Writing effective paragraphs

(from Oshima, A, & Hogue, A. (1991) Writing Academic English NY, Longman)

Paragraph Structure

The following example is given to illustrate the various elements and to analyse the structure of a well written paragraph.

Gold

Gold, a precious metal, is prized for two important characteristics. First of all, gold has a lustrous beauty that is resistant to corrosion. Therefore, it is suitable for jewellery, coins and ornamental purposes. Gold never needs to be polished and will remain beautiful forever. For example, a Macedonian coin remain as untarnished today as the day it was minted twenty-three centuries ago. Another important characteristic of gold is its usefulness to industry and science. For many years, it has been used in hundreds of industrial applications. the most recent use of gold is in astronauts' suits. Astronauts wear gold-plated heat shields for protection outside spaceships. In conclusion, gold is treasured not only for its beauty but also for its utility.

Unity and coherence

A good paragraph has the characteristics of unity and coherence.

For example, in the above example about gold, there are two supporting ideas: gold is beautiful, and gold is useful. Each of these is discussed, one after the other and an example is given for each one. Furthermore, the relationship between the ideas is shown by the use of transition words and phrases such as 'first of all', 'for example', 'another important characteristic' and 'in conclusion'.

Three major structural parts:

A good paragraph has three main parts:

  1. a topic sentence – states the main idea of a paragraph and briefly indicates what the paragraph is going to discuss. It is the most general statement in the paragraph because it gives only the main idea, not specific details. Topic sentences are complete sentences ie and (usually) an object. eg "The importance of gold …" is not a complete sentence.

    In addition, the topic sentence not only names the topic of the paragraph, but it also limits the topic to one or two ideas which can be discussed within the space of the paragraph. This strategy is called the controlling idea. For example:

    – Gold, a precious metal, is prized for two important characteristics.

  2. supporting sentences – develop the topic sentence. That is, they explain the topic sentence by giving reasons, examples, facts, statistics, and quotations. For example:

    – First of all, gold has a lustrous beauty that is resistant to corrosion.
    – For example, a Macedonian coin remain as untarnished today as the day it was minted twenty-three centuries ago.
    – Another important characteristic of gold is its usefulness to industry and science.
    – Another important characteristic of gold is its usefulness to industry and science.

  3. a concluding sentence – signals the end of the paragraph, summarises the main points of the paragraph and leaves the reader with important points to remember and think about. For example:
    – In conclusion, gold is treasured not only for its beauty but also for its utility.

    You can use one of the following end-of-paragraph signals to introduce your concluding sentence:
    These are followed by a comma
    These are not followed by a comma
    Finally, As a result, We can see that …
    In conclusion, Indeed, It is clear that …
    In summary, In brief, These examples show that …
    Therefore, In short, There can be no doubt that …
    Thus   The evidence suggests that …

Exercise 1: Recognising topic sentences – copy and paste the table into a Word document and follow the steps below.

Step 1: Decide which of the following sentences is the topic sentence of the paragraph
Step 2: Write TS on the line next to that sentence
Step 3: Decide the order of the supporting sentences and number them SS1, SS2 etc

Paragraph 1
  
  a. It enables customers to do several banking transactions 24 hours a day
  b. In addition, a customer can transfer funds between accounts or get a cash advance on a credit card.
  c. An automated teller machine (ATM) is a convenient miniature bank.
  d. For example, a customer can use an ATM to deposit money and withdraw a limited amount of cash.

Paragraph 2
  
  a. After an attack by a great white, 462 stitches were required to sew up an Australian scuba diver.
  b. With their razor-sharp teeth and strong jaws, great white sharks are very dangerous
  c. Nevertheless, one did just that near a public beach in Australia in 1985.
  d. Even when they attack humans, however, great whites do not usually eat them.
  e. It bit in half and totally devoured a young female swimmer.
  f. Great whites do not usually attack humans, but when they do, they always cause serious injury and even death.

Paragraph 3
  
  a. Another important change was that people had the freedom to live work wherever they wanted.
  b. The earliest significant change was for farming families, who were no longer isolated.
  c. The final major change brought about by the automobile was the building of superhighways, suburbs, huge shopping centres, and many theme parks such as Disneyworld in Florida.
  d. The automobile revolutionised the American way of life.
  e. The automobile enabled them to drive to towns and cities comfortably and conveniently.
  f. In fact, people could work in a busy metropolitan city and drive home to the quiet suburbs.

Exercise 2: Writing topic sentences – copy and paste this into a Word document and write a good topic sentence in the space provided.

Paragraph 1

 

 

Americans relaxing at home, for example, may put on 'kimonos', which is a Japanese word. Americans who live in a warm climate may take an afternoon 'siesta' on an outdoor 'patio' without even realising that these are Spanish words. In their gardens, they may enjoy the fragrance of 'jasmine' flowers, a word that came into English from Persian. They may even relax on a 'chaise longue' while sipping a drink made from 'vodka', words of French and Russian origin respectively.
 
Paragraph 2

 

 

In European universities, students are not required to attend classes. In fact, professors in Germany generally do not know the names of the students enrolled in their courses. In the United States, however, students are required to attend all classes and may be penalised if they don't. Furthermore, in the European system, there is usually just one comprehensive examination at the end of the students' entire four or five years of study. In the American system, on the other hand, there are usually numerous quizzes, tests, and homework assignments, and there is almost always a final examination in each course at the end of the semester.
 

Paragraph 3

 

 

For example, the Eskimos, living in a treeless region of snow and ice, sometimes build temporary homes out of thick blocks of ice. People who live in deserts, on the other hand, use the most available material, mud or clay, which provides good insulation from the heat. In Northern Europe, Russia and other areas of the world where forests are plentiful, people usually construct their homes out of wood. In the islands of the South Pacific, where there is a plentiful supply of bamboo and palm, people use these tough, fibrous plants to build their homes.

Exercise 3: Writing concluding sentences – copy and paste this into a Word document, follow the steps listed and write a good concluding sentence in the space provided.

Step 1: Underline the topic sentence in each paragraph
Step 2: Determine the main idea of each paragraph
Step 3: Begin each concluding sentence with an end-of-paragraph signal (examples shown earlier).

Paragraph 1

You can be a good conversationalist by being a good listener. When you are conversing with someone, pay close attention to the speaker's words while looking at his or her face. Show your interest by smiling and/or nodding. Furthermore, don't interrupt while someone is speaking; it is impolite to do so. If you have a good story, wait until after the speaker is finished. Also, watch your body language; it can affect your communication whether you are the speaker or the listener. For instance, don't sit slumped in a chair or make nervous hand and foot movements. Be relaxed and bend your body slightly forward to show interest in the person and the conversation.

 

 

Paragraph 2

Modern communication technology is driving workers in the corporate world crazy. They feel buried under the large number of messages they receive daily. In addition to telephone calls, office workers receive dozens of email and voicemail messages daily. In one company in fact, managers receive an average of 100 messages a day. Because they don't have enough time to respond to these messages during office hours, it is common for them to do so in the evenings or on weekends at home.