complete essay
Summary Writing Tips
Tip #1: Your summary should have a sentence near the beginning that contains two elements:
the source
The highlighted verbs are better for reporting the author’s thesis. Also use the reporting verb list in Canvas Files.
a main idea or the author’s thesis (main claim)
Example:
Reference to source article | Author | Reporting verb - present tense | Main idea or thesis |
In the article “Toward a Global Treaty on Plastic Waste,” | Nils Simon and Lili Fuhr | report assert claim argue maintain suggest that hypothesize state |
Tip #2: Your summary should continue with the article’s main points, especially those you think you would like to use in your essay, using:
attributive tags (the author, or author’s family name)
reporting verbs (in present tense)
summary reminder phrases
Examples:
Simon and Fuhr further state that…
The authors also maintain/state/argue that…
The authors cite X who claims Y.
Tip #3: Avoid using “mention” as a reporting verb in your summary because it suggests a
minor point or a point made without detail or support.
Tip #4: Assume your reader has not read the article.
Rhetorical Analysis Section of WP2
Two paragraphs of analysis
Two paragraphs that analyze and make claims about any of the following, using information from the article to support your claims and information about the target audience to complete your analysis:
Aristotelian appeals – how does the article use pathos, logos or ethos?
Is the language objective or emotional?
How credible is the author?
How credible are any of the sources the author uses?
Do you think there's enough evidence offered? Is the coverage comprehensive?
Article structure
If you combine any of the above for these paragraphs, you must make sure they are connected in some way.
To understand the target audience for Project Syndicate, use this source:
https://www.project-syndicate.org/about
response idea
While the authors are probably right that a global treaty is needed,
forcing countries to participate would be impossible.
Countries have different ideas about the environment
Some countries care only about themselves
If a country agrees and then changes leaders, the new leader may not want to do what the former leader agreed to
Global treaty is a good idea but hard to do
Reducing our plastic usage is probably a good idea, but as authors say, most of us will never do it voluntarily, so …
While it’s true that the only way to solve the pollution issue is by reducing plastic use, unfortunately, plastic is convenient, so reducing it will be difficult for most people.
As the authors suggest, reducing plastic usage is more effective than voluntarily recycling plastic because of the costs associated with recycling, the continued pollution of the oceans and some other horrible consequence (the use of nonrenewable resources to produce the plastic).
Even though some people might not agree with the authors that plastic’s serious threat to wildlife will affect them personally, actually it can
drive animal species to extinction, having an impact on the entire environmental system
have an impact on humans because all living things are interrelated in this world (or focus on endocrine disruptors …),
and can spread disease to both humans and animals because of germs/bacteria growing on plastic in the environment
Recycling plastic is more effective than reducing plastic production because …
Although the authors focus only on what’s wrong with plastic, they fail to consider how plastic has improved our lives in many ways.
Because plastic is creating a massive environmental problem, (3 things that need to be done)
For the problems the authors discuss about eating contaminated fish, the best solution cannot be to encourage people to stop eating fish.
Reporting Verbs
Strong - Used for claims
Argues
Claims
Asserts
Proposes
Debates
Neutral – Not used for claims
Discusses
Says
States
Explains
Clarifies
Weak/Problematic/
Assumes
Implies
Mentions
Believes
Feels
Thinks
How to Use the Templates if Your Response is With the Grain and You want to Support Your Response by Extending the Argument to a Different Context (this model can be applied to any of the templates)
From the Academic Conversation Templates – p. 3, Agree but Add Your Own Voice:
X’s theory of _____ is extremely useful because it sheds insight on the difficult problem of _____.
____ = Author’s Idea
____ = Your Response (the different context)
[Author]’s suggestion that [author’s idea] is extremely useful because it casts light on the difficult problem of [your related idea that connects the author’s idea to a different context without repeating the author’s idea].
In this example, your response paragraph should develop 3 points (with support for each) about the yellow part.
Your points would discuss how the author’s idea can be applied to a different context.
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