COR 002 (Reading and Writing Skills)

3rd Quarter Test Reviewer

Day 10 – Distinguishing Between and Among Techniques in Selecting and Organizing Information:
Definition
 When writing essay that emphasizes definition, your main purpose is to explain to readers your
understanding of a key term or concept
 Second purpose: to persuade them that your definition is legitimate one
 Keep in mind that when you present a definition, you should not simply repeat a word’s dictionary
meaning. Instead convey what a particular term means to you through persuasive examples.
 You should be familiar to certain idea
 Narrow/limit topic
 Provide 2 or 3 examples to persuade readers

DEFINITION ESSAY
- Writing that explains what a term means
- Some terms have definite, concrete meanings such as glass, book, or tree
- Terms such as honesty, honor, or love are abstract and depend more on a person’s point of view

3 Steps to Effective Definition:

1. Tell readers what term is being defined
2. Present clear and basic information
3. Use facts, examples, or anecdotes that readers will understand

Day 11 - Distinguishing Between and Among Techniques in Selecting and Organizing Information:
Exemplification
 In an essay that emphasizes exemplification, you support it by illustrating it with examples. These
examples may range from facts that you have researched to personal accounts
 E.g. Writing an essay that claims capital punishment is immoral: cite several cases in which an innocent
person was executed
 Examples should connect clearly to your main point so that readers will see the truth of your claim

EXEMPLIFICATION ESSAY
- Type of argumentative essay that provides specific examples to prove a point
- If writing a thesis paper on the negatives of global warming, it’s not enough to say that it is bad for the
environment. You have to be able to show definitive reasons that will convince readers that global
warming is dangerous. Examples:
 Glaciers melting can lead to water shortages
 Climate change causes severe weather, like hurricanes and heat waves
 Changing ecosystems can lead to species extinction

Planning an Exemplification Essay

 Start with a thesis statement
 Provide enough examples
 No general rule but more often than not, 1 example shows existence but more than 1 starts
proving the essay’s point
 Fair Range of Examples
 Examples should be used to represent ALL areas of your thesis
 If enough examples cannot be found then narrow the scope of your thesis
 Use transitions
Day 12 - Distinguishing Between and Among Patterns of Development in Writing Across Discipline:
Comparison

COMPARISON – pointing out how 2 things are alike; similarities

 In an essay that emphasizes comparison, you point out how 2 things are alike
 Seeing how they are alike will enable you to enliven your experiences that otherwise might remain
incomplete and disconnected
 To establish a simple similarity between 2 things
e.g. Comparing 2 schools: you must point out & explain the similarities of the 2
 In comparison, you can see various possibilities based on your experiences w/c ultimately will help you
make a decision
Key Features of a Comparison:
1. allows readers to easily see similarities and differences between 2 or more sources
2. accurately presents the information from the sources
3. presents the comparison for a purpose (i.e.: it has a thesis).

Preparing to Write a Paper using Comparison:

1. PICKING A SUBJECT
- Focus on things that can obviously compared or contrasted
- Don’t try to compare a president and a cab driver, or existentialism and a legislative bill on car tax
refunds
- To achieve meaningful comparison: things being compared must have similarities
2. LISTING CHARACTERISTICS
- List similarities and differences that immediately come to your mind
- Alternatively, you may construct Venn Diagram
- For a balanced paper, you want to make point-by-point, parallel comparisons
3. ORGANIZING
- Make sure it is clear why you are examining a certain subject
- WHY? WHAT IS THE PURPOSE?
- You might be able to compare apples and oranges but why would you? (e.g. To know which one is
healthier and sweeter)
4. SIGNALING TRANSITIONS
- help reader understand the relationships between your sentences and ideas and sort out what’s what.
Expressions signal comparison
 As well as
 Both
 Like
 In common with
 Likewise
 Also
 Too
Expressions signal contrast
 On the contrary
 On the other hand
 However
 Otherwise
 Whereas
 Still
 Yet
 But