Writing in College - 1. Some crucial differences between high school and college writing From high school to college Some students make very smooth transitions from writing in high school to writing in college, and we heartily wish all of you an easy passage. But other students are puzzled and frustrated by their experiences in writing for college classes. Only months earlier your writing was winning praise; now your instructors are dissatisfied, saying that the writing isn't quite "there" yet, saying that the writing is "lacking something." You haven't changed--your writing is still mechanically sound, your descriptions are accurate, you're saying smart things. But they're still not happy. We should note here that a college is a big place and that you'll be asked to use writing to fulfill different tasks. Argument: a key feature of college writing Now by "argument" we do not mean a dispute over a loud stereo. • They expect to see a claim that would encourage them to say, "That's interesting. Those values are also an integral part of your education in college.
Argument structure Disciplines > Argument > Argument Structure Premise | Conclusion | Inference | See also Arguments are the basis of persuasive communication. They are combinations of statements made that are intended to change the minds of other people. All arguments have structure, which can be either deliberately designed or may be discovered through analysis. Premise A premise (or premiss) of an argument is something that is put forward as a truth, but which is not proven. It is hot in here. This is a beautiful car. The people of this town are angry. If you want to attack another person's argument, you can challenge the truth of their premises. As premises are the building blocks of the argument, there may well be two or more premises in any argument. Conclusion The conclusion (or claim) is the statement with which you want the other person to agree. We need to get out. You should buy this car. The new housing should be sited elsewhere. Inference If we don't do something, the peasants will revolt. See also
Freewriting: A Way Around Writer's Block Freewriting: A Way Around Writer's Block (printable version here) Freewriting is one of our Consultants' favorite techniques for helping writers who cannot get started. Freewriting is analogous to the warm up you might do before exercising. There is no "correct" way to freewrite, so try a variation of these steps: Begin with a blank computer screen and a watch (or the clock on the computer). Focused freewriting follows the same process but begins with a topic: Put a topic of your choice, or even the topic of your next paper, at the top of a blank page. Back to 'Getting Started' Writer's Web | Writing Center | Make an Appointment | Library Copyright Info
Three ways to persuade Disciplines > Argument > Three Ways to Persuade Ethos | Pathos | Logos | See also Aristotle, perhaps the most famous arguer, described three routes to change the mind of the other person. Ethos Ethos uses trust, and focuses first on the speaker. showing the speaker as a person of integrity and good character. Reputation The reputation of a person depends on their past, and what is known and spoken about them. Leveraging reputation often means reminding others of your illustrious past, perhaps through stories of your successes, of how you have helped others and been able to see the truth where others have not. Character Character paints you as a three-dimensional human, even with a few flaws (though these should not be important to the audience). Credibility Credibility, depends both on expertize and how this is portrayed. To use credibility, position yourself as an expert. Pathos Pathos appeals to the emotions of the listener, seeking to excite them or otherwise arouse their interest. Logos
Transitional Words & Phrases Using transitional words and phraseshelps papers read more smoothly, and at the same time allows the reader to flow more smoothly from one point to the next. Transitions enhance logical organization and understandabilityand improve the connections between thoughts. They indicate relations,whether within a sentence, paragraph, or paper. This list illustrates categories of "relationships" between ideas,followed by words and phrases that can make the connections: Addition: also, again, as well as, besides, coupled with, furthermore, in addition, likewise, moreover, similarly When there is a trusting relationship coupled with positive reinforcement, the partners will be able to overcome difficult situations. Consequence:accordingly, as a result, consequently, for this reason, for this purpose, hence, otherwise, so then, subsequently, therefore, thus, thereupon, wherefore Highway traffic came to a stop as a result of an accident that morning. The children were very happy.
PIE Paragraphs Body paragraphs are the paragraphs between your introduction and conclusion, the ones in which you demonstrate your points. They are the meat of your essay. Strong body paragraphs do the following things: stay on a single topic open with a topic sentence, a sentence that says the main point of your paragraph give concrete examples with descriptive detail to demonstrate your main idea in the paragraph explain how the examples relate to your main point end with a statement about the main point, not on some detail from the example One common way of explaining body paragraph structure is using the image of a pie, or PIE structure. You might notice that this structure is very similar to the structure of an essay. learn more about essay structure The following paragraph from an essay about kickboxing has been divided into its PIE elements. This page was created by Karin Spirn.