Articles Index - page 2
Essay Sampler: Models of Good Writing (Part 3)
Another dozen essays and articles--most published within the past few decades, but one almost 300 years old. All of these nonfiction texts vividly illustrate the principles of effective writing.
My Home of Yesteryear
In this descriptive essay, student Mary White imaginatively recreates her childhood home in the country.
Ten Tips on How to Write a Professional Email
Email is the most common form of written communication in the business world--and the most commonly abused. Follow these ten tips to keep your messages clear, concise, professional, and polite.
Shopping at the Pig
The following classification essay, "Shopping at the Pig," is a revised version of the draft "Types of Shoppers." See if you can identify the numerous changes that have been in this revision, and consider the extent to which the essay has been improved as a result.
Ten Quick Tips to Improve Your Writing
Whether we're composing a blog or a business letter, an email or an essay, our goal should be to respond clearly and directly to the needs and interests of our readers. These ten tips should help us to improve our writing whenever we set out to inform or persuade.
Draft Classification Essay: "Types of Shoppers"
After reading this draft of a student's classification essay, respond to the discussion questions at the end. Then compare "Types of Shoppers" to the student's revised version of the essay, "Shopping at the Pig."
Essay Assignment: Profile
This assignment will give you practice in composing an informative essay based on interviews with your subject.
Watching Baseball, Playing Softball
The following composition combines a narrative frame with a detailed comparison and contrast that relies on two different methods of organization: the block method (subject by subject) and the point-by-point scheme.
Sample Topic Number Six for the SAT Writing Test
Sample SAT topic number six concerns children's attention to physical appearances.
Sample Topic Number Five for the SAT Writing Test
Sample SAT topic number five concerns the effectiveness of courses in sexuality education in schools.
Sample Topic Number Four for the SAT Writing Test
Sample SAT topic number four concerns a proposed law requiring an identifying marker on the license plates of cars driven by teenagers in the first year of their provisional licenses.
Revision and Editing Checklist for a Classification Essay
After you have completed one or more drafts of your classification essay, use the following checklist as a revision and editing guide to prepare the final version of your composition.
Revision and Editing Checklist for a Narrative Essay
After you have completed one or more drafts of your narrative essay, use the following checklist as a revision and editing guide to prepare the final version of your composition.
Music Review: "A New Voice Emerges in Paris"
Notice how music journalist Erin O'Keefe has based this review of "Klima" on an interview with the artist as well as on her own thoughtful response to the music.
Self-Evaluation of Essays
Writing a brief self-evaluation each time you have completed a writing project will make you more aware of your strengths as a writer and help you to see more clearly what skills you need to work on.
1 | 2