ENGL000 Study Guide

Navigating this Study Guide

Study Guide Structure

In this study guide, the sections in each unit (1a., 1b., etc.) are the learning outcomes of that unit. 

Beneath each learning outcome are:

• questions for you to answer independently;
• a brief summary of the learning outcome topic;
• and resources related to the learning outcome. 

At the end of each unit, there is also a list of suggested vocabulary words.

How to Use this Study Guide

1. Review the entire course by reading the learning outcome summaries and suggested resources.
2. Test your understanding of the course information by answering questions related to each unit learning outcome and defining and memorizing the vocabulary words at the end of each unit.

By clicking on the gear button on the top right of the screen, you can print the study guide. Then you can make notes, highlight, and underline as you work.

Through reviewing and completing the study guide, you should gain a deeper understanding of each learning outcome in the course and be better prepared for the final exam!

Unit 1: Active Reading

1a: Take effective notes while reading a text or listening to a video or lecture

When you take notes, you are reading actively. Active reading is an important college-level study skill. Effectively implementing active reading strategies will help you understand and remember course material. You should have practiced active reading strategies as you moved through this course.

The Cornell Note-Taking System is one method for implementing active reading strategies to take effective notes while you read or listen to a lecture. There are five steps in the Cornell Note-Taking System that help you identify, understand, and remember key points. Can you name the five steps of the Cornell Note-Taking System in order and describe them.

Online reading environments differ from the printed page. For example, online materials often include hyperlinks, videos, advertisements, or other interactive elements. Active reading strategies tailored to online environments can help you understand and remember the material you read online. Describe some strategies for effectively reading material online.

To review see:

• Active Reading
• Active vs. Passive Reading
• The Cornell Note-Taking System
• Online Reading Strategies

1b: Identify themes, main ideas, and topic sentences

• What is the role of major details in a paragraph?
• What is the role of minor details in a paragraph?

The topic or theme of a paragraph and the main idea of a paragraph tell us what a paragraph is about. The difference is that the topic or theme of a paragraph is often fairly broad. In contrast, the main idea of a paragraph is more specific. It narrowly defines the subject of the paragraph.

Read this paragraph from Organizing Your Ideas: Topic Sentences:

By dedicating each paragraph to only one part of your argument, you will give the reader time to fully evaluate and understand each claim before going on to the next one. Think of paragraphs as a way of guiding your reader's attention – by giving them a single topic, you force them to focus on it. When you direct their focus, they will have a much easier time following your argument.

A topic sentence expresses the main idea of a paragraph. It tells the reader what the paragraph will be about, and it may express the author's point of view or opinion about the main idea. Most often the topic sentence will be the first sentence in a paragraph, but this may not always be the case. Re-read the example paragraph in 1b.1 above. In that paragraph, which is the topic sentence?

The main idea of a paragraph is supported by major details and minor details that explain the main idea and give examples.

To review, see:

• Finding the Main Idea
• Main Idea Paragraph Writing Quiz
• Organizing Your Ideas: Topic Sentences
• The Main Idea and Supporting Sentences

1c: Write complete sentences with a clear focus, including topic sentences

• There are different types of verbs. What is the difference between an action verb and a linking verb? Give an example of each.
• A clause is any sentence or part of a sentence that has a subject and a verb. What is the difference between a dependent clause and an independent clause?
• What are the three types of punctuation that indicate the end of a sentence?
• Which type of clause expresses a complete thought?

A complete sentence has a subject and an agreeing verb. A verb expresses the action of a clause; verbs express the physical or mental action or the condition of the subject. A subject is a noun (a person, place, thing, or idea) that completes the action. A complete sentence must end with an appropriate punctuation mark. A sentence must also express a complete thought. Moreover, effective sentences clearly express a specific idea. 

To review, see The Sentence.

1d: Identify and employ a variety of sentence patterns to improve coherence

• Declarative, exclamatory, imperative, and interrogative sentences each have a different purpose. What is the purpose of each type of sentence? Give an example of each.
• Simple, complex, compound, and complex-compound sentences each have a different structure. What is the structure of each type of sentence? Give an example of each.

