Writing Resources (Continued)

<BODY BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000" LINK="#333399" ALINK="#9A2873" VLINK="#660099"> <TABLE CELLPADDING="0" CELLSPACING="0" BORDER="0" VSPACE="0" HSPACE="0" WIDTH="100%"> <Tr> <Td WIDTH="12" HEIGHT="4"></Td> <Td width="100%"></Td> <Td WIDTH="12" HEIGHT="4"></Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td ALIGN="LEFT" WIDTH="12" VALIGN="top"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="12" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></Td> <Td><div><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><FONT COLOR="#0066FF" SIZE= 5 ><B>Welcome to the MHS Writing Center</B></FONT><FONT COLOR="#333399">    </FONT> |     <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Welcome to the MHS Writing Center"><U>home</U></A></FONT></div> <div><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="8" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></div> <div><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><A HREF="id17.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Essay Help"><U>Essay Help</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id18.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Writing Process"><U>The Writing Process</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id19.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE=" Writing Resources"><U>  Writing Resources</U></A>   |   <B>Writing Resources (Continued)</B>   |   <A HREF="id20.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Student Archives"><U>Student Archives</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id21.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Related Links"><U>Related Links</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id22.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Meet the Tutors"><U>Meet the Tutors</U></A></FONT></div> <div><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="30" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></div> <div><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#0066FF" FACE="Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">Writing Resources (Continued)</FONT></div> <div><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="11" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></div> <bR> <div><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000099" FACE="Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><B>Cliches</B></FONT></div> <div><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000099" FACE="Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">A word to the wise: Your teacher won't be grinning ear to ear if he/she sees a cliche! But don't fall into the depths of despair!  To make a long story short, accidents will happen, so reading through these cliches and watching out for them in your work will strengthen your writing in a jiffy!  Your friends will be green with envy!</FONT></div> <bR> <div><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000099" FACE="Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">The above introduction was, of course, filled with cliches.  Cliches are phrases that have been used so much in writing and speaking that they are familiar to readers.  Because they are familiar, they make writing stale and boring.  The following are some common cliches.   Get rid of them or revise them if you find them in your writing. </FONT></div> <bR> <div><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000099" FACE="Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">add insult to injury                              grinning from ear to ear</FONT></div> <div><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000099" FACE="Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">green with envy                                     in this day and age</FONT></div> <div><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000099" FACE="Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">long arm of the law                              few and far between</FONT></div> <div><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000099" FACE="Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">depths of despair                                 word to the wise</FONT></div> <div><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000099" FACE="Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">at death's door                                      bite off more than you can chew</FONT></div> <div><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000099" FACE="Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">one in a million                                     not a second too soon</FONT></div> <div><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000099" FACE="Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">writing on the wall                               heart on his (her) sleeve</FONT></div> <div><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000099" FACE="Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">to the bitter end                                   on cloud nine</FONT></div> <div><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000099" FACE="Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">in a jiffy                                                   weary bones</FONT></div> <div><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000099" FACE="Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">bone tired                                              bury the hatchet</FONT></div> <div><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000099" FACE="Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">it's in the bag                                         weigh a ton</FONT></div> <div><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000099" FACE="Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">cried her eyes out                                accidents will happen</FONT></div> <div><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000099" FACE="Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">beyond a shadow of a doubt             white as a ghost</FONT></div> <div><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000099" FACE="Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">calm before the storm                          break the ice</FONT></div> <div><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000099" FACE="Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">stopped dead in her tracks                in the same boat</FONT></div> <div><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000099" FACE="Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">once in a lifetime                                   heart skipped a beat</FONT></div> <div><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000099" FACE="Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">raining cats and dogs                            sighed in relief</FONT></div> <div><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000099" FACE="Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">busy as a bee                                        easier said than done</FONT></div> <div><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000099" FACE="Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">to make a long story short                  </FONT></div> <div></div> <bR> <bR> <div><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000099" FACE="Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><B>Hook Paragraphs</B></FONT></div> <bR> <div><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000099" FACE="Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><B>Here are four basic ways to start your introduction in a way that will grab the attention of your audience:</B></FONT></div> <bR> <div><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000099" FACE="Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><B>Incongruous Details</B></FONT></div> <div><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000099" FACE="Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><B>        * Putting two elements together that are not usually combined.</B></FONT></div> <bR> <div><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000099" FACE="Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><B>Example:  When my Uncle Moe dropped dead of a heart attack, I became an  expert in the subway system.  (Leonard Michaels, "Murderers.")</B></FONT></div> <bR> <div><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000099" FACE="Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><B>          In this example, death by heart attack and the subway have nothing to do with each other, but they make the reader curious as to why the author chose to put them together. The rest of the story will explain the pairing of such elements.</B></FONT></div> <bR> <div><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000099" FACE="Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><B>Shock Value   </B></FONT></div> <div><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000099" FACE="Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><B>      * Starting your introduction with an outrageous statement.</B></FONT></div> <div></div> <div><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000099" FACE="Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><B>                Example: I know something serious has happened when I wake up well before dawn to discover two guards wearing armoured vests and riot helmets taking a head count. (Evens D. Hopkins "Lockdown")</B></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <div><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000099" FACE="Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><B>"En Medias Res"  or "In the Middle of Things"</B></FONT></div> <bR> <div><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000099" FACE="Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><B>            Example:  I was spinning out of control.  I heard screaming and realized later that it was my own voice I had heard. I closed my eyes and braced myself, as I continued to scream.  That one careless moment on the interstate nearly ended my life and taught me a valuable lesson in patience.</B></FONT></div> <bR> <div><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000099" FACE="Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><B>In this example, the author puts the reader right in the middle of the action.  </B></FONT></div> <bR> <div><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000099" FACE="Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><B>Quotation</B></FONT></div> <div><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000099" FACE="Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><B>        </B><B>*</B><B> </B><B>Start your introduction with a quotation.</B></FONT></div> <div></div> <div><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000099" FACE="Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><B>          Example:  "And this is why I have decided to ban all red sweatshirts from the country of Bambognia," stated Prime Minister David Davidson in his 1996 address to the Bambognian Congress.  This momentous decision heavily impacted the businesses of Bambognia; dry cleaners floundered, clothing companies wallowed, and the economy fell into an irreversible depression.    </B></FONT></div> <bR> <div><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000099" FACE="Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><B>Starting with a quotation can imbue a paper with an objective or authoritative tone.  Just make sure you cite the quotation!</B></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> </Td> <Td ALIGN="LEFT" WIDTH="12" VALIGN = "top" ><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="12" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td WIDTH="12" HEIGHT="1"></Td> <Td><FONT SIZE="1">                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            </FONT></Td> <Td WIDTH="12" ></Td> </Tr> </TABLE> </BODY> </HTML>