COMPOSITION SYLLABUSS 2018

1.-Pre writing steps: clustering, listing, brainstorming, free writing,

outlining, mapping, others

2.-Writing process: pre writing, drafting, revising, editing, publishing (delivering to the
teacher)

3.-Topic sentences (topic + controlling ideas)

How to find and narrow your topic

4. - Paragraph structure:

a. - External: (Topic sentence, secondary ideas and concluding sentence)

b. - Internal: (Coherence, Unity, Completeness, off- topic information, punctuation, cohesion,

discourse markers)

5.-Paragraph development (Types of paragraphs)

Definition- description and illustration- comparison and contrast- classification and division-
process analysis and chronological order -cause and effect- argumentation and persuasion.

6. - Editing and revising

7. Plagiarism

Some general notes to take into account:

• You have to work in the base of what we are learning every class; it means that
you have to include what you learn in the paragraphs that follow.

• When writing take into account the information provided by the teacher, but feel
free to research by your own and complement it and come up with a great
paragraph.

• The amount of letters for writing your paragraphs is using an average of 150 to
300 words, but if you think you need more, don’t hesitate and just write as much
you find enough to be understood.

• Leave a line between lines when you write.

• During this period you are going to be evaluated by an accumulative grade.

 • If you have any doubt my dear student just ask me and I will be always willing to
help.

Useful information for boosting your Writing process

Steps for writing

There are mostly Four Steps:

Each of us has to discover the approach that works best on any particular occasion. We
can, however, identify a few basic steps that most successful writers follow in one way or
another:

Discovering (also known as invention): finding a topic and coming up with something
to say about it. A few of the discovery strategies that can help you get started are free writing,
probing, listing, and brainstorming.

Drafting: putting ideas down in some rough form. A first draft is generally messy and
repetitive and full of mistakes--and that's just fine. The purpose of a rough draft is to capture
ideas and supporting details, not compose a perfect paragraph or essay on the first attempt.

Revising: changing and rewriting a draft to make it better. In this step, you try to anticipate
the needs of your readers by rearranging ideas and reshaping sentences to make clearer
connections.

Editing and Proofreading: carefully examining a paper to see that it contains no errors of
grammar, spelling, or punctuation.

The four stages overlap, and at times you may have to back up and repeat a stage, but that
doesn't mean you have to focus on all four stages at the same time.

Writing Suggestion: Describe Your Writing Process

In a paragraph or two, describe your own writing process--the steps that you
ordinarily follow when composing a paper. How do you get started? Do you
write several drafts or just one? If you revise, what sort of things do you look
for and what sort of changes do you tend to make? How do you edit and
proofread, and what types of errors do you most often find? Hold on to this
description, and then look at it again in a month or so to see what changes you
have made in the way you write.
Basic Characteristics of Effective Writing
• Good writing has a clearly defined purpose.

• It makes a definite point.

• It supports that point with specific information.

• The information is clearly connected and arranged.

• The words are appropriate, and the sentences are concise, emphatic, and correct.

• Good writing is the result of a lot of practice and hard work. This fact should
encourage you: it means that the ability to write well is not a gift that some people are
born with, not a privilege extended to only a few. If you're willing to work, you can
improve your writing.

Most professional writers—those people who make writing look easy—will be the first ones to
tell you that often it's not easy at all:

"There is no rule on how to write. Sometimes it comes easily and perfectly: sometimes it's like
drilling rock and then blasting it out with charges."

(Ernest Hemingway)

"If I have anything to say to young writers, it's stop thinking of writing as art. Think of it as
work. It's hard physical work. You keep saying, 'No, that's wrong, I can do it better.'"

(Paddy Chayefsky, interviewed by John Brady in The Craft of the Screenwriter. Simon &
Schuster, 1981)

"One is never happy. If a writer is too happy with his writing, something is wrong with him. A
real writer always feels as if he hasn't done enough. This is the reason he has the ambition to
rewrite, to publish things, and so on. The bad writers are very happy with what they do. They
always seem surprised about how good they are. I would say that a real writer sees that he
missed a lot of opportunities."

