informative essay

[Tdol]

Here are a few guidelines for quoting:

In British and American academic institutions it is absolutely essential to make sure that all references are credited correctly.

A quote, where the exact words are taken from the source and used in the writing, must be enclosed in inverted commas (" "), or separated from the text by a colon (:), with the quote starting on the next line, for longer quotes.

The source should always be credited directly after a quote. It is enough to put the surname of the author and the date of publication in brackets () after a short quote. After a long quote, put the title, author and page number. All sources should be credited fully in the bibliography

If ideas are used from a book, it should still be credited, even if the exact words are not used. Use the (Author, Date) method and include in full in the bibliography

[Ibeke]

Originally Posted by whatupdoc

hi im trying to write a informative essay for my english class (english 101), but i dont remeber the layout. like introduction, body,etc... i got a few questions:

1.) can someone tell me the layout?
2.) how many paragraphs are in a informative essay?
3.) how many pages (typed) should it be?
4.) i need to use some sources from a book to write a informative essay, can someone tell me the format for that also? i really forgot how to quote from a book

1. INTRODUCTION

Search for a catchy start off...You could use quotes or rhetorical questions, something to get the reader's attention. From the moment you've got that, you'll introduce him in short to the subject you're writing on


2. ELABORATION ON SUBJECT

It's best to split the elaboration on your subjects up into parts. For example the history of the subject in one paragraph, the contemporary findings in another, the features in another, etc...All of these parapgraphs need to be logically linked by means of variable conjunctions. So don't go:

paragraph 1

bla bla bla...

paragraph 2

And jadejadeja...

pragraph 3

And blabla...

Try to use different conjunctions so that reading will be smooth for the reader.

Then when you finish your elaboration on the subject, you shortly summarize what you have just said, before going over to the...


3. CONCLUSION

And that should make a good informative essay, I think.


° Standard formats we use is Times 12 pt. and lay-out is 1.5 lead.

° Quoting is done as such:


Did politics have an impact on the language used at the TRC? In which ways was the interaction
between commissioners and testifiers an illustration of the political climate?

(Verdoolaege 2003: 3)


So you write the text you are quoting followed by between brackets:

1. Name author
2. Year of Publication
3. Colon
4. Page of quote

[Ibeke]

Originally Posted by whatupdoc

("title", author, page 3) like that?

In Belgium it's: (author year:page), in your bibliography you include details such as: title of book, place of publication,...

[RonBee]

Originally Posted by Ibeke

Then when you finish your elaboration on the subject, you shortly summarize what you have just said, before going over to the...

May I interrupt? Say briefly there instead of shortly.

:)

[Ibeke]

Originally Posted by RonBee

May I interrupt? Say briefly there instead of shortly.

:)

Can you perhaps explain the difference to me?

Thanks
:wink:

[RonBee]

Originally Posted by Ibeke

Can you perhaps explain the difference to me?

Thanks
:wink:

In brief, yes, I think I can. But I will have to think about it for a while before I can do so. This is one of those cases inwhich it is easier for me to choose which word to use than it is to explain my choice. (Cas?)

While the words might appear to be synonyms, they are (IMHO) rarely if ever interchangeable.

:)

[Tdol]

I agree with Ron- I'd use 'briefly'. I use 'shortly' for time. 'In short' can be used as a way of reformulating something more clearly.

[RonBee]

Thanks for the help, Tdol. :D

As Tdol noted, one might say, "I'll be back shortly," but one would not say, "I'll be back briefly."

:)