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WE 021 Qualities of Writing

Teacher Tips and Answers

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Qualities of Writing

Imagine you wanted to play baseball. What would you need? Well, first of all, you’d need to gather some friends and equipment. Then you’d have to set up bases in a field somewhere. And finally, of course, you would have to follow the rules of the game.

Writing is similar. You start by gathering ideas. Then you organize them into a structure—your field of play. And the whole time that you write, you need to follow the rules of language, which are called conventions.

Those are the qualities of writing: ideas, structure, and conventions. This chapter will help you understand all three qualities.

Then you can play ball!

What’s Ahead

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Understanding Structure

The dictionary defines structure as “something that has been built.” A house needs a structure to hold up the walls and the roof. Writing also needs a structure to “hold up” the ideas.

Creating Three Main Parts

Writing is built part by part, starting with the beginning. It continues with the middle part and finishes with the ending. This is a basic rule of structure, no matter what kind of writing you are doing—a paragraph, an essay, or even a story. You must always include all three parts to form a complete piece of writing.

Beginning 🟪

The beginning of a paragraph is the topic sentence. This sentence names the topic and states what you plan to say about it.

The beginning paragraph of an essay includes a lead sentence that names the topic and gets the reader’s interest. The other sentences build up to the focus or thesis statement, which tells what you plan to say about the topic. Here are four ways to write a lead sentence:

Start with interesting details about the topic.
Ask the reader a question.
Begin with an important quotation.
Share a brief story about the topic.

Middle 🟪

The middle sentences in a paragraph support the topic. These sentences may give facts, definitions, examples, and so on. The middle paragraphs in an essay support the focus statement. The number of middle paragraphs depends on the number of main ideas and details you have to support the focus.

Ending 🟪

The ending sentence in a paragraph usually restates the topic. The ending paragraph in an essay should do two of these things:

Remind the reader of the focus.
Summarize your main ideas.
Emphasize one key point.
Give a final thought.

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Honoring Great Americans

Beginning What if you could choose three famous Americans to honor with a monument or statue? Would you choose more presidents or famous war generals? Focus Statement My choices would include three people who weren’t involved in politics or war.

Middle
First "Great American" My first choice is Helen Keller. When Keller was only two, a serious illness left her deaf and blind. Later, a teacher named Anne Sullivan moved in with the Keller family and helped the girl learn to read and communicate. As an adult, Keller wrote and lectured about her life, and she became an inspiration to many people with disabilities.

Second "Great American" Astronaut Neil Armstrong is my second choice. In 1969, he and Edwin E. Aldrin, Jr., landed the Apollo 11 Lunar Module on the moon. Then Armstrong stepped out of the module, becoming the first man to set foot on the moon. He said, “That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind,” including all people in the accomplishment.

Third "Great American" Maya Moore is my final choice. From high school basketball through the WNBA, Moore has racked up 497 wins and only 78 losses. She won an Olympic gold, an NCAA Championship, a FIBA World Cup gold, and a WNBA Championship. Most amazingly she put that career on hold to work for reform of the criminal justice system.

Ending Famous presidents and war leaders deserve to be honored, but so do other important people like Helen Keller, Neil Armstrong, and Maya Moore. Each of these people achieved great things and became an important role model.

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Organizing Your Ideas

It is important to organize the information in your writing so it is easy to follow. You can organize details by time, by location, by cause and effect, and so on. Here are the main patterns of organization.

The Patterns of Organization

Time Order 🟪 When your purpose is to tell a story or show a process, use time order. (Time order is also called chronological order.) Transitions and linking words like those below are used with time order.

after

at the start

before

earlier

finally

first

later

meanwhile

now

second

soon

then

third

when

I like to bake bread. First, I soften the yeast in lukewarm water. Meanwhile, I heat milk and butter in a pan and add salt and sugar. Making sure the mixture isn’t too hot, I add the softened yeast. Then I mix in flour a few cups at a time to make a dough that I can knead. The dough should rise for about an hour. I punch it down and make a loaf. Finally, it’s time to bake!

Location 🟪 When your purpose is to describe something, you might organize your details by location—top to bottom, left to right, and so on. Transitions and prepositions like these can help you organize by location.

above

across

around

below

behind

beside

down

from

into

next to

over

through

My living room has a bay window looking out to my front yard. A window seat is built into it, with thick pillows piled on top. A lamp hangs overhead, and a book shelf stands beside the space. I climb into that little nook and then journey through the pages of a good book.

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Order of Importance 🟪 Reasons or qualities are often organized by their importance, starting or ending with the most important one.

above all

also

as well

best of all

finally

first of all

for example

for instance

for one thing

in addition

of course

most importantly

Being in Follow That Rabbit was the most fun I’ve ever had. For one thing, I got to play the Mad Hatter, who is very funny. Some of my lines made the audience roar. In addition, I got to work with a bunch of great people. We didn’t know each other to begin with, but we became friends. Best of all, one of my new friends, Evan, became my BFF. He played the March Hare. Now the Mad Hatter and the March Hare are riding bikes together all over town!