All complete sentences have a subject and agreeing verb, express a complete thought, and conclude with appropriate punctuation. There are different types of complete sentences. Sentence types can be differentiated by their purpose and by their structure.

Effective paragraphs make use of a variety of sentence types, as well as sentences of varying lengths. Effective writers also vary the language they use to begin and end sentences. Sentence variation can be used strategically to engage readers, highlight important information, and indicate relationships between ideas.

To review, see The Structure of a Sentence, Main Idea and Supporting Sentences Quiz, and Using Varied Sentence Lengths and Styles.

1e: Apply prewriting strategies to narrow a topic and develop a piece of writing

• What are two pre-writing strategies that can help you identify a topic?
• What are two pre-writing strategies that can help you narrow your topic?

Writing is a process with multiple steps. The first step in the process is pre-writing. During the pre-writing stage, you explore ideas for your essay, choose a topic, and ultimately narrow your topic to fit the audience and purpose of the assignment. After you complete one or more pre-writing exercises to define the scope of your topic, then you can move on to the remaining stages of the writing process: outlining, drafting, revising, and editing. There are a wide variety of pre-writing strategies available to you as a writer. Some pre-writing strategies are useful when you still need to identify a topic for your essay, while others are more beneficial for helping you narrow your topic.

To review, see Pre-Writing Activities and Apply Prewriting Models.

1f: Organize paragraphs effectively by using appropriate topic sentences and supporting sentences

Writing an effective paragraph is more than stringing together a series of sentences. Effective writing has purpose, structure, and a sense of voice or style that engages the reader. Well-organized paragraphs are composed of grammatically correct sentences, each of which clearly expresses a complete thought. They also have a main idea that is clearly expressed in a topic sentence. They also support the main idea with major and minor details that explain the main idea and give examples. Finally, they use a variety of sentence patterns to engage the reader and provide clues about the relationships between ideas in the paragraph.

To review, see Main Idea Paragraph Writing Quiz.

Unit 1 Vocabulary

This vocabulary list includes terms that might help you answer some of the review items above and some terms you should be familiar with to be successful in completing the final exam for the course.

• complex sentence
• complex-compound sentence
• compound sentence
• Cornell Note-taking System
• declarative sentence
• dependent clause
• exclamatory sentence
• imperative sentence
• independent clause
• interrogative sentence
• main idea
• major detail
• minor detail
• passive reading
• pre-writing
• simple sentence
• subject
• topic
• topic sentence
• verb

Unit 2: Combining Ideas

2a: Outline relationships between main ideas and subordinate ideas within the writing of others and within your own writing

• What transitional words or phrases express a relationship of example?
• What transitional words or phrases express a relationship of cause and effect?
• What transitional words or phrases express a relationship of contrast?
• What transitional words or phrases express a relationship of conclusion?

Every paragraph should be organized around a single main idea. The evidence and examples given within a paragraph should support the main idea.

This image gives a visual representation of a paragraph's structure. Which boxes represent the major details of a paragraph? Which represent the minor details?

Effective writers help guide their readers by using language and sentence structures that signal the relationships between ideas in a paragraph. Expressions such as "for example" or "in conclusion" help the reader anticipate what comes next and how new information will relate to what they have already read.

To review, see Developing the Relationships Between Ideas.

2b. Write well-organized analytical paragraphs in response to writing prompts

• What is a complete sentence?
• What are some strategies for sentence variation?
• What is a topic sentence?
• What is a main idea?
• What are the two types of subordinate ideas?
• Which transitional words or expressions indicate relationships between ideas? What type of relationship does each word or phrase signify?

To review how to use each of these elements in your writing, see Relationships Between Ideas Paragraph Writing Quiz.

2c: Use commas effectively in writing, avoiding fragments and run-on sentences

• What is a sentence fragment?
• What is a run-on sentence?
• What is a comma splice?
• What is a coordinating conjunction? Give an example.
• What is a subordinating conjunction? Give an example.
• What is a conjunctive adverb? Give an example.

To write effectively, you need to understand grammatical rules, including comma rules. You also need to be able to apply those rules in your own writing. You must be able to recognize when you have made a grammatical error and understand how to fix it. This process is called proofreading.

