Prewriting



When you receive your writing assignment from your teacher, the first step is to make sure you understand the assignment and what your teacher wants you to do with it. To do this, review the requirements of the assignment. These may be in the form of an assignment sheet or a description of the assignment, or they may be given to you verbally during class. In any case, to understand what to do, you should ask yourself and answer the following kinds of questions.
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To help you understand your assignment and decide what approach to take to write it, also look for keywords that reveal your teacher’s expectations. These words are often associated with essay questions, as well as informal and formal papers.

 

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The English Department © Barbara Dieu