Rough Copy Essay

is due on Tuesday.  Make sure you use some of this weekend profitably on English!

FYI Cold War Propaganda

http://www.cbc.ca/doczone/lovehatepropagandacoldwar/episode1.html

Have you seen the new CBC program called LOVE HATE PROPAGANDA The Cold War?  I have provided the link for you here.  It covers the time period following World War II and deals with how Stalin used propaganda at the start of the Cold War.  There are four episodes.  I have linked to the first one.  This covers the time period immediately following the end of the history alluded to in Animal Farm.

HWK - Intro Para

Complete a rough draft of an introductory paragraph for in class editing tomorrow.  Be sure to put some thought into your theses!

Stakhanov and Boxer- a parallel?

Alexey Stakhanov was made famous by Soviet propaganda.  Some parallels are evident between Stakhanov's incredible, and inflated feats, and Boxer's unrelenting pushing of himself as he works himself to death.



http://russiapedia.rt.com/prominent-russians/history-and-mythology/aleksey-stakhanov/

Essay Format

Look into previous posts dated Oct 4th for how to write good introductory paragraphs that grab your reader's attention.

Introductory Paragraph:  3 sentences
        1st and 2nd sentences give general introduction
        3rd sentence is your THESIS - a topic statement containing the subject and an opinion.  This is the subject you are writing about, and the opinion you intend to prove.

Body Paragraphs:  (minimum three paragraphs please)

TS:  Topic Sentence (subject + opinion)
CD:  concrete detail
CM:  commentary
CM
CD
CM
CM
CS:  concluding statement

Concluding Paragraph:  is all Commentary, giving a finished feeling to the essay, pulling all your thoughts together.  It relates back to the THESIS demonstrating insight gained in the writing of the essay.

Your body paragraphs may not all follow the CHUNK format of CD: 2CM exactly, as you present information about Animal Farm and then about historical events in Russia, but you do need to maintain the ratio.  This is ok even if one paragraph is almost entirely CD, while another is almost entirely CM.

Animal Farm and Russia

http://www.slideshare.net/tranceking/animal-farmand-russia

This ppt provides a detailed analysis comparing Animal Farm and the Soviet Union, including chapter by chapter analysis.

Animal Farm - introduction to characters etc.

http://www.slideshare.net/tranceking/animal-farm-powerpoint-intro

Animal Farm - Theme, Symbols, Motifs

http://www.slideshare.net/tranceking/animal-farm-theme-symbols-motifs

Nov 25, 2011

Homework:  Complete reading Animal Farm this weekend:  chapters 7-10

On Monday we will be working on our Charts comparing Soviet history with Animal Farm.

Nov 25, 2011

http://www.slideshare.net/1goalie/animal-farm-propaganda

This is the ppt we viewed yesterday about Soviet propaganda in the early years.  We discussed how events in the Soviet Union are paralleled in Animal Farm.

Nov 23, 2011

HOMEWORK:  Study for Classical Roots #5 Test on Thursday.
                            Read chapters 4 and 5.  Pop quiz Thursday.
                            Complete your descriptive paragraph on the topic of your choice, including analysis.

Today we analyzed our best of the two descriptive paragraphs we have written.  On good copy, for those of you who were sick, please underline or highlight:
        Words which appeal to the five sense
         Good vocabulary words
         Vivid verbs
         Literary devices such as simile, metaphor, personification, alliteration, onomatopoeia

Note in the margins or with interlinear notes what you have identified.  Eg:  a simile, or sense of sight

If you were sick on Tuesday also, you missed this handout:

The Elements of Descriptive Writing:

Vivid Details

Descriptive writing includes details that show instead of tell. Sensory details allow the reader to see, hear, smell, taste and touch what the writer is describing. "The cat walked down the street," does not include descriptive details. "The gray tabby slinked across the cul de sac" includes details that create a picture in the reader's mind.

Descriptive writing requires vivid, specific, concrete language so the reader can easily visualize the action. The less your reader has to work to visualize the story, the more he grasps the story and can empathize with characters. For instance, the sentence, "It was a nice day," gives the reader no insight into that particular day. Describe why exactly the day was nice. The sun may have been shining indirectly through trees, casting soft shadows and warming the ground, and the crisp desert breeze carrying a smell of clean sand and rain.