(Isaac Bashevis Singer, quoted by Valerie Wells in "Isaac B. Singer on Writing, Life, Love and
Death." [Miami] Sun-Sentinel, August 4, 1991)

"Writing is just work—there's no secret. If you dictate or use a pen or type or write with your
toes—it's still just work."(Sinclair Lewis)

Don't be discouraged by the thought that writing rarely comes easily to anyone. Instead, keep
in mind that regular practice will make you a better writer. As you sharpen your skills, you'll
gain confidence and enjoy writing more than you did before.

Paragraphing Basics

"The following principles should guide the way paragraphs are written for
undergraduate assignments:

• Every paragraph should contain a single developed idea...

• The key idea of the paragraph should be stated in the opening sentence of
the paragraph...

• Use a variety of methods to develop your topic sentences...

• Finally, use connectives between and within paragraphs to unify your

writing..." (Lisa Emerson, "Writing Guidelines for Social Science
Students," 2nd ed. Thomson/Dunmore Press, 2005)
Structuring Paragraphs

"Long paragraphs are daunting—rather like mountains—and they are easy to

get lost in, for both readers and writers. When writers try to do too much in a
single paragraph, they often lose the focus and lose contact with the
larger purpose or point that got them into the paragraph in the first place.
Remember that old high school rule about one idea to a paragraph? Well, it's
not a bad rule, though it isn't exactly right because sometimes you need more
space than a single paragraph can provide to lay out a complicated phase of
your overall argument. In that case, just break wherever it seems reasonable to
do so in order to keep your paragraphs from becoming ungainly.

"When you draft, start a new paragraph whenever you feel yourself getting
stuck—it's the promise of a fresh start. When you revise, use paragraphs as a
way of cleaning up your thinking, dividing it into its most logical parts."
(David Rosenwasser and Jill Stephen, "Writing Analytically," 5th ed. Thomson
Wadsworth, 2009)
Editing by Ear for Paragraphs

"We think of paragraphing as an organizational skill and may teach it in

conjunction with the prewriting or planning stages of writing. I have found,
however, that young writers understand more about paragraphing and
cohesive paragraphs when they learn about them in conjunction with editing.
When developing writers know the reasons for paragraphing, they more
readily apply them in the editing stage than in drafting.

"Just as students can be trained to hear end punctuation, they can also learn to
hear where new paragraphs start and when sentences are off the topic."
(Marcia S. Freeman, "Building a Writing Community: A Practical Guide," rev.
ed. Maupin House, 2003)

After revising an essay (perhaps several times) until we're satisfied with its
basic content and structure, we still need to edit our work. In other words, we
need to examine our sentences to make sure that each one is clear, concise,
forceful, and free of mistakes.

Use this checklist as a guide when editing paragraphs and essays.

• Is each sentence clear and complete?

• Can any short, choppy sentences be improved by combining them?

• Can any long, awkward sentences be improved by breaking them down

into shorter units and recombining them?

• Can any wordy sentences be made more concise?

• Can any run-on sentences be more

effectively coordinated or subordinated?

• Does each verb agree with its subject?

• Are all verb forms correct and consistent?

 • Do pronouns refer clearly to the appropriate nouns?

• Do all modifying words and phrases refer clearly to the words they are

intended to modify?

• Is each word in the essay appropriate and effective?

• Is each word spelled correctly?

• Is the punctuation correct?

