Lesson Seven: Communication for Academic Purposes

Specific Learning Outcomes:

At the end of the lesson the students are expected to:
a. compare and contrast different essays; and
b. write one essay.

INPUT

An essay is a short academic composition. The word “essay” is derived from a French word “essai” or
“essayer,” which mean “trail.” In composition, however, an essay is a piece of non-fiction writing that talks or
discusses a specific topic. Presently, essay is part of every degree program.

Pre-Tasks:
Read and Think

 Read the two essays below and identify their similarities and differences using the table that follows.

Essay 1
Happiness (Descriptive)

Humankind can’t continue their lives without desires. If one wants to be happy, surely, he has to discover his
best desires that provide him a happy life. Some of these desires that help to continue our lives can be
acceptance in our relationships, a good family life and strong social relations. Trying to satisfy these desires has
a great meaning to achieve happiness for me.

To start with, however embarrassed I am about this desire of mine, I have an obsession to expect people to
accept my thoughts and manners in every situation. Yes, this is not a good characteristic and sometimes makes
me an antipathic person but trying to be accepted by someone can give you happiness, too. Besides, if you can
manage to make someone love you knowing and accepting all about you, I think that is the absolute happiness.

Furthermore, it seems to me that family is the basic source of happiness. Certainly, I can’t always be a good guy
and sometimes I make them upset but I can’t stand seeing them upset. Therefore, I try to do whatever necessary
to make them happy. Consequently, when I see happy family faces, I feel deeply happy.

Thirdly, to have friends is one of the most meaningful aspects of life. I believe that one should have three very
warm friends at least. For example, I can’t bear loneliness and if I couldn’t share all my heart with these warm
friends, I believe that I could never be happy. As a consequence, if you feel like me, it will be worth improving
your close relationships in order to be happy.

To recap, humankind has a short life but he is given a lot of desires to be happy. Moreover, if one wants to
discover the meaning of his short life, he should look for it in desires. Whether he finds it or not, he will taste
happiness just by looking for it.

Essay 2
Parents (Compare & Contrast)

“Parents”. I consider mine as my flat mates these days because we do not spend much time together. We are
four people living in a house together but we even eat our dinners separately because everybody comes home at
different times and we are busy all the time. What I remember from the old days is my two grown up flat mates
are two different characters so I have no idea why they still live together.

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They are pretty much the same in physical appearance. They both have fair complexions which is typical of
Caucasians. They should be thin if we consider this “type” but they are not. Actually they were but I can’t
remember those days.

They have different personalities. My father is moody and pretty much aggressive just like me. He has
obsessions, like everything should be perfect. On the other hand, my mother never cares about what she is doing
and she has what we will call the patience of a saint. Whenever my father gets angry and starts shouting, my
mother goes “Ergun, why are you shouting?” with a very calm voice.

What they really can’t get along about is their tastes in life. My mother loves spending money. She can spend
her whole day going around the stores shopping while my father is sitting at home reading newspapers and
books or watching documentaries on TV.

Although my parents are very different from each other, they came to an agreement and that is not being a
parent for me anymore. They never worry about me when I am late and they never interfere in my choices. I
think from now on they will work on my brother, my poor little brother.

SIMILARITY DIFFERENCE

Essay 1 Essay 1

Introduction: Introduction:

Body: Body:

Conclusion: Conclusion:

Essay 2

Introduction: Introduction:

Body: Body:

Conclusion: Conclusion:

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During Task
Draft it!

 Evaluate the content of the essay following the principles of academic writing.
 Use the guide provided.

Title

Does the title capture the essence of the essay?

Introduction

Does it have striking words to grab the attention of the reader?

Is there enough background information provided?
Is the thesis statement clear? Does it make an argument or present a central idea?
Body Paragraph

Does each paragraph have a clear topic sentence?

Do topic sentences relate back to the thesis?
Are all ideas relevant and connected to the main idea of each paragraph?
Have you allocated sufficient evidence to minor and major supporting points?
Are sentences consistent in length and easy to read?(not too long, short, or wordy)
Conclusion

Does it summarize the thesis and key points?

