Writing a paragraph

BEL120: CONSOLIDATING LANGUAGE SKILLS
1
NORHASLINDAHASSAN,UITMPP
WRITING A
PARAGRAPH

AT THE END OF THIS LESSON, YOU
WILL BE ABLE TO:

understand the structure of a
paragraph.
develop a well-organized and
coherent paragraph.
2

READ THE PARAGRAPH BELOW:
Another unusual thing about Travis is his eating
philosophy. He believes that there is no such thing
as a breakfast food, lunch food, or supper food. He’ll
eat tuna sandwiches for breakfast if the mood
strikes. He often eats pancakes for lunch. He
frequently goes to the movies in his pajamas before
supper. When it’s finally time to go to bed, Travis will
have a big bowl of Cheezels.
3

4
WHAT DO
YOU THINK???

5
WHAT SHOULD
WE DO WITH THIS
PARAGRAPH?

Another unusual thing about Travis is his eating
philosophy. He believes that there is no such thing
as a breakfast food, lunch food, or supper food.
He’ll eat tuna sandwiches for breakfast if the mood
strikes. He often eats pancakes for lunch. When it’s
finally time to go to bed, Travis will
have a big bowl of Cheezels.
6

WHAT IS A PARAGRAPH?
 A collection of related sentences dealing with a single
topic.
 You can have fantastic ideas, but those ideas MUST BE
organized.
 The fundamental unit of a composition.
 A paragraph consists of several sentences that are
grouped together.
7

EXERCISE 1
Use these tips to help you write clear paragraphs in all types of
text.
 Include 1 lots of ideas / one main idea per paragraph.
 Paragraphs 2 can / can’t have a different number of sentences, but
avoid paragraphs with just one or two sentences.
 Each paragraph in a text should be a 3 similar / different length.
 Each paragraph needs a “topic sentence” – a sentence that gives the
main idea of the paragraph. This usually comes at the 4 beginning /
end of the paragraph.
 “Supporting sentences” 5 change / develop the main idea from the
topic sentence. They give details, examples or explanations.
 A “concluding sentence” marks the 6 beginning / end of the
paragraph.
8

THEREFORE......
 A paragraph have three principal parts.
 These three parts are the topic sentence,
supporting sentences, and the concluding
sentence.
9

TOPIC SENTENCE
 Usually comes at the beginning of a paragraph; usually the
first sentence in a paragraph.
 it is the most general sentence in a paragraph.
 the sentence introduces an overall idea that you want to
discuss later in the paragraph.
 For instance:
My hometown is famous for several amazing natural
features. First, it is noted for the Wheaton River, which is
very wide and beautiful. Also, on the other side of the town
is Wheaton Hill, which is unusual because it is very steep. 11

ARE THESE TOPIC SENTENCE?
 My hometown is famous because it is located by Wheaton
River, which is very wide, and because it is built near an
unusually steep hill called Wheaton Hill.
 There are two reasons why some people like to buy cars
with automatic transmission and two reasons why others
like cars with manual transmission.
 Clouds are white.
12

SUPPORTING SENTENCE
 Called "supporting" because they "support," or explain, the
idea expressed in the topic sentence.
 At minimum, you should have at least five
to seven sentences in your paragraph.
very wide and beautiful. Also, on the other side of the town
is Wheaton Hill, which is unusual because it is very
steep. The third amazing feature is the Big Old Tree. This
tree stands two hundred feet tall and is probably about six
hundred years old. 13

CONCLUDING SENTENCE
 A sentence at the end of the paragraph.
 Summarizes the information in the paragraph.
 Similar to, but not exactly the same as, the topic sentence.
 If your paragraph is very long, it is a good idea to use a
concluding sentence.
very wide and beautiful. Also, on the other side of the town is
Wheaton Hill, which is unusual because it is very steep. The
third amazing feature is the Big Old Tree. This tree stands two
hundred feet tall and is probably about six hundred years
old. These three landmarks are truly amazing and make my
hometown a famous place.
14