 
Cohesion Strategies: A List of Transitional Words and Phrases
Here we'll consider how transitional words and phrases can help make our writing
clear and cohesive.
A key quality of an effective paragraph is unity. A unified paragraph sticks to one
topic from start to finish, with every sentence contributing to the central purpose and
main idea of that paragraph.
But a strong paragraph is more than just a collection of loose sentences. Those
sentences need to be clearly connected so that readers can follow along, recognizing
how one detail leads to the next.
A paragraph with clearly connected sentences is said to be cohesive.
The following paragraph is unified and cohesive. Notice how the italicized words and
phrases (called transitions) guide us along, helping us see how one detail leads to the
next.
Why I Don't Make My Bed
Ever since I moved into my own apartment last fall, I have gotten out of the habit of making
my bed--except on Fridays, of course, when I change the sheets. Although some people may
think that I am a slob, I have some sound reasons for breaking the bed-making habit.  In the
first place, I am not concerned about maintaining a tidy bedroom because no one except me
ever ventures in there. If there is ever a fire inspection or a surprise date, I suppose I can dash
in there to fluff up the pillow and slap on a spread.Otherwise, I am not bothered. In addition, I
find nothing uncomfortable about crawling into a rumpled mass of sheets and blankets. On
the contrary, I enjoy poking out a cozy space for myself before drifting off to sleep. Also, I
think that a tightly made bed is downright uncomfortable: entering one makes me feel like a
loaf of bread being wrapped and sealed. Finally, and most importantly, I think bed-making is
an awful way to waste time in the morning. I would rather spend those precious minutes
checking my email or feeding the cat than tucking in corners or snapping the spread.

Transitional words and phrases guide readers from one sentence to the next. Although
they most often appear at the beginning of a sentence, they may also show
up after the subject.
Here are some of the most common transitional expressions in English, grouped
according to the type of relationship shown by each.
1. Addition Transitions
and
also
besides
first, second, third
in addition
in the first place, in the second place, in the third place
furthermore
moreover
to begin with, next, finally

Example
"In the first place, no 'burning' in the sense of combustion, as in the burning of wood,
occurs in a volcano; moreover, volcanoes are not necessarily
mountains; furthermore, the activity takes place not always at the summit but more
commonly on the sides or flanks; and finally, the 'smoke' is not smoke but condensed
steam."
(Fred Bullard, Volcanoes in History, in Theory, in Eruption)
2. Cause-Effect Transitions
accordingly
and so
as a result
consequently
for this reason
hence
so
then
therefore
thus

Example
"The study of human chromosomes is in its infancy, and so it has only recently become
possible to study the effect of environmental factors upon them."
(Rachel Carson, Silent Spring)
3. Comparison Transitions
by the same token
in like manner
in the same way
in similar fashion
likewise
similarly

Example
"The heaping together of paintings by Old Masters in museums is a catastrophe;likewise, a
collection of a hundred Great Brains makes one big fathead."
(Carl Jung, "Civilization in Transition")

4. Contrast Transitions
but
however
in contrast
instead
nevertheless
on the contrary
on the other hand
still
yet

Example
"Every American, to the last man, lays claim to a 'sense' of humor and guards it as his
most significant spiritual trait, yet rejects humor as a contaminating element
wherever found. America is a nation of comics and comedians; nevertheless, humor
has no stature and is accepted only after the death of the perpetrator."
(E. B. White, "The Humor Paradox")
5. Conclusion and Summary Transitions
and so
after all
at last
finally
in brief
in closing
in conclusion
on the whole
to conclude
to summarize

Example
"We should teach that words are not the things to which they refer. We should teach
that words are best understood as convenient tools for handling reality. . . . Finally,
we should teach widely that new words can and should be invented if the need arises."
(Karol Janicki, Language Misconceived)
6. Example Transitions
as an example
for example
for instance
specifically
thus
to illustrate
Example
"With all the ingenuity involved in hiding delicacies on the body, this process
automatically excludes certain foods. For example, a turkey sandwich is welcome, but
the cumbersome cantaloupe is not."
(Steve Martin, "How to Fold Soup")
7. Insistence Transitions
in fact
indeed
no
yes

Example
"The ideas of economists and political philosophers, both when they are right and
when they are wrong, are more powerful than is commonly understood. Indeed the
world is ruled by little else."
(John Maynard Keynes, The General Theory of Employment, Interest, and Money)
8. Place Transitions
above
alongside
beneath
beyond
farther along
in back
in front
nearby
on top of
to the left
to the right
under
upon

