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It's not the events, it's not the people, it's you. When you dream BIG enough, you are BIG enough to achieve it.

Sunday, April 24, 2011

how to write good essay?

i've taught this so many times in class,but its ok, im here to teach.hoping that this simple notes will be able to help each and everyone of u for tomorow.
and lets break our legs n prepare for ur paper tomorrow.now let me start my tutorial :) 
these points were derived based on the common questions that most of u asked:





1. How to write a good thesis statement?

this is the example topic:
reading is the best way to improve university students' proficiency level in english.do you agree with the statement? state your reasons.


  • NEVER write"I agree with the statement that university students should inculcate reading habit to improve their proficiency level in english because point 1, point 2, point 3."  to show that you are agree or "I disagree with the statement that university students should inculcate reading habit to improve their proficiency level in english since point 1, point 2, point 3". why? NEVER USE I/YOU! so if you want to show that you are agree, just simple write "reading is the best way to improve university students' proficiency level in english because point 1, point 2, point 3." or to show that you are disagree : "reading is NOT the best way to improve university students' proficiency level in english because point 1, point 2, point 3" I CAN INTERPRET YOUR OPINION FRM THAT SENTENCE. 
  • HOW TO WRITE THESIS STATEMNT? this is just a suggestion ( u can always manipulate it n this is just a guide in case if u are blur, and blank when u want to write your thesis statement). take title+ 3 points. eg: reading is the best way to improve university students' proficiency in english.do you agree with the statement? state your reasons. take the title and only add 3 controlling ideas in it. -> reading is the best way to improve university students' proficiency in english because 1,2,3. but be creative, you can also manipulate the sentence (start withe the adjective -remmber your muet book when you want to write your graph?-) "in order to improve university students' proficiency level in english, they need to read a lot." or (start with the noun/subject) "university students need to inculcate reading habit to improve their proficiency level in english language."it is from the same topic! I JUST change the order and it looks different but grammatically correct. try it! :) 
  • always put your thesis statemnt at the END OF YOUR INTRODUCTORY PARAGRAPH.
2. introductory paragraph:
  • always starts with GENERAL IDEA, and ends with THESIS STATEMENT for example; 
     (GENERAL)"A dog is man's best friend." That common saying may contain some truth, but dogs are not the only animal friend whose companionship people enjoy. For many people, a cat is their best friend. (THESIS STATEMENTDespite what dog lovers may believe, cats make excellent housepets as they are good companions (POINT 1), they are civilized members of the household (POINT 2), and they are easy to care for.(POINT 3)
  • NEVER start your essay with thesis statement. Y? because you won't have more things to talk about after that. you have limit your introductory paragraph. trust me! you can try it, you'll end up including your POINTS and EXPLANATION for in your introductory paragraph!
3.  body paragraph
  • ALWAYS start with your TOPIC SENTENCE. apply the same skill that you use in order to write your thesis statement: title + 1 point   for example;  reading is the best way to improve university students' proficiency in english since through reading they can increase so many aspects in the language.or change it, (be creative) university students should read a lot in order to improve their level of proficiency in english. or there are many ways to improve students' proficiency level in english, but reading is the best way since students can increase so many aspects in the language. 
  • after your points, make sure you explain your points; this is where you use your "1Husband and 4 Wives' formula or WH questions. How? What? When? Who? Where? that can help you to explain your essay. include example as well. for example:
   In the first place, people enjoy the companionship of cats since cats are affectionate. (TOPIC SENTENCE(WHY?)They will snuggle up and ask to be petted, or scratched under the chin.  Who can resist a purring cat? If they're not feeling affectionate, cats are generally quite playful. (WHAT?) They love to chase balls and feathers, or just about anything dangling from a string. (WHO?)They especially enjoy playing when their owners are participating in the game. Contrary to popular opinion, cats can be trained. Using rewards and punishments, just like with a dog, a cat can be trained to avoid unwanted behavior or perform tricks. therefore, cats is a better companionship compared to dogs because of their affection. (CONCLUSION)
  • NEVER forget your conclusion for each body paragraph. this is to help you to write a better paragraph
4. Conclusion
  • start with paraphrasing of your THESIS STATEMENT. example: 
  Cats are low maintenance (point 1), civilized companions (point 2)and easy to be taken of (point 3). therefore, cats are the best choice of house pets compared to any other pets. (<-paraphrasing)  People who have small living quarters or less time for pet care should appreciate these characteristics of cats. However, many people who have plenty of space and time still opt to have a cat because they love the cat personality.  (OPINION) In many ways, cats are the ideal housepet.

5. the most important thing: NEVER FORGET LINKING WORDS!!!! there are many examples that you can find here:  http://www.uni-klu.ac.at/hlg/sber/downloads/linking_words.pdf 

6. for essay like this, u usually use PRESENT TENSE. is (english IS), are (there ARE many advantages), has (learning english HAS many benefits), have (university students have their own way to learn English), do es(English DOES NOT need to be memorized), do (Students DO NOT care about the importnace of learning English). 

7. keep your sentence SHORT and EASY to understand. that will help you to control your grammatical error.! dont forget your SUBJECT, VERB! SUBJECT VERB AGREEMENT! 


im sleepy, i kow this entry is a very last minute reminder.but hope this can help u tomorrow. btw students, SLEEP WELL!!! don't come with sleepy head, you won't be able to write 350 words essay!

p/s: for reading comprehension, do apply SKIM and SCAN to save your time!

ALL THE BEST MY DEAR STUDENTS!! ILL PRAY REALLY HARD FOR EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU! :D

4 comments:

  1. dear miss Shafika ,
    im not one of your student , but i heard about you from them ;)
    just so you know that i wanna thank you for kinda useful stuff in this blog . i'd follow since i want to do my MyLine assignment . the links , those are very helpful .
    thats all , i just dont like to be such a silent reader ;)
    and sorry for my not-really-good-enough English , trying to improve it . tq

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  2. hamiza: owh thats ok, in fact that is really thoughtful of u to drop a comment here. i believe u are in semester 2 as well? english is just a language where u can learn n improve.use it! don't worry, it'll get better.all the best for your paper as well :)

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  3. yes , i am semester 2 student .
    thank you miss . i hope i could learn more from here or you ;)

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  4. all the best frm you, love the language, it will turn out to be great! slawat byk2. gud luck hamizah. if u have any problem, u can come to my room, n even leave comnt here, i would love to help :)

    ReplyDelete