E SSAY V OCABULARY

A N ESSAY IS … An answer to the teacher-given question Your opinion Supported by evidence to prove your opinion At least three paragraphs long Always focused on what it is proving

A N ESSAY IS NOT … A story Off-topic Written in slang A hurried assignment (unless you are asked to do a timed-essay) Easy--but will become easier with practice

P ARAGRAPHS Paragraphs are sections of an essay that are indented Introduction Paragraph Body Paragraph (s) Conclusion  In the indentation space, number the paragraphs on the final draft example.

I NTRODUCTION - (1 ST P ARAGRAPH ) The first paragraph of the essay Hook TAG Bridge Summary Thesis

H OOK The hook is the opening of the introduction. A hook’s purpose is to grab the reader’s attention. Always avoid questions. Instead, try using: a famous quotation, a strong statistic, or imagine a world where…  Label the hook with a hook *Be sure whatever you decide to use matches the overall argument.

B RIDGE The bridge connects the hook into the argument of the essay.  Label the bridge with a bridge

T.A.G. The TAG stands for Title, Author, Genre (what type of writing is it- fiction, non-fiction, etc.  Label the title with a T  Label the author with an A  Label the genre with an G

P LOT S UMMARY Plot Summary: 1-2 sentences telling what is the novel/story about  Underline the plot summary

T HESIS A thesis is your answer to the question the teacher has asked you and is what you’re proving in your essay. It is your argument that includes subpoints which map out the body paragraphs.  Highlight the thesis in yellow

B ODY P ARAGRAPH ( S ) – M IDDLE P ARAGRAPHS Topic Sentence Chunks Concluding Sentence

T OPIC S ENTENCE The topic sentence will state one of the subpoints from your thesis It will introduce that body paragraph  Label the topic sentence with a T.S.  Highlight with the green highlighter

L EAD - IN (C ONTEXT ) The Lead-in answers the- Who is in the quote? What is happening around the quote? When does it happen? Where does it happen?  Label the Lead-in LI

C ONCRETE D ETAIL (CD) The Concrete Detail is the evidence that proves your thesis and relates to your topic sentence. This is in “quotation marks” and is followed by the (page number) in parenthesis Much like the concrete outside, a Concrete Detail cannot be changed.  Circle the quotation marks around the Concrete Detail  Label the Concrete Detail with CD

C OMMENTARY (CM) The Commentary is your opinion. It explains how the CD proves your argument/thesis. There are always at least two sentences of Commentary following each CD. CMs are sometimes called: Interpretation Explanation Opinion Justification Analysis  Label the Commentary with CM  Remember, there is always a minimum of 2 CM

C HUNK ’ S “ MAGIC FORMULA ”: It’s a ratio. 1 LI:1 CD:2 CM This means that for every Concrete Detail, there needs to be two Commentaries to explain how the CD proves the essay’s argument. One piece of this formula in an essay is called a chunk.

CHUNK Lead-in (Context) Concrete Detail (Evidence) Commentary (Analysis)

C ONCLUDING S ENTENCE The concluding sentence will wrap up your body paragraph Restate the topic sentence and transition to the next body paragraph  Highlight with the pink highlighter

C ONCLUSION This is the last paragraph of the essay Restate the thesis in different words End with a final thought!

F ORMULA FOR A BODY PARAGRAPH … Topic sentence- What is body paragraph about? Lead-in– An example of _______ occurs _______: Concrete Detail-- “ “(page #). Commentary- This shows… Commentary- This also demonstrates… Lead-in– Another example of… Concrete Detail “ “ (page #). Commentary This shows… Commentary- This also demonstrates… Closing Sentence– Restate the topic sentence

J UST ONE MORE THING … Even though an essay is your opinion, you should never use the personal pronoun “I” in your essay. If your name is on the paper, then I know the opinions in the paper are yours. NEVER use: I, you, we, us our, me, etc. Use: One, an individual, or people instead All verbs need to be in the present tense; the piece of literature is still alive!

D ON ’ T WORRY ! Everyone feels stressed when learning to write essays. It’s difficult, but you’ll get better with practice. I promise!