English Skills 10th Edition by John Langan, Zoe Albright

Exercise 4

The assignment here is to complete an unfinished paragraph (in the box), which has as its topic sentence, "People use MP3 players for more than just listening to music." Provide the supporting details needed to develop the examples. The first example is done for you.
Uses for MP3 Players
People use MP3 players for more than just listening to music. Many people wear earpieces connected to iPods or other MP3 players just so they can drown out annoying noises.
In a large city, being exposed to the roar of buses and trains for more than a few minutes can be nerve-wracking. Then there are the cars and taxis that blow th eir horns at each other and at pedestrians as they bully their way through traffic.
Being plugged into an electronic device can also come in handy on a crowded bus, train, or other type of public transportation.
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Listening to background music on an MP3 player can help one concentrate on important tasks even when in busy places where others are coming and going and talking among themselves.
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Finally, listening to these devices helps drown out unwanted noise at home.
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Prewriting
a. On a separate piece of paper, jot down a couple of answers for each of the following questions.
• How can being plugged into an MP3 player help people avoid noise pollution on a bus, train, or other type of public transportation What kinds of noise distractions have you experienced when using public transportation
• What tasks do you find easier to concentrate on when listening to music that comes through an earpiece Why does the music make it easier to concentrate on these tasks even when you are in a place that is crowded and noisy Name specific places that you often find crowded and noisy.
• What kinds of unwanted noises annoy or disturb you at home Does such noise break your concentration when you are trying to do something important What are some of these tasks or projects
Your instructor may ask you to work with one or two other students in gen­erating the details needed to develop the three examples in the paragraph. The groups may then be asked to read their details aloud, with the class deciding which details are the most effective for each example.
Here and in general in your writing, try to generate more supporting material than you need. You are then in a position to choose the most convincing details for your paragraph.
b. Read over the details you have generated and decide which sound most effective. Jot down additional details as they occur to you.
c. Take your best details, reshape them as needed, and use them to complete the paragraph explaining why people plug into electronic devices.
Revising
Read over the paragraph you have written. Ask yourself these questions.
FOUR BASES Checklist for Exemplification
About Unity
Do all of the examples I provide support the central idea that people use MP3 players for several reasons
About Support
Are there enough examples to make my point about MP3 players and convince others to agree with me
Do I appeal to my readers' senses with vivid, specific examples
About Coherence
Have I presented the examples in my paragraph in the most effective order
About Sentence Skills
Have I used specific rather than general words
Are my sentences varied in length and structure
Have I checked for spelling and other sentence skills, as listed on the inside back cover of the book
Continue revising your work until you can answer "yes" to all these questions.