-
Paragraphs
I. What
is a good, effective paragraph?
?
Unified
---all
the
sentences
in
the
paragraph
are
focused
on
one
central
thought
or
on
a
single
topic.
?
Coherent
---it
develops
naturally
and
smoothly,
with one sentence leading to another
logically.
?
Well-developed
---it fulfills
what it sets out to say.
Topic Sentence
Unity
Coherent
Unity
Coherent
Unity
1.
Paragraph Unity
Unity
is
concerned
with
the
content
of
a
paragraph.
A
unified paragraph discusses only one
topic or one aspect
of
a
topic.
Only
one
central
idea
or
theme
it
may
have.
When
a
new
idea
is
generated,
a
new
paragraph
must
begin.
Sample 1
We
Americans are incredibly lazy.
Instead
of cooking
a simple, nourishing meal,
we pop frozen dinner into
the
oven.
Instead
of
studying
a
daily
newspaper,
we
are
contented
with
the
capsule
summaries
on
the
network news. Worst of all, instead of
walking even a
few
blocks
to
the
local
convenience
store,
we
jump
into our
cars.
Sample 2
When
people
sit
down
to
eat,
they
unconsciously
reveal their
personal habits.
The color of the food
that
they
order
indicates
their
tastes.
For
instance,
a
person
who
orders
red,
yellow,
and
orange
foods
usually wears brightly colored clothes
and lives in an
apartment
decorated
in
lively
colors.
The
texture
of
the food gives clues to the way that
people deal with
life
situations.
The
diner
who
prefers
such
crunchy
foods
as
crackers
probably
meets
the
day-to-day
conflicts
head-on
while
the
diner
who
orders
soft
creamy
foods
will
go
to
almost
any
length
to
avoid
conflicts.
Finally,
the
manner
in
which
people
eat
their
meals
reveals their work habits.
Those that eat
all of their
food at the same time probably have four
or
five
things
going
on;
those
that
finish
one
dish
before
beginning
another
one
may
be
capable
of
handling only one project at a
time.
Topic
Sentence
A topic sentence will help you
focus on your subject, but
if it is
expressed in terms that are too general, it will
be
less likely to help you achieve
unity.
?
Marriage for
couples under twenty is foolish.
?
Married
couples
under
twenty
have
more
problems
than those over
twenty.
?
Taking a course in English composition
is beneficial.
?
Taking a course in English composition
is beneficial at
least in three ways.
?
College students could make better use
of their leisure
time.
?
College
students could make better use of their leisure
time by cultivating one or two
hobbies.
2.
Paragraph Coherence
Ways to achieve
coherence:
?
Using parallel structures
?
Repeating words
or word groups
?
Using
pronouns
to
refer
to
nouns
in
preceding
sentences
?
Using transitional expressions
Sample 1
Americans are queer people: they can’t
play.
They rush
to work as
soon as they grow up. They want their work
as soon as they wake. They used to open
their offices at
ten
o’clock;
then
at
nine;
then
at
eight;
then
at
seven.
Now they never shut
them.
Sample 2
People differ from one another; they
have different likes
and
dislikes;
they
have
their
own
interests
and
way
of
doing things. Yet they
all need to get along with someone
well.
Sometimes
they
need
to
work
with
someone;
sometimes
they
need
to
live
with
someone;
and
sometimes
they
need
to
play
with
someone.
Whatever
they do, they are
not doing it all themselves.
Sample 3
Unlike
oral
English,
written
English
is
comparatively
formal.
It
requires
good
spelling
and
perfect
grammar.
Poor
spelling
and
too
many
grammatical
mistakes
will
put
readers
in
a
puzzling
difficulty.
They
would
be
confused
about
what
writers
are getting
at.
In
addition,
once the words are printed on the paper
and handed to
whomever
the
person
concerned,
writers
can
no
longer
make
any
changes.
To
avoid
this
one
has
to
pay
much
attention
to
spelling,
practice
grammar
and
write
clearly-constructed
paragraphs.
As
a
result,
it
will
take
longer and much more
efforts to communicate in written
English than in oral English.
3. Paragraph
Development
?
Development in chronologic
order
?
Development in spatial order
?
Development in
order of importance
?
Development by
comparison and contrast
?
Development by
cause-and-effect analysis
?
Development by
illustration or examples
?
Development by
classification
Chronologic
Order
One
of
the
simplest
ways
of
arranging
details
in
a
paragraph
is
to
put
them
in
time
order
or
in
chronological sequencing.
?
f
irst…
.;
?
then……
;
?
next……
;
?
before
…
;
?
after
…
..;
?
finally
……
?
not.....until......;
?
until
after......;
Spatial order
Seating
myself
in
the
back
desk
on
the
row
next
to
the
door
, I decided that this
English classroom was just like
every
other
English
classroom.
The
front
portion
of
the
room
contained
the
expected
classroom
items.
At
the
front
was
a
drab
green
chalkboard
covered
with
white
and
yellow
markings.
To
the
left
of
the
board
was
a
dictionary stand that held
a very thick dictionary.
Directly
in
front
of
the
board
was
the
instructor’s
lar
ge
impressive
desk.
The sides of the room
resembled those of
an
ordinary
classroom.
Six
windows
were
located
along
the
left wall
. They were covered by dusty
broken blinds.
Nothing
was
unusual
about
the
middle
of
the
room
.
Student desks were neatly arranged in
six rows of eight
desks
each.
I
was
sitting
in
the
eighth
desk
on
the
first
row
As the
bell
sounded and the instructor walked in, I
concluded
that
we
were
going
to
have
an
ordinary
English class in an ordinary
classroom
Order of importance
Since I began living in an
apartment and going to school,
my
biggest problem
has been the
housework.
Cleaning the apartment is
not too bad
; although it
takes
time
away
from
my
studies;
at
least
when
I
finish
the
apartment looks nice.
Cooking my food is a
bigger problem
. I have never
had
to cook before, and usually the
results are discouraging.
Sometimes the
food is burned, sometimes it is not cooked
enough, and sometimes I have not
measured correctly, so
the
food
tastes
terrible.
Shopping
for
my
food
is
more
difficult
because I
don’t
know the English names
of many
foods,
and
often
I
have
to
spend
extra
time
asking
for
help.
The
worst
problem
is
doing
my
laundry.
The
Laundromat
is
far
from
my
apartment,
and
I
waste
much
valuable
time.
I
also
have
trouble
with
the
complicated
instructions,
so
occasionally
I
end
up
with
pink
socks
or
a
shirt
that
is
too
small.
Mostly
I
am
embarrassed
as
I
sit
in
the
Laundromat
with
all
the
women, and so I wait until all my
clothes are dirty before
I do this
horrible task.
Comparison and Contrast
Groups are as good or bad
as the individuals who make
them
up.
Crowds,
on
the
other
hand,
are
entirely
different
from
their
individual
members.
While
groups
can act intelligently
and exercise a sense of responsibility,
crowds
are
chaotic
and
incapable
of
intelligent
actions.
Men and women in a group can think;
those in a crowd