Writing Skills

An introduction is the first impression of your argument. It can be broken down into three primary sections:

• Grab - The first part of your introduction, this where a writer gets their reader to want to keep reading.

• Summary of supporting arguments - A brief overview of your major ideas.

• Thesis statement - The one-to-two sentence overarching argument of your paper. This statement should be supported by all of the main supporting arguments and their topic sentences.

Your first supporting argument should relate directly to the prompt and your thesis statement. This is the “meat” of your paper – where your overarching point is proven by multiple supporting arguments. There can be as many supporting arguments in a paper as needed.

A basic five-paragraph essay, like the ones you wrote in high school, will have 3 main supporting arguments. In college, shorter response papers may follow that same format; longer papers for midterms, final exams, or research reports will need to include more supporting arguments, but all follow this basic format:

• Topic Sentence - This statement directly identifies the argument/topic of that specific paragraph. It should relate back to the thesis statement.

• Contributing arguments/ “mini” arguments - Here are the details or proof of your argument that help support your topic sentence. You will likely include quotes, figures, statistics, and paraphrased text from outside resources. (Be sure to include citations!) Always provide your own interpretation and ideas rather than just the summary of others’.

• Conclusion or transition - Transition to the next paragraph or main supporting argument by linking the two points in a logical or surprising way.

Students often struggle with conclusions. You may feel that you already said everything you want to say! But it is a critical piece of the essay and acts as a ‘wrap-up’ (and sometimes a call to action) of your ideas.

• Restatement of thesis - Reword your thesis statement to remind readers of your overarching argument.

• Summary of supporting arguments - Provide a brief overview of your main arguments to solidify that you have proven your point.

• Concluding thoughts or “Why does this matter?” - A writer should leave the reader with a focus on the bigger picture. You could recognize areas for future research and help readers to reflect upon the significance of the topic.

Have you answered each part of the assignment? Have you met the page requirement (and not gone over the maximum)? Used the correct font and sizing? Do you use the correct citation formatting (MLA, Chicago, APA)?

Looking at a computer screen can be tiring – you might easily skim over mistakes in your paper. Printing out a hard copy will allow you to mark it up with a pen and thus slow down the revising process.

When you read your own writing out loud rather than silently, you are more likely to pick up on spelling errors and problems with sentence structure. You might read a sentence and wonder, “Does that make sense? Does it flow?” If your friend or roommate is available, ask them to read it to you! You’ll be able to identify when they read you something that is erroneous or sounds off.

GUM stands for Grammar, Usage, and Mechanics. Essentially, don’t gloss over things like spelling mistakes, punctuation, or sentence structure. These oversights can influence how your paper is read and even undermine the strength of your argument.

Students can improve their revision skills (and writing skills more generally) by meeting with a Bay Path Writing Academic Coach! Tutor.com (available on the portal and in the menu of any Canvas class) also offers 24-7 writing assistance.