Example
"Where the wall turns up to the right you can continue by the beck but a better path is
to be found by turning with the wall and then going to the left through the bracken."
(Jim Grindle, One Hundred Hill Walks in the Lake District)
9. Restatement Transitions
in other words
in short
in simpler terms
that is
to put it differently
to repeat

Example
"Anthropologist Geoffrey Gorer studied the few peaceful human tribes and discovered
one common characteristic: sex roles were not polarized. Differences of dress and
occupation were at a minimum. Society, in other words, was not using sexual
blackmail as a way of getting women to do cheap labor, or men to be aggressive."
(Gloria Steinem, "What It Would Be Like If Women Win")
10. Time Transitions
afterward
at the same time
currently
earlier
formerly
immediately
in the future
in the meantime
in the past
later
meanwhile
previously
simultaneously
subsequently
then
until now

Example
At first a toy, then a mode of transportation for the rich, the automobile was designed
as man's mechanical servant. Later it became part of the pattern of living.
 
Coherence in Composition
In composition, coherence refers to the meaningful connections that
readers or listeners perceive in a written or oral text, often called linguistic or
discourse coherence, and can occur on either the local or global level, depending
on the audience and writer.

Coherence is directly increased by the amount of guidance a writer

provides to the reader, either through context clues or through direct use of
transitional phrases to direct the reader through an argument or narrative.

Word choice and sentence and paragraph structure influence the

coherence of a written or spoken piece, but cultural knowledge, or
understanding of the processes and natural orders on the local and global
levels, can also serve as cohesive elements of writing. 
Guiding the Reader
 It is important in composition to maintain the coherence of a piece by
leading the reader or listener through the narrative or process by
providing elements to the form. In "Marking Discourse Coherence," They state
that the reader or listener's understanding of coherence "is influenced by the
degree and kind of guidance given by the speaker: the more guidance is given,
the easier it is for the hearer to establish the coherence according to the
speaker's intentions."

Transitional words and phrases like "therefore," "as a result," "because"

and the like serve to move connect one posit to the next, either through cause
and effect or correlation of data, while other transitional elements like
combining and connecting sentences or repetition of keywords and structures
can similarly guide the reader to make connections in tandem with their
cultural knowledge of the topic.

Thomas S. Kane describes this cohesive element as "flow" in "The New

Oxford Guide to Writing," wherein these "invisible links which bind the
sentences of a paragraph can be established in two basic ways." The first, he
says, is to establish a plan in the first of the paragraph and introduce each new
idea with a word marking its place in this plan while the second concentrates
on the successive linking of sentences to develop the plan through connecting
each sentence to the one before it.
Constructing Coherence Relations

Coherence in composition and constructionist theory relies on a readers'

local and global understanding of the written and spoken language, inferring
the binding elements of text that help guide them through understanding the
author's intentions. 

As Arthur C. Graesser, Peter Wiemer-Hasting and Katka Wiener-

Hastings put it in "constructing Inferences and Relations during Text
Comprehension," local coherence "is achieved if the reader can connect the
incoming sentence to information in the previous sentence or to the content in
working memory." On the other hand, global coherence comes from the major
message or point of the structure of the sentence or from an earlier statement in
the text. 

If not driven by these global or local understanding, the sentence is

typically given coherence by explicit features like anaphoric references,
connectives, predicates, signaling devices and transitional phrases. 

In any case, coherence is a mental process and the Coherence Principle

accounts for "the fact that we do not communicate by verbal means only,"
according to Edda Weigand's "Language as Dialogue: From Rules to
Principles." Ultimately, then, it comes down to the listener or leader's own
comprehension skills, their interaction with the text, that influences the true
coherence of a piece of writing.

Here are 10 writers and editors, ranging from Cicero to Stephen

King, offering their thoughts on the differences between good
writers and bad writers.

1. Don't Expect It to Be Easy

You know what, it is so funny. A good writer will always find it very hard to fill a single page.
A bad writer will always find it easy.

(Aubrey Kalitera, Why Father Why, 1983)

2. Master the Fundamentals

I am approaching the heart of this book with two theses, both simple.