Sensory Detail

Descriptive writing relies heavily on sensory detail. The writer relays how a stale slice of bread tasted, including its texture or smell. A character describing how the breeze feels states how it smells and feels. A breeze may be warm and heavy, or crisp and wet, or even icy. It may smell like salt, dirt, jasmine or like the grease trap from the nearby fast-food restaurant. Write down exactly which smells, sounds, tastes and sites you or your character felt during an event.

Figurative Language

Descriptive writing often includes figurative language, or language that employs figures of speech (or Literary terms or devices). Figurative language departs from literal meaning to creatively make a point. This type of descriptive writing includes devices like metaphors, similes and personification. A metaphor compares two unlike things using the words "is" or "are." One of the most memorable metaphors is "All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players" from William Shakespeare's play "As You Like It." In contrast, a simile compares two unlike things using "like" or "as." Ernest Hemingway used this device in "The Sun Also Rises" when he wrote: "The cafe was like a battleship stripped for Action." With personification, an inanimate object takes on human qualities. For instance, a tree branch grasps like a pointing finger or a dependable pick-up truck becomes a trusty confidante. 

Another couple of literary devices, which are fun to try to work with in descriptive writing, are alliteration and onomatopoeia.

eg:  peter piper picked a pepper....repetitive consonant sounds

eg:  crash, bang, blam, pitter-patter ...are words that sound like what they mean.

Strong Verbs

Descriptive writing includes as much detail as possible in as few words as possible. Using active verbs makes writing more precise. Linking verbs--"is," "was" and "are"--are not active. Action verbs--"race," "sing" and "dance"--create compelling writing. Instead of writing "she walked slowly," it is more precise to write "she meandered." Using strong verbs draws in the reader.

Writing from Observation

One way to put the reader in the middle of a piece of writing is to write from observation. If you want to write about a basketball game, go to a game and take notes. Write about what you see, taste, touch, smell and feel. If writing a narrative from memory, sketch the setting and all of its objects. If possible, visit the place where the action in the narrative occurred and notice the particulars of the setting.

Dominant Impression and Mood

Descriptive writing always has a uniform or dominant impression that sets its tone and mood. For instance, instead of an author telling her reader she felt safe and comfortable in a particular situation, she conjures up a safe environment through descriptive phrases of the setting, time and perhaps other characters. A happy memory of eating with the family might detail how the author's mother snuggled close to her, how the sweet dessert smelled and how the worn but clean tablecloth set the background for the meal.

Compression

It is important, in descriptive writing as well as in other types of writing, to know what to leave out, and to include only the most notable details of your subject. Rather than listing twenty ways that the character of your piece looked when she smiled, describe as accurately as you can the one smile you remember most. Being selective with your details and paring down excess modifiers and phrases will not only streamline your points, but will also give your reader a definite picture of the place or character instead of a somewhat nebulous, generalized sense.

Read more: Types of Descriptive Writing | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/info_8653644_types-descriptive-writing.html#ixzz1eSaERADJ

Read more: What Should Be Included in Descriptive Writing? | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/info_10018391_should-included-descriptive-writing.html#ixzz1eSaqxKEd

Read more: Features of Descriptive Writing | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/info_8725548_features-descriptive-writing.html#ixzz1eSby2dv1

Nov 21st, 2011

Complete Descriptive Paragraph:  using one of the five senses primarily, at least two fo the Animal Farm vocabulary words, remembering to show, don't tell.  Edit your work please, aiming for something I can imagine that I am seeing, touching, smelling, hearing, or tasting.

Classical Roots Vocabulary Test #5 is on Thursday of this week.

Nov 18th, 2011 Classical Roots

This is a reminder to study your classical roots as I will be giving you test number five next week.....tba.

Nov 18th, 2011

Animal Farm ch 3 Q’s:  Complete for Monday as promised!