Does it discuss the overall significance or meaning of topic?
Is it convincing and powerful?
Does it make the reader think more deeply about the topic?
Does the conclusion agree with thesis?
Content & Audience
Does the essay answer the question(s) of the assignment?
Does it address a central issue or problem?
Do any ideas need further development?
Does it consider the readers’ background knowledge or attitude toward the topic?
Is the point of view appropriate for your purpose? (1st, 2ndperson etc.)
Have you checked for redundancy and eliminated unnecessary words or details?
Are your sources correctly cited in the text and do you have the right bibliographic entries (Works Cited,
References, Bibliography) according to the citation style assigned by your instructor?
Coherence & Unity
Do ideas follow a logical progression?
Is there a central idea that guides your writing?
Do examples illustrate, clarify, explain or support your main idea?
Does the essay maintain a consistent tone, writing style, and point of view?
Have you used appropriate transition words to connect one idea to the next?

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 Three Paragraph Essay Outline

First Paragraph: Introduction (5-8 sentences)

Hook or Grabber:

Introduce the book, author, and general background of the essay topic:

Thesis Statement:

Body Paragraph
Topic Sentence:

Concrete Detail:

Commentary (2 sentences):

Concrete Detail:

Commentary (2 sentences):

Concluding Sentence:

Conclusion (5-8 sentences)

Restate Thesis:

Complete the idea or anecdote you started in the hook:

Reinforce points made in the body of the paper:

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 DIFFERENT TYPES OF ESSAYS

DESCRIPTIVE ESSAY
A descriptive essay, as the name implies, is a form of essay that describes something. In this genre,
students are assigned the task of describing objects, things, places, experiences, persons, and situations. The
students use sensory information to enable readers to use their five senses of touch, taste, smell, hearing, and
sight to understand the topic of the essay.

Qualities of a Descriptive Essay

 Clear and Concise
 Use of Images
 Use of Five Senses

Function of Descriptive Essay

A descriptive essay presents a person, place, or thing, in a way that readers feel as if it is in front of
their eyes, or that they are tasting it, or that they can hear it, or that they can smell it. Writers use sensory
information to describe object. The object of the writer is to present a picture of something as honestly as he
can.
Example:
"Billy Ray's Pawn Shop and Lawn Mower Repair looked like a burial ground for country auction
rejects. The blazing, red, diesel fuel tanks beamed in front of the station, looking like cheap lipstick against the
pallid, wrinkled texture of the parking lot sand. The yard, not much larger than the end zone at General G.
Patton High School on the north end of town, was framed with a rusted metallic hedge of lawn mowers, banana
seat bicycles, and corroded oil drums. It wasn't a calico frame of rusted parts, but rather an orchestra of
unwanted machinery that Billy Ray had arranged into sections. The yellow-tanked mowers rested silently at the
right of the diesel fuel. Once red, now faded orange, mowers stood at attention to the left. The oil barrels, jaded
and pierced with holes, bellared like chimes when the wind was right. The bikes rested sporadically throughout
the lot. In the middle of it all was the office, a faded, steel roof supported by cheap two-by-fours and zebra
paneling. Billy Ray was at home, usually, five blocks east of town on Kennel Road."
sample excerpt from a student at St. Cloud State spruces up something as everyday as a local pawn
shop.
CAUSE AND EFFECT ESSAY
Human beings often try to find root causes of things, happenings and phenomena. This research leads
to the discovery of effects, too. It is because human beings always desire to understand reasons for things, and
why they happen. A composition written to find out reasons and results is called a cause and effect essay. It
makes discovery of the causes of something and resultantly finds out effects.

Signal Words for Cause and Effect Essays

Cause and effect uses special words for causes, effects, and predictions, such as led to, because, cause,
reason, explanation, so etc. However, for effects, the words most commonly used are therefore, as a result,
consequently, thus, then, and thanks to. For predictions, the most commonly used words are if, when, after, as
soon as, may, might, or possible.

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Function of Cause and Effect Essay
A cause and effect essay explains the real situation to readers. Readers understand what lies behind a
happening, and how it effects, or how it will impact, human beings. Mostly, such essays are used for scientific
topics. It is because these essays explore the nature of things, and their likely effects on us, or the things around
us.

Example:

“My first victim was a woman—white, well dressed, probably in her early twenties. I came upon her
late one evening on a deserted street in Hyde Park, a relatively affluent neighborhood in an otherwise mean,
impoverished section of Chicago. As I swung onto the avenue behind her, there seemed to be a discreet,
uninflammatory distance between us. Not so. She cast back a worried glance. To her, the youngish black man—
a broad six feet two inches with a beard and billowing hair, both hands shoved into the pockets of a bulky
military jacket—seemed menacingly close. After a few more quick glimpses, she picked up her pace and was
soon running in earnest. Within seconds she disappeared into a cross street.”