To practice proofreading and test your knowledge of commas, fragments, and run-on sentences, see Fragments and Comma Splices and Run-on Sentences.

2d: Write a clear and focused thesis statement supported by appropriate evidence and examples

• What is the purpose of a thesis statement?
• What are the features of an effective thesis statement?

Just as a paragraph should clearly state its purpose in a topic sentence, an argumentative essay should clearly state its claim in a thesis statement. A thesis statement indicates the topic of an essay, takes a stance on the issue, and often suggests the way the essay will be organized.

A thesis statement is the organizing hub of an argumentative essay. Just as each subpoint in a paragraph supports the main idea, each paragraph in an essay should provide evidence that supports the thesis.

To review the features of effective thesis statements and to practice developing strong thesis statements of your own, see Choosing and Focusing a Topic and Developing a Thesis.

2e: Apply prewriting strategies to narrow a topic and develop a piece of writing

• What is prewriting?
• What prewriting strategies can help you identify a topic?
• What prewriting strategies can help you narrow down your topic?
• When should you organize an essay in chronological order?
• When should you organize an essay in spatial order?
• When should you organize an essay in order of importance?

Prewriting is the first stage in the writing process. After you have completed one or more prewriting activities to identify and narrow your topic, you should craft an outline. You can think of an outline as the skeleton of your essay. It should represent the basic ideas you will be discussing and show the relationship between those ideas. The purpose of an outline is to help you develop and organize your ideas before you begin writing your essay.

Many beginning writers do not enjoy writing outlines. Often your instructor will require you to submit an outline before writing a draft of an assigned essay. Outlining won't be very effective if you treat it as mere busywork. An effective outline will express both the order of your ideas in your essay and the purpose of the piece of writing. There are three main methods for ordering ideas in an essay: chronological order, spatial order, and order of importance. You should choose an order that suits the purpose of your essay. Outlines organize information visually, listing the main point and supporting details of each paragraph. There are two main types of outlines: topic outlines and sentence outlines. Explain the difference between topic outlines and sentence outlines.

To review, see Outlining and Sample Outline.

2f: Demonstrate principles of active reading

Active reading is the opposite of passive reading. When you read actively, you read with intention: looking for main ideas, looking up unfamiliar words in the dictionary, taking effective notes, and reflecting on what you read.

To review, see:

• The Red-Headed League Quiz

Unit 2 Vocabulary

This vocabulary list includes terms that might help you answer some of the review items above and some terms you should be familiar with to be successful in completing the final exam for the course.

• active reading
• comma splice
• conjunctive adverbs
• coordinating conjunctions
• main idea
• outlining
• prewriting
• proofreading
• run-on sentence
• sentence fragment
• subordinate ideas
• subordinating conjunctions
• thesis statement
• transitional expressions

Unit 3: Making Inferences

3a: Make logical inferences to gain deeper understanding of written texts

• Making an inference is not the same as guessing. What is the difference between an inference and a guess?
• Active readers use clues in the text to make sound inferences. However, even sound inferences will not always turn out to be correct. Why do active readers make inferences, even though their inferences may not be correct?

Making inferences is an active reading strategy in which you draw logical conclusions based on what you have read. An inference is not something that is stated directly in the text. When you make an inference, you extrapolate from the information you have been given.

To review, see Making Inferences and Making Inferences – Advanced.

3b: Use commas, semicolons, colons, and dashes effectively in writing

Punctuation helps guide the reader through a piece of writing, indicating relationships between ideas within a sentence. One of the most common and important punctuation marks is the comma ( , ). You may have heard that you should use a comma any place you would pause when reading a text aloud. This is not entirely accurate. Instead, there are seven rules that will help you determine when to use a comma.

• Use a comma to connect two independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction.
• What are the seven coordinating conjunctions?
• Write a grammatically correct sentence with two independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction.
• Use a comma between items in a series.
  • Write a grammatically correct sentence that lists items in a series.
• Use a comma after an introductory word or clause.
  • Write a grammatically correct sentence that begins with a dependent clause.
• Use commas around the name of the person being spoken to when using direct address.
  
  • Write a grammatically correct sentence that uses direct address.
• Use commas around interrupters.
  
