EXERCISES FOR THE ESSAY WRITING

COURSE
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BASIC STRUCTURE EXERCISE

Look at the following essay and identify the basic structure. Also, state which
sentences are main ideas of an essay and which sentences only support it!

Perica Perić

Dr. sc. Sanja Nikčević, izv. prof.

Essay Writing

5 October, 2007

A Cat is Man’s Best Friend

"A dog is man's best friend." That common saying may contain some truth, but dogs are

not the only animal friend whose companionship people enjoy. For many people, a cat is their

best friend. Despite what dog lovers may believe, cats make excellent house pets.

In the first place, people enjoy the companionship of cats. Many cats are affectionate.

They will snuggle up and ask to be petted, or scratched under the chin. Who can resist a purring

cat? If they're not feeling affectionate, cats are generally quite playful. They love to chase balls

and feathers, or just about anything dangling from a string. They especially enjoy playing when

their owners are participating in the game. Contrary to popular opinion, cats can be trained. Using

rewards and punishments, just like with a dog, a cat can be trained to avoid unwanted behavior or

perform tricks. Cats will even fetch!

In the second place, cats are civilized members of the household. Unlike dogs, cats do not

bark or make other loud noises. Most cats don't even meow very often. They generally lead a

quiet existence. Cats also don't often have "accidents." Mother cats train their kittens to use the

litter box, and most cats will use it without fail from that time on. Even stray cats usually

understand the concept when shown the box and will use it regularly. Cats do have claws, and

owners must make provision for this. A tall scratching post in a favorite cat area of the house will

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often keep the cat content to leave the furniture alone. As a last resort, of course, cats can be

declawed.

Lastly, one of the most attractive features of cats as house pets is their ease of care. Cats

do not have to be walked. They get plenty of exercise in the house as they play, and they do their

business in the litter box. Cleaning a litter box is a quick, painless procedure. Cats also take care

of their own grooming. Bathing a cat is almost never necessary because under ordinary

circumstances cats clean themselves. Cats are more particular about personal cleanliness than

people are. In addition, cats can be left home alone for a few hours without fear. Unlike some

pets, most cats will not destroy the furnishings when left alone. They are content to go about their

usual activities until their owners return.

Cats are low maintenance, civilized companions. People who have small living quarters or

less time for pet care should appreciate these characteristics of cats. However, many people who

have plenty of space and time still opt to have a cat because they love the cat personality. In

many ways, cats are the ideal housepet.

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MECHANICS II EXERCISES

Correct any faulty capitalization, italics, abbreviations, and numbers in the

following sentences. Be prepared to explain your choice. Note that some of the
sentences are correct.

1. I can't remember who wrote The sound and the fury.

2. Senator Hilary Clinton is running for the president of the United states.
3. Although Rushid is a Moslem, he is very knowledgeable about the bible,
especially the old testament.
4. Colson, the doctor, knew his medicine, but his manner made his patients
nervous.
5. African-americans do not like to be called Blacks.
6. My favorite pieces of art are Michelangelo's David and da Vinci's Mona Lisa.
7. The director warned the writer that the screenplay for Ophelia in Love had better
be finished happily.
8. Both the New Testament and the Old Testament of the Bible offer profound
lessons in human nature.
9. San Francisco's major newspapers are the Chronicle and the Examiner.
10. The essay contains many puns and jeux de mots.
11.One prof. spent 5 hrs. reading from the handbook.
12.Mount Vesuvius erupted in anno domini 79 and buried Pompeii.
13.The dog is thirty in. high but it can dig a six ft. deep hole.
14.The speed limit on that road is 75 miles per hour.
15.Prof. Abbott has office hrs. on Tues., Wed., and Thur. in the A.M.
16.I lost a trivia game because I forgot that sixteen hundred Pennsylvania Avenue is
the White House.
17.Not until page ninety-nine, in the middle of the Chapter five does the author
introduce the main character.
18.Carol paid one hundred and forty-five dollars for a bridesmaid's dress.
19.She got up at two o'clock and her brother at 2.30 in the afternoon.
20.103 of the opening-night audience asked for the refund.

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EXCERCISES FOR PARAGRAPH

I.
The following paragraph does not support the central idea. Identify the topic
sentence and delete any irrelevant material.

