GROUP B WRITING PACK

Period 2
FALL 2020

ISTANBUL MEDENIYET UNIVERSITY

SCHOOL OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES
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Contents
INTRODUCTION TO CAUSE-EFFECT PARAGRAPH……………………………………………3
Transition Words for Cause-Effect Paragraph……………………………………………….7
EFFECT PARAGRAPHS………………………………………………………………………………14
CAUSE PARAGRAPHS ………………………………………………………………………………..19
REVIEW FOR CAUSE-EFFECT PARAGRAPH…………………………………………………….20
REVIEW FOR OPINION PARAGRAPH……………………………………………………………..21
WRITING RUBRIC FOR PARAGRAPH……………………………………………………………..26
ERROR CORRECTION CODES……………………………………………………………………....29
REFERENCES…………………………………………………………………………………………...30

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 INTRODUCTION TO CAUSE-EFFECT PARAGRAPH
Causes & Effects of Stress

1
2 3

4 5 6

7 8 9

Label the pictures with the suitable words

below:
unemployment, anxiety, sweating, finances, money, rushing, depression,
loneliness, deadlines, arguments, tests, anger, hospitals, x-rays, too much work
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 Complete the sentences below:

1. Three causes of stress are :

2. What are some other causes of stress?

3. Three harmful effects of stress are:

What are some other effects of stress?

Purpose: A cause-effect paragraph explains the reasons that a certain action or event occurs or
the results, effects or consequences of an action. A cause-effect paragraph tells how one event
(the cause) leads to another event (the effect). In other words, your paragraph may focus more on
the effects of a cause or more on the causes of one effect. Either approach provides a useful
means of discussing the possible relationship between the two events.
Key Features: The most common cause-effect paragraphs follow one of the two patterns below:
- Reasons (or causes) of an action or event (focus-on causes method) OR
- Results (or effects) of an action or event (focus-on-effects method)
Uses: A cause-effect paragraph can be used to show the following:
- The causes of something
- The consequences, or effects of something

 Read the paragraph and write W for the writer’s reasons and P for the professor’s
reasons.
It Wasn’t My Fault!
Professors should be understanding when students can’t complete assignments on time. I
couldn’t do the writing homework for English class today, and my professor didn’t want to
hear my reasons. I had good reasons, too. Last night was Evan’s birthday. He’s my best
friend, so I had to go to his party. After the party, I tried to do the homework, but my
computer froze and I lost all the information. I was too tired to write it again because it was
very late. My professor didn’t care. She said, “You had two weeks to do the assignment, so
there are no excuses.” I think she’s angry with me, but it wasn’t my fault.
I- The writer didn’t do his homework because….
a. ____ it was his best friend’s birthday.
b. ____ he is lazy.
c. ____ he is not organized.
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 d. ____ he had a computer problem.
e. ____ he is not a serious student.

II- Look at the paragraph “It Wasn’t My Fault” and do the following.
a. Underline the sentences that use so or because.
b. For each of those sentences, tell a partner what part of the sentence tells the
cause and what part tells the effect/result.

Giving explanations
Cause and effect / result
o So and because can be used to join two sentences together:
It was raining. I took an umbrella.
It was raining, so I took an umbrella.
I took an umbrella because it was raining.
o So and because have a similar function.
So tells us the result or effect of a situation:
I took an umbrella.
o Because tells us why something happens (the cause):
I took an umbrella. Why? Because it was raining.
o So and because are often very close in meaning, but you must use so with the
result/effect and because with the cause:
I had a cold. I didn’t go to class.
I had a cold, so I didn’t go to class.
I didn’t go to class because I had a cold.

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Exercise 1: Write a sentence using so and another sentence using because for these situations.
a. The movie was boring. I left early.
The movie was boring, so I left early.
I left early because the movie was boring.
b. We played badly. We lost the soccer match.
……………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………

c. I failed the test. I didn’t study hard.

