidification in spite of the high temperatures at the center of the Earth.
Sample Definition Essay 2-TO PROVIDE A UNIQUE VIEW OF A TERM
Have a Heart
(Leecy Wise)
What does the word "heart" mean? Strictly speaking, a heart is an organ of the physical body which pumps blood into the organism. The term "heart," however, extends to more than the physical body.
When lovers part, one will often claim to have a broken heart yet remain living. A saddened gent or lady will often clutch the area between the ribs at the center of the chest, and moan in sorrow over a lost lover. Physical or not, the heart in this case is also something that pumps life into the emotional body.
"Don't lose heart," says a friend to another who has been discouraged by one of life's many trials. Now how can anyone lose a heart? I ask. Easily, by getting discouraged. Again, the heart becomes a symbol for pumping life into a system, but not a physical one.When one gets to the heart of the matter, she gets to its center - that which gives it meaning. When people beg, "Have a heart," they are asking you to be compassionate - to recognize the soul in another. Having a heart-to-heart talk means to share something from the center of our being with someone else. Speaking from the heart always implies communicating from what is real and essential in our lives.
Perhaps the most common definition of the word "heart," therefore, should recognize that "heart" is something essential to every human being, whether it is physical or not.
Sample Cause/Effect Essay
Climate and Pollution Related?
Nucleus: English for Science and Technology (General Science), Longman Press, 1983, p.106Every year there are changes in climate in different parts of the world. Some of these changes are due to natural causes. However, some climatic changes are caused by air pollution and these changes may increase.
If the pollution affects the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, the results are likely to be serious. Carbon dioxide constitutes only a small part of the atmosphere. But it has an important function in maintaining the balance between radiation from the sun entering the atmosphere and radiation leaving the Earth. Some of the radiation is absorbed by the Earth and some is radiated back into the atmosphere. The carbon dioxide in the atmosphere prevents some of the radiation from leaving the atmosphere. Thus the heat remains in the atmosphere and carbon dioxide helps to prevent the temperature of the Earth from falling.
If the proportion of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is increased as a result of air pollution, the temperature of the atmosphere may rise. This might eventually cause the ice in the north and the south poles to melt. If this happened, the sea level would rise and parts of the Earth would be flooded. The likelihood of this happening is remote, but the possibility exists.
There is also a fairly strong possibility that the dust level in the atmosphere will rise as a result of industrial pollution. This dust pollution will reflect sunlight back into space. If this happens, less sunlight will reach the Earth and the temperature will fall.Another danger comes from the destruction of the Earth's vegetation, such as the forests of Brazil, which are being cleared to make way for farmland and cities. Trees use carbon dioxide and their destruction may upset the balance of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
Sample Argumentation Essay
You Just Don't Understand
Passage taken from "You Just Don't Understand," by Deborah Tannen, in Mosaic Two, Blass, Laurie and Meredith Pike-Baky, The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc., New York, 1996, p. 50, 51Experts and nonexperts alike tend to see anything women do as evidence of powerlessness. [The language of the media is replete with examples of how difficult it is for women to be regarded as beings with authority and power. The attitude follows women in power everywhere, but]... nowhere is the conflict between femininity and authority more crucial than with women in politics.
The characteristics of a good man and a good candidate are the same, but a woman has to choose between coming across as a strong leader or a good woman. If a man appears forceful, logical, direct, masterful, or powerful, he enhances his value as a man. If a woman appears forceful, logical, direct, masterful, or powerful she risks undercutting her value as a woman.
As Robin Lakoff shows in Language and Woman's Place, language comes at a woman from two angles: The words they speak, and the words spoken about them. If I wrote: "After delivering the acceptance speech, the candidate fainted, "you would know I was talking about a woman. Men do not faint; they pass out. And these terms have vastly different connotations that both reflect and affect our image of men and women. Fainting conjures up a frail figure crumpling into a man's rescuing arms, maybe just for dramatic effect. Passing out suggests a straightforward fall to the floor.An article in Newsweek during the 1984 vice presidential campaign quoted a Reagan aide who called Ferraro [Geraldine Ferraro- a 1984 vice presidential candidate] "a nasty woman" who would "claw Ronald Reagan's eyes out." Never mind the nastiness of the remark and of the newsmagazine's using it to open its article. Applied to a man, nasty would be so tame as to seem harmless. Furthermore, men don't claw; they punch and sock, with correspondingly more forceful results. The verb claw both reflects and reinforces the stereotypical metaphor of women as cats. Each time someone uses an expression associated with this metaphor, it reinforces it, suggesting a general "cattiness" in women's character.
In his book The Language of Politics, Michael Geis gives several examples of words used to describe that undercut her. One headline called her "spunky" and "feisty." As Geis observes, spunky and feisty are used only for creatures that are small and lacking in real power; they could be said of a Pekingese but not a Great Dane, perhaps of Mickey Rooney but not of an average-size man.It's not that journalists, other writers, or everyday speakers are deliberately, or even unintentionally, "sexist" in their use of language. The important point is that gender distinctions are built into language. The words available to us to describe women and men are not the same words. And, most damaging of all, through language, our images and attitudes are buttressed and shaped. Simply by understanding and using the words of our language, we all absorb and pass on different, asymmetrical assumptions about men and women.