informative essay

[Anonymous]

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

 

[RonBee]

One commonly used format for essays is to tell the reader what you are going to tell him (explain what it is about), tell him (make your case--the body of the essay), then tell him what you told him (sum up the main points).

 

[RonBee]

For a good place to find numerous informative essays, go here: www.howstufworks.com

 

[RonBee]

Here are a couple of sites you might find interesting.

• Writing an Essay (explains the types of essays)
  http://www.hccs.edu/system/library/TipSheets/Essay.html
  
  Assignment #3 Expository Essay
  http://people.moreheadstate.edu/fs/d.mascle/expository.htm

 

[whatupdoc]

i know what to do and how to write it, i just need to know the actually layout. like how many paragraphs? and like first paragraph is intro, second is body, etc... or whatever

 

[RonBee]

The first paragraph is your introduction. The number of paragraphs can vary (but make sure you do have paragraphs). An essay can vary in length anywhere from one page to dozens of pages. The instructor in a college course usually specifies how long he (or she) wants the essay to be.

Perhaps you can post some of your essay here and we can critique it for you.

 

[whatupdoc]

ah i see thanks, it's been a long time since my last essay. does anyone know how to quote information you used from a book and put it right in the paper? ("book name" author) <---- is that right? we have to use 4 difference sources from the book, the book contains alot of information and stories about different stuff. so how would i quote the article?

 

[RonBee]

ah i see thanks, it's been a long time since my last essay. does anyone know how to quote information you used from a book and put it right in the paper? ("book name" author) <---- is that right? we have to use 4 difference sources from the book, the book contains alot of information and stories about different stuff. so how would i quote the article?

If something is a direct quote you need to put it in quotes. Cite the name of the book followed by the author. Cite the page number of the book.

You need to capitalize the first word of every sentence and also capitalize the pronoun I.

*a lot*

Welcome to our forum.

:hi:

 

[whatupdoc]

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

 

[RonBee]

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

Yep.

The abbreviation p. or pp. is normally used for page or pages.

 

[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]

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]

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

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

 

[RonBee]

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]

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.

Can you perhaps explain the difference to me?

Thanks
:wink:

 

[RonBee]

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.

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.

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