1.       Why does Napoleon feel that the education of the young is important?

2.      Snowball and Napoleon argue about almost every issue that arises.  What is the only thing they agree on?

3.      What is Squealer’s explanation of why pigs must be given special food?  Details pls.

4.      How do the animals other than the pigs react to this explanation?  Why?

5.      Continue the chart comparing events and characters in Animal Farm with the history of the Russian Revolution.

Nov 17th, 2011

Complete ch 2 Q's:

1.      The pigs are recognized as the cleverest of the animals.  The three most important pigs are also given distinguishing human traits.  What traits are given to Snowball?  To Napoleon?  To Squealer?

2.     What is Animalism?

3.     How do the animals, other than the pigs, respond to Old Major’s speech?

4.     What is the effect of Moses, the tame raven, and his tale of Sugarcandy Mountain?

5.     What do you think the milk incident foreshadows?

6.     Note down page numbers and selections of quotes that parallel events in the Russian revolution.  See notes given.  Start a chart on a separate page.

Nov 15th, 2011 Homework due Wednesday

Animal Farm ch 1 Questions:

1.       How is Mr. Jones portrayed in the first chapter?

2.      The animals who gather to hear Major’s speech each mirror a single human trait.  What trait is revealed in Clover?  Boxer?  Benjamin?  Mollie?  The cat?  The dogs?  What is significant about the pigs and the raven?

3.      Why has Major called the meeting?

4.      What is the political statement that emerges from Major’s dream?

5.      What is Major’s warning to the animals?

6.      What are the evil human habits against which Major particularly warns the animals?

7.      What is the significance of “Beasts of England?”

Nov 15th Parts of Speech and Clauses practices

If you are struggling with grammar, please do these 15 practice sentences.  Use the same 15 sentences for both sections One and Two.  Answers will be provided upon request.

Section One:   Parts of speech Practice:

Focus particularly on identifying the articles, prepositions and conjunctions:

Label the conjunctions either subordinate or coordinate:

If you’ve done all of the above, try labeling the rest of the parts of speech.

Section Two:  Clauses and Kind of Sentence Practice:

Then see if you can find the subject and verb combinations and their clauses.

Underline main clauses.

Put brackets around (subordinate clauses).

Can you figure out what kind of sentence each one is?

1.       The boy ate a pie while the man waited for his dinner.

2.      I went to the hospital because I was sick.

3.      The teacher gave a quiz and assigned reading.

4.      The boy watched TV but missed the best show.

5.      The cat was hungry, so I poured a bowl of milk.

6.      The emperor Nero fiddled while Rome burned.

7.      The dogs barked until the cows came home.

8.      A blue and grey uniform is an option.

9.      The book has ten chapters but it is easy to read.

10.  I wrote her a letter, yet she didn’t answer me.

11.  A pink or a blue stone is a good choice.

12.  My pants were loose so I wore a belt.

13.  An apple is good but a plum is tastier.

14.  The girls studied, yet she still failed the test.

15.  Neither the boy nor the girl had run a race.

Nov 10th, 2011

Tuesday:  Grammar Quiz on identifying Parts of Speech, subjects and verbs, clauses and kind of sentences.
Tuesday:  Irregular Verbs Quiz on section #2 on the blue handout.
Read chapter one of Animal Farm.

Nov 7th, 2011

Complete Four Kinds of Sentences Practice sheet.

Nov 4, 2011

http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/quizzes/verbmaster.htm

Verb Practice Quiz - finding verbs in sentences with distracting words that look like verbs but aren't acting as verbs.  Happy practicing! 

Nov 3rd, 2011

Complete the third page of the Sentences handout which we were working on in class please. 
Study the Irregular Verbs section one.

Nov 2nd, 2011

Irregular Verbs Quiz #1 on Friday.  Yes, I know volleyball people are away.  They can do this on Monday.

Oct 29th, 2011

Quiz Monday on 23 helping verbs, the definitions of the clause, and four kinds of sentences.
Quiz Wednesday on coordinating conjunctions.  See list on pink sheets.
Remember your projects are due on Tuesday, November 2nd.  We originally said November 1st, but I was persuaded by some to change this to Tuesday in case of forgetfulness on the part of some students....
Remember to have your two books of outside reading completed by November 4th, and reviewed with me by that date also.

