If you’re looking for one of the best ESL writing textbooks, then you’ll want to seriously consider Great Writing. Keep on reading for all the details you need to know about whether or not it’ll work for you. And, also why I like it so much!
The other books in the series are equally as good, in case you’re wondering. Overall, it’s an excellent series for teaching ESL writing.
Great writing 4 is an excellent book that I’ve been using this semester to teach Advanced Writing to English majors, who are mostly 3rd and 4th year university students. I was given this book to teach and didn’t choose it myself, but thankfully, it’s the best English writing textbook I’ve used.
Something I don’t love is the vocabulary focus. While I like the idea of it, it’s just one of those things that I never use due to time constraints and I’m really not sure it’s the most important thing to focus on, especially for Korean students who are already pretty solid on this. Perhaps in other countries it would be more useful.
The Great Writing Series
The questions are helpful at getting the students to notice the subtleties of the text, but not too detailed to be burdensome. The focus is less on the actual content of the essay than it is on noticing the structure, which I appreciate. I’ve found assigning the reading of an essay and answering the questions an excellent homework assignment. Then, in class I put the students into groups of 3-4 and give them some time to discuss their answers together.
The first chapter is an introduction to essays in general, and then subsequent chapters cover a certain type of essay (narrative/comparison, etc) in detail. There are always 3-4 example essays and some questions to help the students analyze it.
The first reason it’s fabulous is that it’s a hybrid between the process approach to teaching writing (focusing on brainstorming/selecting main points/editing, etc) and the product approach(using a model text upon which students should use to base their own essay upon). Folse has selected the best from each approach and combined them into one, easy to use and teach book.
Suitable for all learners from beginning to advanced, this book helps students write better sentences, paragraphs, and essays.
The dispatch time frame is factored into the delivery estimate you see on this page.
Academic Writing Skills 2 takes students through a step-by-step process of writing expository, argumentative, and compare and contrast essays. It is appropriate for students wishing to focus on specific essay types that require the use and integration of sources to complete academic writing tasks.
Tracked 24 Hour Service:
- Next Working Day delivery (Monday-Saturday, excluding public holidays).
- Order before 2pm
- UK only.
- £3.00
Product Specification
Don’t forget every single book on our website is available with free worldwide delivery, no minimum spend required.
The new edition of the Great Writing series provides clear explanations, extensive models of academic writing and practice to help learners write great sentences, paragraphs, and essays. With expanded vocabulary instruction, sentence-level practice, and National Geographic content to spark ideas, students have the tools they need to become confident writers. Updated in this Edition: Clearly.
Unlock is a five-level academic skills course that combines carefully scaffolded exercises, a comprehensive approach to critical thinking and motivating video.
Once you've edited your essay on your own, give it to someone else to read, such as a parent, teacher, or tutor. Ask them to make technical corrections as needed and to offer you advice on what you might be able to improve in terms of story, cogency, and overall effectiveness.
The University of Illinois essay is an important part of your application since it's the only personal essay you'll write for the school. This makes it the only area on the UIUC application in which you can show off your personality, academic passion, and storytelling skills.
Additionally, try to discuss your future with your intended major. Ask yourself: what do you hope to do professionally with this major? Do you have a dream job or career in mind? How will this major help you achieve your professional goals? How will UIUC specifically help you?
- A specific (positive) experience you had, either in or outside school, with the field you plan to major in.Example: You spontaneously decided to enter a science fair, which helped you realize you have a passion for inventing things.
- A specific person, such as a teacher, parent, or friend, who introduced the field to you.Example: Your sophomore English teacher encouraged you to try the National Novel Writing Month event, which furthered your interest in creative writing.
- The first class you took in the field, why you chose to take this class (if you chose to take it), and how taking it inspired you to continue studying the field.Example: After taking a cooking class freshman year, you began to grow more interested in food science, leading you to read up on the topic in your spare time and start a cooking blog.
- A club/activity you did that introduced you to the field or allowed you to learn more about it.Example: You joined your school's Spanish club in an attempt to raise your grade, but after making a few close friends through the club, you started to realize how much you actually enjoyed the challenge of communicating in Spanish.
- How you weren't initially interested in the field but gradually became interested in it due to the influence of a specific person, a book you read, a speech you heard, and so on.Example: You always despised commercials, but after seeing a particularly funny ad one day, you decided to look more into how this ad was created and why it was so successful in drawing viewers
#3: Highlight Your Passion
It could have more personality: Although we understand that the applicant is interested in studying biology and working in the medical field, we don't get a clear sense of their voice or personality here. Had the applicant incorporated more details unique to their life or view, we readers could've felt closer to knowing who they are and what they value.
- Be memorable
- Be prepared
- Be yourself
- Be focused
- Be current
- Be professional
For example, maybe you plan to major in English and now follow a rigid schedule of writing in a journal every day, even when you really don't feel like writing or you have nothing interesting to say.