……………………………………………………………………..
……………………………………………………………………..
d. My alarm clock didn’t work. I was late for the meeting.
……………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………..
e. I am shy. I don’t have many friends.
……………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………
f. I won’t go to the party. I’m tired.
………………………………………………………………………………….
………………………………………………………………………………….

Starting with because

Look at these two sentences:

I was too tired to write it again because it was very late.

Because it was very late, I was too tired to write it again.
There is no difference in meaning between these two sentences. When you write, use both
styles. There is a difference in punctuation.
Exercise 2: Rewrite these sentences using because.
a. I couldn’t bring my homework. My dog ate my homework.
I couldn’t bring my homework because my dog ate it.
Because my dog ate my homework, I couldn’t bring it.
b. I am too busy. I don’t exercise.
………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………..
c. I’m not going to the beach. I have to take an exam.
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 ……………………………………………………………………………
TRANSITION WORDS FOR CAUSE AND EFFECT PARAGRAPH
Transition words to Show Cause/Reason
Because & Since
Because and since are used to show a cause or reason.
We went to the beach because/since it was sunny.
*Be careful: Since can also be used to show time, for example: I have lived in İstanbul since
2008.)
We can also use as to show a cause or reason. As is used in formal writing more often than in
speech.
We had a meeting as the administration asked all the staff to be back in October.
As it was raining, I stayed home and watched a movie.
Due to & Because of & Owing to
Due to and because of are followed by a noun clause of ‘the fact that’
We were late due to/because of the traffic. We were late due to/because of the fact that there was
a lot of traffic.
How to Use Transition Words & Commas
If the transition word comes at the beginning of the sentence, we use a comma; otherwise, we do
not.

Examples:

Because it was sunny, we went to the beach. → We went to the beach because it was sunny.
Since it was raining, we stayed home. → We stayed home since it was raining.
As I was late, I didn’t eat breakfast. → I didn’t eat breakfast as I was late.
Due to the traffic, we were late. → We were late due to the traffic.
Because of the traffic, we were late. → We were late because of the traffic.

 Review the sentences to cover cause and effect statements.

Cause: I was ill. Effect: I did not go to work.
Because I was ill, I did not go to work.
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I didn’t go to work because I was ill.
Since she wants to lose weight quickly, she is on a strict diet.
As it was very cold in the garden, we decided to eat inside the restaurant.
Because of
Because On account of
Since + a clause, main clause. Owing to + noun/pronoun/gerund, main clause.
As Due to

Cause: She was ill. Effect: She could not go to school.

Because she was ill, she could not go to school.
Because of her illness, she couldn’t go to school.

I was late for work yesterday because the traffic was heavy.
I was late for work yesterday because of the heavy traffic.

As the prices rise dramatically, it is difficult to make ends meet.

Owing to dramatically rising prices, it is difficult to make ends meet.

Since employment is limited in rural areas, many people are moving to big cities.
Due to the limited employment in rural areas, many people are moving to big cities.

Transition Words to Show Effect / Result

So & Therefore

So and therefore are used to show an effect or result.

It was raining, so we stayed home.
I woke up late; therefore, I didn’t eat breakfast.
I have a headache. Therefore, I will stay home tonight.

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Thus & Hence
We sometimes use thus & hence to show an effect or reason. Thus and hence are used in formal
writing more often than in speech.
It was sunny; hence, we went to the beach.
There was a lot of traffic; thus, we were late.

As a Result Of
As a result of is a transitional phrase and can be followed by a noun phrase or an independent
clause.
We were late as a result of the traffic. (noun clause)
We were late as a result of driving through traffic. (noun clause)
We were late; as a result, we missed the beginning of the movie. (independent clause)

Showing Cause-Effect
Within a Sentence Between Sentences
Because of + noun As a result /Therefore /Because of this, S + V
Because+ S + V
Another (cause/effect/reason)
Owing to + noun
Due to + noun
S + V, so S + V
S + V so (that) S + V

Cause: It’s raining heavily. Effect: We cannot go out.

