Writing to Communicate

Since the purpose of writing is communication, ask yourself these questions before you begin. What is the purpose of the essay and who is the audience (reader)? In college, of course, the reader is an instructor, and the purpose is usually to fulfill some assignment and to earn the highest possible grade. In fact, many courses besides English require that students write essays. According to an international student studying engineering at the University of California, Berkeley, «The (engineering) professor doesn’t want students just to take out their calculators and work the problem mathematically because they forget it in a few weeks. Instead, students have to write essays that show they understand the problem and explain how to solve it. Then they remember the information for years. So tell your students that even for engineering courses they have to write clearly.» But good writing is demanded in most businesses and professions, too, and when you finish college you may be required to write proposals for funding, arguments for or against a method of business operation or a new project, justifications for major equipment expenditures, reports to stockholders, technical evaluations, letters, etc. In business, the «grade» for a particularly well-written assignment may be a promotion to a higher position or a substantial increase in salary, so it is important to be able to present the necessary information to complement your purpose.

Is the essay an argument? Then use serious examples that include facts, figures, and data calculated to prove the point and convince the reader.

Is the essay a narration of an interesting experience or an explanation of some process like painting the kitchen or learning to ride a horse? Here the purpose may be very different. You may want to touch the reader’s emotions by relating anecdotes that describe the funny or frustrating moments of that experience.

Is the essay an explanation of a difficult concept? Then an analogy, similar to that comparing writing with photography, might be useful.

There are three major forms of writing: exposition, narration, description. Let us consider them in details.

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<== попередня сторінка	\|	наступна сторінка ==>
Exercise 27.	\|	Exposition: Explaining the Meaning or the Purpose

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