ENGL 1301

1. ENGL 1301 English Composition I Narration

2. Narration • Another name for a story is a narration.A short narration is an anecdote. A long narration – one that is essay or even book length – is an extended narration.

3. Visualizing a Narrative Essay Opening Paragraph or Paragraphs The opening may do one or more of the following: provide background, set scene, state thesis, give the point of the narration, or begin narration. First Body Paragraph This paragraph begins the story (or continues it if story begun in opening). Includes description, dialogue, and answers to journalist’s questions. Details are arranged in chronological order; flashback may be used. Next Body Paragraph This paragraph continues the story. Includes description, dialogue, and answers to journalist’s questions. Details are arranged in chronological order; flashback may be used. Next Body Paragraphs Body paragraphs continue until story is told. Closing Paragraph The last paragraph achieves closure in one or more of these ways: narrating the last event, explaining the significance of the event, or stating the point of the narration.

4. Word Choice • Phrasing That Announce Your Intent or Opinion 1. Eliminate phrasings like as the paragraph will explain, my paper will prove, as I have shown, and the following paragraphs will tell. 2. Eliminate the phrase, in conclusion when you have reached your last paragraph, and it is obvious that you are concluding. 3. Avoid phrases and clauses such as I believe, in my opinion,it seems to me, andI think when the idea expressed are clearly your beliefs, opinions, and thought.

5. Unnecessary or Faulty Modifiers • Do not use veryto intensify things that cannot be intensified. The temperature can be hot or it can be veryhot, but words like dead, gorgeous, incredible, outstanding, unique, and perfect cannot be made stronger by adding very. • Avoid unnecessary qualifications using words such as really, different, and particular. They add no meaning to your sentence and make them wordy. • Avoid modifying nouns and adjectives with the suffix – type. Find the accurate word for what you mean.

6. Faulty Synonyms • Avoid being as or being that as synonyms for since or because. • Avoid using expect as a synonym for suppose. • Avoid using real to mean very. • Do not use of to mean have. • Do not use plus as a synonym for and to join main clauses.

7. Etc. • Etc., and more, and so forth, and and such suggest that you could say more but do not want to. At times, these expressions are appropriate, but usually you should say whatever you could say. • Do not use etc. with such as. Such as notes you are listing items representative of a group, so there is no need to use etc. to indicate other things are included. • Do not use and etc. Etc. means and so forth; therefore, and etc. means and and so forth.

8. Faulty Grammar and Usage • Avoid referring to people with the relative pronoun which or that. Instead, use who or whom. • Do not use irregardless. Use regardless or irrespectiveof. • Eliminate the reason is because. Use the reason is that or because instead. • Avoid using so as an intensifier unless it is followed by a clause beginning with that. • Eliminate vice versa. If you want to indicate that the opposite is also true, write out exactly what the opposite is. • Replace a lot and a lot of with many, much, or a great deal of. • Use try to rather than try and.

9. Double Negatives • The following words are negatives because they communicate the sense of no. no none nothing hardly not nowhere no one scarcely never nobody • Be sure to use only one negative to express a single negative idea. • Contractions often include a form of not, which is a negative. • A sentence can include more than one negative idea. However, only one negative word should express each of these negative ideas.

10. Frequently Confused Words • accept, except • accept – to receive or to agree to • except – excluding • advice, advise • advice – a recommendation • advise – to recommend • affect, effect • affect – to influence • effect – result • all right, alright • alright is nonstandard • allusion, illusion • allusion – indirect reference • illusion – something false or misleading

11. Frequently Confused Words • all right, alright • alright is nonstandard • allusion, illusion • allusion – indirect reference • illusion – something false or misleading • already, all ready • already – by this time • all ready – prepared • among, between • between – is usually used to show the relationship of two things • between – can be used for more than two things when it means “within” • among – is used to show the relationship of more than two things

12. Frequently Confused Words • amount, number • amount is used for a unit without parts that can be uncounted individually • number is used for items that can be counted • beside, besides • beside – next to • besides – mean • breath, breathe • breath is a noun • breathe is a verb • coarse, course • coarse – rough • course – path, route or procedure

13. Frequently Confused Words • complement, compliment • complement – something that completes • compliment – praise or flattery • conscience, conscious • conscience – an awareness of right and wrong • conscious – aware • dessert, desert • dessert – the sweet at the end of a meal • desert – abandon • desert – dry, sandy land • different than, different from • different from is preferred • disinterested, uninterested • disinterested – impartial • uninterested – lacking interested or boarded

14. Frequently Confused Words • farther, further • farther – refers to distance • further – in addition or additional • fewer, less • fewer is used for things that can be counted individually • less is used for one unit without individual members that can be counted • human, humane • human – people • humane – compassionate • imply, infer • imply – to suggest something without stating it • infer – to draw a conclusion from evidence

15. Frequently Confused Words • it’s, its • it’s – a contraction for it is or it has • its – a possessive pronoun • lay, lie • lay – to put or to place • lie – to recline • loose, lose • loose – unfastened or not tight • lose – misplace • passed, past • passed – went by • past – previous time • precede, proceed • precede – to come before • proceed - continue

16. Frequently Confused Words • principal, principle • principal – a school administrator • principle – a truth or a moral conviction • stationary, stationery • stationary – unmoving or unchanging • stationery – writing paper • than, then • than – used for comparisons • then – time reference, next • there, their, they’re • there – place • their – possessive pronoun • they’re – contraction for they are

17. Frequently Confused Words • threw, through, thorough • threw – past tense of throw • through – finished or into and out of • thorough – complete • to, too, two • to – toward • too – also or excessively • two – number • whose, who’s • whose – possessive form of who • who’s – contraction for who is and who has • your, you’re • your – possessive form of you • you’re – contraction for you are