Assignment #11 -- Tying it all together

This is the third textbook-based assignment. I want you to read chapters 8-11 (pages 112-164) in They Say, I Say. This is about connecting all the ideas in your argument using some prescribed rhetorical moves.

I want you to read it at least twice. In your first reading skim through the section. Get a feel for the flow and what the writers are trying to accomplish. In your second reading move through the material slowly. Jot down some notes as you read. Look specifically for changes that you need to make to improve your writing. 

After you have completed your deeper reading go back over your notes and pick out the top three changes you need to make to improve your writing. These should be changes based on the suggestions in the reading. Send me an email at bboydston@piu.edu or share a Google Doc with me. In the document or email create an essay entitled "The Top Three Writing Changes I Need to Make." 

The outline of your essay should roughly follow this pattern:

INTRODUCTION

(A paragraph or two in which you generally talk about your encounter with the ideas in Part 3 of the book.)

CHANGE #1

A. The section title used by the authors (for example, "Blend Academic and Colloquial Styles," or one of the other section titles used on pages 141-153)

B. Summarize what the authors are saying. Include a quotation (with proper citation) if you think it helps make your point.

C. In a paragraph or two explain why you think that you need to make this change in your writing style.

CHANGE #2

A. The section title used by the authors 

B. Summarize what the authors are saying. Include a quotation (with proper citation) if you think it helps make your point.

C. In a paragraph or two explain why you think that you need to make this change in your writing style.

CHANGE #3

A. The section title used by the authors 

B. Summarize what the authors are saying. Include a quotation (with proper citation) if you think it helps make your point.

C. In a paragraph or two explain why you think that you need to make this change in your writing style.

SUMMARY STATEMENT

WORKS CITED

I'm hoping that this will be a practical exercise. It requires some self-analysis, which is hard for most of us. Do your best and I will reward your efforts. This assignment is worth up to 100 points. So, don't just throw something together to get it done. Take advantage of the opportunity to improve your writing by using the prescriptions provided by Graff and Birkenstein.