Reminders

To help you write a successful essay

USE THE PRESENT TENSE
You should always use the present tense when
writing a literary essay. It engages your reader as if
they are there with your thoughts.

Remember to be consistent, so you don’t

confuse the reader as in this example:

Mrs. Mallory sees her returning son and, in her excitement, twisted
her ankle rather badly. Her sister calls the doctor immediately.

The verb "twisted" is the only verb that appears in the

past tense. It should appear in the present tense, "twists,"
or the other verbs should be changed to the past tense as well.
Switching verb tenses upsets the time sequence of narration.
You can remember to write about literature in the present tense because you
are currently reading or thinking about it. Every time you open a book it
seems as though the events are currently happening; every time you read an
essay it is as though you are currently speaking to the writer.
With your partner…

Think of two sentences about Sherlock Holmes using the past tense.

Now, the same sentences with the in the present tense.

Remember to introduce your evidence in an appropriate
way…

For example…
An example of this is when…
This is shown…
Use EVIDENCE from the text. It does not always have to be a direct quotation.

Think about whether the actual words from the text support what you are saying or if you need to
describe the situation more fully.
Which of these do you think sounds better and why?

USING A QUOTATION
P:A good horror story will always include gruesome details to help
frighten the reader.
E: For example, ‘Cathy’s body lay in a pool of thick, crimson blood’.

PARAPHRASING
P:A good horror story will always include gruesome details to help
frighten the reader.
E: For example, in the story there are lots of references to blood and
gore, and this can be seen when Cathy’s body is found lying on the
floor.
And last but not least, you must use some CONNECTIVES to help LINK
your ideas together.

By this point, you will have planned the different parts of your essay, and the
order in which they come, which will help you to decide on the most
appropriate connective to use to introduce each of them.

Remember, different connectives do different jobs.

Take a look at the attached sheet entitled ‘linking words’ to help you to
understand which connective is the most appropriate one to use in which
situation.
 WHAT AM I
BEING ASSESSED FOR?
Criterion A: Analysing  Identify 3 important
i. identify and comment upon points you will consider.
significant aspects of texts 
ii. identify and comment upon Give examples of the
the creator’s choices  them from the text (s).
iii. justify opinions and ideas,
using examples, explanations Explain the effect of the
and terminology  different elements and
iv. identify similarities and give your opinion of the
differences in features within effectiveness.
and between texts.
Show your
understanding of how
these elements worked
in different detective
stories.
Criterion B: Organising
• Use the building
i. employ organizational block essay format
structures that serve the • Use PEEL for body
context and intention paragraphs
ii. organize opinions and
ideas in a logical manner Use connectives to link
your ideas
iii. use referencing and
formatting tools to create Use inverted commas
a presentation style when quoting directly
suitable to the context from the text.
and intention.
Criterion C: Producing Text
i. produce texts that
demonstrate thought and
imagination while exploring
new perspectives and ideas
arising from personal
engagement with the
creative process
ii. make stylistic choices in
terms of linguistic, literary
and visual devices,
demonstrating awareness
of impact on an audience
iii. select relevant details and
examples to support ideas.
• Show that you have a
deep understanding of
the methods the author
uses to create effects
Choose your words carefully
and structure your sentences
in an interesting and
appropriate manner
Include only that evidence
which you need to to prove
your point.
Criterion D: Using language
i. use appropriate and Use appropriate
varied vocabulary, terminology when
sentence structures and referring to the elements
forms of expression of mystery stories

ii. write in an appropriate Avoid first person (I) – this

register and style is an academic essay.

Use present tense

iii. use correct grammar,
syntax and punctuation
Check any difficult spellings
and especially those that
iv. Spell and write with relate to the key elements.
accuracy
Spend the rest of the lesson exploring this website:

http://www.mysterydigest.com/

The Detective and Logic Puzzles under Games and Quizzes have lots of
crime scene clues to decipher