{"id":97,"date":"2017-01-23T14:10:22","date_gmt":"2017-01-23T14:10:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/umes-englishcomp1\/?post_type=chapter&#038;p=97"},"modified":"2017-08-07T15:45:36","modified_gmt":"2017-08-07T15:45:36","slug":"writing-for-success-illustrationexample","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/umes-englishcomp1\/chapter\/writing-for-success-illustrationexample\/","title":{"raw":"2.1 Purpose &amp; Structure of Illustration\/Example","rendered":"2.1 Purpose &amp; Structure of Illustration\/Example"},"content":{"raw":"<div class=\"bcc-box bcc-highlight\">\r\n<h3>LEARNING OBJECTIVES<\/h3>\r\nThis section will help you determine the purpose and structure of illustration\/ example in writing.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<h3>The Purpose of Illustrative Writing<\/h3>\r\nTo illustrate means to show or demonstrate something clearly. An effective\u00a0illustration essay, also known as an example essay, clearly demonstrates and supports a point through the use of evidence.\r\n\r\nThe controlling idea of an essay is called a\u00a0<strong>THESIS<\/strong>. A writer can use different types of evidence to support his or her thesis, such as scientific studies, quotes from experts in a particular field, statistics, historical events, current events, analogies, and personal anecdotes. All of these are <em>examples <\/em>of ways writers can illustrate a thesis. Ultimately, you want the evidence to help the reader \u201csee\u201d your point, as one would see a good illustration in a magazine or on a website. The stronger your evidence is, the more clearly the reader will consider your point.\r\n\r\nUsing evidence effectively can be challenging, though. The evidence you choose will usually depend on your subject and who your reader is (your <strong>AUDIENCE<\/strong>). When writing an illustration essay, keep in mind the following:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Use evidence that is appropriate to your topic as well as appropriate for your <strong>AUDIENCE<\/strong>.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Determine how much evidence you need to fully explain your point depending on the complexity of the subject and the knowledge of your <strong>AUDIENCE\u2019s likely familiarity<\/strong> regarding that subject.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nFor example, if you are writing for a university newspaper about a new communication software, \u00a0you know that your audience is primarily college students with different backgrounds and different experiences with software. You might choose to use an analogy or a personal story to illustrate how the software works and how college students might incorporate it into their daily lives. You might also choose to add a few more pieces of evidence to make sure the audience understands your point.\r\n\r\nIf, however, you are writing about the same subject for a journal for information technology (IT) professionals, then you know your audience members are specialists in the field and have a great deal of expertise with communication software. You would choose to use more technical evidence to illustrate your point because the audience is already familiar with the subject.\r\n\r\nAlways keep your audience in mind as you determine the best types of illustrations to include in your essay.\r\n<h3>Know Your Purpose<\/h3>\r\nAs with all writing, it's important to know what your <strong>purpose <\/strong>is before you begin. Are you going to use illustration to inform your readers about an important discovery, invention, or product? If so, what is your relationship to the topic? That is, do you work for the company that developed the product and hope to boost sales? Were you on the research team that made the discovery and want to warn readers about it? Or are you a columnist for a consumer report publication trying to inform readers about the pros and cons of certain items?\r\n\r\nWhatever situation you are in as the writer, you will make choices about how to address your audience to achieve the effect you want. Your word choice, your level of formality, your tone, even your thesis will all change depending on whom you are writing your illustration for.\r\n\r\nIn some cases, your instructor will assign a particular audience and purpose for an essay. She or he may assign an opinion piece for a large daily newspaper such as <em>The Baltimore Sun <\/em>or <em>The Washington Post. <\/em>In either of these cases, you would be writing for a general audience of adults living in or around the city. Not only will your topic need to be about something timely, but it will need to be relevant to the citizens of the area. Think about it this way: if it's not relevant or isn't about a current event, why would they read your opinion about it?\r\n\r\nIn other cases, your reader will be your instructor and your purpose will be, to be honest, just to get a passing grade. That's fine, too. You will still make appropriate choices that match your intention.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<h3>The Structure of an Illustration Essay<\/h3>\r\nThe controlling idea, or <strong>thesis<\/strong>, belongs at the beginning of the essay. <strong>Evidence<\/strong> is then presented in the essay\u2019s body paragraphs to support the thesis. You can start supporting your main point with your strongest evidence first, or you can start with evidence of lesser importance and have the essay build to increasingly stronger evidence. This type of organization is called \"<strong>order of importance<\/strong>.