Writing Enda P Guinan Writing Skills Language Centre NUI Maynooth

The two types Any piece of extended writing is either* DESCRIPTIVE or ARGUMENTATIVE *or possibly some kind of mixture

Descriptive List important points Your view often not needed

State your point of view Defend it with supporting arguments Argumentative

Explain, with examples, how the system of government works. Outline some of the things that led to the defeat of the Japanese at the end of World War II. What is the difference between knowledge and belief? Compare and contrast the education system of the USA and your own country. What influence did the Greeks have on the ancient Romans? Write a concise description of the role of the World Bank in development today. Which approach?

‘The Parliamentary System of Australia’ Should you explain: What a parliament is? What is meant by a system? What ‘Australia’ is? Something about the history of parliaments? Who the present PM of Australia is? What a democracy is? What a vote is? What to put in and leave out

1. Why are you writing the essay at all? 2. Have a specific reader in mind when you write Two things to take into account

Because the tutor wants to see if you have understood the lectures and the recommended reading. 1. Why are you writing the essay at all?

Someone who Is intelligent enough to be one of your colleagues Has a reasonable amount of common sense Knows almost nothing about your subject 2. Have a specific reader in mind when you write

This way… You won’t waste time explaining the obvious and things that any sensible person would know And you will explain the things that need explaining Imagine this person will read, but not mark, your work. Make it someone you respect, but who hasn’t had the benefit of attending your course

‘The Parliamentary System of Australia’ Should you explain: What a parliament is? What is meant by a system? What ‘Australia’ is? Something about the history of parliaments? Who the present PM of Australia is? What a democracy is? What a vote is? Back to Australia!

The Descriptive Essay: The Introduction Do not include the questions in the introduction - include the answers 1.Do I need to define any of the terms in the title? 2.Why is the topic I’m writing about important? 3.How am I limiting my discussion? 4.Can I break up my task into a number of areas?

1. What do I need to define? Show the reader you understand what you must talk about Either you must define a term or explain some important feature of the term. Remember what you don’t have to explain

Try these: Which terms need definition? 1)Discuss the effects a curfew has on business interests in a city. 2)To what extent does sexual equality lead to social change? 3)Explain how a compass works.

Describe, with examples, the role of the defence forces in border disputes. There are three arms of the defence force: the Army, the Navy and the Airforce. All three of these can be involved in border disputes, depending on the location of the border under dispute.

2. Why is the topic important? Explain how the topic is important Either in terms of its relevance today or In terms of its relevance to the general study of the subject Example:

Describe, with examples, the role of the defence forces in border disputes. A study of the defence force’s role in border disputes is worth examining because it is a good example of the way that the armed forces take over policing in areas where the police have little control.

3. How am I limiting my discussion? No essay can deal with all aspects of a topic Select what you consider to be the central point Tell your reader just what area you will discuss Say why you are limiting yourself Example:

Describe, with examples, the role of the defence forces in border disputes. As most disputes are land-based, this discussion will limit itself to examining the role of the Army.

4. Can I break up the task into a number of parts? This will give you an idea of the number of paragraphs you will have Use words like ‘major’, ‘main’ or ‘most important’ Use lots of words from the title Don’t write out which areas you will be describing (you essay itself does that!)

Describe, with examples, the role of the defence forces in border disputes. Although the army becomes involved in many ways, there are three main roles that the defence force in general, and the Army in particular, has in border disputes.

Body text A sequence of paragraphs each logically following from the last and each developing a point Each paragraph: oBegins with a restatement of the final sentence of the intro oStates your info in detail oEnds with an example

The Conclusion Short You could: Write about future implications (if relevant) Write about influence of what you have described on wider issues Suggest how the situation could be improved in some way

The Fall of the Roman Empire There were, then, many reasons why the Roman Empire fell. As the empire crumbled, it became divided into the two centres of Rome and Constantinople. The resulting rivalry meant that the Arab forces were able to gain much more ground in Europe and North Africa than they might otherwise might have done. In the long term this was perhaps an advantage to European culture as a whole, for it exposed Europe to Arab philosophy and science: both of which were in many ways far superior to those of Europe at the time.

The Argumentative Essay Puts forward a point of view Defends that point of view Most frequently used approach in academic writing (for extended pieces) Tests ability to think logically

The Introduction Sets out the problem (topic) A typical intro (no of sentences in brackets) Relates topic to reader’s experience (1+) Sets out problem (often question form) (1) Shows opposing voices and explains why (1+) Sets out writer’s opinion (1)

1. Relate to reader’s experience Less important in college essays! However… “This is something you will be interested in. It discusses something you have been thinking about recently” May take several or only one sentence

Examples The recent troubles in the Middle East have been widely reported in the world’s press. In the last year there have been over five hundred violations of air traffic rules in the USA. In last week’s daily papers there was a great deal of coverage given to a case of child beating. The parents, it seems, were blaming their cramped housing on their sudden loss of control.

2. Question that sets out the problem behind the topic Let’s call this the issue V important. Makes the topic perfectly clear Helps you get to the root of the problem and stay relevant Watch out! Some issues are lame:

Lame issues Is theft a crime? Is the world round? Should we obey the traffic rules? Are women legally equal to men? Is violence a bad thing? Why are these lame? How could you improve them?

3. Objections that exist and why? A good issue should have two sides Acknowledging this does two things 1. Tells reader (who may share the opposing view!) that opposing view has some strong arguments 2. Makes sure there are two sides. If not, it’s not a good issue - it may be lame

Careful though… Don’t give more than one support for the other argument Introduce opposing arg with:  Some people maintain…  It can be argued that…  It might be said that… § ‘can’, ‘might’, ‘may’ are tentative words

Spot the difference Students are lazy people.  This sound like a fact  Speaker sounds very definite It might be said that students are lazy people.  Speaker sounds doubtful  Speaker doesn’t agree with it

4. Set out your opinion Let’s call this the MIS (Main Idea Statement) The MIS is the answer to the question posed by the issue Do not provide any reasons - yet (more difficult than it sounds!) Introduce MIS something like this;  However, it is clear that…  There are many reasons why…

Body text: The supporting arguments Make sure your supports actually support your MIS Each support should have its own paragraph (or two) Follow the three steps  State  Explain  Example

State Begin new paragraphs with:  The first reason why [restate MIS] is [first support]  The second reason why [restate MIS] is [first support]  The third…. and so on

Explain Clarify the point - enhance the topic sentence Bring in quotations from sources Make reference to other authorities Give weight to your point of view

Example Conclude your paragraph with an example Be as precise as possible - facts and figures Resist the temptation to ‘massage’ or invent information

The Conclusion Do not list all of your arguments Attempt a solution Your issue had two sides - how might they be reconciled in the light of your arguments? You can make suggestions here You don’t have to neatly reconcile things

An example Although it is clear that the police should definitely not be armed, there are occasions when it is necessary for them to have weapons: when dealing with a dangerous criminal, for example. The answer then may be to allow the police to carry weapons only when permitted to by a judge or someone similar.

Questions and answers to