  • What are some examples of interrupters?
  • Write a grammatically correct sentence with an interrupter.
• Use commas around supplementary material that amplifies a point or defines a term.
  
  • Write a grammatically correct sentence that uses commas to set off defining material.
• Use a comma to separate a quotation from the rest of a sentence.
  
  • Write a grammatically correct sentence that includes a quotation.

Like commas, semicolons ( ; ) are used to separate material within a sentence. Semicolons create more significant separation than do commas. There are two main rules governing when to use a semicolon:

• Use semicolons to separate items in a series when one or more of those items already contains commas.
• Write a grammatically correct sentence with a list that contains at least one item with commas.
• Use semicolons to connect two (and only two) closely related independent clauses without a conjunction.
  
  • Write a grammatically correct sentence that joints two independent clauses.

Think of the colon ( : ) as an announcement. Colons can be used to introduce, direct attention, summarize, and explain. While there are situations in which you must use a comma or a semicolon, you may largely use your discretion about when to use a colon, as long as you follow some basic guidelines.

• You may choose to use a colon to introduce a list, an example, or a quotation.
• Write a grammatically correct sentence that uses a colon to introduce a list.
• You may choose to use a colon to connect two independent clauses when the second sentence summarizes or explains the first sentence.
  
  • Write a grammatically correct sentence that uses a colon to join two independent clauses.
• There are some cases in which writers must use colons. Colons are used in certain writing conventions, most notably to express time and to separate titles from subtitles. For example, "At 10:00 pm last night I finished reading Barack Obama's The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream".

Like colons, dashes ( – ) should be used at the discretion of the writer. Note that dashes differ from hyphens in purpose and in typographical appearance.

• You may choose to use dashes to set off material for emphasis.
• Write a grammatically correct sentence that uses dashes to set off material for emphasis.
• You may choose to use a dash to draw attention to the introduction or conclusion of a sentence.
  • Write a grammatically correct sentence that uses a dash to indicate a sentence introduction.
• You may choose to use dashes to set off bonus phrases that are not necessary to create a grammatically complete sentence.
  • Write a grammatically correct sentence that uses dashes to indicate a bonus phrase.
• You may choose to use dashes to indicate interruption in written dialogue.
  • Write several lines of grammatically correct dialogue that uses dashes to indicate that one person has interrupted another person.

To review, see Advanced Comma Rules and Semicolons, Colons, and Dashes.

3c: Recognize subject-verb agreement in the composition of sentences

• What is a compound subject? Write a sentence with appropriate subject-verb agreement using a compound subject.
• What is an indefinite pronoun? What are the five indefinite pronouns that always use plural verbs? Write a sentence with subject-verb agreement using one of these indefinite pronouns.
• What is a collective noun? Write a sentence with appropriate subject-verb agreement using a collective noun.
• What is a mass noun? Write a sentence with appropriate subject-verb agreement using a mass noun.
• What is a pair word? Write a sentence with appropriate subject-verb agreement using a pair word.

A complete sentence must have a subject and a verb. In any clause, a verb must agree with its subject in person and in number.

The grammatical concept of person indicates who or what the subject is. There are three categories of person, each with one or more definite pronouns:

• First person: I, we
• Second person: you
• Third person: he, she, it, they

The grammatical concept of number indicates how many people or objects are included in the subject. Subjects are either singular (one subject) or plural (more than one subject).

Sometimes the subject of a sentence is a proper noun (eg., London or John) or a definite pronoun (eg., I or she or it). In these cases, determining subject-verb agreement is relatively simple once you understand the basic principles. In other cases, subject-verb agreement can be tricky, for example if the number of the subject is not as obvious. It will be helpful to understand some grammatical terms and memorize the conventions for some of these situations.

To review, see Subject-Verb Agreement.

3d: Proofread to ensure spelling and usage appropriate to different writing contexts

• What is the difference between revising/editing and proofreading?

Writing is a process with several distinct stages. Before they begin writing a draft, effective writers engage in prewriting and outlining activities. Effective writers continue to improve their essays even after they have completed a first draft. The fourth stage of the writing process is revision (sometimes called editing). The final stage of the writing process is proofreading.