Because it is raining heavily, we cannot go out.
We cannot go out because it is raining heavily.
It is raining heavily. Therefore, we cannot go out.
Consequently, we cannot go out.
As a result, we cannot go out.
It is raining heavily, so we cannot go out.

He came late. Consequently, we missed the bus.

We missed the bus as a consequence of his coming late.
She was busy. As a result, she could not help me.

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As a result of her being busy, she could not help me.
 Read the sentences in the tables in order to cover different usages of the transition words.
Cause Effect
Man hunts whales in large numbers; therefore,
as a result,
as a result of this,
consequently, they face extinction.
as a consequence of this,
because of this
thus,

Cause Effect
Man hunts whales in large numbers, so they face extinction.

Cause Effect
Because
As
Since man hunts whales in large numbers, the face extinction.
Due to the fact that
Owing to the fact that
Cause Effect
Because of
On account of
Due to man’s hunting whales in large numbers, they face extinction.
Owing to
As a result of
As a consequence of

Cause Effect
Man’s hunting whales in large numbers causes
leads to
results in the danger of their becoming extinct.
is the reason for

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 is responsible for

Cause Effect
Whales’ facing extinction is a result of
is due to man’s hunting them in large numbers.
is a consequence of
results from

Exercise 3: Combine the following ideas using the given words.

1. The council is running a successful tree-planting campaign. The city is becoming greener.
a. (therefore)………………………………………………………………………….
b. (because)……………………………………………………………………………
c. (so)………………………………………………………………………………….
d. (as a consequence of)………………………………………………………………..
e. (Consequently)………………………………………………………………………
f. (due to)………………………………………………………………………………
g. (owing to the fact that)………………………………………………………………
h. (since)……………………………………………………………………………….
2. She sunbathed too long. Her legs were very painful.
a. (result in) ……………………………………………………………………………
b. (result from) ………………………………………………………………………...
c. ( as a result of) ……………………………………………………………………...
d. (therefore) …………………………………………………………………………..
e. (because) ……………………………………………………………………………
f. (so) ………………………………………………………………………………….
Exercise 4: Choose the correct completion.
1. Migration from rural areas to the big cities (leads to / because of) overpopulation and
unemployment in these cities.
2. (Due to the fact that / Owing to) many countries have over-fished for decades, fish stocks
are diminishing in many areas.
3. (Due to the fact that / Owing to) over fishing by many countries for decades, fish stocks
are dangerously low in many areas.
4. The traffic chaos this morning (resulted in / resulted from) the bus and rail workers’ one-
day strike.
5. The action taken by the bus and rail workers for better working conditions (resulted in /
resulted from chaos on the roads this morning.

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 6. (Therefore / As) I have Friday off this week, I am going to the beach with my friends.
7. (Because / Because of) the discount the seller offered me, I decided to buy four of the
dishes instead two.
8. (Because / Because of) the seller offered me a good discount, I agreed to buy four dishes
instead of two.
9. She bought her own house, not (because/so) she didn’t like living with her family, but
(because/thanks to) she thought it was a good investment.
10. (As a consequence of / The reason for) the over-development of the area, including the
building of hotels and restaurants, the natural beauty of Pamukkale is under threat.
11. The low staff morale is (since / due to) the director’s decision to leave at the end of the
month.
12. He is earning a lot more money now; (therefore / since), he can afford to take longer and
better holidays.
13. He did not like to drive during the heat of the day, (so / as) they left home very early in
the morning.
14. They set off on their journey at four in the morning (so / as) he did not like to drive during
the heat of the day.
15. (Thanks to / Due to the fact that) organizers’ hard work and a little luck with the weather,
the picnic was extremely successful.
Exercise 5: Combine the two sentences using an appropriate transition word or phrase.
1. We stayed inside. There was a tropical storm.
…………………………………………………………………….
2. Tracy failed the exam. She didn’t study.
……………………………………………………………………
3. Dave had a car accident. He was sending a text.
……………………………………………………………………
4. Mike is a good volleyball player. He wins many games.
……………………………………………………………………
5. My flight was delayed. I didn’t make it home in time for the wedding.

