Formal Writing

How to write formally… Don’t use personal pronouns in the second or first person such as “I”, “me”, “my”,“you”, “your” Instead, use “one” or “a person” … better yet, use a proper noun (actual name)and be direct! (also okay: they, he, she – third person pronouns) Examples: “In the fairytale, Cinderella experiences a physical as well as an emotional transformation after midnight”. “If a bully threatens a student, one should not merely ignore and walk past the situation but instead, should interfere or call for help”.

use complex sentences that are clear and focused: “ The cosmetic industry often harms animals in unnecessary experiments designed to test their products”. Instead of …“Too many people treat animals badly in experiments” The second example is too broad and generalizes “too many” – how many? “people” – who? “badly” – how/in what ways?

Don’t use colloquial language or slang (words/phrases only used in conversations) Example: “No kidding she got wet; it was raining cats and dogs!” Instead say: “She was drenched due to the heavy downpour.” Do not use contractions! Examples: -Use “do not” instead of “don’t” -“Would not” instead of “wouldn’t” -Basically, write out any word that is a short form or an easier spelling of the whole/actual word

Speaking of short forms …

Leave out all of these: BRB OMG L8R TTYL N2M HBU LOL IKR LAWL U

(but that goes without saying)

We DO use… Complex sentences that are clear Specific information – no generalizations You are expressing an argument,so you need proof Examples and quotes must be included to back up your argument

Let’s look at an example

The Duality of Man as seen in Mrs. Papalambropoulos Examples of Kindness 1. second chances 2. belief in students 3. adores students Examples of Harshness 1. No 3 rd chances 2. liars are done for 3. adoration turns to irritation

Topic Sentence This is the sentence that states your argument: For example: Mrs. Papalambropoulos is the perfect example of Edgar Allan Poe’s philosophy that every man is both beautiful and beastly.

Second Sentence The second sentence of your paragraph must contain the points that you wish to make. For example: Mrs. Papalambropoulos is the perfect example of Edgar Allan Poe’s philosophy that man is both beautiful and beastly. She always gives students second chances but is merciless if this kindness is disregarded; she gives everyone the benefit of the doubt, but is unforgiving if she is lied to, and she adores her students, but this adoration is fleeting.

First Point Be sure to reword this point, so that your sentences can be varied and interesting: For example: She always gives students second chances but is merciless if this kindness is disregarded Transforms into: Mrs. Papalambropoulos is a strong believer in giving everyone a second chance, but will never give a third or fourth opportunity to a student to redeem him/herself.

Proof for Point 1 For example, if a student begins the semester on the wrong foot, and does not submit his/her assignments, Mrs. Papalambropoulos will give the student a renegotiated due date by which to submit the work; however, if the student fails to meet the new deadline, she will no longer negotiate due dates with this student.

Comment for point 1 Although, she can extend a kindness by allowing work to be submitted past the due date, she can also be merciless when her kindness is disregarded by the student, and these two sides to her personality perfectly reflect Poe’s duality theory.

Repeat for Points 2 and 3

Conclusion Here’s what we have so far: 1.Topic Sentence 2.Sentence listing 3 points 3.Point 1 restated 4.Proof for point 1 5.Comment connecting proof to point 6.Repeat 3-5 for the next 2 points Our paragraph now has 11 sentences. The final sentence sums up the main idea of the paragraph.

Let’s Put it all together Mrs. Papalambropoulos is the perfect example of Edgar Allan Poe’s philosophy that man is both beautiful and beastly. She always gives students second chances but is merciless if this kindness is disregarded; she gives everyone the benefit of the doubt, but is unforgiving if she is lied to, and she adores her students, but this adoration is fleeting. Mrs. Papalambropoulos is a strong believer in giving everyone a second chance, but will never give a third or fourth opportunity to a student to redeem him/herself. For example, if a student begins the semester on the wrong foot, and does not submit his/her assignments, Mrs. Papalambropoulos will give the student a renegotiated due date by which to submit the work; however, if the student fails to meet the new deadline, she will no longer negotiate due dates with this student. Although, she can extend a kindness by allowing work to be submitted past the due date, she can also be merciless when her kindness is disregarded by the student, and these two sides to her personality perfectly reflect Poe’s duality theory. In conclusion, the two sides of human beings are found in everyone, as demonstrated by Mrs. Papalambropoulos.

For the sake of saving time and paper, the example omits the second and third point proof and comment. Be sure to include these when you write a formal paragraph

Incorporating Quotes… Since you will be using evidence from a written text to support your points, you must be sure to introduce your quotes, incorporate them into the writing and cite them as follows: When the narrator first introduces himself in “The Black Cat”, he wishes the reader to understand that he was once a tender individual. He reflects, “From my infancy, I was noted for the docility and humanity of my disposition” (Poe 1). When the narrator first introduces himself in “The Black Cat”, he wishes the reader to understand that he was once a tender individual(introduces the quote). He reflects,(incorporates quote) “From my infancy, I was noted for the docility and humanity of my disposition” (Poe 1). (Cites quote)

Please Note!!! Be sure to look back over these notes when writing your paragraph Also look carefully at your rubric There should be no excuses for formatting errors