Trent Schwartz
“As A Result”: Connecting the Parts
This chapter focuses on connecting sentences when writing to make the flow of the essay more natural. It pointed out that many students’ essays make the reader lose interest because of how the sentences don’t seem connected. The use of transitions can assist in making sentences link together and maintain the flow of the essay. Many times, when students are writing, they don’t use transitions between their sentences which makes their essay much harder to read than if they did attach the sentences together with transition words. If the flow between sentences seems off the reader has a harder time acquiring the information in the essay.
What I Learned:
In this chapter I learned yet another method to use to maintain a reader’s interest. With the use of transition words, the writer is able to connect their ideas in an appealing way and maintain the reader’s attention.
“Ain’t So/Is Not”: Academic Writing doesn’t Always Mean Setting Aside Your Own Voice
This chapter expressed the need for students to add a little bit of their own view on something in their writing. Many students writing uses language that is bland and bores the reader. It is important for the writer to be able to add certain things into their writing that might not seem to have the appropriate language or way of saying something that is appropriate for the essay. The common misconception of academic writing is that it should present the facts in a clear and straight-forward manner. This is the opposite however, if the writer elaborates on topics and delivers their thesis and its supporting evidence in an unconventional yet effective manner, it will deliver its information to the reader in a better way.
What I Learned
In this chapter I learned that academic writing doesn’t have to be boring and down-to-earth, but fun and interesting. Delivering the thesis in a creative and efficient way can better draw the attention of the reader.
“But Don’t Get Me Wrong”: The Art of Metacommentary
Metacommentary is mostly used to make an audience react a certain way to a claim that a speaker or writer has made. Instead of letting the audience react naturally to the claim, metacommentary is used to direct their reaction in a certain direction. It is used as a filter for information reaching an audience and gets in the way of authentic response to an assertion. The most frequent intention of the use of metacommentary is to prevent the audience from being offended. Metacommentary can also be used to clarify a certain claim or argument.
What I Learned:
In this chapter I learned that using precursors before making a statement can keep the audience from authentically reacting to it. Not all metacommentary is bad since it can be effectively used to make your stance on an issue clear after announcing your position.
“He Talks About Deplores”: Using the Templates to Revise
This chapter focuses in on the revision of essays. Revising is a vital component in the essay writing process and is often overlooked by writers. Revision allows writers to try different material and see how it can affect the intended message of the essay. It is important for a writer who is revising their writing to see if certain metacommentary is effective in clarifying their view on an issue. It is also important for the writer to make sure that the essay’s content is streamlined towards a single thesis and that their claim is clear and supported by evidence.
What I Learned:
In this chapter I learned that the proper way to revise an essay is to properly observe its central message or thesis and if evidence is supportive of that claim. This method makes the essay more straightforward and easier for the audience to read and comprehend.
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