\"\r\n\r\n<strong>Transition<\/strong> words are also helpful in ordering the presentation of evidence. Words like\u00a0first,\u00a0second,\u00a0third,\u00a0currently,\u00a0next, and\u00a0finally\u00a0all help orient the reader and sequence evidence clearly. Because an illustration essay uses so many examples, it is also helpful to have a list of words and phrases to present each piece of evidence. Certain\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/writing2.richmond.edu\/writing\/wweb\/trans1.html\">transitional words and phrases<\/a>\u00a0aid in keeping the reader oriented in the sequencing of a story. Some of these phrases are listed here:\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><strong>Phrases of Illustration<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n<table class=\"no-margin\" dir=\"ltr\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;border: 3px solid #000000;background-color: #f5fc91;height: 151px;width: 382px;border-spacing: 0px\" border=\"3\" rules=\"all\" cellpadding=\"0\">\r\n<tbody>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>case in point<\/td>\r\n<td>for example<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>for instance<\/td>\r\n<td>in particular<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>in this case<\/td>\r\n<td>one example\/another example<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>specifically<\/td>\r\n<td>to illustrate<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\nVary the phrases of illustration you use. Do not rely on just one. Variety in choice of words and phrasing is critical when trying to keep readers engaged in your writing and your ideas.\r\n\r\n<strong>Basic Components of an Illustration Essay<\/strong>\r\n\r\n<strong>Thesis<\/strong>\u2014your controlling idea or, in other words, your main point.\r\n\r\n<strong>Examples<\/strong>\u2014whether in the form of statistics, quotes, personal anecdotes, interviews, etc. the examples you include <em>illustrate <\/em>(show, demonstrate, make visible) your thesis.\r\n\r\n<strong>Supporting details<\/strong>\u2014these are the specific explanations you use to elaborate on each example. The amount of detail you include depends upon your audience.\r\n\r\n<strong>Order of Importance<\/strong>\u2014this is the order in which your examples appear.\r\n\r\n<strong>Transitional phrases\u2014<\/strong>Usually appearing at the beginning of each body paragraph, a transitional phrase indicates the order (\u201cTo begin with,\u201d or \u201cIn addition,\u201d) or the importance (\u201cMost importantly\u201d).\r\n<h3>Writing an Illustration Essay<\/h3>\r\nFirst, decide on a topic that you feel interested in writing about. Then create an interesting introduction to engage the reader. The main point, or thesis, should be stated at the end of the introduction.\r\n\r\nGather evidence that is appropriate to both your subject and your audience. You can order the evidence in terms of importance, either from least important to most important or from most important to least important. Be sure to fully explain all of your examples using strong, clear supporting details.\r\n<div class=\"textbox shaded\"><\/div>\r\n<div class=\"bcc-box bcc-success\"><section>\r\n<h3>Key Takeaways<\/h3>\r\n<div>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>An illustration essay clearly explains a main point using evidence.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>When choosing evidence, always gauge whether the evidence is appropriate for the topic as well as the audience.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Organize the evidence in terms of importance, either from least important to most important or from most important to least important.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Use time transitions to order evidence.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Use phrases of illustration to explain examples.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/section><\/div>\r\n&nbsp;","rendered":"<div class=\"bcc-box bcc-highlight\">\n<h3>LEARNING OBJECTIVES<\/h3>\n<p>This section will help you determine the purpose and structure of illustration\/ example in writing.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h3>The Purpose of Illustrative Writing<\/h3>\n<p>To illustrate means to show or demonstrate something clearly. An effective\u00a0illustration essay, also known as an example essay, clearly demonstrates and supports a point through the use of evidence.<\/p>\n<p>The controlling idea of an essay is called a\u00a0<strong>THESIS<\/strong>. A writer can use different types of evidence to support his or her thesis, such as scientific studies, quotes from experts in a particular field, statistics, historical events, current events, analogies, and personal anecdotes. All of these are <em>examples <\/em>of ways writers can illustrate a thesis. Ultimately, you want the evidence to help the reader \u201csee\u201d your point, as one would see a good illustration in a magazine or on a website. The stronger your evidence is, the more clearly the reader will consider your point.<\/p>\n<p>Using evidence effectively can be challenging, though. The evidence you choose will usually depend on your subject and who your reader is (your <strong>AUDIENCE<\/strong>). When writing an illustration essay, keep in mind the following:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Use evidence that is appropriate to your topic as well as appropriate for your <strong>AUDIENCE<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Determine how much evidence you need to fully explain your point depending on the complexity of the subject and the knowledge of your <strong>AUDIENCE\u2019s likely familiarity<\/strong> regarding that subject.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>For example, if you are writing for a university newspaper about a new communication software, \u00a0you know that your audience is primarily college students with different backgrounds and different experiences with software. You might choose to use an analogy or a personal story to illustrate how the software works and how college students might incorporate it into their daily lives. You might also choose to add a few more pieces of evidence to make sure the audience understands your point.