: Common Mistakes in Essay Writing and How to Avoid Them

Writing is a powerful tool for communication and connection. As an extension and expression of the mind, writing is as much about the mental processes of the author as it is about the final marks laid to paper. As we write, we hold in mind our own thoughts on the work, anticipate the reader’s thoughts, and think both in concrete and abstract ways in order to accomplish the task at hand. Whether an academic research paper, a novel, or text message to friends, writing seeks to engage, persuade, or impress concepts upon an audience. Like language and other art forms in general, the practice of writing is ever-evolving and is subject to cultural and contextual influence, expectations, and conventions. Each writer holds a theory

1. Paragraph One - Introduction (include a lead/hook, set the context for the essay, give the three main ideas, thesis statement is last sentence)

| The introductory paragraph provides a preamble, clearly states the essay topic and provides a clear statement of how the argument will be organized.(8.5-10)

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A full and complete paragraph consists of a MINIMUM of 8-10 sentences and follows a

Welcome to WritePoint, the automated review system that recognizes errors most commonly made by university students in academic essays. The system embeds comments into your paper and suggests possible changes in grammar and style. Please evaluate each comment carefully to ensure that the suggested change is appropriate for your paper, but remember that your instructor's preferences for style and format prevail. You will also need to review your own citations and references since WritePoint capability in this area is limited. Thank you for using WritePoint.

As my ninth-grade English teacher, Mrs. Newton would say, without a good hook to start your essay, no one will ever read it. As I was taught, a hook is a crucial part in your essay because it will help grab the audience’s attention so that they will continue to be invested throughout the paper. For example, the hook could be a question or a quote about the overall topic of your essay. In my junior year, we had to do a controversial essay and I used a quote from a famous tattoo artist as my hook because I did my essay over tattoos and piercings. After the hook, the introduction begins to take form and show the audience what your essay is about. The introduction is the first thing in your essay that will tell the audience what the essay is about. The introduction paragraph should be as interesting as the initial hook and keep the audience invested in the paper. It will establish the basis of the essay and should contain the thesis statement. The thesis statement is the point in your essay where you will state the topics that the essay will contain. In high school, we were taught that the thesis should contain the three points that you will elaborate upon in your three body paragraphs: the weakest point, the middle point, and the strongest point.

Initially, a writer should do an outline before starting any essay. An outline can help to organize his or her main points in order to build an introduction, body and conclusion. This method of pre writing was something that I had never been exposed to prior to receiving an example outline from Professor Vilceus. By studying the example, I went from zero knowledge about an outline to creating ones that made arranging essay material uncomplicated.

• A final draft of your essay, 750-1000 words long (approximately 3-4 pages of text)

Next, your are ready to start writing your actual essay. Your intro should not be more than three to four sentences; the purpose is for you to summarize your topic. For your introduction you need to have a good hook and a thesis

To set up your essay, you may use headings such as “introduction”, “Communication strategies” “Conclusion” etc. If you want. Or you can set it up so that each paragraphs are structured and there is good flow.

I have learned many things throughout the course of the term, including such things as: how to write an essay and how to improve on essays that I have already written, how to locate and composite better research through the use of numerous resources found at the campus library, the internet, and the “Common Sense” textbook, how to cite research, examples, and quotations properly within the contents of my research paper as well as document it accurately according to MLA standards. Through the exploration of the “Subjects and Strategies” textbook, I have learned nine different methods used when writing an effective essay and how the different writing styles affect the overall theme and tone of the essay when used properly. This past

Third but not least, the conclusion provides an almost mirror image of the introduction, wrapping up the arguments with a restatement of the thesis of your essay. I call this the bottom burger bun or in other words the conclusion. Holding it all together is the bottom bun of the hamburger or the conclusion to sum up all the key points of interest. The conclusion sentence should be interesting by giving it a call to action. As you can see a hamburger is easy to make like writing is not as hard as you think. Writing is very simple to do as preparing a hamburger.

To become a success in life, we all need to learn to become a good student in every aspect of life. Becoming a good student takes much work and self-discipline. There are many ways that a student can stand out from the rest of the class. These good students are distinguished by their attitude, intellectual skills, consciousness, and achievement.

Your essay should be written in the first person and should include a personal, reflective discussion, but should be scholarly and include a carefully