5 Elements of Good Writing PDF

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Unit

2

Five Elements of Good Writing

An elephant paints a picture at an elephant camp in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

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OBJECTIVES To understand purpose, audience, clarity, unity, and coherence To use clear, descriptive language To understand clear pronoun reference

Can you write about how to make something?

Five Elements of Good Writing

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UNIT 2 • Five Elements of Good Writing

ACTIVITY 1

Analyzing a Paragraph

an impact: an effect

to influence: to affect, have an effect on

Post-Reading

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UNIT 2 • Five Elements of Good Writing

the game called dominoes.

of not getting enough sleep each night.

ever seen.

ACTIVITY 2

Writing Purpose Statements

nephew started a food fight in a restaurant.

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Element 2: Audience

first-person words

second-person word

third-person words

Consistent Pronoun Usage

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UNIT 2 • Five Elements of Good Writing

ACTIVITY 3

Recognizing Person

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ACTIVITY 4

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Identifying Audience

UNIT 2 • Five Elements of Good Writing

Using Clear, Descriptive Language

At the 2012 Olympic Games in London, Usain Bolt of Jamaica broke his own Olympic record in the 100-meter dash. He is a good runner. At the 2012 Olympic Games in London, Usain Bolt of Jamaica broke his own Olympic record in the 100-meter dash. He is an exceptional runner.

Poor word choice: good Good is vague. Good does not adequately describe an athlete who has won an Olympic medal. Better word choice: exceptional Exceptional is more precise. Exceptional tells the reader that Usain Bolt is more than a good runner.

Other clear and descriptive words to fit this sentence: At the 2012 Olympic Games in London, Usain Bolt of Jamaica broke his own Olympic record in the 100-meter outstanding, phenomenal, premier, unique dash. He is a(an) runner.

ACTIVITY 5

Choosing Clear and Precise Words

wonderful

incredible

delightful

horrible

terrible

awful

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ACTIVITY 6

Choosing Descriptive Phrases

when she went out.

went to the beach.

in the hallway.

ACTIVITY 7

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Rewriting for Clarity and Description

UNIT 2 • Five Elements of Good Writing

ACTIVITY 8

Analyzing a Paragraph

hectic: busy a server: a waiter or waitress to hustle: to hurry, move quickly the pace: the speed a busser: a helper who cleans tables in a restaurant carelessly: the opposite of carefully the flow: the movement to juggle: to balance

Post-Reading

ACTIVITY 9

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Clarity in a Paragraph

UNIT 2 • Five Elements of Good Writing

Clear Pronoun Reference

Pronouns take the place of a person, place, or thing;

Monique worked in the library when she was a student.

Monique

➔

she

São Paulo

➔

It, its

One of the largest cities in the world is São Paulo, Brazil. It has

tablet computers

➔

they

close to 20 million people in its metropolitan area.

Replace nouns with pronouns to avoid repetition of nouns.

Many schools are purchasing tablet computers because they are portable and easy to use.

Remember to make sure that every Unclear pronoun reference: pronoun reference refers to a specific Children should not be allowed to watch horror movies for many noun. If a pronoun reference is unclear, reasons. They say that these movies can disturb children. use the precise noun. With the precise noun: Children should not be allowed to watch horror movies for many reasons. Most psychologists say that these movies can disturb children.

ACTIVITY 10

Editing for Clear Pronoun References

Change “them” to “rice cakes.”

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ACTIVITY 11

Editing for Clear Pronoun References

a guideline: a general rule to dust: to clean with a dry cloth a nightstand: a small table next to a bed a dresser: a piece of furniture used to hold clothing to mop: to clean a floor with soap and water to vacuum: to clean a rug or carpet with a vacuum cleaner

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Yes. Here, the first sentence is the topic sentence. It lets the readers know that the paragraph will give the steps necessary to clean their room.

Yes. It gives the first step to cleaning your room.

Yes. It provides information describing what to do with the clothes. It provides extra information about the second sentence.

No. It tells the reader about the importance of doing laundry with a specific type of laundry detergent. Because sentence four does not support the purpose of the paragraph, it should not be included.

Yes. Each one gives a step in how to clean your room.

Yes. This is the concluding sentence for the ideas in this paragraph. It sums up all the steps included in the paragraph.

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UNIT 2 • Five Elements of Good Writing

ACTIVITY 13

Maintaining Unity

Element 5: Coherence

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UNIT 2 • Five Elements of Good Writing

ACTIVITY 14

Sequencing Information

For more information on transitions and connectors, see the Brief Writer’s Handbook with Activities, pages 220–222.

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Proofreading Writer’s Note Proofreading Your Work

Writer’s Note Titles for Your Work

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UNIT 2 • Five Elements of Good Writing

ACTIVITY 15

Word Associations

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ACTIVITY 16

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Using Collocations

UNIT 2 • Five Elements of Good Writing

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ACTIVITY 18

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Peer Editing

UNIT 2 • Five Elements of Good Writing

Timed Writing

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