Most people don't realize how difficult it is to work and go to school at the same time. If you
want to make good grades but you need to pay your own way, the burdens are tremendous. I
work in an office sixteen hours a week. Each term I have to work out a tight schedule that will let
me take the courses I want and still be at work when I’m needed. I like the job. The people there
are pleasant and they are eager to help me learn. In the end my job will be good training for the
kind of managerial position I hope to have some day, because I’m gaining useful experience in
office procedures and working with people. It’s hard for me to have a job and go to school, but
when I graduate both will make me more employable.

II.
Revise the sentences and add transitional phrases in the following paragraph so
the thought flows smoothly from one sentence to the next.

Cable television sounds like a good idea at first. All available local channels can be piped into a
television set for a relatively low cost per month. The reception is clear – a real bonus in fringe
and rural areas. Several channels for news and local access are in the basic monthly fee. A cable
connection to the second or third TV set costs extra. In most places subscribers have to pay as
much as thirty dollars a month extra to get the channels like HBO and The Disney Channel. The
movies change each month. Many of the movies offered each month are office flops or reruns of
old movies that can be viewed on regular channels. Cable television isn’t really a bargain.

III.
Write a well-developed paragraph with one of the following ideas or an idea of
your own. Make sure that your paragraph is unified and coherent as well as
adequately developed with specific information.

1. why you like (or don't like) poetry

2. an unusual person you know
3. a place where you feel comfortable

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EXERCISES FOR COMPOSITION

1. Look at the following topics and explain how you could treat each (1) as
expressive writing, (2) as expository writing, (3) as persuasive writing.

a. Why a foreign language should be required in college

b. The place where I feel most relaxed
c. How to find a trusty automobile mechanic

2. Write the main idea and brainstorm about the topic “Abortion”!

3. Write a sketch outline about the topic!

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FALLACIES EXERCISES

I. The following sentences exemplify the most common fallacies. Determine

what is wrong with each sentence and then revise it to make it more logical.

1. A successful marriage demands maturity that no one under twenty-five possesses.

2. Students’ persistent complaints about the grading system prove that it is unfair.
3. The United States got involved in World War II because the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor.
4. People watch television because they are too lazy to talk or read or because they want a
mindless escape from their lives.
5. Working people are slaves to their corporate masters: they have no freedom to do what they
want, and they can be traded to other companies.
6. Mountain climbing is more dangerous than people think: my cousin has fainted three times
since she climbed Pikes Peaks.
7. Racial tension is bound to occur when people with different backgrounds are forced to live
side by side.
8. If the United States does not supply military assistance to Central and South American
countries, we will eventually be subjected to Communism.
9. She admits to being an atheist, so how can she be a good philosophy teacher.
10. Why can't I buy a car? All my friends have them.
11. He frowns all the time, so he must be sick.
12. There are only two kinds of politicians: those interested in their own welfare and those
interested in the welfare of the people.
13. These razor blades give the smoothest shave; all the baseball players use them.
14. Bill is the most popular boy in the class. You should vote for him for president.
15. Mary missed class twice last week. She must have been sick.
16. She's a woman, so she's no good at math.
17. Our jails are full because a lot of people do not have enough money to buy necessities.
18. If you walk self-confidently, you probably will not get mugged.
19. A person who cannot spell should not become a journalist.
20. Women will vote for him because he is good-looking.
21. Most crime is the result of drug trafficking, so if we legalize drugs, we would do away with
crime.

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II. Evaluate the following brief essay for its effectiveness in persuading you
to accept the writer's argument. Look especially for sound or unsound
inductive or deductive reasoning, begging or ignored questions,
overstated assumptions, and fallacies.

Let's Hear It for Asphalt

The truly disadvantaged students on this campus are the commuters. We pay our
money and work hard for our degrees, yet we can never find places to park our cars.
Commuters are regularly treated as second-class citizens with resident students. But
nowhere is the discrepancy more noticeable than in the parking situation.
The fact is that there aren't enough parking spaces for half cars on the campus.
Students are lucky to make their classes at all after driving around for hours looking for a
place to stop their car. If parking were easier, students would get better grades, and the
school administrators would probably have the higher enrollment they're so desperate for.
The most maddening thing is that we have to pay good money for parking tickets
on top of tuition and everything else. The money probably goes towards the new faculty
office building or dormitory or one of the other building projects that eat up what little
parking space there is. Meanwhile, we commuters are pushed farther away from the
center of the campus. But then why should the rich folks in charge of things care what
happens to few struggling students, some with families to support, who seek to better
themselves.
The commuting students are like Jews wandering in the wilderness. We need
homeland for our cars and freedom from persecution by campus cops.

