Formal Literary Paragraph
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Transcript Formal Literary Paragraph
Formal Literary Paragraph
How to write one – structure, format,
language
What does it mean by formal?
Language – word choice and mechanics are
important
No personal pronouns – I, we, us you are not used
No contractions – can’t becomes can not, it’s becomes
it is
Avoid slang and cliches – kids is slang, therefore use
children
You take the attitude you are talking with someone
important and not your friends
Word Choice
Verb tense (the action of doing something) is
something that is happening now – every time the
book is opened, it is alive now
Keep verb tense in the present tense – i.e. He says,
NOT he said
Structure
Topic sentence
Point
Context and proof
Explanation
Concluding sentence
Closer look at structure - topic
Topic sentence
When writing only one paragraph introduce author,
title of play (in italics), points to be examined
in a complete essay, the topic sentence will introduce
the ideas/points to be discussed in the paragraph
A topic is the material that is under examination in
the written work
Structure - point
Point – explains the what
A finer look at where in the work studied that the
topic is examined
Consider using a variety of areas in the text from
beginning to end to support the particular topic
Following the point, it is supported and linked further
to a specific example
Marked under a knowledge category
Structure – context/proof
Context – giving the reader an idea what is going on in the text
when the proof is provided
Proof – a direct example quoted from the text to provide evidence
for your point
Citation of quote in brackets behind quotation mark but before
period
author’s name the first time you refer to the work and number of page
in a book (Golding 55)
In Shakespeare act, scene, line (Shakespeare 1.3.13-15)
Context/proof is one sentence linked together with appropriate
punctuation – a comma in instances where “he says,” or a semi
colon when the pause is longer
Marked as both knowledge (understands what is going on), and
thinking (chooses the most appropriate quote to support point)
Explains the where and when
Structure - explanation
Explanation – also known as link or analysis
Explain how and why the proof supports the point
Links material that happened earlier in the play or
what will happen
Offers insight to character or plot development
1 -2 sentences in length
Be concise and succinct and thoughtful
Marked under a thinking category
Concluding sentence
Examining the many units of
point/proof/explanation, wrap up what you have
written in these 9-12 sentences and link it back to
the topic sentence in one sentence
Vary word choice (use thesaurus) and sentence
structure
Typical paragraph
Topic sentence
Point #1
Context/proof #1
Explanation #1
Transition word + Point #2
Context/proof #2
Explanation#2
Transition word + Point #3
Context/proof #3
Explanation #3
Concluding sentence
Length
More than the amount of words, the proper structure
will determine length
Topic sentence – 1 sentence
Point – 1 sentence
Context and proof – “1 sentence” – proof will vary in
length, so technically your proof can be more than one
sentence from the text, but it is considered as a unit of one
sentence
Explanation – 1-2 sentences
Concluding sentence – 1 sentence
A paragraph of three p.p.e. will have 11-14 sentences
Approximately ¾ - 1 page typed, double-spaced, 12 font
is the norm
Order of p.p.e.
Within a body, 90% of the time the proof will be put
in order of appearance in the text
Act 1 comes before act 3 then act 5, so the proof will
shown accordingly as point/proof 1, then point/proof
2, etc.
Though not typical, you can have
point/proof/proof/explanation – two proofs can be
used to explain one point, and explained together –
these are linked together by transition words like
similarly, as well as, later
Format quoting one person dialogue
When only one person is quoted use the following
format
When Viola discovers a love triangle has formed, she
says, “time, thou must untangle this, not I:/it is too
hard a knot for me t’untie” (Shakespeare 2.2.39-40).
Note that the comma comes before the opening
quotation marks, there is a back slash to indicate a
line break in Shakespeare, and the period to end the
sentence comes after the citation
Format quoting multi dialogue pieces
Transitions
Using transitional words and phrases
helps papers read more smoothly, and at the same time
allows the reader to flow more smoothly from one point
to the next.
Transitions enhance logical organization and
understandability
and improve the connections between thoughts. They
indicate relations,
whether within a sentence, paragraph, or paper.
This list illustrates categories of "relationships"
between ideas,
followed by words and phrases that can make the
connections.
Examples of transitional words
furthermore
Finally
therefore
Otherwise
subsequently
consequently
Similarly
Conversely
Likewise
As a result of
Moreover
For instance