<\/p>\n<p>If, however, you are writing about the same subject for a journal for information technology (IT) professionals, then you know your audience members are specialists in the field and have a great deal of expertise with communication software. You would choose to use more technical evidence to illustrate your point because the audience is already familiar with the subject.<\/p>\n<p>Always keep your audience in mind as you determine the best types of illustrations to include in your essay.<\/p>\n<h3>Know Your Purpose<\/h3>\n<p>As with all writing, it&#8217;s important to know what your <strong>purpose <\/strong>is before you begin. Are you going to use illustration to inform your readers about an important discovery, invention, or product? If so, what is your relationship to the topic? That is, do you work for the company that developed the product and hope to boost sales? Were you on the research team that made the discovery and want to warn readers about it? Or are you a columnist for a consumer report publication trying to inform readers about the pros and cons of certain items?<\/p>\n<p>Whatever situation you are in as the writer, you will make choices about how to address your audience to achieve the effect you want. Your word choice, your level of formality, your tone, even your thesis will all change depending on whom you are writing your illustration for.<\/p>\n<p>In some cases, your instructor will assign a particular audience and purpose for an essay. She or he may assign an opinion piece for a large daily newspaper such as <em>The Baltimore Sun <\/em>or <em>The Washington Post. <\/em>In either of these cases, you would be writing for a general audience of adults living in or around the city. Not only will your topic need to be about something timely, but it will need to be relevant to the citizens of the area. Think about it this way: if it&#8217;s not relevant or isn&#8217;t about a current event, why would they read your opinion about it?<\/p>\n<p>In other cases, your reader will be your instructor and your purpose will be, to be honest, just to get a passing grade. That&#8217;s fine, too. You will still make appropriate choices that match your intention.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>The Structure of an Illustration Essay<\/h3>\n<p>The controlling idea, or <strong>thesis<\/strong>, belongs at the beginning of the essay. <strong>Evidence<\/strong> is then presented in the essay\u2019s body paragraphs to support the thesis. You can start supporting your main point with your strongest evidence first, or you can start with evidence of lesser importance and have the essay build to increasingly stronger evidence. This type of organization is called &#8220;<strong>order of importance<\/strong>.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Transition<\/strong> words are also helpful in ordering the presentation of evidence. Words like\u00a0first,\u00a0second,\u00a0third,\u00a0currently,\u00a0next, and\u00a0finally\u00a0all help orient the reader and sequence evidence clearly. Because an illustration essay uses so many examples, it is also helpful to have a list of words and phrases to present each piece of evidence. Certain\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/writing2.richmond.edu\/writing\/wweb\/trans1.html\">transitional words and phrases<\/a>\u00a0aid in keeping the reader oriented in the sequencing of a story. Some of these phrases are listed here:<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><strong>Phrases of Illustration<\/strong><\/p>\n<table class=\"no-margin\" dir=\"ltr\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;border: 3px solid #000000;background-color: #f5fc91;height: 151px;width: 382px;border-spacing: 0px\" rules=\"all\" cellpadding=\"0\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>case in point<\/td>\n<td>for example<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>for instance<\/td>\n<td>in particular<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>in this case<\/td>\n<td>one example\/another example<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>specifically<\/td>\n<td>to illustrate<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>Vary the phrases of illustration you use. Do not rely on just one. Variety in choice of words and phrasing is critical when trying to keep readers engaged in your writing and your ideas.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Basic Components of an Illustration Essay<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Thesis<\/strong>\u2014your controlling idea or, in other words, your main point.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Examples<\/strong>\u2014whether in the form of statistics, quotes, personal anecdotes, interviews, etc. the examples you include <em>illustrate <\/em>(show, demonstrate, make visible) your thesis.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Supporting details<\/strong>\u2014these are the specific explanations you use to elaborate on each example. The amount of detail you include depends upon your audience.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Order of Importance<\/strong>\u2014this is the order in which your examples appear.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Transitional phrases\u2014<\/strong>Usually appearing at the beginning of each body paragraph, a transitional phrase indicates the order (\u201cTo begin with,\u201d or \u201cIn addition,\u201d) or the importance (\u201cMost importantly\u201d).