Exercise 6: Complete the following sentences.

1. I don’t have any money. As a result,
……………………………………………………………………………………………
2. Because of a lack of rain in summer,
…………………………………………………………………………………………...
3. The canteen is sometimes very crowded. Consequently,
……………………………………………………………
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 4. During the New Year holiday, many people go on holiday in the countryside. Therefore,
………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………
5. I have to do the housework every weekend. For this reason,
………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………….
6. Due to………………………………………………………………, I won’t have enough
time to go shopping on Saturday.
7. Many websites are appropriate for children, so
………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………….
8. Because I am so bored,
………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………… .

Exercise 7: Read the following paragraph and underline the correct verb tense in the
parentheses.
Bullying behavior can occur for many reasons. Young people often begin bullying
because they (want/wanted/had wanted) to control those who are weaker than they are. In
fact, many bullies act this way because they (experience/experienced/have experienced)
an attack by a bully themselves. Another reason that some kids bully other children is to
establish a well-known identity in school. If they (do not have/did not have/ have not had)
a unique well-known identity in school before they began bullying, now they (do/did/have
done). Finally, some children become bullies to get attention. In many households, both
parents (work/worked/had worked) outside home, so they (are not/were not/ had not been)
aware of their children’s activities. Whatever the cause, however, it is clear that only
through education can this destructive behavior be stopped.

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EFFECT PARAGRAPHS

Stating Effects

In this type of paragraph, the aim is to explain the effects (results) of an event or
situation. However, when writing a paragraph, you have to include only the ones
you find important.

List the effects for sample topics below:

effects of depression

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The following sentence patterns are useful in writing topic sentences for effect paragraphs:

1. There are several effects of .

effectsE.g.
of drinking
There aretoo mucheffects
several coffeeof jetlag.
three main
2. There are four important effects of _______________.
several specific

E.g. There are three main effects of learning English.

several

3. _____ has many important effects on .

a few

E.g. Doing sports has many important effects on people’s lives.

4. Lack of motivation and negative peer effect lead to/ cause failure at school.

5. There are several/ numerous/ various effects of losing your job.

6. Living alone may have some/ several negative/ adverse effects on people’s psychology.

7. Studying regularly for exams has several positive effects on grades.

Supporting Details
1. Backup your main idea with relevant and sufficient details and ensure
that your supporting examples are accurate, representative, and
convincing.

2. You can organize your details in the following ways;

 Chronological: Details are arranged in the order which the events occurred.
 Order of importance: Details are arranged from least to most important
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 events or vice versa.
 Categorical: Details are arranged by dividing the topic into parts or categories.
C. Conclusion
There are numerous methods of writing a conclusion for effect paragraphs.

1. Mentioning ways to stop the effects, ways to continue them, or ways to cope with them
(ADVICE)
2. Evaluating the effects (EVALUATION)

3. Make a prediction (PREDICTION)

Rewrite the sentences without changing the meaning and using the prompts in parentheses.

