Exemplification Notes:
At this point, you should have read through the module on exemplification found on our Canvas class site. This is the type of writing that each of you has been doing since middle school — making a statement of some kind and backing it up with examples.
Here are some general notes, followed by some writing suggestions.
Overall Purpose:
- To make an assertion and support it (back it up) with examples and explanations.
Specific Uses:
- To inform, educate and explain.
- To entertain.
- To argue.
- To clarify.
- To define.
- To compare or contrast.
- To show cause and effects.
How to do it:
- Figure out your purpose and audience – these two items always determine what you say and how you say it.
- Generate examples.
- Select the examples you’re going to use, because you cannot use everything.
- Organize your examples in a sensible manner.
- Begin writing.
Examples must be:
- Accurate.
- Relevant.
- Interesting.
- Specific and precise and concrete.
- Explained or interpreted.
- Cited if referring to an outside source.
- Supportive, not contradictory. They must support their respective topic sentences which, in turn, support the thesis statement
- Representative.
Types of examples:
- Personal experiences or observations.
- Anecdotes.
- Names of people, products, or places.
- References to authority (expert opinions or an authoritative document).
- Typical (an actual event that occurred but not to you or anyone you know).
- Hypothetical (realistic but invented). Can you imagine what it would be like to…
- Generalized (a combination of typical events). All of us at one point have…
- Extended (thoroughly developed with many details).
Types of organization patterns:
- Spatial.
- Chronological
- Emphatic.
- M-W-S (moderate then weakest then strongest)
Be aware of:
- What your audience knows and does not know.
- Jargon or specialized language.
- Transitions between ideas (within sentences, between sentences, and between paragraphs).
- Balance – generally speaking, all of your examples should carry equal weight.
- Outside sources, such as quotations, cannot simply be “dropped” onto your page. You absolutely must explain your examples or they become, essentially, useless.
Some things to think about:
- Each essay begins with a thesis and then proceeds to prove that thesis by using a series of examples that flow together in a logical pattern.
- The thesis must be explicitly stated and easily identified by the reader.
- The examples chosen may be serious or humorous, but they must be well organized, detailed, and descriptive.
- All examples must be explained.
- When using an outside sources, they must all be properly cited.
- The example may tell a story but the main purpose is not to tell a story. Instead, it is to explain and/or convince the reader of the proposition (thesis) introduced at the beginning of the essay.
- Clarity and organization are essential. This type of essay is extremely organized:
- Each example within a paragraph supports that paragraph’s topic sentence.
- Each topic sentence supports the overall thesis of the essay.
The assignments:
- During class, you will write and review a tentative outline of the essay.
- After writing your first draft, please have it peer reviewed either by a classmates, a tutor at our writing center, or at NetTutor. Please have it marked up and annotated as evidence of that peer review.
- Finally, you will turn in your final draft in class.
Please write an exemplification essay,
- double-spaced, 12-point font (easy to read, please)
- 3-5 pages in length
- plus a Works Cited page,
- following MLA guidelines
- including at least three or more citations
- one citation should reference our novel
- one citation should reference class handouts (or handouts/reference found on our class’s Canvas site)
- one or more should come from your own research
- that responds to (explains) this topic:
- Report on the current state of space exploration, including NASA and private companies in the United States as well as international efforts.
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