Oct 20th, 2011 - Final Project

on All Quiet on the Western Front is due November 2nd.  See below.

For interest's sake

I went to see the 3D documentary Cave of Forgotten Dreams on Sunday.  It was truly stunning from an art historian's point of view.  Dated to about 32 000 years old, these paintings are arguably the oldest ever found.  They incorporate perspective and even imply motion.  The film is slow moving and it feels like you are right alongside the scientists and archeologists as they explore the cave in the limited time they are allowed in.  It is much, much better and more awe inspiring than just looking at flat pictures on the computer screen.  While I don't like 3D generally, I recommend seeing this one in 3D while it is still here.  I saw it at the Odeon.  I don't know how long the film is here for, but if you can appreciate the stillness of the film, you should go- there's no avatar action here! 

http://www.donsmaps.com/chauvetcave.html  - exhaustive site of large pictures and research articles associated with these caves, which were discovered in 1994.  They are in pristine condition due to a rock slide over 20 000 years ago which sealed off the cave.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/columnists/herzog-film-best-3-d-in-spite-of-itself-131910133.html  -film review

Oct 14th, 2011

Create Flash Cards of Classical Roots:  Make cards of the root words and the prefixes and suffixes, not the vocabulary words.  Use proper flash cards, and use colour to differentiate between the three categories.  Due Monday.

Oct 14th, 2011 - Final Assignment on All Quiet on the Western Front

ANTI-WAR or PROPAGANDA PROJECT

Due Date:­­­­­­­­­____________________________

*Students have a choice of completing ONE of the projects listed below.  Both assignments will be marked out of 50 marks.

1. Anti-war Artwork and Poetry

a)    Create your own artistic, anti-war representation.  Your artwork and poetry MUST be related to World War I, and thus show your comprehension of WWI conditions (through both your art and poetry). 

b)   Write a minimum of one page, typed, double-spaced description and analysis of your artwork and poetry.  Explain why you have made specific decisions in terms of colour, symbolism, imagery, formatting, etc. 

*see http://www.greatwar.nl/ for Schmidt/Dalachinsky artwork online as a sample of those who have done similar things creatively as are required in this assignment.  Beware:  gruesome colour picture on home page of soldier killed by mustard gas.  You have to scroll down the left hand side of the page and click on Modern Artists Contemplate the Great War

2.    Propaganda Poster:

a)    You have been commissioned to design a propaganda poster to help your country enlist young men for World War I.  Design a poster that is appropriate for your country (keeping in mind specific colours, symbols, slogans and values), that you feel will persuade young men to join the war.  You may choose which country you want to represent, so long as that country participated in WWI. 

b)   Write a minimum of one page (hand-written or typed), double-spaced description and analysis of your propaganda poster.  Explain why you have made specific decisions in terms of colour, symbolism, slogan, values, formatting, etc., and why you feel it would persuade young men to enlist.

*see http://www.diggerhistory.info/pages-posters/ww1_a.htm or http://www.ww1-propaganda-cards.com/ for more examples of propaganda posters online.

Projects will be marked based on the following criteria:

Presentation (artwork and text)       /20          

Content (WWI related)                /10

Written analysis                        /20

TOTAL                                  /50

Oct 14th, 2011

Poetry in prose (p. 285 of AQWF) - A FOUND POEM

Summer of 1918—

Never has life in its niggardliness seemed to us so desirable as not;

--the red poppies in the meadows round our billets,

the smooth beetles on the blades of grass,

the warm evenings in the cool, dim rooms,

the black mysterious trees of the twilight,

the stars and the flowing waters,

dreams and long sleep—

O Life, life, life!

Summer of 1918—

Never was so much silently suffered as in the moment when we depart once again for the front-line.

Wild, tormenting rumours of an armistices and peace are in the air,

They lay hold on our hearts and make the return to the front

Harder than ever.

Summer of 1918—

Never was life in the line more bitter and full of horror than in the hours of the bombardment,

When the blanched faces lie in the dirt

And the hands clutch at the one thought:

No! No! Not now!

