Used with book Refining Composition Skills 6th ed. by Regina Smalley

1. ENGL 3104
Prof. Mara Luna, M.Ed.

2. The Power of Culture and Language
 Both the culture we live in and the first language we
learn to speak are powerful forces in shaping our
behavior and worldview.
 From them we determine how to act in the world and
how to make sense of it.
 Usually, we are unaware of the power of language until
we experience firsthand a different culture or learn to
speak a different language.

3. The Power of Culture and Language
 These activities help us to gain a perspective of our own
culture and to see some of its unspoken but powerful rules.
 They also make us aware that, when two cultures meet, one
culture can misunderstand or misinterpret the other.
 What kind of rules do we follow every day without thinking
about them? Do these rules help us to live in society or do
they cause problems?
 What problems can happen when two cultures have different
ideas about what kind of behavior is acceptable? What can
happen when mistranslations of words and concepts occur?
 How has your culture shaped your behavior?

4. Building Vocabulary
 Connotations – implications, suggestions, or
emotional associations of words from the point of view
of the speaker. These associations can be favorable or
unfavorable.
 Denotations – are the established, or dictionary,
meanings of words. They do not imply or suggest
favorable or unfavorable meanings.

5. Number of Examples
The way you develop your topic depends on what the topic is
and on what you want to say.
 Some topics require numerous examples, whereas
other can be effectively developed with three or
four extended examples (illustrations).
 Other topics require numerous examples for
adequate development.
 A generalization based on an insufficient number
of examples is a type of poor reasoning called a
hasty generalization.

6. Choosing Fair Examples
 Because an example is a “representative member” of a
class or category, the examples you use to develop the
thesis statement should be representative examples,
examples that fairly support the thesis.
 If all your examples were items of only one type, the
examples would be unfairly chosen.
 You would need to either change your thesis to focus
on your topic or chose examples that support the
thesis as written.

7. Making Examples Complete
 In order to effectively support your thesis, you must
make sure that the information that you give about
each example is complete.
 This means you must also give some facts that relate to
and support the controlling idea.

8. Organization of Examples
 The examples and details in an expository paragraph
can be organized according to time, familiarity, and
importance. In an example essay, the principle of
organization is essentially the same.

9. Transitions Between Paragraphs
 Developmental paragraphs in the example essay must
be connected so that they flow smoothly.
 This helps the reader understand clearly the
progression of thought.
 An essay is incoherent if the paragraphs can be
switched without significant change.
 There are two ways to connect paragraphs in an essay:
 with transitional expressions
 with the repetition of key words and phrases

10. Transitional Words and Phrases
for Examples
Paragraph Examples
First Developmental Paragraph For example
One example
One area of
First, consider
To begin ,consider
Middle Developmental Paragraphs Another example of
An additional example
Second, consider
Still another example of
Last Developmental Paragraph Finally
The most important example of
The most significant example of

11. Additional Resources
How to Write an Example Essay
 http://www.wju.edu/arc/handouts/examp_illustr.pdf
The Example Essay
 http://www.slideshare.net/mmerrin2/the-example-
essay-lecture
Exemplification Essay
 http://www.apsu.edu/sites/apsu.edu/files/academic-
support-center/Exemplification_Essay.pdf