Section One Process (how to…)
A process (how to…) is a series of actions leading to an expected or planned outcome.There are two kinds of process essays: directional and informational.Directional process essays give the reader directions to follow, such as how to get a visa.The purpose of this kind of essay is to clarify the steps in the procedure so that the reader can re-create the process and achieve the results.Informational process essays, on the other hand, explain to the reader how something is/was accomplished or how something works/worked, such as how a space satellite is launched.The purpose of this kind of essay is to inform the reader about a certain subject, but he does not have to do the task in person.Now read the following model essay carefully and identify whether it is a directional process essay or an informational process essay.
How to Train Your Pet
Have you ever wondered how the animals you see on TV and in movies are trained to perform such amazing tricks? Many of their trainers use a technique based on the teaching methods developed by behavioral psychologists such as B.E Skinner.Skinner studied techniques for reinforcing desired behaviors in animals.Animals can be taught many sophisticated tricks using Skinner's techniques.If you want to teach your pet to do a trick, you must understand the technique psychologists call“shaping”.Shaping means reinforcing, or strengthening, behaviors that you want to encourage.Here is how you can apply his techniques to training your pet to do tricks.
Begin by making some decisions.First of all, you need to choose your subject.You can pick any household pet, such as a cat, parrot, or dog.Suppose, for example, that you want to teach your dog to do a trick.The next thing to do is to choose a reward.Food is usually the easiest reward to use.Keep in mind that in order for food to be an effective reward, your dog has to be hungry.Don't try to teach him a new trick right after he has eaten a big meal.Also, a reward is most effective when it is given at the same time that the dog performs the desired trick.Since you will not always be able to give the dog food as quickly as you would like to, you will need to develop a“conditioned reinforcer”.You can do this by connecting the food with something else, such as ringing a bell.In this case, the sound the bell makes is the conditioned reinforcer.
You are now ready to begin conditioning the dog to respond to the bell.Get out about 40 small dog biscuits.Toss a few of them to your dog, one at a time, at a rate of about one or two biscuits a minute.As soon as the dog begins eating the biscuits, ring the bell and then throw him another biscuit.Wait about thirty seconds and then repeat the steps.When you ring the bell, do not make any other sound or movement.Give the biscuit only when the dog is standing in the place where he gets his food.When your dog reaches the point where he goes to the food place whenever you ring the bell, you are ready to begin teaching him the trick.
At this point, you need to choose the trick you want to teach.An easy trick is teaching your dog to roll over.Shape the dog's behavior by reinforcing anything that resembles the behavior you are trying to teach.Begin by reinforcing any attempt to lie down.Then reinforce any movement of his body when he is lying down.Every time you reinforce any of his behaviors that resembles rolling over, immediately give him a biscuit and ring the bell.In this way, he will begin to associate the sound of the bell with the trick.Continue reinforcing closer approximations of rolling over with the biscuits and the bell.During the teaching session, do not touch the dog, talk to him, or in any way distract him.A normal dog, according to Skinner, will learn the trick within five minutes.
As you can see, to train your pet to do a trick is only a matter of a little time and some effort.Once you have established a conditioned reinforcer, you can easily teach your dog a new trick by shaping his behavior.However, if you want to teach your dog another trick, you must eliminate the first behavior by no longer reinforcing it.Eventually, he will stop rolling over and will be ready to learn something new.
Now, let's read a process essay written by a Chinese student.
How to Survive in College
People are used to regarding colleges as paradise in the traditional concept, but now many college students can't enjoy a happy life in such a good environment.As more and more students kill themselves intentionally, the problem of committing suicide in colleges has attracted wide public attention.Another phenomenon is that many students either are expelled from college or quit their study for all kinds of reasons.So how to survive in college has become a question that many students have to face.In my opinion, if a student wants to survive in college, he should finish his schoolwork, keep healthy, and be good at arrangement.
The top priority for students to do in college is to learn their courses well.The schoolwork is undoubtedly the most fundamental and important for students.Though there are much more other activities in colleges than in primary schools and middle schools, the mastery of knowledge is their mission.They should never be penny wise but pound foolish.Besides that, these courses can help lay a solid foundation for their future.Furthermore, while one's major courses may determine his future career and academic achievement, the courses beyond his major can make him become a well-rounded person.If a student fails one of the courses, he can't get the diploma, let alone find a good job.So, to survive in college, a student should never ignore his studies.
In addition to schoolwork, college students must stay healthy physically and mentally.Our late leader Chairman Mao once said, “A person without a good body will become a reject.”Due to the lack of self-discipline, some students smoke and drink a lot；others stay up one or more nights singing or dancing；still others sit at computers for a long time without a slight movement.Besides the physical problems, many students are suffering from mental diseases.For example, college students are confronted with various stresses: academic, financial and personal.To make matters worse, most of the students nowadays come from one-child family.This makes them have little capability of bearing difficulties and setbacks.So only when a student has sound physical and mental health can he survive in the university.