Not now at the last moment!

Summer of 1918—

Breath of hope that sweeps over the scorched fields,

Raging fever of impatience, of disappointment,

Of the most agonizing terror of death,

Insensate question:  Why?

Life/Death

The stars are cold.

Our comrades are dead,

We have lost all feeling for one another.

The rattle of machine guns becomes an unbroken chain.

Faces are distorted,

Arms strike out,

And the beasts scream.

The sun goes down, night comes, the shells whine,

Life is at an end.

But we want to live at any price.

The stars are cold—

The night is unbearable.

So we lie there with our thoughts

And

Wait.

Found Poetry Assignment

Part 1:

Compile a collection of words or phrases that are particularly descriptive from AQWF.  Don’t worry about the context or page numbers.  Just jot down as many examples of imagery, similes, metaphors, sensory passages, etc.

Part 2:

Create a found poem based on your findings.  Select and organize the words and phrases in a way that creates new, coherent meaning.  In other words, be prepared to explain your reasoning for arranging the poem in that particular way.

*Found poems must be at least 10 lines long.

*Poems will be given a mark out of 10.  Found poems that are complete and thoughtful will receive 8 marks.  Found poems that meet the above requirements, as well as include a short description/analysis of their poem will be able to receive a full 10 marks. 

(from All Quiet on the Western Front)

Oct 11th, 2011

You will have your Vocab Roots Test # 3 on Monday Oct 17th.

Oct 5 2011

Editing Expository Writing:

1.          Present Tense?  - all liturature should be referred to in the present tense.

2.          Do NOT use the First Person - I ME WE MY OUR  No "I think" or "I believe."

3.          Do NOT use Second Person either - YOU - because this is too informal.

4.          If you must use a pronoun, use ONE - "One may think that..."

5.          Do not use Questions.  Turn them into assertions, statements.  These are much stronger.

6.          No contractions in formal writing. - don't - DO NOT

7.          Punctuation - Are my words punctuated properly? 

              No Run on Sentences - multiple unrelated thoughts are punctuated as one sentence.

              No Comma Splices - Where two thoughts are joined incorrectly by a comma, where there should be a period and new sentence.

               No Fragments - Often a subordinate clause not joined properly to the preceding sentence.

Wrong:  Terry kicked the cat.  When he lost his temper.

Correct:  Terry kicked the cat, when he lost his temper.

     A fragment can also be a group of words pretending to be a sentence, but doesn't have both a subject and a verb.

8.          Spelling - use spell check, and a dictionary

              -right click - look up - choose reference book - thesaurus

9.          Sentence Variety -

10.        Cohesiveness - Is my paragraph all related to my topic sentence?  Does my concluding sentence relate to my topic sentence?  Are the supporting details and my commentary all about the topic I said I was going to write about?

     -Do not use (parentheses).

11.        Have I embedded my quotes from the novel correctly?

              - quotes can't just hang there by themselves, even if they are complete sentences.

     Eg:  David "sometimes dream(s) of a city" when he is a little boy, but as he grows older, he no longer dreams.

     Eg.:  The inspector says gruffly to David's father, "That is my whip," when Joseph is about to torture his son.

12.  Word usage - Is there a more economical way of saying this?

Oct 4th, 2011

Your ch. 7 essay on All Quiet. is due on Tuesday, Oct 11th, 2011. 
Bring a rough draft, typed and double spaced to class for editing tomorrow.

How to write a good introduction paragraph

The Introductory Paragraph

Start With a Great First Sentence

Source:  http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/intros.htm

Students are told from the first time they receive instruction in English composition that their introductory paragraphs should accomplish two tasks:

1.      They should get the reader's interest so that he or she will want to read more.

2.      They should let the reader know what the writing is going to be about.

The second task can be accomplished by a carefully crafted thesis statement. Writing thesis statements can be learned rather quickly. The first task — securing the reader's interest — is more difficult. It is this task that this discussion addresses.