1. Drunk people get angry easily because alcohol increases levels of anxiety and aggression.
(therefore)

2. He was driving slowly because he didn’t want to be fined for exceeding the speed limit. (so)

3.The increase in the number of obese people results from unhealthy eating habits. (lead to)

4. Using mobile phones may cause some nervous disorders in human body. (result from)

5. Loss of motivation among students usually results from getting low grades. (as a result of)

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6. Many parents have negative ideas about watching TV. As a result, they don’t let
their children watch TV for long hours. (since) / (due to)

7. Unemployment may cause a rise in the number of criminal acts. (result from)

8.People gain weight when they take in more calories than the body consumes. (result in)

9. Lack of self-discipline and good planning are the two causes of academic failure. (result in) /
(because of)

D. Read the sample paragraph expressing effects (results). Analyze the paragraph and
make an outline.
SAMPLE EFFECT PARAGRAPH
Effects of Alcohol
Letting alcohol take control over your life has many negative effects on an individual and
the people around them. One important effect is the damage you can do to your body. Drinking
can lead to severe diseases and even eventual death. Liver disease, kidney failure, and for
pregnant women, the loss of their unborn child are just a few examples of potential risks. Another
effect is that an addiction could lead to drinking while driving. You can cause a fatal accident for
both yourself and other innocent people. Another concern to consider is the relationships alcohol
can destroy. Consumption of too much alcohol can lead to spousal and even child abuse.
According to statistics, alcohol is often the number one cause in divorce and spending time in
jail. Lastly, drinking has negative effects on self-esteem and rational thinking. People become
self-centered, develop low self-esteem, and do things or behave in ways that they would not
normally. To sum up, the negative effects of alcohol abuse are overwhelming when considering
the many consequences that drinkers and the people around them have to deal with.

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 OUTLINE

Topic Sentence: Letting alcohol take control over your life has many negative effects on an
individual and the people around them
Effect
1:___________________________________________________________________________
Example/ Details: __________________________________________________________
Effect
2:___________________________________________________________________________
Example/ Details: __________________________________________________________
Effect
3:___________________________________________________________________________
Example/ Details: __________________________________________________________
Concluding Sentence:
________________________________________________________________

E Write your own outline according to the topic sentence.

Topic Sentence: Living in a city has several negative effects.

Effect 1)

Effect 2)
Effect 3) ___________________

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Concluding Sentence: _______________________________________________________

Exercise 1:
The Unforeseen Impact of Air Conditioning
I certainly understand that there is a huge need (at/by/for/with) air-conditioning.
(By/with/for/at) the same time, however, I am concerned about negative effects that air-
conditioning has had (at/in/on/with) our lives. To be sure, air-conditioning has benefited us, but
what has the price (of/by/with/in) this benefit been? First of all, people do not get outside as
much. People tend to stay cooped up inside their air-conditioned homes. As a result, they are not
getting as much fresh air. Second, there has been a decrease (on/in/for) the amount of exercise
that people are doing. They do not even walk outside on some days, which means that they are
(at/for/in /to) fact doing a lot less exercising Finally, the invention of air-conditioning has caused
us to work longer hours because employers expect us to stay inside our comfortable work space
all day long. In sum, air-conditioning might appear to be a positive thing but it has had at least
three negative effects.

CAUSE PARAGRAPH

Clinical Depression
How many times have you heard the phrase “I am feeling depressed today”? People tend
to misuse the term depression to refer to the normal ups and downs of daily life. In reality,
depression is a serious illness that can be caused by many factors. Perhaps the most common
cause of depression is genetics. People who are born with low levels of serotonin and dopamine
cannot experience pleasure in the same way that balanced people can. People with low levels of
these substances do not experience happiness from typically happy events. Another cause of
depression is substance abuse. When drugs enter the bloodstream, they alter the brain’s normal
chemical balance. Consequently, people who use chemical substances may experience short-term
or long-term depression. Finally, environmental factors can cause clinical depression. Failed
relationships, traumatic events, or an excessively unhappy childhood can trigger depression.
Regardless of its cause, depression is an illness that needs to be taken seriously.
1. What is the topic of this paragraph?
2. Underline the topic sentence. (It is not the first sentence.)
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 3. Underline the concluding sentence.
4. What type of concluding sentence is used?
Restatement / suggestion/ opinion / prediction
5. What features of a cause-effect paragraph do you see in this paragraph? Put a check mark
and then explain your answer.
a. Causes of an action or event ______________________________________________
b. Results of an action or event ______________________________________________
- The following sentence patterns are useful in writing topic sentences for cause
paragraphs:

 There are several reasons for...

