Paragraphs

I love the Toyota JZX100, I would love to own a white JZX100 with Work wheels. [Wrong] I love the Toyota JZX100. I would love to own a white JZX100 with Work wheels. [Right]

Fragment – incomplete sentence pieces that are not connected to or do not form an independent clause Because my favorite wheel is the Advan GT. [Wrong] Because my favorite wheel is the Advan GT, I want them for my car. [Right]

Misplaced/Dangling Modifiers – modifiers are words, phrases, or clauses that add a description; a misplaced modifier describes the wrong part of a sentence and a

dangling modifier is missing the part it’s supposed to modify

At the race, the pit crew put tires on the car that was bald. [Wrong] At the race, the pit crew put tires that were bald on the car. [Right]

Double Negative – combining two or more negative words in a sentence in a way that is supposed to produce a positive force I knew that street racing wouldn’t do me no good because I could go to jail. [Wrong] I knew that street racing would not do me any good because I could go to jail. [Right]

PARAGRAPHS

Paragraphs – a group of sentences that together convey a shared purpose structured around the same topic.

Introductory Paragraphs (Introductions)

Hook (Lead / Opening Statement) – can begin with the title Anecdotal (Brief story to set the mood and lead the reader into the topic) Ex. Alignment is an extremely important aspect of your car. Alignment has huge importance but is not often taken into consideration by most and there is little thought about how many want to set theirs up. The alignment will bring little to no negatives when set up in a proper manner. There are different types of setups for different uses of the car and the only downsides are in some cases there is more tire wear or less comfort. A proper alignment is likely to bring many things like increased comfort, increased performance, increased stability, and safety.

Query Based (Question that brings the reader to the topic - avoid second person POV “you”) Ex. Alignment is often overlooked and forgotten, what is a proper alignment setup?

Thesis Statements (the purpose of a piece of writing – usually one sentence in length, but can be longer depending on the purpose – must be something that is arguable) Assertion (claim - a subject + a “so what” about the subject) Ex. Alignment is often forgotten and not discussed. Fact (empirically verifiable but often difficult to argue extensively about better used as evidence to support a claim) Ex. Alignment is very important. Opinion (personal position on a topic) Ex. Camber is the most important part of the alignment. Belief (social, religious, or political in nature – an opinion held by many to be a fact, though it is not necessarily factual – often involves a judgment) Ex. Many overlook alignment and forget its importance. Generalization (uses absolute or statistical pronouns: all, always, every,

never,

none, most, half – avoid using this type of thesis statement unless

citing the

source of the data) Ex. All alignments are good and important. Document-Based (cites a specific source, author, and position on a topic) Ex. The company Continental Tires explains that an alignment for your car

is important

to save your decrease your tire wear. Theory (a statement that can be tested and potentially proven - often

answers a

research question) Ex. Alignment is one of the most important parts of a performance cars

setup. Clarification/Expansion of Thesis (could extend the thesis, preview the evidence supporting the thesis, give the purpose of the thesis, establish the importance or significance of examining the intricacies of the thesis – this could be several sentences long) Ex. Alignment dictates many things such as safety, stability, comfort, and

performance.

Alignment can greatly affect the way the car moves thus having great importance.

Body Paragraphs (must have echoes of the thesis in each AND present evidence to support or expand on the thesis)

Topic Sentences (must specifically indicate the topic of the paragraph and focus on one subject and/or area of evidence or support – could start with a “Transition of Logic” that connects to the previous paragraph to give context) Ex. Many tire and suspension companies state that alignment is very important and it can affect tire wear and in some cases make the car work harder causing the engine to be overworked. Presenting Evidence from Quotations (quotes should NEVER be used as individual sentences – quotes should be embedded within sentences)

ORIGINAL QUOTE – “If they aren't, you could be damaging your tires and affecting the vehicle's handling characteristics” (Continental Tire Paragraph 5).

Ex. Continental tires state, “If they aren't, you could be damaging your tires and affecting the vehicle's handling characteristics” (paragraph 5). Examining the Evidence Paraphrasing (rewording of a quote into other words of the same length without quotation marks, but still citing the source - useful for examining the quote and transitioning to your analysis of the quote)

ORIGINAL QUOTE – “If they aren't, you could be damaging your tires and affecting the vehicle's handling characteristics” (Continental Tire Paragraph 5).

Ex. PARAPHRASE – if the vehicle’s alignment is not properly set up or damaged then it can cause damage to the tires and obscure handling. Summarizing (condensing larger quotes or sections - useful for closing the examination of the quote/evidence and transitioning to your analysis of the quote)

ORIGINAL QUOTE – “If they aren't, you could be damaging your tires and affecting the vehicle's handling characteristics” (Continental Tire Paragraph 5).

Ex. SUMMARY – Improper alignment damages tires and handling.

Abstract Examples (hypothetical, “what if” examples that do not refer to a source – AVOID USING THEM AS EVIDENCE – but useful for examining the quote) Ex. Bad alignment may cause one to crash. Concrete Examples (actual examples that do refer to a source – useful for enhancing your analysis of the quote) Ex.Multiple companies and articles like Continental tire and “Does Vehicle Alignment Affect Vehicle Safety” state that alignments can damage tires and cause a vehicle to be dangerous. Closing Sentences (must end the discussion of the topic within the paragraph with a transitional or culminating word – possibly an adverb – and should echo the thesis of the essay)

Ex. Therefore the alignment of a vehicle is critical to the way a car performs, gas mileage, safety, and comfort.

Closing Paragraphs (Conclusions – should not be mere summaries of the previous paragraphs of your essay)

Consequences of Disregarding the Thesis (establishing the potential consequences of disregarding the implications of the thesis – CREATING A COUNTERARGUMENT –could be one or more sentences) Ex. If a vehicle’s alignment was not important then there would be no need for all of the adjustability within alignment but that isn’t the case because alignment can greatly improve a car or destroy the tires and suspension. Statement(s) of Extension (extending the consequences of disregarding the implications of the thesis – could be one or more sentences) Ex. A poor alignment or a messed-up alignment can harm not only the tires but the suspension as well. Reestablishing the Significance of the Thesis (could be one or more sentences) Ex. In turn, alignment being somewhat forgotten can be bad for new people within the car community or car owners in general. People must understand the importance of alignment and its abilities. Final Sentence (closing statement that connects to the hook and finishes the essay (finish your argument) –Drop the mic”/dot dot dot moment… Ex. So given all the health problems associated with fast food, maybe the meals children receive as rewards are not so happy after all…