Essay Leads Transitions Conclusions

Essay Lead: Things to Ask Yourself when writing Leads Is it inviting? – lively, engaging Is it clear? – immediate understanding of specific issue or problem Is it true? – statements factual, accurate, believable Is it focused? point the direction essay is headed Is there an attitude? – sound like you, conviction about your opinion or issue Is there a clearly implied audience? – target an audience- who do you want to talk to or convince

Essay Lead Is it long and and developed enough? – enough info to establish problem of essay Is it packed with information? – sufficient context, backgroud, evidence, concrete examples, quotes, statistics, information of some sort, do we want to continue reading Is it honest and unexaggerated? – rest of essay is what you said you would tell us Is the language clear and strong? – straightforward, easy and inviting, have vivid verbs

Effective Transitions link phrases, sentences, and paragraphs ties ideas together so reader can logically move from one thought to the next

Transition Tactics Elaborating in Logical Sequence chronological order clearly state shifts in time to keep reader’s interest Referring to a Fact or Idea connect idea at end of one sentence or paragraph to beginning of next Repeating a key word repeat this key word in one sentence or paragraph in the beginning of next

Transition Tactics Using a synonym rephrase a key word from one sentence or paragraph to the next Using transitional words or phrases choose an appropriate transition to indicate sequence of thought or to move the reader through a piece of writing

Transitions That… Reference the list for ideas of transitions to use.

Essay Conclusion “The end must connect with the opening. What has been promised must have been delivered. Read the opening over to see what closing it implies.” Donald Murray

Some Conclusions to Try Admonition or Instruction: what the reader can do about the issue Prediction: an insight into how the future might be different, better, or worse Strong, Punched Statement: perhaps a one-sentence paragraph Anecdote: a brief story that reiterates the essence of the issue or situation Pointed Question: leaves the reader thinking Echo: circles back to the lead

A Conclusion to Avoid “Only rarely in effective writing is the closing a formal summary in which the writer repeats…what has already been said.” Donald Murray