First impressions are so important. How many times have you heard that? It is true that the first impression—whether it’s a first meeting with a person or the first sentence of a paper—sets the stage for a lasting opinion.  The thesis statement is the subject of much instruction and training. The entirety of your paper hangs on that sentence. But its function is to be informative and direct.   This means it’s not normally very exciting.

To get your paper off to a great start, you should try to have a first sentence that engages your reader. Think of your first sentence as a hook that draws your reader in. It is your big chance to be so clever that your reader can’t stop.   As you researched your topic, you probably discovered many interesting anecdotes, quotes, or trivial facts. This is exactly the sort of thing you should use for an engaging introduction. Consider these ideas for creating a strong beginning.   Once you complete a first draft of your paper, go back to re-construct your introductory paragraph. Be sure to check your thesis statement to make sure it still holds true—then double check your first sentence to give it some zing.

Professional writers who write for magazines and receive pay for their work use five basic patterns to grab a reader's interest:

1.      historical review

2.      anecdotal

3.      surprising statement

4.      famous person

5.      declarative

What follows is an explanation of each of these patterns with examples from real magazine articles to illustrate the explanations.

1 Historical review: Some topics are better understood if a brief historical review of the topic is presented to lead into the discussion of the moment. Such topics might include "a biographical sketch of a war hero," "an upcoming execution of a convicted criminal," or "drugs and the younger generation." Obviously there are many, many more topics that could be introduced by reviewing the history of the topic before the writer gets down to the nitty gritty of his paper. It is important that the historical review be brief so that it does not take over the paper.

from "Integration Turns 40" by Juan Williams in Modern Maturity, April/May, 1994.

The victory brought pure elation and joy. It was May 1954, just days after the Supreme Court's landmark ruling in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas. At NAACP headquarters in New York the mood was euphoric. Telegrams of congratulations poured in from around the world; reporters and well-wishers crowded the halls.[After reaching back forty years ago to bring up the landmark Supreme Court decision that started school desegregation, this article discusses school segregation in the present time.]

2 Anecdotal: An anecdote is a little story. Everyone loves to listen to stories. Begin a paper by relating a small story that leads into the topic of your paper. Your story should be a small episode, not a full blown story with characters and plot and setting. Read some of the anecdotes in the Reader's Digest special sections such as "Life in These United States" to learn how to tell small but potent stories. If you do it right, your story will capture the reader's interest so that he or she will continue to read your paper. One caution: be sure that your story does not take over the paper. Remember, it is an introduction, not the paper.

from "Going, Going, GONE to the Auction!" by Laurie Goering in Chicago Tribune Magazine, July 4, 1994.

Mike Cantlon remembers coming across his first auction ten years ago while cruising the back roads of Wisconsin. He parked his car and wandered into the crowd, toward the auctioneer's singsong chant and wafting smell of barbecued sandwiches. Hours later, Cantlon emerged lugging a $22 beam drill-for constructing post-and-beam barns—and a passion for auctions that has clung like a cocklebur on an old saddle blanket. "It's an addiction," says Cantlon, a financial planner and one of the growing number of auction fanatics for whom Saturdays will never be the same.[This is an anecdote, a little story about one man and his first auction, that is the lead to an article about auctions. In this article the author explains what auctions are, how to spot bargains in auctions, what to protect yourself from at auctions, and other facts about auctions and the people who go to them.]

3 Surprising statement: A surprising statement is a favorite introductory technique of professional writers. There are many ways a statement can surprise a reader. Sometimes the statement is surprising because it is disgusting. Sometimes it is joyful. Sometimes it is shocking. Sometimes it is surprising because of who said it. Sometimes it is surprising because it includes profanity. Professional writers have honed this technique to a fine edge. It is not used as much as the first two patterns, but it is used.

from "60 Seconds That Could Save Your Child" by Cathy Perlmutter with Maureen Sangiorgio in Prevention, September, 1993.

Have a minute? Good. Because that may be all it takes to save the life of a child—your child. Accidents kill nearly 8000 children under age 15 each year. And for every fatality, 42 more children are admitted to hospitals for treatment. Yet such deaths and injuries can be avoided through these easy steps parents can take right now. You don't have a minute to lose.[This article begins with a surprising, even shocking, statistic, 8000 children die each year from accidents. The article then lists seven easy actions a person can take to help guard a child against accidents. These range from turning down the water heater to 120 degrees Fahrenheit to putting firearms under lock and key.]

