Titles and Transitions
LESSON #12
Writing Tip of the Day – Periods
“There’s not much to be said about the
period except that most writers don’t
reach it soon enough.” – William Zinsser
Freewriting Activity
 Write
the introduction to your genre analysis
(or genre translation if you haven’t started it
already).
 Use the principles that we discussed yesterday.
 When you’re done, have a partner peer
review it.
Other Tips for Conclusions
 Try
not to end your paper abruptly.
 Provide
a fluid and logical transition from the body of
your work to the end.
 Reference
something from your introduction to bring
your paper back full circle.
 Maintain
your readers’ interest by ending with the
same tone and energy you began with.
Transitions
 Words
or phrases that connect or show relationships
between ideas in a piece of writing
 Helps
easily
readers follow your train of thought more
 Enhances
the clarity of your ideas

Transitions belong between:
 Sections
(dividing the major ideas or topics of the writing)
 Paragraphs
 Sentences
 Parts

(dividing the minor ideas of the writing)
(showing the relationships between them)
of sentences (indicating how phrases connect)
Transitions should refer to the previous idea while moving the
reader to the next idea, showing a relationship between the
two
“Old to New” Principle
Studies show that early humans, Homo erectus,
used primitive stone tools. The hand axe was
made of fine-grained flint and used to chop
wood along with a variety of other tasks.
Studies show that early humans, Homo erectus,
used primitive stone tools. One of these tools, the
hand axe, was made of fine-grained flint and
used to chop wood along with a variety of other
tasks.
From Paragraph to Paragraph
 Follow
the outline (or roadmap) provided in
your thesis
 At the end of each paragraph, have something
in the concluding sentence allude to the topic
sentence of the next paragraph (or vice versa).
Remember the old to new principle.
Titles
 Key
to introducing readers to a text and
attracting their attention
 Lets readers know what the overall topic is
 Sets the tone for the entire paper and lets
readers know what to expect
Possible Sources for a Title
A
pertinent phrase from the paper
 An adaptable quote from another source
 A key phrase or idea from the thesis
 A relevant question addressed in the paper
Different Options
 Use
words or phrases that have double or clever
meanings
 Love
 Take
Stinks: Pheromones and Their Influence on Infatuation
a common phrase and put a spin on it
 When
 Use
Good Writers Go Bad
words that surprise or encourage curiosity
 Marxist
America
Group Activity
 In
groups of three or four, create a clever, snappy title for
one of the following scenarios:
1.
A movie about a zombie apocalypse . . . involving animals
2.
A steamy romance novel between a waitress and a cowboy
3.
An academic study about sodium and pretzels
4.
A newspaper article about pancakes
5.
A video game about time-traveling warriors
Other Tips
 Be
aware of your audience.
 Make
the title fit the paper’s content, tone, and
audience.
 Revise
the title as you revise your paper (or wait until
the very end).
 When
title.
in doubt, go for a short, simple, straightforward
Research
 What
are some of the best strategies for
conducting scholarly research?
 How do you evaluate your sources?
 How would you then use those sources in your
paper?
Tips for Class Presentation
Don’t go over 4 minutes or under 3. Time yourself beforehand.
 If you use PowerPoint slides, don’t crowd the slides with too
much text.
 Make eye contact with your audience.
 Use a notecard if necessary, but read directly from it the whole
time (same goes for PowerPoint slides).
 Maintain good posture.
 If you make a mistake, don’t worry about it. Don’t draw too
much attention by correcting it. Just move on.
