Writing Effective Paragraphs

Writing Good Paragraphs

• The aim of this unit is to help students write well-organized paragraphs, enabling them to write successfully in various forms of writing.
• A paragraph is a piece of writing unified by a central idea or theme, expressed by a topic sentence.

The Topic Sentence

• A topic sentence is a sentence that expresses the central idea of the paragraph.
• It can be placed at the beginning, middle, or end of the paragraph.
• The topic sentence helps both the writer and reader understand the paragraph's central idea.
• Example 1: "The vast majority of people, wherever they live and whatever their occupation, come in contact with animals in one way or another and have to deal with them."

Developing the Topic

• To develop the topic, add more information, explanations, examples, illustrations, etc. to the idea expressed in the topic sentence.
• Analysis of Example 1:
  • Topic sentence: "The vast majority of people, wherever they live and whatever their occupation, come in contact with animals in one way or another and have to deal with them."
  • Examples: hunter, farmer, fisherman, city dweller
  • Summing up: Common bond between man and other creatures

Coherence

• An effective paragraph requires coherence, where the writer takes the reader logically and smoothly from one idea to the next.
• Transitional devices are used to bring about coherence between sentences.
• Examples of transitional devices: firstly, secondly, moreover, most important of all.

Exercise and Tips

• Read examples and analyze the topic sentence, elaboration, and summing up.
• Practice developing topics and using transitional devices to connect sentences.
• Write paragraphs of your own, choosing a topic and writing down all you know about it.
• Remember, every sentence should contribute to the central idea, which may be contained in the topic sentence.### Characteristics of Monkeys
• Can digest many kinds of food
• Can spread across different regions, e.g., from Dakar in the west to Ethiopia in the east, and south to the Cape of Good Hope
• Can thrive in different environments, e.g., forests, open cultivated fields, and heavily populated cities
• Rhesus macaque is equally at home in different environments
• Baboons have also spread widely across Africa

Transitional Devices

• Express result: therefore, as a result, consequently, thus, hence
• Give examples: for example, for instance, specifically, as an illustration
• Express comparison: similarly, likewise
• Express contrast: but, yet, still, however, nevertheless, on the other hand
• Express addition: moreover, furthermore, also, too, besides, in addition
• Indicate time: now, later, meanwhile, since then, after that, before that time
• Express sequence: first, second, third, then, next, finally

Sea's Possibilities for Man's Future

• The sea is estimated to be more productive than the land
• The oceans currently supply only one or two per cent of man's food
• Man's relationship to the sea is still primitive, with more to be learned
• Oyster growers set out beds of oysters and fence out the oyster's enemies to increase the yield
• People in the Philippines, Indonesia, Japan, and China already grow fish and prawns in freshwater ponds
• Man will have to farm the sea to meet the great needs of a rapidly expanding world population

Punctuation: The Full Stop

• The full stop is used to mark the end of a sentence
• It is also used at the end of the shortened form of a word, e.g., e.g. (exempli gratia = for example), p. (page), no. (number), vol. (volume), a.m. (ante meridiem = before midday), p.m. (post meridiem = after midday)

Key Words

• Adherence: connection in thoughts or words
• Elaboration: giving details
• Full stop: a point (.) marking the end of a sentence or a shortened form of a word
• Illustration: giving examples
• Objectivity: purpose
• Punctuation: the system of dividing written matter into sentences, phrases, etc. by using certain marks
• Topic: a subject for talk, writing, etc.
• Transitional: relating to the movement from one sentence to another