© Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved.ESSENTIAL QUESTION: How do our attitudes toward the past and future shape our actions?ESSENTIAL QUESTION: In what ways does the struggle for freedom change with history?USAGE
Do not spoil your formal essay
by misusing unfamiliar words.
• Make sure that you are
using any unfamiliar words
correctly.
• Check a dictionary if you
are unsure of the meaning
of a word you wish to use.
• When in doubt, use a
simpler word.LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT: AUTHOR’S STYLE
Establish Voice: Formal Style
To give appropriate weight and seriousness to its arguments, the language
of a response to literature should be formal and objective. Formal writing
uses advanced, academic vocabulary and few contractions, and avoids
slang terms. Objective writing is specific, impersonal, and well supported
by evidence. It lacks excessive emotion or exaggeration and rarely uses
“I” statements.Read It
Below, a formal sentence from the Launch Text is contrasted with an informal
version. How would you describe the differences between them?
• If we examine the play from the beginning, the evidence for this is
overwhelming. (formal)
• If you read over the play from the beginning, there’s lots of
evidence for this. (informal)Write It
As you draft your argument, check your writing for use of informal elements.
Use this checklist to test your writing for formality and objectivity.Have I used vocabulary that is appropriate for my topic and suitable for a
formal essay?
Have I used observations and evidence from the text as opposed to
personal opinions and assumptions?
Should I change idioms or slang expressions to more formal language?
Should I replace any contractions?
Should I replace any exaggerated or emotional language with more
neutral, unbiased language?
Use Rhetorical Devices A powerful way to boost the strength of a formal
argument is to include a variety of appeals in your writing. Consider using
one or more of the following:
• appeals to logic, in which you present evidence and reasons that fit
together in a convincing way. (“Macbeth’s attitude toward the past fits
a certain pattern. His avoidance of the unpleasant parts of the witches’
prophecies is the same impulse causing him to banish all kind thoughts
of Banquo.”)
• analogies, extended comparisons to things that are familiar to readers
to help them understand the point you are trying to make. (“Macbeth
behaves like an overambitious politician; he doesn’t care whom he has to
destroy as long as he gets what he wants in the end.”)
• case studies, famous examples of a particular behavior or pattern.
(“Macbeth fits the pattern of a typical narcissist; like the main character
from Citizen Kane, he cares only about himself and his own grip on
power.”) STANdArdS
Wrinting
Establish and maintain a formal style
and objective tone while attending
to the norms and conventions of the
discipline in which they are writing.
Language
Apply knowledge of language to
understand how language functions
in different contexts, to make
effective choices for meaning or style,
and to comprehend more fully when
reading or listening.Performance Task: Write an Argument 363LIT17_SE12_U03_A_WC_PT.indd 363PERSONALIZE FOR LEARNING 21/03/16 8:42 PM
Strategic Support
Transitions Students may have trouble with the categories under
the “Purpose” column in the chart. Have students work in pairs,
assigning each pair to one or more of these categories. Have
each pair write example sentences for each transition listed in the
“Example” column, bearing in mind the purpose of that transition.
Have students read their examples and relate their sentences to the
purpose of each transition.Establish Voice: Formal Style
Read It
Point out that the first formal example uses
the word we instead of you, whereas the
second formal example omits both first- and
second-person pronouns. Tell students that where
possible, the second example, which omits both
first- and second-person pronouns, is preferable
to keep writing impersonal and maintain a
formal tone.Make It InteractIve
Ask students to rewrite the first formal example
without the word we. Have volunteers read their
rewrites aloud.Write It
Have students consider the following sentences
from paragraph 1 on p. 240, from “Better Never
to Have Met at All,” written in both informal and
formal language. Ask students to point out the
differences.
If we examine the play from the beginning, the
evidence for this is overwhelming. (formal)
If you read over the play from the beginning,
there’s lots of evidence for this. (informal)Whole-Class Learning 363
LIT17_TE12_U03_A_WC_PT.indd 363 11/04/16 8:30 AM