4 Famous person: People like to know what celebrities say and do. Dropping the name of a famous person at the beginning of a paper usually gets the reader's attention. It may be something that person said or something he or she did that can be presented as an interest grabber. You may just mention the famous person's name to get the reader's interest. The famous person may be dead or alive. The famous person may be a good person like the Pope, or he or she may be a bad person like John Wilkes Booth. Of course, bringing up this person's name must be relevant to the topic. Even though the statement or action may not be readily relevant, a clever writer can convince the reader that it is relevant.

from "Dear Taxpayer" by Will Manley in Booklist, May 1, 1993.

The most widely read writer in America today is not Stephen King, Michael Chrichton or John Grisham. It's Margaret Milner Richardson, the Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service, whose name appears on the "1040 Forms and Instructions" booklet. I doubt that Margaret wrote the entire 1040 pamphlet, but the annual introductory letter, "A Note from the Commissioner," bears her signature. [This is the first paragraph of an article about the lady named above. The author used the names of three famous, modern American writers to get a reader's interest. Notice that the first name on his list is a name that is probably more widely known than the other two. Stephen King has been around for some time now, and everyone, from teenagers to grandparents, know his name whether they have read his books or not.]

5 Declarative: This technique is quite commonly used, but it must be carefully used or the writer defeats his whole purpose of using one of these patterns, to get the reader's interest. In this pattern, the writer simply states straight out what the topic of his paper is going to be about. It is the technique that most student writers use with only modest success most of the time, but good professional writers use it too.

from "The Tuition Tap" by Tim Lindemuth in K-Stater, February, 1994.

In the College of Veterinary Medicine and Engineering, for example, nearly one-third of the teaching faculty may retire by the year 2004. In the College of Education, more than a third of the professors are 55 years old and older. The largest turnover for a single department is projected to be in geology. More than half of its faculty this year are in the age group that will retire at the millennium, says Ron Downey of K-State's Office of Institutional Research and Analysis. The graying of K-State's faculty is not unique. A Regents' report shows approximately 27 percent of the faculty at the six state universities will retire by the end of this decade, creating a shortage of senior faculty.[This is a straight forward introduction that gets right down to the topic of the aging of the faculty of Kansas State University. There are no historical reviews, no surprising statements, no anecdotes, no quotations from or about famous people. This is a discussion that leads to further discussion about the topic. The biggest difficulty about this type of introduction is that it can get boring. It is not likely to get the interest of anyone except those who are already interested in this subject. Use this pattern with caution.]

These patterns can give a "lift" to your writing. Practice them. Try using two or three different patterns for your introductory paragraph and see which introductory paragraph is best; it's often a delicate matter of tone and of knowing who your audience is. Do not forget, though, that your introductory paragraph should also include a thesis statement to let your reader know what your topic is and what you are going to say about that topic.

Things NOT to do in an introductory paragraph:

·         Apologize. Never suggest that you don't know what you're talking about or that you're not enough of an expert in this matter that your opinion would matter. Your reader will quickly turn to something else. Avoid phrases like the following:

In my [humble] opinion . . .
I'm not sure about this, but . . .

·         Announce your intentions. Do not flatly announce what you are about to do in an essay.

In this paper I will . . .
The purpose of this essay is to . . .

Get into the topic and let your reader perceive your purpose in the topic sentence of your beginning paragraph.

·         Use a dictionary or encyclopedia definition.

According to Merriam-Webster's WWWebster Dictionary,
a widget is . . .

Although definitions are extremely useful and it might serve your purpose to devise your own definition(s) later in the essay, you want to avoid using this hackneyed beginning to an essay.

• Dilly-dally. Get to it. Move confidently into your essay. Many writers find it useful to write a warm-up paragraph (or two, even) to get them into the essay, to sharpen their own idea of what they're up to, and then they go back and delete the running start.