OWL Writing Exercises Welcome to the updated OWL exercise pages. For the past year and a half, we have been working on updating the OWL page design and OWL navigation based on our OWL Usability Project findings. As part of this process, we have also been working on correcting and updating our exercises. To navigate the OWL exercises, please use the navigation bar on the left. You may also print the exercises and the exercise answers by using the Full Resource for Printing button at the bottom of the exercise pages. If you cannot find an exercise you have used in the past, or if you have a suggestion for adding an exercise, please let us know. Note: Users may notice that the OWL exercises no longer offer the dropdown option.
Writing the Essay Intro and Conclusion Your essay lacks only two paragraphs now: the introduction and the conclusion. These paragraphs will give the reader a point of entry to and a point of exit from your essay. Introduction The introduction should be designed to attract the reader's attention and give her an idea of the essay's focus. Begin with an attention grabber. Conclusion The conclusion brings closure to the reader, summing up your points or providing a final perspective on your topic. All the conclusion needs is three or four strong sentences which do not need to follow any set formula. Dividing your work into paragraphs Good paragraphs divide up your assignment according to topics or major points. Each paragraph should discuss just one main idea and your reader should be able to identify what the paragraph is about. Each new paragraph should indicate a change of focus.Paragraphs often start with a topic sentence or part of a sentence – a statement which is expanded on in the rest of the paragraph. (Try reading only the first sentence of each paragraph of a newspaper article. You can get a flavour of the key points for the whole text.) The topic sentence acts as a 'signpost' directing your reader through the essay and should also relate back to the assignment question. Common mistakes Students tend to demonstrate poor paragraphing when they are unclear about what they are trying to say. Some make every sentence into a paragraph, making it a 'bullet point' essay. A well structured assignment with good paragraphs in will be obvious to the eye.
Free English Grammar Lessons and Tests How to Write a Persuasive Essay (with Free Sample Essay) Edit Article1,505,774 views 177 Editors Updated 9 days ago Two Methods:Sample Persuasive EssaysWriting a Persuasive Essay A persuasive essay is an essay used to convince a reader about a particular idea or focus, usually one that you believe in. Your persuasive essay could be based on anything about which you have an opinion. Whether you're arguing against the death penalty for school or petitioning for a raise from your boss, the persuasive essay is a skill that everyone should know. If you want to learn how to write a knock-it-out-of-the-park persuasive essay, then it's never too soon to start. Ad Steps Writing a Persuasive Essay 1Give yourself time. 8Proofread and edit. We could really use your help! Can you tell us aboutcar stereos? car stereos how to install a car stereo Can you tell us aboutastrology? astrology how to date a capricorn woman Can you tell us aboutwakeskating? wakeskating how to wakeskate Can you tell us aboutmind hacks? mind hacks how to scare yourself Tips
» 7 Tips for Formulating the Perfect Five-Paragraph Essay. Do you want to write a five-paragraph essay that makes your mama proud? In case you missed it, here’s the secret ingredient: structure. These seven tips will help you formulate the perfect five-paragraph essay. Start With an Outline Mapping out your essay before you begin writing helps you stay on point. Start by jotting down the following subheads, inserting ideas and research as you see fit. Introductory Paragraph/Thesis StatementFirst ParagraphSecond ParagraphThird ParagraphConclusion Get to the Point In your first few sentences, hook your reader by telling her what she can expect to learn. Good: “Are you a culinary artist who dreams of having her cake and eating it, too? Bad: “First, find a recipe. The second example beats around the bush too much. Forecast Your Arguments in a Thesis Statement Conclude your introductory paragraph with a thesis statement that ties your essay’s three forthcoming arguments together. Bad: “Owning your own cake decorating business is a great idea.”
Five Weak Words that Make Your Writing Less Effective Bonus: For more tips on becoming a stronger writer delivered directly to your inbox for free, click here. I can’t stand frail, weak writing. And neither can you. You know when you’ve read content that compels you to do something that matters and when something bores you to tears. You may just not know exactly why. And you need to be able to identify those words that weaken your writing so that you can stamp them out of your vocabulary. Words are the lifeblood of your writing. Words matter. Untrained writers can be careless with their words. “Stuff” Stuff is a lazy word. Instead, use a more descriptive noun. “Things” Things is another lazy word. Things is nondescript and can often be replaced with much better nouns, such as “reasons” or “elements” or “issues” and so on… “Got” Got is a terrible verb. Instead of saying “I got up”, say “I woke up.” Instead of saying, “I got a baseball”, say, “I have a baseball” or “I found a baseball.” Not only is got a lazy word; it is also vague. “Was/Is/Are/Am”
3 Strategies to Improve Student Writing Instantly Editor's Note: A version of this post first appeared on Techie Teacher and Character Coach. "But Miss Parrish, I can't think of anything to write!" Haven't we all heard similar lines in our classrooms? We see hesitant writers sit with a pencil in their hands and a paper on their desks, almost as if they have been handicapped by the task we asked them to do. How is it that some students have so much to say when talking out loud, but when a pencil is put into their hand they suddenly hesitate, struggle and have nothing to say? The answer is to simply have them produce "writing" without technically "writing" at all. Strategies That Work 1. Have your student stand up while you sit in his or her seat. 2. Identify a way that your students can audio record themselves "speaking" their essay rather than "writing" it. 3. Identify an app or tool that will transcribe speaking into text. Communication Before Craft How have you helped students write without putting pen to paper (or pixel to page)?
Plain English writing tips These tips come from the specialists who run our Business Writing workshop.Come on our Business Writing workshop to learn more Consider structure, language, and layout Think about your reader and your purpose for writing. Then structure the document by: deciding on your main messages choosing a structure that is clear and logical to the reader using informative headings that clearly signpost the main messages writing paragraphs that focus on one main theme. Use verbs to bring your writing alive By changing nouns and noun phrases to verbs, you make your writing shorter and more reader-friendly. Hint: watch out for words ending in '-ion', '-ment', '-tion', '-ance', '-ence', '-ancy', '-ency', ‘ism’, and '-ity'. Examples make provision for = provide give consideration to = consider make an application to = apply Back to top Edit wordy phrases Give every word you use a job to do. in order to = to in respect of = about for the purpose of = to am not in a position to = can’t pertaining to = about
12 Useful Websites to Improve Your Writing by Johnny Webber 1. Words-to-Use.com – A different kind of thesaurus. 2. OneLook.com – One quick dictionary search tool. 3. 4. 5. 750words.com – Write three new pages every day. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12.