Essay's Elements
It focuses on one topic. This topic is introduced with the first sentence in the paragraph, and the following sentences provide supporting details about the topic.
Topic Sentence
You use it to separate two independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction.
A comma
Read the paragraph below. Find the repeated nouns and change them to pronouns or posessives.
Mr. and Mrs. Auld were both at home, and Mr. and Mrs. Auld met me at the door with Mr. and Mrs. Auld's little son, Thomas.
Mr. and Mrs. Auld were both at home, and they met me at the door with their little son, Thomas.
Read the definition and answer what it refers to.
"All verbs must agree in number with the subject nouns that they refer to. This includes nouns that show a quantity and percentage."
Example: The number of male graduates has fallen.
Subject-Verb Agreement
Use it between two closely related independent clauses not joined by a coordinating conjuction.
Semicolon (;)
Read the following sententence and make it parallel (A parallel structure means that all words, phrases, or sentences joined by a coordinating conjuction must be equal grammatical units.).
Instructors can be classified into three categoties: those who make class interesting, useful lessons, and those who bore their students.
Instructors can be classified into three categoties: those who make class interesting, those who teach useful lessons, and those who bore their students.
This is not a complete sentence. It might contain a subject and a verb, but it does not have a complete idea.
I.g., After the test was over and we went to the party.
Fragment
It creates unity. It is supported by other ideas, explanations, and examples in the introduction, body paragraph(s), and conclusion.
Thesis Statement
Use it to indicate possession.
Apostrophe (')
Read the following paragraph and create your own topic sentence. An example will be provided.
__________________________________. According to a National Sleep Foundation Poll, 10 percent of high school students are late at least one day each month because they oversleep. They miss schoolwork and have difficulty catching up. I know this from personal experience. When I was in high school, I was always tired because I stayed up late talking with my friends. I really needed more time to sleep every morning, but school started early. So did the standardized tests! Students cannot think fast or solve problems as well if they do not get enough sleep the night before. Their whole school future could suffer because of a lack of sleep.
Not getting enough sleep can have negative effect on how well students do in school.
It is two distinct sentences incorrectly connected with a comma.
I.g., My father was very practical, he did not take my dreams too serious.
Comma splice
It means that the ideas within and between paragraphs are logically organized.
Coherence
Transition expressions serve as bridges between sentences or parts of sentences. They include conjunctive adverbs (i.g., however, therefore, moreover) and transitional phrases (i.g., for example). When conjunctive adverbs or transitional phrases appear between two independe clauses, what are the punctuation marks you will be using?
The conjunctive adverb or the transitional phrase will be preceded by a semicolon and followed by a comma.
I.g., Natural food are not always salt free; for example, celery contains more sodium than most people would imagine.
Use a cause-and-effect connector (therefore, as a result, thus, consequently) to link sentences.
Use the cues to write a complete statement.
Lack of sleep weakens people's bodies / they are more likely to get sick.
Lack of sleep weakens people's bodies; therefore, they are more likely to get sick.
Lack of sleep weakens people's bodies; as a result, they are more likely to get sick.
Use pronouns and possessive adjectives to replace nouns after the first time they appear to avoid repetition.
I.g., My mother made her journey to see me at night. My mother would lie down and get me sleep, but long before I woke, my mother was gone. ---> My mother made her journey to see me at night. She would lie down and get me sleep, but long before I woke, she was gone.
The noun or noun phrase that a pronoun refers to is called a referent.
A paragraph must have one main idea, and every sentences in the paragrph must be relevant to that main idea.
Unity
We use this punctuation mark for the following:
1. Use it for the prefixes all, ex, and self and with the suffix elect.
2. Use it to separete awkward double or triple letters in compound words.
3. Always check the dictionary to see how to use it.
4. When dividing a compound word at the end of the line, either make a break between the words that form the compund word or put the whole word on the next line.
Hyphen (-)
I.g., cross-stitch
#4. longdistance
long-
distance
Read the two sentences below and correct them if necessary.
1. Although Fraud and Jung disagreed about why people dream, they agreed that dream are very important part of people's lives.
2. Fraud insisted that dreams should be inerpreted as unfulfilled and forbidden desires, this theory was not accepted by Jung.
1. Correct
2. Fraud insisted that dreams should be inerpreted as unfulfilled and forbidden desires; this theory was not accepted by Jung.
It is a part of speech and describes a noun.
Adjective