 The main factors are...
 The first cause is...
 [Cause] leads to or might lead to [effect]
 This often results in...

Writing Practice: Choose a topic and then brainstorm ideas for that topic. Here are some topics
to choose from.
- The effects of learning to speak a second language fluently.
- The causes of car accidents
- The effects of water pollution
REVIEW FOR CAUSE-EFFECT PARAGRAPH
- The cause is the reason an event happens.
- The effect is the result of the cause.
- You can write about the causes of an event or action.
- You can write about the effects of a cause.

Organization 1: Writing about Causes

Topic Sentence: statement of the effect and overview of the causes
Body: causes, arranged in chronological or logical order
- Cause 1
- Cause 2

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 - Cause 3
Conclusion: restatement of effect, summary of causes – call for action
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------
Organization 2: Writing about Effects
Topic Sentence: statement of cause and overview of the effects
Body: effects, arranged in chronological or logical order
- Effect 1
- Effect 2
- Effect 3
Conclusion: restatement of cause, summary of effects- call for action
Practice: Read the paragraph and answer the questions.
1. How is the information organized- by cause or effect?
Urban Life
In recent decades, cities have grown so large that now about 50% of the Earth’s
population lives in urban areas for several reasons. First, the increasing industrialization of the
nineteenth century resulted in creation of many factory jobs, which tended to be located in cities.
These jobs, with their promise of a better material life, attracted many people from rural areas.
Second, there were many schools established to educate the children of the new factory laborers.
The promise of a better education persuaded many families to leave farming communities and
move to the cities. Finally, as the cities grew, people established places of leisure, entertainment,
and culture, such as sports stadiums, theatres, and museums. For many people, these facilities
made city life appear more interesting than life on the farm, and therefore drew them away from
rural communities.

REVIEW FOR OPINION PARAGRAPH

In order to write a paragraph with a good opinion, there are several things you should do, namely:

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 1. Write your opinion in the topic of sentence clearly
2. Explain each reason in logical order
3. Use facts to support each reason
4. Finish your paragraph with a concluding sentence at the end.

The Difference between Facts and Opinions

Opinions are statements that come from a person’s beliefs/thoughts about something. Expressions
such as, “I believe …“, “I think that …“,In my opinion” are being used to express your opinion.

Opinions are different from facts. Opinion could or couldn’t be approved people, while they
couldn’t deny facts, because facts are true statements that don’t come from someone’s thoughts.

Read a few sentences below so you can understand the difference between opinions and facts
better:

Facts Opinion

The sunrise was beautiful this

The sun rises in the east
morning

This lake’s temperature is under 10oC The lake is too cold for swimming

Based on the police reports, it is dangerous to use cell Using a cell phone while driving
phone while driving. is dangerous

It was forbidden for women to vote in the United

Everyone should vote.
States until 1920.

Mr. Vance said, “I am a bad father.” Mr. Vance is a bad father.

Those are some sentences of facts and opinions. Even the last sentence – Mr. Vance said, “I am a
bad father.” – is a fact. The sentence is in the form of the fact that he (Mr. Vance) said something
about himself, even what he said was – “I am a bad father” – was an opinion.

While the right column contains several opinion sentences that can be or cannot be approved by
everyone.

When you write an opinion paragraph, you can write about something in your mind, but it will
give a stronger reason for people to believe it if you add some facts that will support your
opinion.

