Absolute Phrases

Answers to Worksheet1. Their slender bodies sleek and black against

the orange sky, the storks circled above us.

2. On the tops of the hills, the grass stands at its tallest and greenest, its new seed plumes rising through a dead crop of last year's withered spears.

3. Odysseus comes to shore, the skin torn from his hands, the sea water gushing from his mouth and nostrils.

4. His first marriage having ended in divorce and his second in despair, Norton vowed never to marry again.

5. The double giant Ferris wheel circles, the swaying seats more frightening than a jet plane flying through a monsoon.

6. All afternoon the caravan passed by, shimmering in the winter light, its numberless facets gleaming and the hundreds of wagon wheels turning in the dust in slow and endless motion.

7. Six boys came over the hill, running hard, their heads down, their forearms working, their breaths whistling.

8. The buildings sit empty, jagged pieces of glass sticking out of the frames of the hundreds of broken windows.

9. Proud of my freedom and bumhood, I stood in the doorway of the boxcar, rocking with the motion of the train, my ears full of the rushing wind and the clattering wheels.

10.His hair wet from the showers, he walked in the icy air to Luke's Luncheonette, where he ate three hamburgers in a booth with three juniors.

Thesis Statements

Thesis Statements• A thesis statement informs your reader

what will follow: the topic of your essay and, usually, the main points that will be discussed. It is to be clear and concise.

Topic + Point of View = Thesis

Thesis + main points = Thesis Statement

Tips to writing an effective thesis statement

Find the thesis statement:

Practice

• See pp. 35-36 for examples of thesis statements for persuasive and informative essays.

• In pairs, complete exercises 2-6 and 2-7.

Guidelines for Outlines

• There must be at least two items at each level. If there is an A, there must be a B; if there is a 1, there must be a 2.

• Outlines can be written in point form or in sentences but stick with one or the other throughout the entire outline. In other words, don’t write A in point form and B in sentence form.

Example: Sentence OutlineIntroductionThesis statement: Certain corporations get away with crimes against the environment because

profits are all important, our society cannot easily measure the crimes committed, and when the company is prosecuted, the penalties are weak.

I. There is a conflict between making a profit and protecting the environment.A. The strength of economics outweighs ideological or political views.B. There is the perception that corporate crime against the environment is not real crime as the people involved are often professional and respectable.

II. It is difficult to determine or measure the extent of crimes against the environment.A. Government and regulatory bodies resist releasing facts.B. Records and comments from officials that are released are not always consistent.C. As corporate crime against the environment is often outside the scope and know-how of traditional investigative journalism, the media does not always uncover the extent of the activity.

III. Weak penalties and lax enforcement do not deter corporations. A. The wording of environmental laws is ambiguous.B. Sanctions and penalties are weak.

IV. Prosecution involves expense and political repercussions private citizens’ groups may wish to avoid.

Conclusion

References

Example: Topic Outline IntroductionThesis Statement: Students who have a social life are happier,

more academically successful, and better prepared for the workforce than students who concentrate only on their studies.

I. Student happinessA. friendshipsB. maturity and more balanced perspectives towards life

II. Academic successA. academic support from study groupsB. academic support from friends who are strong in certain disciplines

III. Preparation for the workforceA. development of an effective network of contactsB. development of interpersonal skillsC. development of communication skills

ConclusionNotes Bibliography

Outlines → Paragraphs

- In principle, each paragraph has a central idea; if working from an outline, you draw the ideas for paragraphs from your outline.

- But paragraphing is not a mechanical process. It may sometimes be difficult to determine where one idea ends and the next one begins.

- Also, it may happen that when you revise your essay you see that one paragraph is substantially longer than the others. In such cases, determine a logical place to divide the paragraph into two smaller ones.

- Likewise, short paragraphs should, possibly, be combined.