The first is that good writing consists of mastering the fundamentals (vocabulary, grammar,
the elements of style) and then filling the third level of your toolbox with the right instruments.
The second is that while it is impossible to make a competent writer out of a bad writer, and
while it is equally impossible to make a great writer out of a good one, it is possible, with lots
of hard work, dedication, and timely help, to make a good writer out of a merely competent
one.

(Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, 2000)

3. Say What You Think

A bad writer is a writer who always says more than he thinks. A good writer--and here we
must be careful if we wish to arrive at any real insight--is a writer who does not say more
than he thinks.

(Walter Benjamin, journal entry, Selected Writings: Volume 3, 1935-1938)

4. Reach for the Best Word

It is the misuse and overuse of vogue words that the good writer must guard against.

. . . It is extraordinary how often you will find vogue words accompanied in the same sentence
by pretentiousness or sloppiness or other signs of sickness. No motorist is to be blamed for
sounding his horn. But if he sounds it repeatedly we are not only offended by the noise; we
suspect him of being a bad driver in other respects too.

(Ernest Gowers, The Complete Plain Words, revised by Sidney Greenbaum and Janet Whitcut,
2002)

5. Order Your Words

The difference between a good and a bad writer is shown by the order of his words as much as
by the selection of them.

(Marcus Tullius Cicero, "The Oration for Plancius," 54 B.C.)

6. Attend to the Details

There are bad writers who are exact in grammar, vocabulary, and syntax, sinning only
through their insensitivity to tone. Often they are among the worst writers of all. But on the
whole, it can be said that bad writing goes to the roots: It has already gone wrong beneath its
own earth. Since much of the language is metaphorical in origin, a bad writer will scramble
metaphors in a single phrase, often in a single word...

Competent writers always examine what they have put down. Better-than-competent writers
—good writers—examine their effects before they put them down: They think that way all the
time. Bad writers never examine anything. Their inattentiveness to the detail of their prose is
part and parcel of their inattentiveness to the detail of the outside world.

(Clive James, "Georg Christoph Lichtenberg: Lessons on How to Write." Cultural Amnesia,
2007)

7. Don't Fake It
In the course of a fairly long work, there are bound to be impasses.

The writer must backtrack and choose other alternatives, observe more, and sometimes have
bad headaches till he invents something. Here lies the distinction between a good writer and a
bad writer. A good writer does not fake it and try to make it appear, to himself or the reader,
that there is a coherent and probable whole when there isn't. If the writer is on the right track,
however, things fall serendipitously into place; his sentences prove to have more meaning and
formative power that he expected; he has new insights; and the book "writes itself."

(Paul Goodman, "Apology for Literature." Commentary, July 1971)

8. Know When to Quit

Everyone who writes strives for the same thing. To say it swiftly, clearly, to say the hard thing
that way, using few words. Not to gum up the paragraph. To know when to quit when you've
done.

And not to have hangovers of other ideas sifting in unnoticed. Good writing is precisely like
good dressing. Bad writing is like a badly dressed woman--improper emphasis, badly chosen
colors.

(William Carlos Williams, review of Sol Funaroff's The Spider and the Clock, in New Masses,
August 16, 1938)

9. Lean on Editors

The less competent the writer, the louder his protests over the editing. . . . Good writers lean on
editors; they would not think of publishing something that no editor had read. Bad writers
talk about the inviolable rhythm of their prose.

(Gardner Bots ford, A Life of Privilege, Mostly, 2003)

10. Dare to Be Bad

And so, in order to be a good writer, I have to be willing to be a bad writer. I have to be willing
to let my thoughts and images be as contradictory as the evening firing its fireworks outside
my window. In other words, let it all in--every little detail that catches your fancy. You can
sort it out later--if it needs any sorting.

(Julia Cameron, The Right to Write: An Invitation and Initiation Into the Writing Life, 2000)
And finally, here's a cheerless note to good writers from English novelist and essayist Zadie
Smith: Resign yourself to the lifelong sadness that comes from never being satisfied.