Black Men and Public Space (by Brent Staples)

EXPOSITORY ESSAY
Expose means to uncover or lay something bare, or to discover something in a way that others know
what it is. Expository is derived from exposition, which is a noun of ‘expose.’ An expository essay is a genre of
writing which tends to explain, illustrate, clarify, or explicate something in a way that it becomes clear for
readers. Therefore, it could be an investigation, evaluation, or even argumentation about an idea for
clarification.

Functions of an Expository Essay

The function of an expository essay is to clarify and expose things, ideas, persons, and places through
description, process, comparison/contrast, or through problem solution. The objective of this type of essay is to
make readers aware of things given in the essay. It proves full and detailed information in a way that readers
become knowledgeable about the topic.

Argumentative Essay

An argumentative essay is a type of essay that presents arguments about both sides of an issue. It could
be that both sides are presented equally balanced, or it could be that one side is presented more forcefully than
the other. It all depends on the writer, and what side he supports the most. The general structure of an
argumentative essay follows this format:

Introduction: Attention Grabber / hook, Background Information, Thesis Statement

Body: Three body paragraphs (three major arguments)
Counterargument: An argument to refute earlier arguments and give weight to the actual position
Conclusion: Rephrasing the thesis statement, major points, call to attention, or concluding remarks.

Models for Argumentative Essays

There are two major models besides this structure given above, which is called a classical model. Two
other models are the Toulmin and Rogerian models.

Toulmin model is comprised of an introduction with a claim or thesis, followed by presentation of data to
support the claim. Warrants are then listed for the reasons to support the claim with backing and rebuttals.
However, the Rogerian model asks to weigh two options, lists strengths and weaknesses of both options, and
gives a recommendation after an analysis.

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 Function of Argumentative Essay

An argumentative essay presents both sides of an issue. However, it presents one side more positively
or meticulously than the other one, so that readers could be swayed to the one the author intends. The major
function of this type of essays is to present a case before the readers in a convincing manner, showing them the
complete picture.

Example:

“When we consider the ubiquity of cellphones, iPods, personal computers and the Internet, it’s easy to see how
science (and the technology to which it leads) is woven into the fabric of our day-to-day activities. When we
benefit from CT scanners, M.R.I. devices, pacemakers and arterial stents, we can immediately appreciate how
science affects the quality of our lives. When we assess the state of the world, and identify looming challenges
like climate change, global pandemics, security threats and diminishing resources, we don’t hesitate in turning
to science to gauge the problems and find solutions.

And when we look at the wealth of opportunities hovering on the horizon—stem cells, genomic sequencing,
personalized medicine, longevity research, nanoscience, brain-machine interface, quantum computers, space
technology—we realize how crucial it is to cultivate a general public that can engage with scientific issues;
there’s simply no other way that as a society we will be prepared to make informed decisions on a range of
issues that will shape the future.”

Put a Little Science in Your Life (by Brian Greene)

Post Task:
Be a Writer
 Draft an essay of your choice and follow the prompt given.
 Make sure to follow the three-paragraph essay format.
 Begin with a rough draft then the final draft

A. ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAY:
Making a Formal Argument – “The Most Important Word”
Directions: Answer the question below using a formal argument. In a formal argument, you must:
1) State your position.
2) Provide point(s) that support your position.
3) Support each point with specific reasons/examples.

Question: What is the most important word in the English language?

Example Answer: The most important word in the English language is “friend”. This word is important because
it is used to describe the connection between two people when they share respect or affection. Respect and
affection must be shared between people in order for us to survive and live in harmony. Also, respect and
affection is a great feeling to have, so it must be important to share.

B. CAUSE AND EFFECT ESSAY:

 The following example is an outline for cause-effect essay about the effects of the computer on life.
Thesis statement: The two main areas in which computers have brought about a
profound change in our lives are in the economic field and in the field of communications.

1st body: economic effects

1. computers in business
2. computers and national economies

2nd body: effects on communication

1. e-mail

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 2. globalization

C. DESCRIPTIVE ESSAY

Instruction: Write a descriptive essay on “what is facebook” following the elements of an essay.

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