Discourse Markers - Linking Your Ideas in English

Some words and phrases help to develop ideas and relate them to one another. These kinds of words and phrases are often called discourse markers. Note that most of these discourse markers are formal and used when speaking in a formal context or when presenting complicated information in writing. with regard to; regarding; as regards; as far as is concerned, as for These expressions focus attention on what follows in the sentence. This is done by announcing the subject in advance. As regards and as far asis concerned usually indicate a change of subject Examples: His grades in science subjects are excellent. As regards humanities With regard to the latest market figures we can see that ... Regarding our efforts to improve the local economy, we have made ... As far as I am concerned, we should continue to develop our resources. As for John's thoughts, let's take a look at this report he sent me. on the other hand; while; whereas These expressions give expression to two ideas which contrast but do not contradict each other. Examples: Football is popular in England, while in Australia they prefer cricket. We've been steadily improving our customer service center. On the other hand our shipping department needs to be redesigned. Jack thinks we're ready to begin whereas Tom things we still need to wait. however, nonetheless, nevertheless All these words are used to present two contrasting ideas. Examples: Smoking is proved to be dangerous to the health. Nonetheless, 40% of the population smokes. Our teacher promised to take us on a field trip. However, he changed his mind last week. Peter was warned not to invest all of his savings in the stock market. Nevertheless, he invested and lost everything. moreover, furthermore, in addition We use these expressions to add information to what has been said. The usage of these words is much more elegant than just making a list or using the conjunction 'and'. Examples: His problems with his parents are extremely frustrating. Moreover, there seems to be no easy solution to them. I assured him that I would come to his presentation. Furthermore, I also invited a number of important representatives from the local chamber of commerce. Our energy bills have been increasing steadily. In addition to these costs, our telephone costs have doubled over the past six months. therefore, as a result, consequently These expressions show that the second statement follows logically from the first statement. Examples:

He reduced the amount of time studying for his final exams. As a result, his marks were rather low. We've lost over 3,000 customers over the past six months. Consequently, we have been forced to cut back our advertising budget. The government has drastically reduced its spending. Therefore, a number of programs have been canceled.

Analytical Essay Guidelines

Analysis begins with a whole object, such as a poem, novel, short story or play. The analyst (or you, as the writer of the analytical essay) tries to take things apart to examine the individual pieces that make up the whole. An analytical essay (often referred to as a five-paragraph essay though there's nothing special about the number five) will attempt to explain the significance of a portion of a literary work, BY PROVING SOME SORT OF POINT. The point you are trying to make may have to do with characterization, plot, theme, style or other literary concerns. Before writing your analytical essay, you must focus in on what you wish to convey to the reader about the literary work. Once you have a focus, you must attempt to make some kind of point about the literary work in your essay. The point you are trying to make is often the answer to a question (or prompt) which a teacher has given you. The answer to your prompt, or the point you are trying to make, should be the main idea of your essay. This is called a THESIS STATEMENT. Your thesis statement is your opinion; remember, it is not a fact. The thesis is what you will spend the rest of your essay trying to prove. Your job as the writer of an analytical essay is to convince the reader that your opinion is correct; you must prove that your thesis statement is true based on evidence from the text. YOUR THESIS STATEMENT (main idea, focus, opinion) MUST BE CLEARLY STATED IN YOUR INTRODUCTORY PARAGRAPH. The thesis should be fairly broad. Stay away from narrow statements of facts that can be easily proven or disproven. Give yourself a challenge--and the reader will be engaged. Usually (but not always), the thesis statement is the sentence that ends your introduction. In the paragraphs which follow the introduction, called the body of the paper, you must provide evidence (examples) to prove your point. You must be very specific about how the evidence you are offering supports your opinion. You cannot prove your thesis (which is an opinion) by offering other opinions. You must draw your evidence from the text. You should quote passages from the text to prove your point; just remember that you must explain their significance, explain how they relate to your thesis. When you incorporate evidence into your essay, you must be sure to explain it adequately. You must always bring it back to your thesis statement. You must continually explain HOW and WHY it means what you say it means. Everything in the MAIN BODY of the essay (generally, but not limited to, three paragraphs) must relate to the main point you are trying to make--YOUR THESIS. If you write something that has little to do with your thesis,you have two options: expand and modify your thesis to accommodate that information, or do not include it and find other evidence that does support your thesis. Finally, you must write a CONCLUSION (a final paragraph), which ties everything together. The conclusion is essentially a mirror of your introduction. Just as your introduction lead the reader in to the thesis, the conclusion leads out from it. Often, the arguments presented in the body are summarized and the thesis is restated as proved. And somehow you should make your paper sound complete. It is a lot like the closing statement lawyers make at the end of a trial--a summary of all the evidence presented and a restatement that all the evidence points to the logical conclusion that what they said at the beginning (their thesis that the defendant was either guilty or innocent) is true. Try leaving the reader with something additional to think about (but still something that is related to thesis of the paper). INTRODUCTION (1 paragraph):tell the reader what your paper is about Not necessarily in this order, you need to include the following:

a way to draw the reader in the author title (underlined or italicized) general statement about the literary work (sometimes) necessary background information about the story (very little)

thesis statement (your opinion, main idea or focus) - this may be controversial - should be fairly broad has a point to prove

MAIN BODY (approx. three paragraphs): these paragraphs should answer the question, "why?". Not necessarily in this order, you need to include the following:

specific examples to prove your point quotations - passages - descriptions - comparisons explanation of the significance of your examples in terms of your thesis statement ( in other words, analyze your examples. How do they fit in with your main point?) explanation of how your analysis relates to your thesis statement.

CONCLUSION (1 paragraph): Tell the reader what you told him/her and leave him/her with something to think about. Not necessarily in this order, you need to include the following:

your thesis, restated to emphasize that you have proven your point a summary of your main points a way to leave the reader thinking about the marvelous ideas in your essay.