Paper 2: Compare/Contrast & Cause/Effect Essay

You will be introduced how to write compare/contrast essays as well as cause/effect essays and do pre-writing activities in addition to outlines for both. However, you will choose one type of essay to write (compare/contrast OR cause/effect), in addition to the things you are going to compare/contrast OR discuss causes/effects. You will be required to use a minimum of two sources for this paper. Remember that the sources should support YOUR ideas and not vice versa. Also, in the compare/contrast essay you should only compare or contrast--not both. In the cause/effect essay you should only write about causes or effects--not both. The paper should be between a minimum of 2 full pages and a maximum of 3 full pages. The late penalty for this paper will be very harsh. If your paper is between 1 minute and 24 hours late, your grade will be reduced by 1 letter grade (5 points). Every 24 hours late after that, your grade will be reduced by an additional letter grade.

The final version Wednesday, November 3rd at 11:59 PM

The file should be named CCCE3_FirstName LastName

The file should be uploaded to your ESL114_FirstName LastName folder.

The paper should be formatted in the following way:
Font size: 12pt
Font style: Times New Roman
Line spacing: Double-Spaced (ctrl+a and then press ctrl+2)Do not insert extra spaces between paragraphs by hitting the enter/return key twice.
Margins: 1-Inch margins on top and bottom; 1-Inch margins on left and right sides
Indentation: The first line of every paragraph should be indented (tab key). This is roughly equal to ten spaces.
Text alignment: The text should be aligned to the left side of the page.
Special formatting: Do not make your entire document bold or italicized.

Grading
Make sure you incorporate the following components as you write part of the essay because these factors will affect your grade.

Introduction: hook, background information, clear thesis statement (compare/contrast/cause/effect), introduction to body paragraphs

Body Paragraphs (Three of them unless you are using the block outline for compare/contrast which only needs two): Relevant and comprehensive topic sentence, use supporting details to support topic sentence, support your arguments with evidence, make sure you clearly explain how the evidence relates to your topic sentence, explain any scientific or area-specific terms and concepts, concluding sentence

Conclusion: restate thesis statement, do not summarize your essay, instead briefly revisit the main idea of each body paragraph, mention the significance of the discussion, expand upon the discussion (example: by suggesting actions that can be taken on the issue).

Organization: Make sure your writing has an overall logical flow. If you are writing a compare/contrast essay, make sure you follow either the BLOCK OUTLINE or the POINT-BY-POINT OUTLINE. All papers must have an introduction paragraph, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion paragraph.

APA Style: any sources that you took information from and used in your essay must be cited, cite in the text of your essay using in-text citations, create a separate page that contains the list of references you used in your essay; Consult the APA STYLE TUTORIAL I prepared if you are confused about this. The references page does not count towards your 3-page limit.

Grammar: The highest scoring papers will be relatively free of grammatical errors. Errors distract your reader from your writing and make it difficult for your writing to make a clear point.