When you proofread, you review your writing carefully to ensure that your grammar, punctuation, spelling, and word choices are communicating your ideas effectively. Rather than thinking of grammar and punctuation as a set of arbitrary rules you must follow, it is helpful to think of them as a set of tools that assist you in conveying your point to your readers. If you do not follow the agreed-upon conventions for using commas, for example, readers may be confused about how your ideas fit together. If you continually misspell a word, your reader may misinterpret what you are trying to say. Even if they do understand your meaning, such errors can be distracting. List and describe at least five strategies for proofreading your writing effectively.

To review, see Editing and Proofreading.

3e: Write well-organized analytical paragraphs in response to writing prompts

• Write a few well-developed paragraphs to explain what you think the three most important elements of an effective paragraph are.

In each unit of this course, you practiced writing well-organized paragraphs. You applied new knowledge and skills to improve the development, organization, and grammar of your paragraphs.

3f: Demonstrate principles of active reading

• What active reading strategies are you familiar with?
• What are the benefits of reading actively?
• When you make inferences as you read, you are engaging in active reading. What are the benefits of making inferences as an active reading strategy?

To practice your active reading skills, take the The Five Orange Pips Quiz.

Unit 3 Vocabulary

This vocabulary list includes terms that might help you answer some of the review items above and some terms you should be familiar with to be successful in completing the final exam for the course.

• active reading
• collective noun
• colon
• comma
• compound subject
• coordinating conjunction
• dash
• definite pronoun
• dependent clause
• direct address
• indefinite pronoun
• independent clause
• inference
• interrupter
• mass noun
• number
• pair word
• person
• plural
• proofreading
• revising/editing
• semicolon
• singular
• subject
• verb
• writing process

Unit 4: Transitions and Summarization

4a: Outline relationships between main ideas and subordinate ideas within the writing of others

• What is a main idea?
• What is a major detail?
• What is a minor detail?

When writing academic essays, you will often conduct research on your topic and draw on others' ideas to build your own argument. You will paraphrase and summarize the work of others in your own writing. To do this effectively, you need to be able to identify main ideas, major details, and minor details in a piece of writing.

4b: Use transitional words and expressions to signal relationships between ideas

• For each of the following types of relationships, name two appropriate transitional words or expressions:
  • Addition
  • Amplification
  • Cause and effect
  • Comparison
  • Concession
  • Contrast
  • Emphasis
  • Example
  • Intention
  • Interpretation
  • Location/place
  • Sequence/time
  • Similarity
  • Summary

Transitional words and expressions act as signals to the reader. They help the reader anticipate what is coming next and indicate to the reader how new information connects to what they have already read. Transitions are one tool for developing relationships between the main idea and supporting details.

To review, see Transitions, Transition Words, and Transitional Devices.

4c: Write well-organized analytical paragraphs in response to writing prompts

• Write a well-developed paragraph that describes your growth as a writer throughout this course. Use at least four transitional devices to develop the relationships between your ideas.

The building blocks of an effective paragraph are appropriate grammar and punctuation, topic sentences, main ideas, supporting details, and transitional devices.

To review, see Guide to Responding to Assignments.

4d: Effectively quote, paraphrase, and summarize ideas

• Quotation and paraphrase are both techniques that allow you to introduce ideas from outside sources to support your own argument. One or another technique may be more appropriate depending on the writing context. When should you use paraphrase in your writing? When should you use quotations?

When you quote, you include language directly from another text in your own writing. Place the original text within quotation marks, and properly cite the source of the quoted text.

When you paraphrase, you restate ideas from another text using your own words and word order. To avoid plagiarism, properly cite the source of the text you are paraphrasing.

When you summarize, you give an overview of the most significant points from a text. A summary reduces a text to its main points using your own words and sentence structure. Keep direct quotations to a minimum. Properly cite the source of the original text. Explain the difference between paraphrase and summarization.

To review, see How to Summarize, Paraphrasing and Summarizing, and When to Quote and When to Paraphrase.

4e: Use quotation marks and apostrophes appropriately in writing

Quotation marks ( " " ) are primarily used to indicate dialogue or quotation. Quotation marks should be used any time you use text from another source word-for-word.

