My Own Little World

Passage taken from Theodore Johnston and James Gonzales, The Writers Advice Book, Ginn
Press, Massachusetts, 1987, p. 72

The door to my study is nearly always closed. It's the place I go to read and work
in tranquility. Today, however, I'm inviting you in for a visit.

As you open the door, notice the Guatemalan crucifix with its bright gold and
maroon flowers; it joyfully reminds me to dedicate my work to God. Although the
room is small, I hope you find it cozy. A big cheerful window lets in the morning
sunshine, which saturates the room with its warmth and embraces us with light.
Birds chirp outside, beckoning you to enter.

An old-fashioned doctor's desk with brass drawer handles sits in front of the
window, its wood full of nicks from many careless moves and tow once-teething
puppies. May I introduce you to Ralph, my friendly computer, who sits on top of
the desk? When I turn him on, he'll crackle "hello" and blink an inviting amber
command on the screen. That's my dog Chico under the desk, snoring in
harmony with Ralph and the birds.

Against the left wall are my book cases, sagging with the wise weight of cheap
paperbacks and a few expensive gold-spines volumes interspersed. A bronzed
Indian chief in a watercolor squints knowingly at us from the wall. Won't you have
a seat in the tattered old green armchair nestled in the other corner? I know you
smell the freshly perked coffee. I made it specially for your visit. Use my favorite
cup there on the tray; it's the one with red and blued balloons around the rim.

Stay as long as you wish, but when you're ready to leave, be sure to close the
door behind you. I like the peaceful security of this, my own little world.

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Sample Narrative Essay

Senior Prom
Passage taken from Theodore Johnston and James Gonzales, The Writers Advice Book, Ginn
Press, Massachusetts, 1987, p. 14

My senior prom night became a comedy of errors when I was asked to represent
the Drama Club. I expected it to be a night that dreams are made of; instead, I
was provided with a less than perfect evening.

I wanted to give Richard, my date and escort, a dazzling first impression by

meeting him at the door in my beautiful Southern belle dress. When Richard
arrived, he was met at the door by my father instead of me, and he found my
mother lying at my feet on the living room floor, sewing the hem in my formal.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, my mother announced that she was
finished and that we were late for the prom.

I decided to relax and compose myself in the car, but instead of a comfortable
coach, I found a cramped pumpkin awaiting me in the form of a Fiat. As I got
inside the car, I realized that most of my dress was still outside. Quickly, I began
piling layer after layer of fabric on my lap until it reached the ceiling and obscured
my view out of the car windows.

Arriving at the prom in silence, my escort and I were quickly ushered into position
behind the other representatives. The procession started; I felt like Cinderella at
the ball. While the announcer introduced the representatives and their escorts, I
visualized myself walking gracefully up the ramp as the audience looked on.

Before I knew it, the spotlight was on us. As we slowly made our way up the
ramp, the announcer introduces us as Judy and Juan. Hearing the names of
someone else shocked both of us. Then it happened- as we turned, our feet
became entangled in my formal; with a hop, skip, and jump, we tripped down the
ramp towards the stairs. Determined to climb the stairs gracefully, I started a
slow ascent. Upon reaching the top step, I realized I had also climbed up the
inside of my dress and was now on my knees. My escort had to carefully back
me down the steps until we could once again make our climb.

As the evening concluded, I realized that with all that happened, only my friends
knew the true identity of the two clowns in the procession. Everyone else thought
it was Judy and Juan.

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Sample Process Essay

Giving Blood
From Nucleus: English for Science and Technology (General Science), Longman Press, 1983

Every hospital needs large supplies of blood for transfusions. It is given by

donors.

Before giving blood, the donor is given tests to determine his blood group and
make sure he is not suffering from certain diseases. When this has been done
his blood can be taken.

First he lies down with his arm on a pillow. Next the nurse puts the cuff of the
sphygmomanometer around his upper arm, and inflates it to compress the veins.
At this stage she cleans his skin with ether and inserts the needle into a vein. As
she does this the blood begins to flow into a bottle until it is full. Meanwhile the
donor opens and closes his hand to increase the flow.

As soon as the bottle is full the nurse takes off the sphygmomanometer and
withdraws the needle. Finally, she puts a dressing on the donor's arm. The blood
is immediately labeled and refrigerated.

Before giving blood, the donor is given tests to determine his blood group and
make sure he is not suffering from certain diseases. When this has been done
his blood can be taken.

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Sample Classification Essay

The Human Body

From Nucleus: English for Science and Technology (General Science), Longman Press, 1983,
p.47

The human body is made up of a number of different systems. Each system has
a separate function, but some work together.

One system is the skeleton, which serves to support the body and protect the
internal organs. The respiratory system enables us to breathe and take oxygen
into the blood, which moves around the body by means of the circulatory system.
The digestive system enables us to take in food needed for growth. Waste matter
is ejected from the body by means of the urinary system. The nervous system
controls the other systems and enables human beings to think.

