Basics of Writing.pdf
- 2. What is a paragraph? A paragraph is a group of unified and coherent sentences that develop a given topic. The topic of a paragraph may be developed by choosing a pattern of organization. ❑a process paragraph (e.g., how to have a healthy diet) ❑a cause-effect paragraph (e.g., what causes obesity) ❑a classification paragraph (e.g., types of diets)
- 4. The Parts of a Paragraph • Title • Topic Sentence • Major Details (Supporting Sentences) • Minor Details • Conclusion
- 5. An effective title must… hook the reader’s interest. vividly describe the topic of your paragraph. be brief. be centered and correctly capitalized.
- 6. The Topic Sentence It is usually the first sentence of a paragraph, which states its main idea. It must state only ONE idea clearly At the beginning of the paragraph, it creates expectations about what is coming next. A topic sentence is neither too general nor too specific.
- 7. Writing an effective topic sentence • When you must write a paragraph, your first task is to choose an academic topic to base your ideas. Then, you need to write an effective topic sentence. This is one of the most important parts of the process. • Sometimes, you might have a topic you want to write about, but you are not sure which angle to take. If that is the case, you can generate some ideas by using the brainstorming strategy. You can brainstorm alone or with a group in order to stimulate your thoughts. • There are many ways to come up with possible ideas. You can use the link below to access a video that will give you some tips to follow when brainstorming. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSufG-AIQYo
- 8. The topic sentence is the most general sentence of your paragraph as it summarizes its content. It states the focused main idea of the paragraph in a complete sentence. A good topic sentence has two elements: (1) the topic itself and (2) the controlling idea. Teamwork is important for the success of all businesses. (1) The topic: Teamwork (2) The controlling idea: is important for the success of all businesses Before writing the topic sentence, you need to think about the topic and the controlling idea. Remember! Your controlling idea leads the content of your paragraph.
- 9. Let’s Practice In pairs or in groups of three, write topic sentences for each of the following topics. • Fast Food • Diets • Healthy Eating
- 10. Major and Minor Details Major details • These are sentences that talk about or explain the topic sentence. • They are more detailed ideas that follow the topic sentence. • They provide primary support to the main idea and are more general than minor details. Minor Details • They explain major details. • They provide secondary support to the main idea. • They are the most specific ideas in the passage, usually examples or explanations (specific people, places, things, or events that support an idea or statement).
- 11. An effective conclusion fulfills the following purposes: It brings the paragraph to an end. It restates the paragraph main idea and sums up the major points.
- 12. Let’s analyze this paragraph The Growing Popularity of Texting Apps Nowadays, texting apps are becoming more and more popular among young people. First, texting apps are cheaper than text messages, which can save users money on their phone bills. While a WhatsApp message may cost nothing, an SMS costs ₡3.00. Therefore, if a person sends 900 messages a week, he or she will have to pay ₡11,000.00 a month. Second, texting apps are very convenient because they allow people to have quick and easy communication. Teenagers prefer texting apps because they can keep in touch with friends and relatives without having to make a phone call. These apps also allow users to create group chats, making it easy to communicate with multiple friends or family members simultaneously. Third, texting apps can be used for school tasks. For instance, students can use them to create study groups and collaborate on assignments or projects. They can even send documents over and keep updated in case of an absence from school. The popularity of texting apps among youngsters is increasing each day because they can use them not only for fun but also for academic purposes.
- 13. Outlining An outline is a sketch in which you write words or phrases to guide you in the process of writing your supporting ideas and examples. The structure of an outline will look like this: *Sometimes, you might not have minor details. That will depend on how much information you want or need to provide.
- 14. Outline Example Main Idea (Topic Sentence): _______________________________________ A. Major Support: Texting apps are cheaper than text messages. 1. Minor Support: ____________________________________________ 2. Minor Support: ____________________________________________ B. Major Support: ______________________________________________ 1. Minor Support: ____________________________________________ 2. Minor Support: possibility of creating chat groups C. Major Support: ______________________________________________ 1. Minor Support: ____________________________________________ 2. Minor Support: ____________________________________________ Concluding Sentence: _____________________________________________
- 15. Outline Example Main Idea (Topic Sentence): Nowadays, texting apps are becoming more and more popular among young people. A. Major Support: Texting apps are cheaper than text messages. 1. Minor Support: A WhatsApp message may cost nothing 2. Minor Support: SMS costs ₡3.00 = ₡11,000.00 a month (per 900 messages a week) B. Major Support: Texting apps are very convenient because they allow people to have quick and easy communication. 1. Minor Support: no need to make phone calls to keep in touch 2. Minor Support: possibility of creating chat groups C. Major Support: Texting apps can be used for school tasks. 1. Minor Support: study groups and collaboration on assignments or projects 2. Minor Support: send documents and keep updated Concluding Sentence: The popularity of texting apps among youngsters is increasing each day because they can use them not only for fun but also for academic purposes.
- 16. Coherence and Cohesion • Cohesion concerns the flow of sentences from one to another. It involves the tying together of old information and new. When we write academic paragraphs, we work hard to build structural cohesion, which enhances a reader's understanding of our ideas. • Coherence is the “internal logic which the reader can follow with or without the use of prominent cohesive devices.” When the text is coherent, the reader can understand at least two things: 1. The writer’s purpose 2. The writer’s line of thought or reasoning
- 17. Final tips to write a composition 1. Avoid the use of the pronouns "I," "we," or "you." 2. Write an original title (your topic sentence is NOT a title). When you write a title, you must capitalize the content words (nouns, verbs, adverbs, and adjectives), but do not do so with function words (articles or prepositions). 3. Write meaningful and complete sentences with a higher level of construction. At this level, you can do this by joining sentences into compound sentences. 4. Indent the first sentence of your paragraph. This means that you need to leave 5 spaces at the beginning of your paragraph. 5. Do not use the word “thing(s)” as it is a vague word; instead, try to find an appropriate word. Also, avoid the phrases “kind of” and “sort of.” 6. Do NOT use contractions, for they are very informal. 7. Revise your paragraph before preparing your final draft. 8. Your paragraph will need a heading with your basic information. Follow the example that your professor will give you.
- 19. Information taken and adapted from EAP Foundation.com.(2013) Cohesion. https://www.eapfoundation.com/writing/cohesion/ Gustavus Adolphus College.(n.d.) The Writing Center. https://gustavus.edu/writingcenter/handoutdocs/cohesion.php Harmer, J. (2004). How to teach writing. Pearson Educated Limited. Henry, D. J. (2014). Writing for Life. Paragraphs and Essays. Pearson Education.