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STYLE EXCERCISES

I. Revise each sentence to eliminate excessive detail.

1. At last I returned the book that I had used for the report which I had on Tuesday to the
library.
2. A course in business methods helps undergraduates to get jobs and in addition helps them
to find out whether they are fitted for business and thus to avoid postponing the crucial
test, as so many do, until it is too late.

II. Revise each sentence to eliminate mixed metaphor, faulty predication, and
awkward definitions!
1. For Don, money does grow on trees, and it also goes down the drain quickly.
2. Unlike a fact, a judgment is when you express personal opinions.
3. Like a bat guided by radar, Jane was always surefooted in her business tasks.
4. I felt like a grain of sand crying out in the wilderness.

III. Circle each misplaced modifier; draw an arrow to show its proper position.
1. The explosion only killed one person.
2. The new computer program nearly cost a hundred dollars.
3. He even daydreams when you talk to him about salary.
4. Bruce polished his new car almost until he could see his face in it.

IV. Revise the sentences to eliminate needless separation of related sentence

parts.
1. Bill failed to, because he was sleepy, lock the back door.
2. John promised when he was going to the store to pick up some milk.
3. The puppy advertised in the last night's paper which is already nine weeks old is a
registered retriever.

V. Revise the sentences to eliminate dangling modifiers.

1. Once mixed, you must freeze the ingredients within the hour.
2. Ready to camp, the windstorm hit.
3. By standing and repeating the pledge, the meeting came to an end.

VI. Correct all needles shifts in tense, person, and number.

1. Before the game began, Karl comes over to our seats and asked us to wait for him later.
2. Every witness was questioned, and they were taken to police station.
3. If Lou really likes someone, he would make any sacrifice for them.
4. The exercise is good because stress is reduced and the body is strengthened.

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STYLE AND DICTION EXERCISES

I. The italicized words are wrong, inexact, or ambiguous. Replace such words
with the exact ones.

1. The faculty was concerned about the affects of the new admission standards.
2. My father's curly hair and dimples give him a childish appearance.

II. Revise each sentence to eliminate tautology, delete unnecessary words,

and needles repetition.

1. The exact date has been set and it is unknown to us.

2. Long lines of starving refugees in need for food were helped by the Red Cross volunteer
people.
3. Perhaps maybe the chief reason or cause for obesity in people who are overweight is lack
of exercise.
4. The tall skyscraper buildings form a dark silhouette against the evening sky.
5. It seems to me to be obvious.
6. Because of the fact that Larry was there, the party was lively.
7. Other things being equal, it is my opinion that all of these oil slicks, whether they are
massive or not so big, do damage to the environment to a greater or a lesser degree.
8. A few of the listeners who had become angry called in so that they would have the
opportunity of refuting the arguments set forth by Ian.
9. These hazards are not visible, and they cause accidents, many of which are fatal ones.
10. The United States was being invaded. What I mean by that is a takeover of land. Foreign
investors were buying up farms.
11. In spite of the fact that my parents did not approve of it, I was married to Evelyn last
June.
12. The manager returned the application back because of illegible handwriting that he could
not read.
13. In this day and time, it is difficult today to find in the field of science a chemist who
shows as much promise for the future as Joseph Blake shows.
14. From time to time during one's life, one needs to remember that one who is learning to
walk has to put one foot before the other one.
15. When the fans in the stadium shout and yell, the shouting and yelling is deafening, and so
the total effect of all this is that is a contributing factor in decisions to stay home and
watch the games on TV.
16. A distant hurricane or a seaquake can cause a tidal wave. This wave can form when either
occurs.
17. A comedy of intrigue (or a situation comedy) is a comedy that relies on action instead of
characterization for its comedy.
18. In my family, schoolwork came first, horse came second, fun and games came next, and
discussions came last.
19. Numerous products can be made form tobacco. The nicotine form this plant is used in
pesticides. A sugar extracted from tobacco helps control blood pressure.