<\/p>\n<h3>Writing an Illustration Essay<\/h3>\n<p>First, decide on a topic that you feel interested in writing about. Then create an interesting introduction to engage the reader. The main point, or thesis, should be stated at the end of the introduction.<\/p>\n<p>Gather evidence that is appropriate to both your subject and your audience. You can order the evidence in terms of importance, either from least important to most important or from most important to least important. Be sure to fully explain all of your examples using strong, clear supporting details.<\/p>\n<div class=\"textbox shaded\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"bcc-box bcc-success\">\n<section>\n<h3>Key Takeaways<\/h3>\n<div>\n<ul>\n<li>An illustration essay clearly explains a main point using evidence.<\/li>\n<li>When choosing evidence, always gauge whether the evidence is appropriate for the topic as well as the audience.<\/li>\n<li>Organize the evidence in terms of importance, either from least important to most important or from most important to least important.<\/li>\n<li>Use time transitions to order evidence.<\/li>\n<li>Use phrases of illustration to explain examples.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t <section class=\"citations-section\" role=\"contentinfo\">\n\t\t\t <h3>Candela Citations<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t <div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <div id=\"citation-list-97\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <div class=\"licensing\"><div class=\"license-attribution-dropdown-subheading\">CC licensed content, Original<\/div><ul class=\"citation-list\"><li><strong>Provided by<\/strong>: Lumen Learning. <strong>Located at<\/strong>: <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/lumenlearning.com\/\">http:\/\/lumenlearning.com\/<\/a>. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/\">CC BY: Attribution<\/a><\/em><\/li><\/ul><div class=\"license-attribution-dropdown-subheading\">CC licensed content, Shared previously<\/div><ul class=\"citation-list\"><li>Successful Writing. <strong>Provided by<\/strong>: Anonymous. <strong>Located at<\/strong>: <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/2012books.lardbucket.org\/books\/successful-writing\/s14-02-illustration.html\">http:\/\/2012books.lardbucket.org\/books\/successful-writing\/s14-02-illustration.html<\/a>. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/4.0\/\">CC BY-NC-SA: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike<\/a><\/em><\/li><li>Letter to the City. <strong>Authored by<\/strong>: Scott McLean. <strong>Located at<\/strong>: <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/2012books.lardbucket.org\/books\/successful-writing\/s19-03-illustration-essay.html\">http:\/\/2012books.lardbucket.org\/books\/successful-writing\/s19-03-illustration-essay.html<\/a>. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/4.0\/\">CC BY-NC-SA: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike<\/a><\/em><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t <\/section>","protected":false},"author":20,"menu_order":3,"template":"","meta":{"_candela_citation":"[{\"type\":\"original\",\"description\":\"\",\"author\":\"\",\"organization\":\"Lumen Learning\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/lumenlearning.com\/\",\"project\":\"\",\"license\":\"cc-by\",\"license_terms\":\"\"},{\"type\":\"cc\",\"description\":\"Successful Writing\",\"author\":\"\",\"organization\":\"Anonymous\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/2012books.lardbucket.org\/books\/successful-writing\/s14-02-illustration.html\",\"project\":\"\",\"license\":\"cc-by-nc-sa\",\"license_terms\":\"\"},{\"type\":\"cc\",\"description\":\"Letter to the City\",\"author\":\"Scott McLean\",\"organization\":\"\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/2012books.lardbucket.org\/books\/successful-writing\/s19-03-illustration-essay.html\",\"project\":\"\",\"license\":\"cc-by-nc-sa\",\"license_terms\":\"\"}]","CANDELA_OUTCOMES_GUID":"","pb_show_title":"on","pb_short_title":"","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":["anonymous"],"pb_section_license":"cc-by-nc-sa"},"chapter-type":[],"contributor":[53],"license":[60],"class_list":["post-97","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry","contributor-anonymous","license-cc-by-nc-sa"],"part":93,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/umes-englishcomp1\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/97","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/umes-englishcomp1\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/umes-englishcomp1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/umes-englishcomp1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/umes-englishcomp1\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/97\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":459,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/umes-englishcomp1\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/97\/revisions\/459"}],"part":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/umes-englishcomp1\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/93"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/umes-englishcomp1\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/97\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/umes-englishcomp1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=97"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/umes-englishcomp1\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=97"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/umes-englishcomp1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=97"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/umes-englishcomp1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=97"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}