Today’s goals Introduce strategies for formality Share and review our thesis and hook strategies in our WTI essays

Class discussion- formality in writing What is formality? Why/when do we need to be formal in our writing? How might formal language/strategies be different between these three different genres: a peer reviewed research report, a persuasive essay, a podcast, and a business letter? What are strategies for making your writing more formal?

Formality in writing Formality is gradable You may need to be more or less formal in a particular context To determine level of formality, consider rhetorical context: What is my purpose? Who is my audience? What are the expectations of this genre?

Formality in writing General formal writing strategies Make your writing clear, structured, and detailed Avoid 1st and 2nd person Use titles where appropriate Use complex and discipline specific language Avoid figurative language and idioms Edit thoroughly Use passive voice for maximum objectivity (particularly in research writing) Avoid absolutes/use qualifiers Avoid contractions (in very formal writing) Follow prescriptive grammar rules (covered in ENC1101)

Formality in writing Make your writing clear, structured, and detailed Keep writing focused on your thesis Avoid ambiguous pronoun usage (particularly in your thesis) Have clear transitions and forecasting Use details and examples to illustrate and support your points Avoid 1st and 2nd person “I think the government should intervene to stop global warming” “After reviewing this evidence, you will feel compelled to increase gun laws”

Formality in writing Use titles where appropriate Very important in business and academic contexts Address others, particularly superiors, with the titles of their position or credentials Avoid colloquial address terms (bro, girl, dude, etc) Sir, miss, or ma’am may be used where necessary Avoid figurative language and idioms “Research like this is a dime a dozen”

Formality in writing Use passive voice for maximum objectivity (in research writing) “I performed the experiment” vs. “The experiment was performed” Avoid contractions (in very formal writing) Avoid absolutes/use qualifiers “The government must provide healthcare to all of its citizens” “The study showed that playing video games will increase aggressive behavior”

Group activity- editing for formality In your unit 2 groups Edit the following sentences to make them more formal and any other editing concerns you notice 1. I believe Dr. Erikson’s theory can’t be disproved. 2. The government must legalize medical marijuana; it’s the best treatment for epilepsy. 3. Changing things in the experiment didn’t effect the results much. 4. Hello! I am responding to your request for a temp. worker. You may have noticed my resume . . . . 5. I took all night to finish the experment.

WTI- grading criteria Purpose & Structure – 20% Informative Writing – 20% Background research – 20% Genre conventions – 20% Mechanics – 20%

WTI important concepts Thesis placement Soft lead Hard lead Buried lead Organization of body paragraphs Inverted pyramid (most important to least important) Chronological General to specific Formal writing style

Group activity- wti intro analysis In your unit 2 groups Share the hook and theses you have developed for your WTI essays. For each student tin the group: Is the student using a soft lead, hard lead, or buried lead strategy? How engaging is the student’s hook? Give this a rating on a scale of 1-5. What rhetorical appeal(s) might be involved in the student’s hook?

homework WTI Draft 2 250+ words Should include multimodal elements Must include a works cited page Printed and brought to class on Tuesday 3-20