Mrs Twain Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 I was looking at the LTOW essay contest. The rules say that the introduction needs to have an exordium, and the conclusion needs to have an amplification. Would anyone be so kind as to explain these terms? Oh--and parallelism. ??? I am a math/science person and don't understand big words like those. haha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melmichigan Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 These were specific lessons in LToW level 1 this year. I'll have to ask DD. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanaqui Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 I consulted with Professor Google, and this is what I came up with: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exordium_%28rhetoric%29 http://grammar.about.com/od/ab/g/amplification.htm If I'm reading this right, they're basically saying you should use the teddy bear approach to essay writing, which runs as follows. (This is an interactive demonstration. Please get a teddy bear, and every time I say that I am using the teddy bear, act as my proxy): The introduction of your essay should say what you're going to say in your essay. In this essay, I will hit you with a big teddy bear. Indeed, I am preparing to hit you right now. The body of your essay should say what you intend to say. In this essay, I intend to hit you with a big teddy bear, and so I am hitting you with a teddy bear at this moment. You are being hit with a big teddy bear. This big teddy bear is hitting you in the head. It is soft and cuddly, and I am hitting you with it. The conclusion of your essay should restate the body. Remember, in the body I hit you with a teddy bear. That just happened, just now. You got hit. With a teddy bear. Ta-da! (I may not be reading that right, of course, but this is invaluable advice nonetheless, and besides, I always enjoy hitting people with big teddy bears.) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Twain Posted April 3, 2015 Author Share Posted April 3, 2015 I am thinking that my kids already include an exordium and amplification in their essays, and that perhaps these are fancy terms for what everyone already does. An exordium in the introduction just means that one lays out the argument, summarizing the main points. An amplification in the conclusion just means restating the main point and adding personal analysis to it...??? LTOW's obscure terms are one of the main reasons I didn't buy their program. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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