EXERCISE 2
Read the two paragraphs and determine what they are
about.
Paragraph 1
I’ve just started a new job in a travel agency. I work with a
great team of people and I get to travel all the time. It’s just
a blast! I also met a cute guy last week. He works for the
same company, but in a different division. I can’t believe
my luck. I hope life with you is as good. …
Answer: A letter to a friend about the writer’s news 15

ANSWER: AN ARTICLE OR ESSAY ABOUT
COMMUNICATION
Paragraph 2
If you look at a group of people, notice how they use
their hands, face and whole body to express how they
feel. Gestures can have international meaning. Think
about how you would express “Hi” or “Bye”, “Be
quiet!”, “Fantastic!” or “Good job!” It’s surprising how
many other nationalities use the same gestures.…
16

CHOOSE THE BEST TOPIC SENTENCE
AND CONCLUDING SENTENCE FOR THE
PARAGRAPHS
1. Many aspects of human communication are nonverbal.
2 .Thanks very much for your letter.
3 .So, body language in all its forms is a powerful tool for
communication.
4 .Call me and let me know what’s happening.
5 .However, be careful not to offend people with gestures.
6 .I have some news for you!
17
1 2

I have some news for you! I’ve just started a new
job in a travel agency. I work with a great team
of people and I get to travel all the time. It’s just
a blast! I also met a cute guy last week. He
works for the same company, but in a different
division. I can’t believe my luck. I hope life with
you is as good. Call me and let me know what’s
happening.
18

Many aspects of human communication are
nonverbal. If you look at a group of people,
notice how they use their hands, face and whole
body to express how they feel. Gestures can
have international meaning. Think about how
you would express “Hi” or “Bye”, “Be quiet!”,
“Fantastic!” or “Good job!” It’s surprising how
many other nationalities use the same gestures.
So, body language in all its forms is a powerful
tool for communication.
19

COHERENCE
 A paragraph is coherent when its sentences are related
to each other.
 it is easy to understand because it is clear and
reasonable.
 Paragraph coherence exists when each sentence in a
paragraph serves a purpose and the readers know what
that purpose is.
 An incoherent paragraph rambles from idea to idea,
with no sign that the writer has thought about what
communicative purposes its sentences serve.
20

GROUP
WORK!!!!!!
21

COMMON COHERENCE
TECHNIQUES
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Use parallelism

TRANSITIONAL EXPRESSION
 Words or phrases that connect clauses and sentences so
that there is a smooth flow between ideas.
 They act as signals; showing the readers the relationship
between ideas.
 For instance:
 In addition, furthermore, also, moreover,another
 First, second, next, then ,last, finally.
 However, in contrast, nevertheless, on the other hand.
 As a result, therefore, consequently,hence, thus
 In conclusion, in summary, in short, in a nutshell
23

PRONOUNS
 Can be used to connect ideas between sentences.
 Use pronouns to connect specified nouns in earlier
sentences to the content of later sentences.
 For instance:
Frankly speaking, I find most Indian food a bit too hot and
spicy. I love their curries but I can’t take them too often
because they give my stomach a burning sensation.
24

REPETITION
 Repeat a key term or phrase if that term or phase is
central to the ideas in a paragraph.
 This technique often occurs together with parallelism.
25

PARALLELISM
 Using the same pattern of words to show that two or
more ideas have the same level of importance.
 Use coordinating conjunction; and, or.
 Improves writing style and readibility of texts.
 Indeed, lack of parallelism at times creates ungrammatical
structures.
 For instance:
 Sarjit likes reading, swimming, and to snorkel.
 Sarjit likes reading, swimming and snorkeling.
 Sarjit likes to rad, to swim and to snorkel.
26

TEST YOUR WRITING SKILLS
 In your group, complete the sentence given.
 Make a coherent paragraph.
The Magic Hat
I was bored one Saturday afternoon, so I started looking
around the basement. That’s when I found a strange hat
with many colors on it. Without thinking, I put it on my
head; what happened next was unbelievable. . .
27

REFLECTION!!!!
 What is a paragraph?
 Where can we find the topic sentence in a paragraph?
 What is a coherent paragraph?
 What are the common coherent techniques?
28

Writing a paragraph

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