In this assignment, you will choose a subject which can be divided into classes, categories, or types. Remember that individual categories share one or more common characteristics which differentiate themselves from members of the other categories being described. Feel free to describe any subject you wish, exciting or mundane, serious or humorous. I have had people write on such varied topics as the different types of golf swings to the different types of student excuses (see sample) to the different types of parenting styles. Choose something simple that you know a lot about and that you can easily explain. Again, remember to decide on a broad category on which to write, break that larger category into its subcategories, and describe each of those subcategories based on distinct characteristics.
You should write this essay in 3rd person, avoiding the following 1st and 2nd person pronouns: 1st – I, me, my, mine, myself, we, us, our, ours, ourselves. 2nd – you, your, your, yours, yourself, yourselves.
You may wonder how to accomplish this. In academic writing, you need to step back from your writing. For example, if you were to write about the different styles of faux wall finishes, you might say “Painters believe…” instead of “I believe….” If I were writing about the different types of operatic sopranos (a topic of which I know much), instead of saying “I recognize three major types of operatic sopranos,” I might use term like “singers,” “opera fanatics,” or “sopranos” to replace the 1st person pronoun “I.”
Requirements:
- A minimum of 3-4 double spaced typed pages, though I encourage you to write beyond the minimum amount of pages.
- Academic style – 3rd person, active voice (no be verbs!), no contractions
- Proper MLA formatting