The endocrine system consists of various glands, such as the thyroid, sex and
adrenal glands. The function of these glands is to secrete chemicals, known as
hormones, into the blood. These hormones control various processes in the
body, such as growth, sexual activities and digestion..

Each system is made up of organs. The lungs, for example, are part of the
respiratory system. The heart is an organ in the circulatory system. The liver
functions as part of the digestive system and other systems.

Every organ is composed of several kinds of tissue. Epithelial tissue, which

includes the skin, forms a covering over organs. Connective tissue supports and
holds together parts of the body and includes bone and cartilage. Other types of
tissue include nerve tissue and blood tissue.
All tissue consists of cells. These are so small that they are measured in
thousandths of a millimeter and can only be seen with a microscope. Each cell is
covered with a thin membrane which surrounds a nucleus, and a jelly-like
substance, called cytoplasm. This in turn contains minute particles, each with its
own special function.

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Sample Comparison/Contrast Essay

Paragraphs and Essays

Passage taken from Theodore Johnston and James Gonzales, The Writers Advice Book, Ginn
Press, Massachusetts, 1987, p. 130

[College students in the United States often become confused with academic-
composition terminology. They hear teachers talking about topic sentences that
are too general or thesis statements that are too broad. They are asked to
compose paragraphs and expand them into more comprehensive essays about
the topic.

How can students better understand the structures of these two writing structures
in the English? Perhaps discussing similarities and differences between the two
would help.]

The structure of an essay is like the structure of a paragraph. Just as the

controlling idea of a paragraph is expressed in the topic sentence, the controlling
idea of an essay is expressed in the thesis statement . The topic sentence of a
paragraph is generally placed at the beginning of the paragraph, and the thesis
statement of an essay is placed in the introductory paragraph. In both
paragraphs and essays, specific support in the form of facts, details, and
examples is needed to validate the opinion expressed in the controlling idea.
Finally, both paragraphs and essays tend to restate the controlling idea at the
end of the discussion rather than simply coming to an abrupt stop.

The difference between a paragraph and essay is primarily one of development.

Whereas a paragraph usually deals with only one dimension of a topic, an essay
can turn a thought through several dimensions. Once a writer starts to make
notes on a subject, he may discover that the complexity of the subject demands
more than a one-paragraph treatment. The paragraphs of an essay treat a
sequence of key points; each of the paragraphs in turn focuses on the one key
point the writer assigns it. Thus, the writer turns the thought just to a certain
point in each of the body paragraphs. When the essay is successful, the totality
of the turns unlocks a complex sequence of thoughts which the writer can share
with the reader.
[Perhaps and analogy would help. A person spending weekends or only a few
days in the mountains would require very little space: room for a bed, limited
cooking supplies, a restroom or outhouse, and perhaps a chair or two. On the
other hand, someone who lives in the mountains all of time would require much
more space and materials for survival. In the same way, a person writing only
briefly about a topic might skim major aspects of that topic in an essay whereas
someone wishing to elaborate more on a broader topic might choose to develop
ideas through an essay.]

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Sample Definition Essay 1- TO PROVIDE MORE IN DEPTH INFORMATION

The Earth
From Nucleus: English for Science and Technology (General Science), Longman Press, 1983, p.27.

The earth is a solid sphere. It is made up of three concentric spheres or layers.

These are called the core, the mantle, and the crust. The solid sphere is
surrounded by a gaseous sphere, which is called the atmosphere.

We know most about the crust of the Earth which is the outermost sphere. This
layer is very thin compared with the diameter of the whole Earth. It is only about
10 km thick under the ocean and about 30 km thick on land. It consists of rock
which contains a lot of minerals. These are usually in compounds called oxides,
containing oxygen, or sulfides, containing sulfur.

The mantle is much thicker than the crust. It is about 30 km thick. It consists
mainly of rocks, but we do not know much about their composition.

The core, which is situated inside the mantle, seems to be divided into two parts.
The inner core is about 2800 km in diameter. We believe that it is mainly
composed of iron, but it also contains about 10% nickel. The layer surrounding
the inner core is called the outer core and is approximately 2000 km thick. It is
probably composed of molten iron and nickel. However, the metals in the inner
core seem to be rigid, and therefore solid. This is because they are under very
high pressure, which causes solidification in spite of the high temperatures at the
center of the Earth.

Sample Definition Essay 2-TO PROVIDE A UNIQUE VIEW OF A TERM

Have a Heart
(Leery Wise)
What does the word "heart" mean? Strictly speaking, a heart is an organ of the
physical body which pumps blood into the organism. The term "heart," however,
extends to more than the physical body.

When lovers part, one will often claim to have a broken heart yet remain living. A
saddened gent or lady will often clutch the area between the ribs at the center of
the chest, and moan in sorrow over a lost lover. Physical or not, the heart in this
case is also something that pumps life into the emotional body.