Cause-Effect 🟪 Sometimes in writing, you want to show how one thing causes another. You can do so by using verbs like “heats” or “brings” or “turns.” You can also do so by using transitions like those in the box below.

Causes

the main reason is

since

the main cause is

another reason

because

due to

Effects

the main effect is

as a result

resulting

then

therefore

afterward

The earth is tilted on its axis, which causes the change of seasons. In June, the Northern Hemisphere leans toward the sun, resulting in longer days. More sunshine north of the equator heats the ground and the air. The long hot days of summer follow. In December, the Northern Hemisphere leans away from the sun. Because of short days and indirect sunlight, that half of the globe cools down. Winter brings cold temperatures that turn rainstorms to snowstorms.

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Compare-Contrast 🟪 Comparing and contrasting two topics is another common purpose for writing. To organize a comparison-contrast essay, you might explain the similarities and then differences. These transitions are often used in compare-contrast writing.

Comparing

both

similarly

just as

in comparison

in the same way

and

Contrasting

although

despite

but

in contrast

while

on the other hand

People say you can’t compare apples to oranges. Of course you can! Both are fruits that grow on trees. They each taste sweet and contain seeds. You can buy apple juice as well as orange juice. However, they grow in very different climates. Apples can handle cold weather, but oranges need warmth and sunlight. As a citrus fruit, oranges are more acidic and tangy than apples. And who makes an orange pie for Thanksgiving?

Using Different Structures

An essay may follow one main pattern of organization but also use a combination of mini-patterns or structures within each paragraph. This paragraph uses contrast, cause, location, and time organization.

Dogs have trotted alongside us since we were hunter-gatherers. As a result, they love going on walks. By contrast, cats joined us when we were settled farmers, which makes them favor long naps. Because dogs were bred to work for human beings, they want to please us, and they can be easily trained. However, cats want to please themselves. Can they be trained? Sure, but you’ll work harder than they do. Dogs range from 200-pound mastiffs down to 5-pound toy breeds. Unlike their wolf cousins, many have juvenile features like floppy ears and waggy tails. Meanwhile, cats range in size from slim to chonker. But all are just tame versions of wildcats.

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Developing Your Ideas

To do your best writing, you need to learn as much as you can about your topic. Then you can develop ideas or “elaborate” on them.

Elaborating with Details

Facts and statistics give specific information.

The James Webb Space Telescope has spotted galaxies that formed 13.4 billion years ago.

Examples give a model or type of something.

Other space telescopes include Hubble and Kepler.

Explanations make main ideas clearer.

Ground-based telescopes have to peer up through atmosphere, which is like looking up from the bottom of a pool.

Definitions give the meanings of important terms.

Infrared observatories can see light below the visible spectrum.

Reasons answer the question “why?”

Webb has nearly tripled Hubble’s mirror size with a 21-foot span, which gives it much sharper resolution.

Reflections show the writer’s thoughts about an idea.

Webb gives us a vision to our past and future. Imagine being nearsighted your whole life and finally getting glasses. Your world suddenly comes into focus. That’s what Webb has done for all of us.

Graphics provide information in pictures.

"Pillars of Creation" courtesy NASA.gov

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Combining Types of Details

When you write paragraphs and essays, you can use different combinations of details to develop an idea. Here are some combinations you might use in your writing.

Main Idea, Example, and Explanation

The class clown dates back centuries. Medieval rulers kept court jesters for their funny jokes. The jester could say things that would get other people thrown in the dungeon. The class clown also keeps everyone laughing but risks a similar fate.

Main Idea: The class clown dates back centuries.
Example: Medieval rulers kept court jesters for their funny jokes.
Explanation: The jester could say things that would get other people thrown in the dungeon. The class clown also keeps everyone laughing but risks a similar fate.

Main Idea, Reason, and Explanation

A meme says traditions are “peer pressure from dead people.” That’s true if traditions outlive their purpose. But many traditions help people relate to past, present, and future. They are like an owner’s manual for being a person. You can follow tradition or break it. Either choice is valuable.

Main Idea: A meme says traditions are “peer pressure from dead people.” That’s true if traditions outlive their purpose.
Reason: But many traditions help people relate to past, present, and future.
Explanation: They are like an owner’s manual for being a person. You can follow tradition or break it. Either choice is valuable.

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Main Idea, Reasons, and Reflection

I’d like to stand up for video games. People complain that kids just stare for hours at a screen. No, that’s TV. Video games make kids use their brains and hands. Multiplayer games gather a whole group in one room or online. My life would be lonelier without Mario and Bowser and all the friends who race carts with me.