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 Video Games and Violence

I strongly believe that violent video games are harmful to young people. First, playing
these games can cause changes in the behavior of young people. Frequent players have poorer
grades in school, according to studies by psychologists. The next reason is that violent video
games make young people less sensitive to violence in the real world. The games are toxic to
children that make it looks fun to shoot and kill, and the line between play violence and real
violence becomes very thin or disappears entirely. The last reason is that violent video games
teach players to use violence to solve problems. Classmates usually tease each other, but don’t
make this anger you and do something that you will regret. In short, I feel that violent video
games are harmful to young people and should be controlled – or, even better, banned.

Write the outline of the paragraph given above.

Topic Sentence: ………………………………………………………………………………...
1. Supporting Idea/ Reason : ……………………………………………………………..
2. Supporting Idea/ Reason: ……………………………………………………………...
3. Supporting Idea/ Reason: ………………………………………………………………
Concluding Sentence: …………………………………………………………………………

The Dark Side of Cycling

The illegal drug use that has plagued the world of professional cycling for decades must
be stopped. Certain drugs help cyclists ride faster and farther than normal. Some of the drugs
work by increasing number of red blood cells in the body. While the drugs might help the athletes
to perform better, there can be terrible side effects. For example in the year and a half before the
2004 Tour de France, nine professional cyclists died from overdoses of illegal drugs. Several
professional baseball players in the United States have also been involved in a similar drug
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controversy. Despite the danger, more and more cyclists are turning to these drugs to gain an
advantage over their competition. It is unfortunate that these athletes value their sports careers
more than their lives.

1. What is the topic of the paragraph?

_______________________________________________________________________
2. What is the topic sentence?
_____________________________________________________________
3. What is the concluding sentence?
_____________________________________________________________
4. Is the concluding sentence a restatement, a suggestion, an opinion, or a prediction?
_______________________________________________________________
5. Which sentence does not belong? Why?
______________________________________________________________
Error Correction in a Paragraph
A. The following paragraph contains errors in indentation, capitalization, and
punctuation. Read the paragraph, write the title and make corrections. There are 10
mistakes.
There is a lot to know about the sport of hockey. Hockey is popular in many countries,
including Canada and Unites states. the game is played on Ice, and the players wear skates
to move around A hockey player can score a point if he hits a special disk called a Puck
into the goal. However, this is not as easy as it seems because each goal is guarded by a
special player called a Goalie The goalie’s job is to keep the pcuk away from the goal The
next time you see a hockey game on television, perhaps you will be able to follow the
action better because you have this information.

B. The following paragraph contains punctuation errors.

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 When you go to California San Diego is a great spot to visit because of the many
exciting things to see and do there First you should visit the Gaslamp Quarter In this
historic area you can easily find great food fun and culture Next you should visit Sea
World to see amazing animal shows After you visit Sea World you should see a football
or baseball game at Qualcomm Stadium Finally you ought to see the animals at the world-
famous San Diego Zoo If you decide to go to the zoo do not forget to see the giant pandas
and Hua Mei the only panda cub in the United States If you visit one two or all of these
San Diego sites it will certainly be a fun and interesting day!

 Please be careful with the guidelines below while writing your RW Portfolio!!!

 Times New Roman – 12

 Equally aligned lines

 Double space:

 Title

 Indent (Tab- above the caps lock button)

 Leave a space after punctuation mark.

 Write your name.

 Save the document with your name + portfolio name: Ayşe Yılmaz Writing
Portfolio

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 ISTANBUL MEDENIYET UNIVERSITY
WRITING RUBRIC FOR PARAGRAPH
Level Criteria
30 – 25 EXCELLENT TO VERY GOOD: knowledgeable; substantive, relevant to assigned topic;
(the paragraph achieves an exceptionally well-balanced expression of point of view through well-developed elaboration, examples,
explanations, and/or arguments)

24 – 19 GOOD TO AVERAGE: some knowledge of subject; adequate range; mostly relevant to topic, but lacks detail
(the paragraph provides a clear point of view through satisfactory description, examples, explanations, and/or arguments)

