The following is a teacher example of a standard, 350-word, essay. The essay was written with the participation of the Advanced Composition students attending the Thursday evening class.

Keeping the Burglars Away!

    Most people find a house break in to be a very stressful and emotional experience. In order to reduce the chance of a thief breaking in to your home follow these three steps.

    The first step to reducing the chances of having a break in at your home is to get to know your neighbours. Many blocks in Vancouver have a “Block Watch.” In this system, everyone on a block knows each others addresses, names, and telephone numbers. If you go away, you only need to call your closest neighbours and ask them to watch your house. If you see something, you will know the house number and can inform the police easily. Knowing your neighbours can effectively reduce break ins in your neighbourhood.

    Another effective way to reduce break ins is changing your behaviour around your home. For example, when you go out shopping, leave your radio on in the house, set to a talk radio station. Even if you are home, remember to lock your doors when you are working in the garden or hanging out the laundry since some thieves come in the back door when you are in the front yard. Lastly, don’t leave keys under your doormat or anywhere near your door. Your behaviour at home can help to cut down on break in opportunities.

    The most important means to keep thieves out of your home is by making physical changes. In most homes, an average thief can break the door lock in 2 seconds. Why? The lock is not secured to the doorframe properly. Use long screws (4 inches) to secure your deadbolt lock. For windows, make sure that your neighbours can see them and for sliding windows, for example, use an old hockey stick to keep anyone from opening it from outside. If the thief cannot get in your house because of your physical changes, you will not have any break ins.

    Following these three steps will help you to reduce your chances of a break in. Not following them, however, will help you to get to know your insurance adjuster better.

    —349 words

 

 

 

 

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