PROMPT: Write an informative essay explaining what has caused the English spoken today to be different from the English spoken in earlier centuries.
Audience: peers and adults
A brief history of English
-In the 400’s CE, Germanic tribes began invading England. By 900 CE, the people of England spoke Old English, or Anglo-Saxon.
-In 1066 CE, William of Normandy conquered England.
-Words of French and Latin origin heavily influenced the devlelopment of English.
-From 1150 to 1500 CE, people in England spoke Middle English.
-The introduction of the printing press in the late 1044’s began to stabilize English punctuation and spelling.
-By around 1500-1550 CE, Middle English had evolved into modern English.
-Colonialism, international travel, and news technologies continue to influence English.
When conducting research outline:
-think about the big picture
-be specific in keyword searches
-specify relationships between key words
-look for reliable sources (.gov, .edu)
-keep track of sources
5 things to look for when finding sources:
1. author
2. title of article
3. organization
4. URL
5. date of access
The focus of your essay should be broad enough to sustain a full-length paper, but narrow enough to provide specifics.
Too broad: The effects of colonialism, technology, and international travel on the development of English.
Appropriate focus: The effects of technology on the development of English.
Too narrow: The effects of text messaging on the development of English.
A thesis statement for an informative essay includes the topic of the essay and the essay’s viewpoint.
Example of an effective thesis:
-New writing technologies, including the printing press and the computer, have radically changed the way people speak and write English.
Example of ineffective theses:
-The English language was affected by many things.
-English is constantly changing, so I don’t think we should even both trying to use “standard” English.
Develop each paragraph with evidence from your research that elaborates on your topic.
-Paraphrase or quote information from sources.
-Include an explanation of the information from sources.
Introduction (1 paragraph)
-introduce the topic
grab readers’ attention
-provide any necessary background info
-state your thesis
Body (3 paragraphs)
-organize paragraphs to dewlap ideas logically
-develop each paragraph with details and evidence
-use transitions
-include parenthetical citations
Conclusion (1 paragraph)
-restate your thesis in different words
-conclude with a final insight