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Guiding Your Reader ENC1101 F19
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Guiding
Your Reader
ENC1101
FALL 2019
WHY STRUCTURE MATTERS
Just as we depend on structure to make sense of our worlds, readers depend on structure to make sense of the texts they read.
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As The Norton Field Guide states, effective structure "provides cues to help your readers navigate your text and understand the points you're trying to make" (386).
WHY STRUCTURE MATTERS
Structures to Consider
Structures to Consider
In "Thou Shalt Keep Thy Structure Holy" from The Pen Commandments, Steven Frank relates the structure of texts to other structures with which we are familiar:
- Skeletons that "hold us together--and up" (113);
- Cells, which have their own structures that ultimately create "our bones, organs, bile, and blood" (113);
- The parts and pieces of technological innovations and marvels of architecture
As Frank states, "Structure is the pattern that keeps things from falling apart--or down" (113). The structures of text aren't always readily apparent, but the success of our writing often hinges on whether or not our writing is well structured.
Titles
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While titles are an extremely important structural element, they can be easy to overlook when writing. One reason for this is that we don't always title our work at the beginning of the writing process, which is completely understandable. But before you finalize your work, make sure to return to the beginning and create a title (or revise a working title) specific to your content and appropriate to your rhetorical situation.
TITLES
Types of Titles
Types of Titles
One part of "honoring thy structure" is "to honor [your] work by giving it a name" (Frank 140). Humans, after all, have a penchant for naming things, since naming "strengthens our attachment to the thing we've named by making it more vivid, and, in a sense, more ours" (Frank 140).
Provoke or Entice
Use a Subtitle to Explain
Announce the Subject
Some titles include a subtitle to further explain or illuminate one's title.
Some titles are meant to provoke readers in order to entice them to continue reading.
Some titles are straightforward and simply announce the subject of the text.
e.g., "Kill 'Em! Crush 'Em! Eat 'Em Raw!"
e.g., The Pencil
e.g., Aria: Memoir of a Bilingual Childhood
A Review of What Thesis Statements Are
Where Do I Put My Thesis?
Thesis statements typically come at the end of your introduction; usually, they are the last line or two.
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As stated in The Norton Field Guide, a thesis "identifies the topic of your text along with the claim you are making about it" (387). A good thesis statement can help shape your essay and "forecast" to your reader what to expect from your writing.
Don't wait until the body of your essay or your conclusion to state your thesis statement! Sometimes this happens when you're still working through your thesis while writing. But always be sure to go back and make sure your thesis is in the right place.
Thesis statements are sometimes called "forecasts" or "roadmaps."
THESIS STATEMENTS
Moving from Topic to Thesis Statement
How to Move from Topic to Thesis Statement
1. State your topic as a question.
Stating your topic a a question makes sure you're actually making a claim.
2. Turn your question into a position.
A thesis statement needs to take a position or make a claim; if it doesn't, your work is likely to become mere summary rather than analysis. To make sure you're actually making an argument, answer the question you came up with in the first step.
How to Move from Topic to Thesis Statement
3. Narrow your thesis.
Ask more questions about your current thesis in order to narrow and focus your thesis even more. A good thesis needs to be specific in order to effectively guide your audience through your writing.
4. Qualify your thesis.
As we've discussed previously, there are always counterarguments to any argument, including the one your thesis is making. Qualifying focuses your thesis further by limiting your scope. Some good qualifying words include "probably," "sometimes," "may," and "often."
What Are Topic Sentences?
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Topic sentences state "the subject and focus of each paragraph" (389). Most of the time topic sentences are located at the beginning of a paragraph, though sometimes in more complex writing a topic sentence might be found at the end of the preceding paragraph, or at the end of the current paragraph.
TOPIC SENTENCES
A Helpful Way to Think about Topic Sentences
"A Paragraph Is Like a Room"
Steven Frank provides a helpful analogy: he compares a paragraph to a room and a topic sentence like a sign we hang on the door to that room.
Topic sentences are helpful not only in guiding your reader, but also in ensuring your paragraphs stay on track. Because each paragraph generally focuses on one main idea, a new topic sentence indicates a change in main idea and therefore necessitates a change in paragraphs.
Sometimes our ideas blur together, especially when we're writing our first drafts. We don't usually work through our ideas in the "right" order. Frank continues his simile by comparing a multi-paragraph (or multi-room) essay to a house, "a house which needs to have a solid foundation and a set of plans" (124).
Effective Transitions
As you build your essay, you'll need to use transitions to help guide your readers through your writing and thoughts. Transitions not only start and end paragraphs, but also move from sentence to sentence.
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Frank continues his house analogy throughout the chapter you all read. He compares transitions to hallways in a house, pathways that "alert the reader every time we shift our thoughts" (132).
TRANSITIONS
Some Examples of Transitions
Examples of Transitions
To signal cause and effect:
accordingly, as a result, because, consequently, hence, since, so, then, therefore
To signal comparisons:
also, another, equally, in addition to, in the same way, like, just as, likewise, moreover, similarly
To signal changes in direction or expectations:
although, as opposed to, but, even though, however, in contrast, in spite of, instead, nevertheless, nonetheless, on the contrary, on the one hand...on the other hand, still, unlike, whereas, yet
Some More Examples of Transitions
Examples of Transitions (cont'd)
To signal examples:
for example, for instance, indeed, in fact, one example, such as
To signal sequences or similarities:
again, also, and then, besides, finally, first (second, third, etc.), furthermore, last, moreover, next, too
To signal time relations:
after, as soon as, at first, at the same time, before, eventually, finally, immediately, later, meanwhile, next, simultaneously, so far, soon, suddenly, then, thereafter, when
To signal a summary or conclusion:
as a result, as we have seen, finally, in a word, in any event, in brief, in conclusion, in other words, in short, in the end, in the final analysis, on the whole, therefore, thus, to summarize
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CONCLUSIONS
Conclusions: Tying It All Together
Not too long ago we talked about the all-important questions, "So what?" and "Who cares?" Though you can demonstrate the importance of your topic throughout your work, your conclusion is a great place to answer those questions, too.
As Steven Frank writes, "[A conclusion] should wrap things up, offer a parting idea, and leave the reader with a desire to return" (139). He compares one's conclusion to escorting a guest (your reader) out of your house (your essay). If you want your guest to return, Frank suggests that a "gentle, affectionate good-bye" or even a parting "party favor" can do the trick (138-39).
A solid conclusion is the final building block of the house you build, so don't squander the opportunity! Frank gives great advice: "Be a true craftsman when you write" (142). Keep your structure "holy" in order to build a "house of words we can visit forever" (142), one you feel proud of and into which you want to welcome others.