DeAndre Richardson

INRW 0301
12/7/15
What I Learned This Semester
Passing elementary, middle school, and high school was an easy slate, but not so quite in
college. In college its a different ball game, and Im actually glad it is. This semester my college
English professor Mrs. Rhonda has taught me so much such as how to build an essay, things that
complete sentence, and techniques to edit your essay
You can build an essay in many ways, but they will all have something in common. An
essay should include an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. The introduction is
going to include your topic and a thesis statement. When writing the thesis statement always
make sure your thesis statement is on-topic clear, specific, and declarative. The body paragraph
will include sentences that provides support for your thesis statement in the form of evidence,
arguments, clarification, and much more. The conclusion is a short brief summary summing up
everything that you talked about in the essay!
You have to have a complete thought, a predicate, and a subject. A complete thought is an
independent clause that contains a subject and a verb. A predicate is the action or what is going
on in a sentence. Another word for a predicate could be a verb or expressed as the main action in
the sentence. A subject is who the essay is about and what that noun or pronoun is doing. Another
word for a subject can either be a noun or pronoun. Occasionally, although not always, the
subject is the noun or pronoun closest to the beginning of the sentence. You must include all 3 of
those things or your sentence will be best known as a fragment. A fragment is an incomplete

sentence. Usually, fragments are pieces of sentences that are disconnected from the main clause.
One of the easiest ways to correct them is to add the sentence to the sentence before, or make it a
complete sentence. You never want a fragment, so make sure you follow the rules of building a
complete essay!
There are many techniques to edit an essay such as proof-reading, spelling and grammar
check, and allowing someone else to proof-read your essay. When proof-reading your essay, you
want to make sure you read it out loud. When reading your paper out loud, you will notice if a
sentence is properly formed or if a sentence is incorrectly. When checking your essay for spelling
and grammar errors you have to be careful. You want to make sure that every word is spelled
correctly, and that there are correct grammar/pronunciation in the essay. You always want to
allow someone else to criticize your paper. Other people may catch errors that you may have
missed or thought were correctly. Allow them to give you constructive feedback, because its
only to help you become better.
This semester I was taught how to build an essay, how to complete a sentence, and
techniques to edit an essay.