Internal Content Must be "Parallel"

Parallelism, Parallel Structure

Often an instructor will indicate on a student’s paper that there were non-parallel items in the sentence, paragraph, or essay…but what is a non-parallel item, and how can you make the parallel structure correct in your writing?

Parallel structure can be found at the sentence-level, paragraph-level, and at the essay-level.  When items are parallel, they have been made equal through word choice, endings, and transitions.

See these options for help with parallel structure, and/or you can watch the video at the very bottom of this handout:

• Recognizing Parallel Structure When You See It (DEFINITION)
• Parallelism (Student Writing Support Quicktips)
• Parallel Structure (Self-teaching Unit)
• Parallel Structure
• Explanation and examples of parallelism.
• Lincoln's Gettysburg Address 
• This presentation highlights parallel structures in the speech.
• Maintaining Parallel Structure 
• This interactive exercise is designed for middle school and high school students.
• Parallel Structure 
• Printable handout with six practice sentences. Requires Adobe Reader for access.
• Parallel Structure 
• In this 3-page handout, the first page has explanations. The second page offers practice, and the third page is the key. Requires Adobe Reader for access.
• Recognizing Parallel Structure When You See It (Exercise 1)
• Faulty Parallelism (non-parallel sentences) Exercise A
• Parallelism Exercises (from MyEnglishPages.com)
• Parallelism (from Melvin Mencher at McGraw-Hill)
• Parallelism Practice (pdf)
• Parallelism Lesson and 2 Quizzes (the Guide to Grammar)
• Parallel Structure - Post Test

Creating the Content of Your Essay's Title

Unique, Original Titles Wanted: Apply Within

Overview

There is a purpose to the title of an essay, song, poem, movie…really, a title is important for all creative works.  While the content of the title may shift throughout your writing process, its importance cannot be overlooked. 

13 Intriguing Ways to Start an Essay

Want to read more?  
Go to https://www.thoughtco.com/how-to-begin-an-essay-1690495 to see the full article.  If ANY of these tips goes against what your instructor has stated is acceptable in his/her class, then do not use those.  There are plenty of styles to try out!

Contractions Detract

Contractions are the short-hand version of two 'real' words.  

Contractions are the words formed from two abbreviated words, such as "it's," "shouldn't," and "would've".  Therefore, contractions are abbreviations, not full words and must be avoided in academic writing.

Questions in an Introduction

What goes where

in an Introduction Paragraph:

Questions

When we think about an INTRODUCTION paragraph, we first need to think through the 'purpose' of that paragraph.  To do this, you might have to ask yourself a few questions—what is the purpose of an introduction?  How does it work to connect to the body-paragraphs or the conclusion?  While I am posing questions for you to consider, this is NOT something you will want to include in your essay—unless it is used as the “Hook” sentence of your introduction.

Counterclaim Outline

Counterclaim Outline

for Body-Paragraphs

What this handout is about:

This handout will identify sections for a body-paragraph that is focused on a counter-argument to the writer’s original thesis statement (and/or essay map).  First, you will see the overall organization of one counterclaim using one sourced item.  Below this original organization, you will find the look to a typical counter-argument body-paragraph that has 2-3 counterclaims developed for full rebuttal.  At the end, you can find detailed definitions of the terminology used in this handout.

Argument Essay: Argument and Counter-Argument

Watch the slideshow (created by Jennifer Vigille) to understand the development of an argument essay.  

Below this slide-show, you will find my handout about Counter-argument flow and development in outline format.

If you have any questions after viewing this information, be certain to ask your questions in the Ask the Instructor thread of our Discussion Board forum.

While the terminology varies a little from other tutorials I have posted to my blog, you will see that the general concepts are the same.  At the very bottom of this page, you can find the transcript for this slide-show.  

Content of an Argument Essay

Watch the slideshow (created by Jennifer Vigille) to understand the development of an argument essay.  While the terminology varies a little from other tutorials I have posted to my blog, you will see that the general concepts are the same.  

If you have any questions after viewing this slide-show, be certain to ask your questions in the Ask the Instructor thread of our Discussion Board forum.

Source Sandwich Method: Introduce, Quote, Explain

Source Sandwich Method:

Introduce, Quote, Explain

To understand how to integrate sources into your body-paragraphs, you will need to learn about the ‘source sandwich’.

Fallacies and ILLOGICAL Reasoning

Fallacy Illustrations

If you would like to start with a visual set of examples of common arguments, click on the Bad Arguments image to go to an online reading of the book An Illustrated Book of Bad Arguments.

Figure 1: Book Cover; Book Read on YouTube

When I was in high school, I was first introduced to fallacies in speech class.  Due to the immature nature of my classmates, the teacher was often heckled every time she used the word: fallacy.

When I arrived in my first logical reasoning, writing, and debate course at the college level, it seemed as if the generation had finally grown past the sound of the word and was ready to engage in the use of the term.  However, there is “one in every crowd," right?  The professor was not amused, and by the next class, she not only had everyone in the class write down the true definition and root foundation (etymology), but she then spent the next hour explaining four fallacies—obviously—intended to bring the snickering and misuses of the term 'fallacy' to an end: Appeal to Ignorance (argumentum ad ignorantiam), Hasty Generalization, Bandwagon Fallacy, and Red Herring (ignoratio elenchi).

Have you taken a logic class—at any level of education?  If not, you may want to consider these 4 reasons to take logic your first year of college.

While none of these fallacies were a direct representation of what the student was doing on the first day—as he led the class, pointing inappropriate comedy toward the professor’s field of study—but the fallacy labels, background, and etymology of the term fallacy made sure that the comedian lost his 'appeal' as comic relief through the rest of the term.

CONCLUSION Paragraphs: Limitations to Questions

Conclusion Paragraphs

Limitations to Questions

Conclusion Paragraphs—One Place for Questions

The purpose of a conclusion paragraph is to wrap-up—as an overview—the argument points from the body-paragraphs and reassert—in new wording—the point of the whole essay: the thesis statement.

Body Paragraphs Will Never have Questions

Body Paragraphs

Will Never have Questions

The purpose of a body paragraph is to logically argue through ethos, pathos, and logos the assertion made in the thesis statement.  Body-paragraphs present a sub-point from the thesis statement—found in the last sentence of the introductory paragraph of the essay—and create a paragraph full of details, sources, analysis, and evidence to defend that sub-point of the thesis. 

Research Writing TUTORIAL

Research and Writing

Research on the Internet, evaluate sources, draft and publish a document.

Research Paper Outline--Introduction

General Research Paper Outline Template—Outlining the Introduction

TRANSITIONS

TRANSITIONS: Within Body Paragraphs and Between Paragraphs

Standards for Writing

Standards for Writing: Basics

As the class starts, you could be wondering, “What is she going to expect me to write?”  Well, the beginning of this document contains basics to help you get a general feel for the writing that will be acceptable in our class, and the rest of this handout will explain more elaborately the details associated with writing in a persuasive, academic-style while arguing a point.

Live….but still in progress!