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UNBIASED LANGUAGE EXERCISE

AVOID USE
 mankind
 businessman
 chairman
 cleaning lady
 clergyman
 congressman
 forefather
 postman
 policeman
 stewardess
 weatherman

o RACE, ETHNICITY, NATIONAL ORIGIN

 Negro, colored
 Oriental
 Indian
 Eskimo
 native

o AGE
 elderly, aged, old,
the elderly, the aged

o PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES OR ILLNESS

 Mongoloid
 AIDS victim
 polio victim
 the handicapped
 deaf-mute

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STUDENTS’ ESSAY MISTAKES (GRAMMAR and STYLE)

1. Whether the Bologna process will improve or not the education for Croatian students…
2. People look at it without trust and suspiciously.
3. The quality of higher education in Croatia is one of the most important things in her
development.
4. Students are forced in continually work…
5. If student is very talented and works hard he will be reward for that.
6. Him can be given more exams per semester and he can finish his college earlier.
7. They learn students to think with their own mind and to come to conclusion with the own
mind.
8. A person develops personality and tolerance, it learns how to include itself in group work.
9. Students can go study, if they want, in other cities in its country and also…
10. Students learn how to take care for themselves.
11. What is very important today in our society…
12. Teachers are 24-7 made available to the students.
13. Musicians have a lot of possibilities to choose of…
14. Accept combining different genres, one can….
15. So women’s low level of testosterone makes her a more peaceful human beings.
16. 98.5 cases out of 100 abuses in families are done by men.
17. Women’s biological predominates over men.
18. These two ideas are great in theory, but there are many arguments about whether they are
really accomplished or not in reality.
19. There are too much students and lack of classrooms.
20. Women put their lives to risk.
21. Adoption is a better solution in this case because the child gets the chance for living,
education, and a normal surrounding.
22. Women, who decide to end their pregnancy with abortion, are…
23. Still, the actual process differs to the old ways in many things and because I studied in
both ways these differences might be made more clear to then to mine fellow students.
24. In one single semester…
25. Where as in the Bologna process continuant knowledge checks in…
26. The fact that this is still an underplayed job remains.
27. College education lasted four years, and after finishing it, student was given a Ph. D.
28. Many larger cities have as well university centers.
29. Opportunity to study in college…
30. Trough the EU, also other European countries would be able to buy natural produced
Croatian food.
31. The thing is that they want to enjoy their youth.
32. What is really sad is that not everybody succeeds and this has been proven by the
increasing divorce statistics around the world.
33. Maybe this is so because people forget what was it they promised in the church before
God.
34. I must say that the fact that serious doctors are even considering of attempting to clone
human beings, left me speechless.

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CITATION EXERCISES

In each case I have tried to show that all the action in a "Jamesian novel" may be

taken as a result of philosophical differences of opinion among the principal

characters, and that these differences in turn are explainable by reference to the

characters' differing social background.

- Frederic C. Crew's The Tragedy of Manners: Moral Drama in the Later

Novels of Henry James, p. 8

1. Quote it directly!

2. Paraphrase it!

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Paraphrasing Exercises

Decide whether the paraphrased passages are acceptable or unacceptable.

Original Source

A key factor in explaining the sad state of American education can be found in
overbureaucratization, which is seen in the compulsion to consolidate our public
schools into massive factories and to increase to mammoth size our universities
even in underpopulated states. The problem with bureaucracies is that they have
to work hard and long to keep from substituting self-serving survival and growth
for their original primary objective. Few succeed. Bureaucracies have no soul, no
memory, and no conscience. If there is a single stumbling block on the road to the
future, it is the bureaucracy as we know it.

Edward T. Hall, Beyond Culture, Anchor Publishing, 1977, p. 219

Paraphrase 1

American education is overly bureaucratic. This is manifest in the increasing size of

educational institutions, even in small states. Bureaucracies are bad because they tend
to work to promote their own survival and growth rather than that of the institution, as
was their initial objective. Most bureaucracies fail because they have a conscience or a
soul. I believe that bureaucracies are the biggest stumbling block on the road to the
educational future.

Paraphrase 3

Bureaucratization has proved to be a major stumbling block on the road to our

educational future. American institutions have become factories that are more conducive
to the growth of bureaucratic procedures than to the growth of the students who attend
them. This means that, as Edward T. Hall says in his book, Beyond Culture, today's
educational institutions "have no soul, no memory, and no conscience".

