Glossary
Balance (in writing)
Giving appropriate attention and detail to each main point or supporting idea, ensuring no single part overshadows others unnecessarily.
Example:
Achieving balance in your essay means dedicating sufficient paragraphs to each of your three main supporting points.
Beginning, Middle, End
A fundamental structural principle for organizing any piece of writing, comprising an introduction, main body, and conclusion.
Example:
Every effective essay follows the Beginning, Middle, End structure, ensuring a clear introduction, developed arguments, and a strong conclusion.
Boundaries (in writing)
Structural elements in writing that organize ideas, define scope, and guide readers through a text, making it clear and coherent.
Example:
Using a new paragraph to introduce a contrasting viewpoint helps establish clear boundaries between ideas.
Central Argument
The main point or thesis that an essay or passage aims to prove or support, serving as the foundation for all supporting details.
Example:
Your essay's central argument should be clearly stated in your introduction and consistently supported throughout.
Challenging Questions
Complex or difficult prompts that require careful analysis, breaking down into smaller parts, and strategic planning before attempting to answer.
Example:
When faced with a challenging question, it's best to outline your response before you start writing to ensure coherence.
Common Pitfalls
Frequent mistakes or errors that students often make in writing, such as vague language, lack of focus, or insufficient support for claims.
Example:
A common pitfall in argumentative essays is failing to provide specific evidence to back up general statements.
Conceptual Boundaries
Phrases that focus discussion on particular themes, topics, or abstract ideas, narrowing the scope of analysis.
Example:
When you write 'Regarding the ethical implications,' you are setting a conceptual boundary for your analysis.
Concluding Sentences
Sentences that summarize the key points of a paragraph or section and often provide a transition to the next idea or the overall conclusion.
Example:
A good concluding sentence not only wraps up the paragraph but also subtly hints at the upcoming discussion.
Focus (in writing)
Maintaining a clear and consistent direction in your writing by minimizing irrelevant information and concentrating on the main topic or argument.
Example:
To maintain focus, avoid tangents that distract from your primary discussion about the impact of social media.
Headings & Subheadings
Titles and subtitles used to create a hierarchy of information, organizing content into distinct sections and subsections.
Example:
Using Headings & Subheadings like 'Introduction' and 'Key Findings' helps readers quickly navigate a research paper.
Logical Sequence
Arranging ideas in a rational and coherent order that makes sense to the reader, often moving from general to specific or cause to effect.
Example:
Presenting the problem, then the proposed solution, and finally the expected outcome demonstrates a clear logical sequence.
Narrative Arc
The overall flow or progression of a story or argument, creating engagement and guiding the reader from beginning to end.
Example:
A compelling narrative arc in a historical essay might start with a problem, explore its development, and conclude with its resolution.
Organizational Patterns
Established methods for arranging information within a text, such as chronological, spatial, or thematic order, to create a logical flow.
Example:
Choosing a chronological organizational pattern is ideal when describing historical events in sequence.
Pacing (in writing)
The speed at which information is presented and developed, emphasizing key points with more detail and moving quickly through less critical information.
Example:
Slowing down to elaborate on a crucial piece of evidence demonstrates effective pacing in your argumentative essay.
Paragraph Structure
The internal organization of a paragraph, typically including a topic sentence, supporting details, and a concluding sentence, ensuring clarity and focus.
Example:
Mastering paragraph structure means each paragraph has a clear main idea and sufficient evidence to support it.
Paragraphs
Visual chunks of text that group related ideas, serving as mini-essays within a larger piece of writing.
Example:
Each new point in your argument should begin with a fresh paragraph to improve readability.
Parallel Structure
Using similar grammatical constructions or sentence structures to express related ideas, enhancing clarity, rhythm, and organization.
Example:
The speaker emphasized 'what we have done, what we are doing, and what we will do,' using parallel structure for emphasis.
Proofread
To carefully read through a written text to identify and correct errors in grammar, spelling, punctuation, and overall clarity before submission.
Example:
Always proofread your essay at least once to catch any typos or grammatical errors that could cost you points.
Purpose of Boundaries
The fundamental reason for using boundaries in writing, which is to define scope, create structure, maintain clarity, emphasize key points, and guide readers effectively.
Example:
A well-defined purpose of boundaries ensures that your essay on climate change stays focused on solutions rather than just problems.
Repetition (as a boundary/cohesion tool)
The strategic re-use of key phrases, words, or ideas to reinforce main points, create emphasis, and enhance cohesion throughout a text.
Example:
The repeated phrase 'We must act now' serves as a powerful repetition to underscore the urgency of the message.
Rhetorical Questions
Questions posed for effect or to introduce a topic, rather than to elicit a direct answer, often used to engage the reader or provoke thought.
Example:
Starting a section with 'But what about the long-term consequences?' is an effective use of a rhetorical question to shift focus.
Spatial Boundaries
Words or phrases that limit discussion to specific geographic areas or physical locations, providing a sense of place.
Example:
Describing events 'Across the vast plains' or 'Within the bustling city' uses spatial boundaries to define the setting.
Strategic Boundaries
The intentional and purposeful use of various boundary types (e.g., paragraphs, transitions, headings) to emphasize key points and effectively guide the reader through a text.
Example:
Using a bold subheading to introduce a critical finding is an example of employing strategic boundaries.
Time Management
The practice of planning and controlling how much time is spent on specific activities, especially during an exam, to ensure all tasks are completed.
Example:
Effective time management during the SAT means allocating specific minutes to each section and question type.
Time Markers
Words or phrases that establish chronological limits or indicate a specific period, helping to organize events or discussions sequentially.
Example:
The phrase 'During the Industrial Revolution' acts as a time marker, setting the historical context for the discussion.
Topic Sentences
Sentences, typically at the beginning of a paragraph, that introduce the main idea or argument of that specific paragraph.
Example:
A strong topic sentence like 'Renewable energy offers numerous environmental benefits' clearly sets the stage for the rest of the paragraph.
Transitional Phrases
Words or phrases that smoothly connect ideas, sentences, and paragraphs, signaling shifts in thought or relationships between concepts.
Example:
Words like 'however,' 'consequently,' and 'in addition' are effective transitional phrases that link your arguments.
White Space
The empty areas on a page or screen, used as visual breaks to separate distinct sections, ideas, or paragraphs, improving readability.
Example:
Generous white space around headings makes the text less daunting and easier to scan.