NT 18 – 13 FAIR TO POOR: limited knowledge of subject; limited development of topic; little substance
(the paragraph provides a limited point of view through description, examples, explanations and/or arguments and there might be
some problems in these supports)

12– 7 VERY POOR: does not show knowledge of subject; non substantive; non pertinent
(the paragraph provides unsatisfactory and irrelevant points, the supports may be repetitious,simplistic or exceedingly immature)

6–0 BELOW STANDARD : no evidence of understanding the topic, not enough to evaluate OR absent

20 – 18 EXCELLENT TO VERY GOOD: fluent expression; ideas clearly stated and supported; succinct; well-organized; cohesive
( has logical flow and progression of ideas with effective conjunctions and transition words,
has one topic sentence, at least two supporting sentences with examples and details, and one concluding sentence)

17 – 12 GOOD TO AVERAGE: somewhat choppy; loosely organized; organized but main ideas stand out; logical but incomplete sequence;
(has logical flow and progression of ideas with minor problems , a few problems in the use of conjunctions or transition words
has one topic sentence, at least two supporting sentences with examples and details, and one concluding sentence)

TION 11 – 8 FAIR TO POOR: non-fluent; ideas confused or disconnected; lacks logical sequencing and development
(has a lot of problems in the flow and progression of ideas, problematic use of conjunctions or transition words
has one topic sentence, at least one supporting sentence with examples and details, and one concluding sentence)

7–4 VERY POOR: does not communicate; unorganized and unfocused flow of ideas; expresses more than one topic but still shows
some understanding of the basic paragraph structure, significantly problematic use of conjunctions or transition words
(has one topic sentence, one supporting sentence, and one concluding sentence)

3–0 BELOW STANDARD : no evidence of understanding the paragraph type, not enough to evaluate OR absent

20 – 18 EXCELLENT TO VERY GOOD: level and topic appropriate word choice or word use with almost no mistake.

17 – 12 GOOD TO AVERAGE: level and topic appropriate word choice or word use with a few mistakes, meaning not obscured

ARY 11 – 8 FAIR TO POOR: a number of errors in word choice or word use interfering with the meaning to some extent; meaning confused or
obscured

7–4 VERY POOR: significant errors in word use or word choice interfering with the meaning.

3–0 BELOW STANDARD : not enough to evaluate, not understood at all OR absent

20 – 18 EXCELLENT TO VERY GOOD: level appropriate structures with almost no mistake, consistent ability in sentence formation

17 – 12 GOOD TO AVERAGE: Level appropriate structures with a few mistakes; ability in sentence formation with minor errors, meaning
seldom obscured

E USE 11 – 8 FAIR TO POOR: -A number of errors interfering with the meaning to some extent, may demonstrate inconsistent28
ability in sentence
formation with limited range of correct structures.; meaning confused or obscured

7–4 VERY POOR: virtually no mastery of sentence construction rules; text dominated by errors;

BELOW STANDARD : not enough to evaluate, not understood at all OR absent

3–0

10 – 9 EXCELLENT TO VERY GOOD: demonstrates mastery conventions; few errors of spelling, punctuation, capitalization,
paragraphing
 ATTENTION!

Word Limit: Students are expected to write at least 150 words.

150 – 135 words : Cut no points.
134 – 100 words : Cut 3 points.
Less than 100 words : Cut 5 points.
Less than 70 words : Evaluation according to the lowest band for each criterion. For organization part!
(Mechanics: 2-0 pts.) If topic sentence is missing
If concluding sentence is missin

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REFERENCES

- Folse, Keith S., et.al. Great Paragraphs: Great Writing 2, Third Edition. Heinle
Cengage Learning: USA, 2010.
- Işık, Ali., et al. Let’s Write: From Paragraph to Essay, Second Edition. Black Swan
Publishing: Ankara.
- Öndeş, Nesibe. ELS Periodicals (Year 6, Volume 12)Yapım Tanıtım Yayıncılık:
İstanbul, 1999.

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