Paraphrase 4

In his book, Beyond Culture, Edward T. Hall discusses the problems posed by the
increasing bureaucratization of American educational institutions. Hall maintains that
overbureaucratization is one of the key factors governing the state of education in
America today. He points to the tendency of bureaucracies to promote their own growth
and survival first and foremost, and observes that few overcome that tendency. He
believes that this is responsible for the fact that many public schools bear a closer
resemblance to factories than to educational institutions. In Hall's words, "Bureaucracies
have no soul, no memory, and no conscience."

OUTLINE EXERCISE

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Make an outline to match the essay!

Pro-Choice

When it comes to deciding on the question of abortion, there have always been two

opposite and, in advocating their own opinion, very passionate sides. Those sides can be roughly

and yet accurately described by their names: pro-life and pro-choice. The public has been

bombarded with their debates, especially since Roe v. Wade in 1973, when abortion was

legalized in the US. Many questions have been raised, and even more arguments given. So why is

this such an important question? Because it involves constitutional rights, the freedom to choose

and have control over one’s body, and subsequently life. When all the arguments are tested and

verified, the only conclusion is that abortion should be legal, and the many arguments to support

the pro-choice point of view can be generally classified in three categories: legal issues; social

issues, and difficult cases.

When it comes to legal issues there are two main questions. First, is the embryo a human

being? Undeniably, the embryo has the potential of becoming one, but it is not an actual person

yet. The fetus is neither autonomous nor self-sufficient; it completely depends on the mother – it

is physically attached to her through the placenta and the umbilical cord, and thus it cannot be

regarded as a separate human being, but as a part of the woman’s body. That is why abortion

cannot be considered as murder, and on the other hand, no one can be expected to donate their

body to harbor another future life if they do not want to. The second important question is

whether the woman has the right to single-handedly decide to have an abortion? Do the rights of

the fetus prevail over the mother’s? Margaret Sanger, an American birth control activist, said:

“No woman can call herself free who does not own and control her own body.” which is a

fundamental concept for women. On the other hand, when it comes to the father’s right to veto

abortion, the American Supreme Court decided in 1976 that when a wife and husband disagree,

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since only one view can prevail, it should be hers, because she physically bears the fetus and is

directly affected by the pregnancy.

Next, the social issues category can be divided into two segments: quality of parenthood

and quality of life, and health. Since a large number of unwanted pregnancies happens to young

girls, often teenagers, and most of the times the fathers are not willing to participate, there is a

situation where a child is responsible for bringing up a child. This raises serious doubts in the

capabilities of those young girls, and in the quality of parenthood the child will get. In addition,

young parents often do not have a large or steady income, so in the best case they are on the

verge of being poor, and in the worst they have to struggle for survival. Furthermore, if it is

discovered during the pregnancy that the fetus is damaged or unhealthy, the option of aborting

should be available. Every parent has the right to spare their child of a whole life of suffering,

and the right to try again for a healthy baby. Similarly, the pregnancy can pose a threat to the

woman, whether it is a danger to her health or even life. In that case a woman cannot be forced to

carry out the pregnancy on the cost of her own health or life.

Finally, there is the question of difficult cases. If a woman is raped she absolutely has to

have the option to abort. Of course, one might say that the criminal here is the man who raped

her, so why should the fetus pay the price? But the woman is the victim too, and she must not be

forced to bear the child of a monstrous crime that happened to her, and to live with a reminder

every day for the rest of her life. Equally important, and equally heinous, is the case of a woman

being a victim of incest, in which case, again, she absolutely must have the possibility of

abortion. The argument that the perpetrator should be prosecuted, and the victim should accept

the pregnancy as a good thing that has come out of something bad, is rather revolting and

sickening.

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Certainly, this is a very complex question, especially because there are many interest

groups, which want to impose their opinion and make a law out of it. This is also too difficult an

issue for people to be guided, or rather misguided, by dogmatist church doctrines. Indeed, there

are arguments both for pro-life and pro-choice option, and all the arguments and counter-

arguments may be first-class, but what it all comes down to is that every case is individual. Every

woman has her own reasons for deciding to have or not have an abortion, and after she evaluates

all the pros and cons, she will make the right decision for herself. And that is precisely why

abortion must be legal: there always has to be a choice.

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