Use commas to separate dialogue or quoted text from the remainder of a sentence when the remainder of that sentence is an independent clause. For example, Ronald said, "Let's go to the movies". or "The course of true love never did run smooth", wrote Shakespeare. Do not use commas when the quoted material is integrated into an independent clause. For example, Shakespeare wrote that "the course of true love never did run smooth".

To enclose a quotation within a quotation, use single quotation marks ( ' ' ) around the interior quotation. Use standard marks around the whole quotation as usual.

There are several other rules governing the use of quotation marks:

• Use quotation marks to enclose certain types of titles:
• articles
• essays
• poems
• short stories
• book chapters
• songs
• television shows
• works of art

Titles of books, periodicals, and musical albums are placed in italics, rather than quotation marks. Use quotation marks to draw attention to a single word or phrase for an ironic effect or when the word is the subject of discussion. Use quotation marks around the names of ships and airplanes.

Apostrophes ( ' ) are used to create possessive modifiers. Possessive modifiers indicate belonging or ownership.

To indicate possession with singular nouns, add 's when the noun does not already end with the letter s. When a singular noun does end with an s, writers should use their judgment to decide whether to add 's or only ' based on ease of pronunciation.

To indicate possession with plural nouns, add 's when the noun does not already end with the letter s. When a plural noun does end with an s, always add only '.

Apostrophes are used to indicate contraction. Contractions shorten words by removing letters, most often in spoken language. In writing, contractions make language less formal. To indicate contraction, use one apostrophe in place of the omitted letter or letters.

To review, see Quotation Marks and Apostrophes.

4f: Define plagiarism and implement strategies for avoiding plagiarism

• Why is plagiarism a problem?
• What are some strategies for avoiding plagiarism?
• Under what circumstances do you need to cite a source? Under what circumstances do you not need to cite a source?

Plagiarism occurs when you use language or ideas that originate from another source without clearly attributing those ideas to their original author. College instructors expect students to understand what plagiarism is and why it is a problem, and they expect that students will not commit plagiarism.

To attribute language or ideas that you have gathered from another source, properly cite that source in your writing. You may also need to cite the source in a separate bibliography or works cited page.

Different academic disciplines use different formats to cite sources, but in every discipline, you will be expected to provide some of the same basic information: the name of the author; the name of the work; and some information about when, where, and how the work was published. In a college course, your instructor may require you to learn and implement a specific citation style.

It is very important to understand what plagiarism is and that you are able to cite sources appropriately to avoid plagiarizing in your own writing. To review, see:

• What Plagiarism Is and How to Avoid It
• Plagiarism
• Quoting, Paraphrasing, and Summarizing

4g: Craft short essays employing a variety of organizational patterns

• What are the characteristics of an effective thesis statement?

The writing skills you practiced throughout the course to develop well-organized paragraphs can also be applied to craft essays. Like a paragraph, an essay should be organized around a single, clearly stated claim or idea. In argumentative writing, this claim is called a thesis statement.

Just as the main idea of a paragraph is supported by major and minor details, the thesis of an essay is supported by subordinate ideas in the body of the essay. The main idea of each paragraph clearly ties back to the thesis statement, supporting the thesis with evidence and examples. Use quotation, paraphrase, summary, and citation to support your thesis with outside evidence while also avoiding plagiarism. Use appropriate grammar and punctuation, sentence variety, and transitions to communicate your ideas effectively to the reader.

To review, see Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle Reflective Essay.

4h: Demonstrate principles of active reading

Active readers look for the main idea of a text, and they take effective notes by summarizing key points in their own words. By summarizing what you read, rather than copying down ideas from the reading word-for-word, you ensure that you understand the most important points.

To review, see The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle Quiz.

Unit 4 Vocabulary

This vocabulary list includes terms that might help you answer some of the review items above and some terms you should be familiar with to be successful in completing the final exam for the course.

