Formal Essay #3– Exemplification Essay
Combining your own ideas with those from an outside source.
PLEASE SEE SYLLABUS FOR DUE DATES
THREE full double-spaced typed pages MINIMUM (not 2-1/2, 2-3/4, etc.). The third page must be a full page. Short papers will be downgraded.
Learning objectives:
• How to summarize and paraphrase another writer’s work.
• How to avoid a specific type of plagiarism (using another’s words as your own).
• How to express ideas clearly and choose words carefully.
• How to successfully combine first and third person writing.
• How to clearly differentiate between an author’s ideas and your own.
• How to use transitions between sentences, paragraphs, and ideas.
Your assignment
You will CHOOSE ONE of the following readings that you read and discussed in class. Your essay will summarize your chosen reading, then provide three specific reasons why you can relate to that reading. These reasons should be detailed examples from your own experiences and interests. You may also describe the experiences of others (friends or relatives). For each reading below, I have provided questions to help you brainstorm. You do NOT necessarily have to answer any of these questions.
Please follow the recommended outline on page 2 of this assignment sheet!
1. “Me Talk Pretty Some Day” by David Sedaris
Have you ever taken a language course and had struggles similar to Sedaris’s? Have you ever felt alienated by a group because you did not use its appropriate slang, terminology, or pronunciation properly, or possibly alienated another person for the same reason(s)? Have you ever visited a foreign country and experienced translation difficulties that have led to humorous situations (or, for that matter, serious problems)? Have you ever had an instructor similar to Sedaris’s, whose teaching style was overly harsh, sarcastic, or demanding? Did his or her teaching have a positive or negative effect on you?
2. “Mother Tongue” by Amy Tan
Do you use different “Englishes” (or other languages) in your day-to-day life, as a student, employee, friend, or family member? Have you ever been judged by your use of language (English or another language)? Do you know of anyone who may have had problems similar to Amy Tan’s mother because of his or her limited use of English? Have you ever been embarrassed by another person’s inability to “fit in”?
YOU MUST TURN IN YOUR FINAL DRAFT TO TURNITIN.COM. See your syllabus for class ID and password.
This essay assignment is worth a total of 125 points
Final essay 100 pts. maximum (graded on syllabus rubric)
Prewrite 10 pts. maximum (graded on adherence to prewrite requirements, including length,
sincere effort; minor grammar errors that don’t impede comprehension are acceptable; major grammar errors that impede understanding are not.
In-class peer review 10 pts. maximum (student must be in class with 3 copies; must have total required pages to earn full points.
Writing Center visit 5 pts.
Total 125 pts.
Recommended outline for this specific 5-paragraph essay
| ¶ 1 | · Briefly summarize your chosen reading for your audience (introduction)(transition)· End ¶ with thesis. |
| ¶ 2 | (transition)· Example from reading(transition)· Your response |
| ¶ 3 | (transition)· Example from reading(transition)· Your response |
| ¶4 | (transition)· Example from reading(transition)· Your response |
| ¶5 | (transition)· Conclusion |