Last but not least, college students should make good plans.First, students should arrange their free time reasonably.If they can balance their time properly among schoolwork, extracurricular activities and personal interests, they can enjoy a colorful life；otherwise, they will feel as if they are in a muddled jumble of events.Students should learn to budget their money as well.They should spend money on necessary things according to the financial situation of their own families rather than keep up with the Joneses blindly.To meet their vanity, some students borrow money from their classmates, and others even steal.As a result, some of them end up in prison.
In short, in order to survive in college, students should complete their studies, have good health, and make good plans.In fact, college is like a large smelter in which excellent students can flourish and incapable ones will perish.Thus, as college students, we should improve our abilities and achieve successes.As long as we maintain an optimistic mood and try to convert pressures into motivation, we all can reap benefits in college.
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To write a well-organized process essay, you should follow the guidelines below.
1.State your steps in a logical and/or chronological order.For example: when a person asks you how to get to the local post office, your directions should be given step by step until the whole process is completed.Do not omit any steps, no matter how seemingly insignificant.If you leave out an important step (like forgetting to tell that person when to turn left or right along Main Street) , or if you do not describe the steps in the right order, then your listener might end up at a fashion store instead of the local post office.
2.Group your steps into bigger units.When you show some of your foreign friends how Chinese jiaozi (dumplings with vegetable and meat fillings) are made, you may find that you have more than ten steps in your process.However, you do not need one body paragraph to explain each step.Instead, you should organize the steps into a few manageable units so that you will not have too many body paragraphs.Here, the steps of making jiaozi can be perfectly grouped into three bigger units, each of which becomes a body paragraph:
A.prepare the ingredients
a.make the wrapper dough from flour and water
b.make the fillings (vegetable, meat, etc.)
c.roll out the jiaozi wrappers with a rolling stick
d.place the fillings into the wrappers and fold
B.cook the jiaozi
a.put some jiaozi into boiling water
b.stir those jiaozi
c.add some cold water to the boiling water
d.stir those jiaozi again (repeat the action a couple of times)
C.serve the jiaozi
a.put some vinegar in one's own plate
b.get a pair of chopsticks
c.put those cooked jiaozi into a big plate
d.dip each jiaozi into the vinegar and eat
In general, three to five body paragraphs should be enough for most process essays because you are writing an essay, not simply writing a list of steps or instructions as you would in a recipe book (菜谱).
3.Write a clearly stated thesis statement.If you have grouped a multi-step process into a few bigger units, you can still present the main points in the thesis statement:
In order to invite your foreign friends to a jiaozi party, you should follow these three steps: prepare the ingredients, cook the jiaozi, and serve the jiaozi.
Note: If a process is so complicated that you cannot group the steps into a few bigger units, you can write an implied thesis statement:
To be accepted by an American university, you should follow the procedure described below.
4.Be sure to define new or unfamiliar terms.Sometimes a process descrip-tion may introduce a word or phrase that the reader might not understand.Since it makes little sense to teach the reader to complete a process without understanding the particular terms involved, always define what the reader might not know.For example, if you want to explain how to repair a flat tire, you might have to describe or define what a lug wrench is；otherwise, the reader may have no idea about which tool is being discussed and cannot continue with the process.
Practice 5-1-1
Read the following definitions and translate each of the underlined terms into Chinese.For example:
Answers are provided only for the first two definitions.
Practice 5-1-2
Write a definition for each of the terms below.To write a good definition, you can use the following formula:
Term to be defined + verb + general class word +“wh”-word + unique feature (s).
Note: Use the appropriate relative pronouns: whois used for people, which /thatis used for objects and animals, and whereis used for places.For example:
1) A matchmakeris a person who introduces two people to each other, hoping that they will get married.
2) First aidrefers to simple medical treatment which is available in case of a person's sudden illness or injury.
3) Organic foodsare vegetables, fruit, and other crops that are grown without the use of pesticides or fertilizers.
4) A nursing homeis a residence where old people who cannot take care of themselves live and are cared for.
Answers are provided only for the first five terms as suggestions.
1.a white lie2.a stethoscope (听诊器) 3.culture shock4.a case study5.“小皇帝” 6.a vegetarian 7.E-mail8.a pet9.a natural reserve (自然保护区) 10.“铁饭碗”
Practice 5-1-3
Write a definition for a term used in your professional field or in a subject you are presently studying.Answers will vary.
Practice 5-1-4
Write a thesis statement for a process essay on each of the following essay topics.Listed below are some useful expressions to help write your thesis statement:
1) It is easy (simple, not difficult) to_________when (if) you follow the steps (directions, instructions, procedure) below.
