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Mastering Paragraph Writing Techniques

The document provides an overview of paragraph writing, defining a paragraph as a group of related sentences that develop a single idea. It outlines the characteristics of a good paragraph, including indentation, a clear topic sentence, unity, coherence, and cohesion. Additionally, it emphasizes the importance of creating an outline to ensure a unified paragraph before writing.

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12 views2 pages

Mastering Paragraph Writing Techniques

The document provides an overview of paragraph writing, defining a paragraph as a group of related sentences that develop a single idea. It outlines the characteristics of a good paragraph, including indentation, a clear topic sentence, unity, coherence, and cohesion. Additionally, it emphasizes the importance of creating an outline to ensure a unified paragraph before writing.

Uploaded by

kadriaminaferyal
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Module: Scientific English

Level: 3rd Year

Lecture One: Paragraph Writing

1. Definition:
In English, a paragraph is a number of sentences grouped together and relating to
one topic. Or, a group of related sentences that develop a single idea.

2. Characteristics of a good paragraph:

a. Indentation:
The form of a paragraph is easy to recognize; the first sentence is indented a few
spaces i.e. the first word of a paragraph is not written at the beginning of the line.
The indentation tells the reader that there is a new paragraph starting and that a
separate unit of thought will be presented.
b. Topic Sentence:
It is known that a paragraph is a group of related sentences that develop one main
idea. In a paragraph, three elements should be followed: the topic sentence, the
supporting sentences, and the concluding sentence. These three essential elements are
the basis of a paragraph.
 The topic sentence expresses the paragraph’s central purpose. It expresses
the main point of the paragraph or its controlling idea.
 The topic sentence often comes at the beginning of the paragraph, but it
may appear at the end or in the middle. Sometimes, it does not appear at all
but is understood.
 The topic sentence should be clear and not too general, that is to say if the
topic sentence is expressed in terms that are too general, it will be difficult
to limit your idea. But stating the controlling idea, your purpose of writing
is clear, and your idea is limited and not general.
c. Unity:
The paragraph discusses only one topic or one aspect of a topic. This characteristic
is known as Unity. A paragraph is said to have unity when it deals with only one
central idea and when every sentence contributes to this idea. All the facts, examples,
reason used to develop an idea – i.e. the supporting sentences - must be relevant to it.

d. -Coherence:
A paragraph is said to have coherence when the relationship between sentences is
clear, when the transition from one sentence to the next is easy, natural, and logical.
Coherence in a paragraph is achieved by:
 Repeating key nouns and using pronouns those refer back to key nouns.
 Using transition signals for showing the relation of one idea to the next one.
 Arranging your sentences in a logical order
e. -Cohesion:
It means that the process of linking and connecting sentences together using
transitional expressions, linking words, repetition, pronouns in order to make the
paragraph cohesive and show the reader that the ides are related to each other.
3. The Paragraph Outline:
An outline is a plan. To draw an outline is to draw all the points which are
expressed in the paragraph. The usefulness of an outline, before you write a paragraph,
is to make sure that you will achieve a unified paragraph.

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