"Don't lose heart," says a friend to another who has been discouraged by one of
life's many trials. Now how can anyone lose a heart? I ask. Easily, by getting
discouraged. Again, the heart becomes a symbol for pumping life into a system,
but not a physical one.

When one gets to the heart of the matter, she gets to its center - that which gives
it meaning. When people beg, "Have a heart," they are asking you to be
compassionate - to recognize the soul in another. Having a heart-to-heart talk
means to share something from the center of our being with someone else.
Speaking from the heart always implies communicating from what is real and
essential in our lives.

Perhaps the most common definition of the word "heart," therefore, should
recognize that "heart" is something essential to every human being, whether it is
physical or not.

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Sample Cause/Effect Essay

Climate and Pollution Related?

Nucleus: English for Science and Technology (General Science), Longman Press, 1983, p.106

Every year there are changes in climate in different parts of the world. Some of
these changes are due to natural causes. However, some climatic changes are
caused by air pollution and these changes may increase.

If the pollution affects the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, the results
are likely to be serious. Carbon dioxide constitutes only a small part of the
atmosphere. But it has an important function in maintaining the balance between
radiation from the sun entering the atmosphere and radiation leaving the Earth.
Some of the radiation is absorbed by the Earth and some is radiated back into
the atmosphere. The carbon dioxide in the atmosphere prevents some of the
radiation from leaving the atmosphere. Thus the heat remains in the atmosphere
and carbon dioxide helps to prevent the temperature of the Earth from falling.
If the proportion of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is increased as a result of
air pollution, the temperature of the atmosphere may rise. This might eventually
cause the ice in the north and the south poles to melt. If this happened, the sea
level would rise and parts of the Earth would be flooded. The likelihood of this
happening is remote, but the possibility exists.

There is also a fairly strong possibility that the dust level in the atmosphere will
rise as a result of industrial pollution. This dust pollution will reflect sunlight back
into space. If this happens, less sunlight will reach the Earth and the temperature
will fall.

Another danger comes from the destruction of the Earth's vegetation, such as the
forests of Brazil, which are being cleared to make way for farmland and cities.
Trees use carbon dioxide and their destruction may upset the balance of carbon
dioxide in the atmosphere.

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Sample Argumentation Essay

You Just Don't Understand

Passage taken from "You Just Don't Understand," by Deborah Tannen, in Mosaic Two, Blass,
Laurie and Meredith Pike-Baky, The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc., New York, 1996, p. 50, 51

Experts and nonexperts alike tend to see anything women do as evidence of

powerlessness. [The language of the media is replete with examples of how
difficult it is for women to be regarded as beings with authority and power. The
attitude follows women in power everywhere, but]... nowhere is the conflict
between femininity and authority more crucial than with women in politics.

The characteristics of a good man and a good candidate are the same, but a
woman has to choose between coming across as a strong leader or a good
woman. If a man appears forceful, logical, direct, masterful, or powerful, he
enhances his value as a man. If a woman appears forceful, logical, direct,
masterful, or powerful she risks undercutting her value as a woman.

As Robin Lakoff shows in Language and Woman's Place, language comes at a

woman from two angles: The words they speak, and the words spoken about
them. If I wrote: "After delivering the acceptance speech, the candidate fainted,
"you would know I was talking about a woman. Men do not faint; they pass out.
And these terms have vastly different connotations that both reflect and affect our
image of men and women. Fainting conjures up a frail figure crumpling into a
man's rescuing arms, maybe just for dramatic effect. Passing out suggests a
straightforward fall to the floor.
An article in Newsweek during the 1984 vice presidential campaign quoted a
Reagan aide who called Ferraro [Geraldine Ferraro- a 1984 vice presidential
candidate] "a nasty woman" who would "claw Ronald Reagan's eyes out." Never
mind the nastiness of the remark and of the newsmagazine's using it to open its
article. Applied to a man, nasty would be so tame as to seem harmless.
Furthermore, men don't claw; they punch and sock, with correspondingly more
forceful results. The verb claw both reflects and reinforces the stereotypical
metaphor of women as cats. Each time someone uses an expression associated
with this metaphor, it reinforces it, suggesting a general "cattiness" in women's
character.

In his book The Language of Politics, Michael Geis gives several examples of
words used to describe that undercut her. One headline called her "spunky" and
"feisty." As Geis observes, spunky and feisty are used only for creatures that are
small and lacking in real power; they could be said of a Pekingese but not a
Great Dane, perhaps of Mickey Rooney but not of an average-size man.

It's not that journalists, other writers, or everyday speakers are deliberately, or
even unintentionally, "sexist" in their use of language. The important point is that
gender distinctions are built into language. The words available to us to describe
women and men are not the same words. And, most damaging of all, through
language, our images and attitudes are buttressed and shaped. Simply by
understanding and using the words of our language, we all absorb and pass on
different, asymmetrical assumptions about men and women.