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Planning & Prewriting

Beginner

Brainstorming

Generate ideas before you start writing. Use techniques like mind mapping, free writing, or listing to explore your topic thoroughly.

Good Example
"Climate change causes: pollution, deforestation, industrial emissions, transportation, agriculture..."
This shows a clear brainstorming list with specific, related ideas.

Outlining

Create a roadmap for your essay. Organize your main points logically and decide what evidence you'll use to support each point.

1
Introduction
Hook, background, thesis statement
2
Body Paragraph 1
First main point with evidence
3
Body Paragraph 2
Second main point with evidence
4
Conclusion
Restate thesis, summarize, call to action

Essay Structure

Beginner

Introduction

Your introduction should grab attention, provide context, and present a clear thesis statement that previews your main arguments.

Strong Hook
"Every year, plastic waste equivalent to a garbage truck is dumped into our oceans every minute."
This statistic immediately captures attention and introduces the topic.
Weak Hook
"In this essay, I will talk about pollution."
This is boring and doesn't engage the reader's interest.

Body Paragraphs

Each body paragraph should focus on one main idea, supported by evidence and examples. Use the PEEL structure: Point, Evidence, Explain, Link.

PEEL Structure

Point
Start with a clear topic sentence that states your main point.
"Social media significantly impacts teenage mental health."
Evidence
Provide facts, statistics, quotes, or examples to support your point.
"Studies show that teens who use social media for over 3 hours daily are 60% more likely to experience depression."
Explain
Analyze how your evidence supports your point.
"This correlation suggests that excessive social media use creates unrealistic comparisons and reduces face-to-face social interaction."
Link
Connect back to your thesis or transition to the next paragraph.
"This evidence clearly demonstrates that social media's impact on mental health cannot be ignored."

Conclusion

Summarize your main points, restate your thesis in new words, and leave the reader with something to think about.

Strong Conclusion
"The evidence clearly shows that climate change demands immediate action. We must choose: act now or face irreversible consequences."
This restates the thesis and ends with a powerful call to action.

Paragraph Development

Intermediate

Coherence & Unity

Each paragraph should focus on one main idea. All sentences should relate to this central point and flow logically from one to the next.

Unified Paragraph
"Exercise benefits mental health in multiple ways. First, physical activity releases endorphins that improve mood. Additionally, regular exercise reduces stress hormones like cortisol. Finally, working out provides a healthy outlet for managing anxiety and depression."
All sentences support the main topic: exercise and mental health benefits.

Transitions

Use transitional words and phrases to connect ideas smoothly and guide your reader through your argument.

Common Transitions

Addition
furthermore, moreover, in addition, also, besides
Contrast
however, nevertheless, on the other hand, despite, although
Cause & Effect
therefore, consequently, as a result, because, since
Examples
for instance, for example, such as, namely, specifically

Grammar Essentials

Intermediate

Common Grammar Mistakes

Subject-Verb Agreement
The subject and verb must agree in number (singular/plural).
Correct: "The students are studying." / "The student is studying."
Incorrect: "The students is studying."
Pronoun Agreement
Pronouns must agree with their antecedents in number and gender.
Correct: "Each student must bring their laptop." (or "his or her laptop")
Incorrect: "Each student must bring its laptop."
Comma Splices
Don't join two independent clauses with just a comma.
Correct: "I studied hard, and I passed the test."
Incorrect: "I studied hard, I passed the test."
Apostrophes
Use apostrophes for possession and contractions, not plurals.
Correct: "The dog's bone" (possession), "It's raining" (contraction)
Incorrect: "Apple's for sale" (plural)

Writing Style

Advanced

Active vs. Passive Voice

Use active voice for clearer, more direct writing. The subject performs the action rather than receiving it.

Active Voice
"The researcher conducted the experiment."
Clear, direct, and emphasizes who did the action.
Passive Voice
"The experiment was conducted by the researcher."
Wordy and less direct, though sometimes appropriate.

Conciseness

Eliminate unnecessary words and phrases. Say more with less to make your writing powerful and clear.

Concise
"The study shows that exercise improves memory."
Direct and to the point.
Wordy
"The study that was conducted shows that there is a correlation between exercise and the improvement of memory function."
Unnecessarily complex and wordy.

Revision & Editing

Intermediate

Self-Editing Checklist

Content & Organization
✓ Clear thesis statement
✓ Logical paragraph order
✓ Supporting evidence for each point
✓ Strong conclusion
Style & Clarity
✓ Varied sentence structure
✓ Active voice where appropriate
✓ Clear, concise language
✓ Appropriate tone
Grammar & Mechanics
✓ Correct spelling
✓ Proper punctuation
✓ Subject-verb agreement
✓ Consistent verb tenses
Test Your Knowledge
Take this quick quiz to check your understanding of writing fundamentals.
Which of the following is the best thesis statement?
"In this essay, I will discuss social media."
"Social media is popular among teenagers."
"Social media negatively impacts teenage mental health through increased anxiety, depression, and social comparison."
"Social media has both positive and negative effects."

Practice Exercise: Paragraph Writing

Write a well-structured paragraph about the importance of reading. Use the PEEL structure: Point, Evidence, Explain, Link. Your paragraph should be 100-150 words.
Word count: 0

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