• active reading
• APA style
• apostrophe
• citation
• CMS style
• contraction
• main idea
• major detail
• minor detail
• MLA style
• paraphrase
• plagiarism
• possessive
• quotation
• quotation marks
• summarization
• transitions

Unit 5: Introductions and Conclusions

5a: Craft effective introductions and conclusions

• What are some examples of introduction strategies to hook the reader?
• What is a thesis statement?
• When should your essay include a thesis?
• What are the characteristics of an effective thesis statement?
• What are some examples of writing devices or strategies for writing effective conclusions?
• What are some examples of ineffective strategies to avoid when writing conclusions?

An introduction sets the expectations for the rest of an essay. It conveys the topic, tone, main ideas, and organization of your argument. The first few sentences of an essay are an opportunity to catch your reader's attention and invite them to think about your topic. A writing device or strategy that engages your reader is called a hook. When your writing includes a thesis statement, the thesis should appear in the introduction.

Effective writers end their essays with a concluding paragraph, rather than ending abruptly after they have finished making their main points. A conclusion should briefly summarize the argument made in the essay, but conclusions do more than just reiterate the thesis and main ideas. The conclusion is an opportunity to offer reader some take-aways: help the reader understand the purpose, implications, and significance of the argument.

To review, see Writing Introductions and Conclusions, Introduction Strategies, and Conclusions.

5b: Differentiate among different types of academic essays with respect to purpose and writing elements

• What are the basics elements of expository essays?
• What is the purpose and writing elements of narrative essays?
• What is the purpose and writing elements of descriptive essays?
• What is the purpose and writing elements of reflective essays?

Many of the essays college students write are some form of expository writing. Expository writing is meant to explain and inform; it is organized around a central argument, and ideas are supported with evidence and examples. College students may be tasked with writing many types of essays, each with a different purpose. Some of these types of essays will be expository in nature, while others will not be organized around a debatable claim.

Research papers are a form of expository writing. Research papers generally follow a set format, with several writing elements not commonly used in most other types of academic writing. Research papers include abstracts, literature reviews, and a section on methodology.

To review, see Types of Essays, What is a Research Paper?, Elements of Expository Essays, and Reflective Writing.

5c: Revise drafts to ensure effective organization

• What strategies are there for revising your writing?

Revision is the fourth step of the writing process. Once you have completed a draft of an essay, you should review your draft for organization, message, and tone. While you revise, bear in mind the purpose and audience for your writing. Think of revision as an opportunity to re-envision your writing: try to see it again with fresh eyes.

To review, see Reorganizing Drafts and Revising.

5d: Proofread to ensure spelling and usage appropriate to different writing contexts

• What are some strategies for effective proofreading?
• What is the difference between proofreading and revision?

Proofreading is a distinct phase of the writing process that is different than revision.

To review, see Revising.

5e: Write well-organized analytical paragraphs in response to writing prompts

• What is a main idea?
• What is a major detail?
• What is a minor detail?
• What are the relationships between main ideas and subordinate ideas?
• What is a topic sentence?
• What are transitions?
• What is the function of transitions
• What are some examples of transitional expressions that signal different types of relationships?
• What are the elements of a grammatically complete sentence?
• What are two types of sentences?
• What are some strategies for sentence variation?

To review, see Adventure of the Speckled Band Reflective Essay.

5f: Demonstrate principles of active reading

• What is active reading?
• What is the difference between reading actively and reading passively?
• What are some strategies for reading actively, especially in online reading environments?
• What are the steps of the Cornell Note-taking System?

To review, see The Adventure of the Speckled Band Quiz.

5g: Craft short essays employing a variety of organizational patterns

• What are the steps of the writing process?
• What are three writing elements necessary in any type of argumentative essay?

College students are tasked with writing many different types of essays. Each discipline, instructor, and assignment will have different expectations. The most effective writers know how to tailor writing skills and techniques to different writing contexts.

To review, see Essay Based on the Works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

Unit 5 Vocabulary

This vocabulary list includes terms that might help you answer some of the review items above and some terms you should be familiar with to be successful in completing the final exam for the course.

• active reading
• argumentative writing
• compare and contrast essay
• conclusion
• Cornell Note-taking System
• descriptive essay
• expository writing
• hook
• introduction
• main idea
• major detail
• minor detail
• narrative essay
• persuasive essay
• proofreading
• reflective writing
• research paper
• revision
• sentence
• thesis statement
• topic sentence
• transitions
• writing process