To wrap up, here are four essential tips to keep in mind as you write your U of I application essay.
To some, essay writing comes naturally. But for many, knowing how to answer an essay question in a way that will score high marks is something that must be learnt, and practised regularly. You can take comfort in knowing too that, once you learn how to write a great essay, you can apply the same techniques and formulas to almost any piece of academic writing, whether it's a standard essay, a reflective essay, a dissertation or thesis, a course assignment, coursework or something else.
Paraphrase: Unlike economic capital, the amassing of which requires some conscious effort, cultural capital can be built simply by existing and consuming (Bourdieu, 1986).
Another common issue – particularly amongst first and second-year undergraduates – is that they tend to use rather non-academic language:
These are some of the common phrases found in essay questions, and each indicates a different set of expectations. If you are asked to critically evaluate a particular theoretical approach, for instance, you have to gain an understanding not only of said theory, but also other common approaches. They must all be weighed against each other, highlighting the relative strengths and weaknesses of each theory and, importantly, you must come to a well-justified and confident conclusion. Is the theory good? What are its flaws? How can it be improved?
1. Understand the question
Having a similarly ambitious 'study buddy' is often undervalued by students, but the synergy achieved by working together can help both of you achieve considerably higher grades. It is important to note that you shouldn’t write your essays together, nor necessarily agree on the approach to be taken beforehand, as this leads to the risk of submitting two papers that are too similar – again linking back to the issue of plagiarism.
“Compare and contrast” essays, meanwhile, are essentially a hybrid of the above – you need to take a critical approach and evaluate the literature, but your focus has to remain solidly on the theories that you have been asked to compare and contrast. It is important to show that you understand both (or all) core theories in great depth, both on a theoretical and applied level.
As such, it is important that you provide evidence (a credible citation) when you are making a statement of fact, or drawing on arguments, frameworks, and theories presented by other academics. These, in turn, should support the overarching novel argument that you yourself are making.
Process essays need to explain to your reader(s) how something is done. It is necessary to describe the subject first, and then explain, step by step, how the process happens. The steps can be very precise and gradual. On the contrary, it also can simply be an explanation of a group of actions that do not necessarily follow each other.
In writing there is nothing more important than the essay topic you choose. The essay topic idea is the backbone of your paper, and if it is weak, it will be extremely difficult for you to succeed. The best topic ideas are the ones that you are most passionate about. If you do not care about your subject, the essay is going to be torture for you to create. However, if it is something you truly enjoy, writing it will be a breeze. Another point to consider while choosing your essay topic idea is your audience. If your audience has little to no knowledge on a certain topic, consider omitting very technical and specialized topics. And finally, choose something interesting and exciting. Put yourself in your reader’s shoes: what would you like to learn about?
- How to drive a car
- How to learn to swim
- How to make your own movie
- How to learn cooking delicious healthy meals
- How to be an A student
- How to pass your SATs
- How to deal with procrastination
- How to be successful in a job search
- How to write your own book
- How to overcome being shy
- How to make new friends
- How to know you’ve met your other self
- How to save money
- How to get rid of a bad habit
- How to exercise regularly
- How to start your own business
- How to choose a used car
- How to make new friends
- How to learn to say “no” to people
- How to let go of unnecessary things
Personal essays are autobiographical stories that have a friendly, intimate touch to them. The tone of such an essay is usually conversational and reflects the character of the writer. It should also examine certain emotions you have experienced as a result of particular events that have happened to you.В
Process Essay Topics
The goal of a definition essay is to define a term. For the most part, these essays are about terms that are not concrete. These terms do not have strict definitions, and they can differ depending on culture or personality. Here are some definition essay topics:
Descriptive Writing (Group 3) - This style asks the author to unleash their inner artist with lively vocabulary and coherent ideas to explain an idea, describe a concept, etc. Definition and Descriptive essays fit into this category.
A research essay presents an issue based on the works of scholars and scientists. After explaining what others have to say about a problem, you usually get to express your own opinion on the matter. You can also agree or disagree with the scholars’ opinions. Here are some interesting research essay topics:В
- What to know about pets and COVID-19
- How will COVID-19 change life
- Pros and cons of self-isolation
- Life lessons you have learned during the quarantine
- Challenges you have faced during the pandemic
- A person you lost due to COVID-19
- School life during COVID-19
- Mass media and pandemic panic
- A charity you engaged in during the pandemic
- Projects you undertook during the quarantine
- Essential workers during the pandemic
- Your personal achievements during the quarantine
- How relationship dynamics have changed during COVID-19
- Things you enjoyed about quarantine
- What could have been done to prevent the spread of the virus
- Backlash against Asian Americans due to COVID-19
- Preventative measures of COVID-19, and how you implemented them in life
- How to stay healthy and active during the quarantine
- The future of the virus: vaccines for COVID-19 vs. a strong immune system
- Mental health during self-isolation