Language and Grammar: Justify

Group Talk With a group, take turns talking about what you would and would not write about in a diary. Justify your opinions and ideas.

Use complex sentences to give reasons and conditions for your ideas.

I would write about my family because they are important to me.

I would write in a diary only if I knew others would not read my words.

Writing and Grammar: Write About Your Opinion

Study the Models When you write, use a variety of sentences to make your writing more interesting. Use longer sentences with connecting words that show reasons, conditions, and other explanations for your ideas and opinions. Then your reader will understand why you believe something.

Just Ok

I ate lunch with the new student today and he told me what life was like in his homeland it was scary to hear about the danger his family was in. Don’t blame him for wanting a better life. If I had to decide whether to stay or leave, I’d leave. Because living in a place where everyone is fighting is not good. Even if you have to leave your friends and neighbors behind.

The reader thinks:
“This writer just rambles on. The ideas don’t connect very well.”

Better

I ate lunch with the new student today, and he told me what life was like in his homeland. It was scary to hear about the danger his family was in. Who could blame him for wanting a better life? If I had to decide whether to stay or leave, I’d leave. Living surrounded by fighting is not good, even if you must leave friends and neighbors behind.

This writer uses sentences that are varied and more smoothly connected.

Illustration of the pen icon WRITE ON YOUR OWN Write about a current event in the news. Tell what you think of the event. Give reasons for your thinking. Use a variety of sentences, and combine ideas smoothly to explain your opinions. Then read what you wrote aloud. Make sure it makes sense to your reader.

Remember

Don’t string together too many ideas in one sentence. It can confuse the reader.

People have many different opinions of current events.

People have many different opinions of current events.