Main Idea I’d like to stand up for video games.
Reasons: People complain that kids just stare for hours at a screen. No, that’s TV. Video games make kids use their brains and hands. Multiplayer games gather a whole group in one room or online.
Reflection My life would be lonelier without Mario and Bowser and all the friends who race carts with me.

Main Idea, Anecdote, and Reflection

Here’s a key to life: notice it. I trudged to school yesterday like every day, not noticing a thing. Then I thought, “Find something beautiful.” I looked up and saw a squirrel chewing a black walnut. On a nearby porch sat a present in blue paper. How about that tabby in the window? Beauty everywhere. . . . I just had to notice.

Main Idea: Here’s a key to life: notice it.
Anecdote: I trudged to school yesterday like every day, not noticing a thing. Then I thought, “Find something beautiful.” I looked up and saw a squirrel chewing a black walnut. On a nearby porch sat a present in blue paper. How about that tabby in the window?
Reflection: Beauty everywhere. . . . I just had to notice.

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Using the Best Words and Sentences

It’s important to choose strong words and write clear sentences to develop your ideas in different types of writing. Follow these tips.

1. Use specific words.

Specific nouns, verbs, and modifiers give readers a clear picture of what you are trying to say. This is especially important in essays and reports, or any time you are sharing information. (See page 104.)

General Words

The park has many different types of trees. Some drop their leaves. Others do not.

Specific Words

Deciduous trees like oaks, elms, and maples, fill Central Park. The edges of its pond feature evergreens such as pines, spruces, and firs.

2. Make helpful comparisons.

When you write essays and reports, you need to explain your ideas to make them clear. One of the most effective ways to make an idea clearer is to create a comparison using a metaphor or simile. (See pages 103 and 104.)

Metaphor

This assignment is a mountain, but luckily I have climbing gear.

Simile

The morning sunlight was like melted butter—golden and warm and delicious.

3. Write effective sentences.

For sentences to be effective, they need to have movement and rhythm. That means using sentences that vary in length and the way they begin.

Hyenas are related to big cats but behave more like dogs. Like dogs, they hunt in packs, catch prey with their teeth instead of claws, and eat rapidly. Other behaviors, though, are catlike, such as how they form family groups and how they groom their fur. Of course, their famous laugh sounds almost human—and a bit spooky!

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4. Use language that matches your purpose and audience.

For many writing assignments, your purpose is to share information, and your audience is your classmates and teacher. For these assignments, use language that sounds important and interesting.

Popcorn pops because the water inside it turns to steam when heated. When enough pressure builds up, the hard outer hull ruptures, and the white insides expand to 30 times their previous size. People in Peru popped corn even in 4700 B.C.E.

My dog Eleanor weighs only seven pounds, but my cat Richard Parker weighs three times that much. They both love to cuddle on my lap at the computer, but not at the same time. Eleanor is sweet and sprightly, but R.P. is a curmudgeon.

5. Use language that sounds sincere.

It is important to write about topics that you really care about and to use language that reveals this feeling.

Frederick Douglass escaped from slavery in Maryland and fled to Massachusetts. There, he spoke and wrote passionately about ending slavery. His first autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, was published in 1845 and became a best-seller. It ignited the anti-slavery movement. After the Civil War, Douglass continued to speak on behalf of freed slaves. He also took up the cause of women’s right to vote. Douglass escaped oppression himself and spent his whole life helping others do so.

Tip Pay attention to the words used by your favorite authors and by classmates whose writing you enjoy reading or listening to. Then try to use similar words in your own writing.

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Following the Conventions

The conventions of writing are the rules for punctuation, capitalization, grammar, usage, and spelling. These rules make your writing accurate and easy to follow. Notice the difference without rules:

With No Rules

what is It like at the bottom of the Sea. cold dark Mysterious and exciting say oceanographer dan Anderson, Its a whole different world according to dr Anderson the best way. Too see the ocean be in a small submarine

With Correct Conventions

What is it like at the bottom of the sea? “Cold, dark, mysterious, and exciting,” says oceanographer Dan Anderson. “It’s a whole different world.” According to Dr. Anderson, the best way to see the ocean is in a small submarine.

Get Help with Conventions

Spelling

Punctuation

Marking Punctuation 431–442

Capitalization & Mechanics

Grammar

Sentence Structure

Editing

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Using a Qualities Checklist

The following checklist covers the qualities of writing included in this chapter. Use this list to check the quality of your own writing.

Developing the Structure

Does my writing contain a beginning, a middle, and an ending?
Does my beginning include a strong lead sentence and name my focus or thesis?
Do my middle paragraphs support the focus?
Does my ending paragraph restate the focus and give an important final thought?
Does my writing follow one main pattern of organization, and do I use other patterns within the paragraphs?