2) To_________, we (you, he, one) must (should, can) _________.
3) There are three (two, four, several) major steps involved in_________.
Answers are provided only for the first two essay topics as suggestions.
1.How to learn English well
2.How to shop for clothes
3.How to plan a sightseeing trip
4.How to hold a successful party
5.How to win friends and influence people
Practice 5-1-5
The following essay entitled How to Prepare for a Job Interviewhas neither the introductory paragraph nor the concluding paragraph.Read the three body paragraphs carefully, and then write an appropriate introductory paragraph and a concluding paragraph for this essay.Answers are provided only as suggestions.
How to Prepare for a Job Interview
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First, doing research on what the job entails (要求) before the actual job interview will increase your chances of being hired.Find out the location of the job interview site and decide how to get there on time.Nothing makes a poorer impression on a recruiter than arriving late.Besides, learn about the institution or company where you are being interviewed.This will help you ask intelligent questions.If your interview is for admission to a school, find out what courses the school offers in your field of interest.If your interview is for admission in a company, look up (查询) the duties of the job for which you are applying.By doing so, you will be able to show the recruiter that you are interested in attaining the position.
Next, dressing yourself properly for the job interview is important because your appearance will be the first thing the recruiter notices about you.This means wearing clean, neatly pressed clothing with subdued (柔和的) color combinations.You want to make a good impression, but at the same time you do not want to attract all the attention to your clothes.You also want to show that you can use good judgment.If you wear loud colors and overly flashy (耀眼的) clothing, the recruiter might question your judgment about what's acceptable presentation for a school or office setting.
What's more, you should have strong communication skills.For example, prepare in detail what you plan to say.From your research, you can make a list of questions that you would like to ask the recruiter.As you keep in mind what you will say, remind yourself of what notto say.Also, remind yourself not to talk too much.Make a mental note to let the recruiter guide and control the course of the meeting.Meanwhile, plan to answer the recruiter's questions fully；explain your answer rather than reply with simple“yes”or“no”.Remember, the recruiter is trying to form an impression of you and how you would fit in at the school or company.
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Practice 5-1-6
Read the following three topic sentences from the essay topic As Individuals, What Steps Should We Take to Protect Our Environment? Use good ideas to support each topic sentence.Answers will vary.
As Individuals, What Steps Should We Take to Protect Our Environment?
As individuals, we should first urge our government to make strict anti-pollution and environmental protection laws._________________________________
The second step is to become personally involved in the environmental protection campaign by practicing 3Rs: reduce, reuse, and recycle._________________________________
Last but not least, we should educate other people to be environmentally responsible._________________________________
Practice 5-1-7
Study the following essay topic carefully and complete the tasks below.
Step 1.Write down all the steps that would be necessary to explain the process clearly, and then group them into a few bigger units.
Step 2.Write an appropriate thesis statement.
Step 3.Write the whole essay.
Essay topic: How to write a good five-paragraph essay?
An essay is provided only as a sample.
Practice 5-1-8
In actual writing, an explanation of a process can vary in length, depending on how much detail is necessary to make that process clear to the reader.Choose one of the following essay topics, and write a process essay with the appropriate number of body paragraphs.After you finish your essay, check it against the Process Essay Checklist at the end of this practice.
1.How to deal with the problems that a Chinese may face when studying/working in an English-speaking country
2.How to improve your writing in English
3.How to prepare for an important exam (IELTS, TOEFL, GRE, etc.)
4.How you arrived at a major decision (Specify)
5.How to solve a problem (Specify)
6.How to get rich
7.How to do a particular job well (Specify)
8.How to reduce our daily garbage
9.How to make a scientific experiment (Specify)
10.How to find true love
11.How to plan a child's birthday party
12.How a woman breaks into a male-dominated profession
13.How to impress your teacher (boss, girlfriend, boyfriend, etc.)
14.Recall a challenge you once had in your study/work/life.And how did you overcome the difficulties and achieve your goal?
15.If you have participated in a competition (academic, athletic, musical, or some other kinds) , explain what steps are involved in preparing for such an event.
Process Essay Checklist
1.Does the essay include all the steps clear for the reader to understand the process? If not, where do you need to include additional steps, steps within steps, or steps between steps?
2.Are all the steps in the process presented in an easy-to-follow order, with sufficient transition words and/or phrases between steps?
3.Are any series of small steps grouped into some bigger units so that there are not too many body paragraphs in the essay?
4.Are all terms unfamiliar to the reader defined clearly?
Practice 5-1-9
1.Find an essay topic with which you are quite familiar, and write a process essay.
2.Find an essay topic related to your study, your job, or your field of research, and write a process essay.