WRITING PARAGRAPHS & ESSAYS 2008/09

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1 I. Identifying topic sentences Paragraph 1 Though the United States has spent billions of dollars on foreign aid programs, it has captured neither the affection nor esteem of the rest of the world. In many countries today Americans are cordially disliked; in others merely tolerated. The reasons for this sad state of affairs are many and varied, and some of them are beyond the control of anything this country might do to try to correct them. But harsh as it may seem to the ordinary citizen, filled as he is with good intentions and natural generosity, much of the foreigners animosity has be en generated by the way Americans behave. (Edward Hall, (1973), The silent language, p. xiii) Paragraph 2 Anthropology is the study of humankind, especially of Homo Sapiens, the biological species to which we hurnan beings belong. It is the study of how our species evolved from more primitive organisms; it is also the study of how our species developed a mode of communication known as language and a mode of social life known as culture. It is the study of how culture evolved and diversified. And finally, it is the study of how culture, people, and nature interact wherever human beings are found. (Marvin Harris, (1975), Culture, People Nature, p. 1) Paragraph 3 The population as a whole was unevenly distributed. The north was particularly thinly settled and the east densely populated, but even in counties like Warwickshire where there were substantial populations, some woodland areas were sparsely peopled. There was already relatively dense settlement in the prime arable areas of the country like Norfolk, Suffolk and Leicestershire. Modern estimates of England s total population, extrapolated from Domesday patterns, vary between 1 and 3 million. (Asa Briggs, (1983). A social history of England, p. 58) Paragraph 4 Atoms of all elements consist of a central nucleus surrounded by a "cloud" containing one or more electrons. The electrons can be thought of as occupying a series of welldefined shells. The behaviour of a particular element depends largely on the number of electrons in its outermost shells. Other factors, such as the total number of electron shells, also play a part in determining behaviour but it is the dominance of the outer electron configuration that underlies the periodic law and justifies the grouping of the elements into groups or families. (The sciences: Michael Beazley Encyclopaedias (1980), p. 118) Paragraph 5 In general, Victorian families were big. In 1851 their average size was 4.7, roughly the same as it had been in the seventeenth century, but the 1 1/2 million couples who married during the 1860s, which the historian G. M. Young described as the best decade in English history to have been brought up in, raised the figure to 6.2. Only one out of eight families had one or two children, while one in six had ten or more, so that the counsel little children should be seen and not heard was prudent rather than simply authoritarian advice. (Asa Briggs, (1983). A social history of England p. 244) Paragraph 6 The spoken word (whether conversation or oratory or the coy mixture of the two which is now familiar to us on television) is a very different thing from the written word. 1

2 Prof. Cerezo-García Universidad de Murcia_2 What is effective or allowable or desirable in the one may be quite the reverse in the other, and the extempore speaker cannot correct himself by revision as the writer can and should. It is therefore not fair to take a report of a speech or of an oral statement and criticise it as if it were a piece of considered writing. (Ernest Gowers, (1973) The complete plain words, p. 26) Paragraph 7 This is a period when education faces many disturbing circumstances originating outside itself. Budgets have been drastically cut throughout the country affecting every type of education. Enrolments are dropping rapidly, because the children of the post- World War II "baby boom" have now completed their schooling, and we are feeling the full effect of the falling birth rate. So there are fewer opportunities for new teachers, and the average age of teachers is increasing. (Carl Rogers, 0969), Freedom to learn p. 11.) II. Comparing the paragraph and the essay A good English paragraph expresses one main idea and provides the reader with enough logical support to be convincing. We look at the essay in the same way, with one difference: the main idea is more general, so it needs more support. Traditionally, an essay has four or more paragraphs, which correspond in function to the parts of the paragraph. PARTS OF THE PARAGRAPH TOPIC SENTENCE: expresses the main idea in a sentence POINTS OF SUPPORT (1, 2, 3, etc.): secondary ideas to support the topic sentence CONCLUSION: one sentence, usually found in longer paragraphs i.e. it s not always present in all paragraphs. PARTS OF THE ESSAY THESIS STATEMENT: expresses the main idea of the essay in a sentence. Usually located in the introduction, it is often the last sentence in this first paragraph. BODY PARAGRAPHS (1, 2, 3, etc.): each body paragraph will have its own main idea and therefore its own topic sentence. Secondary ideas support the topic sentences. CONCLUSION: The last paragraph. A longer piece of writing needs a conclusion to end the essay.

3 INTRODUCTION Thesis statement_ BODY PARAGRAPH 1 BODY PARAGRAPH 2 Topic sentence Support: Secondary idea 1 Secondary idea 2 Secondary idea 3, etc._ Conclusion_ BODY PARAGRAPH 3 CONCLUSION 3

4 Prof. Cerezo-García Universidad de Murcia_4 III. Writing introductions There are many ways to introduce an essay. Writers may use: An anecdote (a very short story) A suitable quotation A question Background necessary for the reader to understand their point IV. Writing conclusions Conclusions leave the reader with some final thoughts (though not new ideas) on the main idea and the supporting points. Writers can: Explain the significance of his points to his own life Discuss how the reader might use his information Briefly list the main points of support again for the reader to keep in mind, especially in a very long composition Conclusions, like introductions, are typically more general than body paragraphs because they move away from the specific topic and shift toward the reader s or the writer s life. The flow in a typical essay is from general (introduction) to specific (the body) and back to general (the conclusion). V. Guidelines for essay writing Title: Write a title for your composition. Make it short, relevant to your topic, and interesting. Paragraph 1: Introduction. Include a sentence that expresses your main idea, or thesis. You might want to write the introduction after you write the rest of your essay. However, decide on your thesis before writing the body paragraphs to keep your purpose in writing in mind. Be sure your thesis statement makes a logical assertion. The introduction does not need to be long, but it must be more than one sentence. Do not begin your introduction with a pronoun or refer to the title; the introduction, not the title, begins your composition. Body paragraphs (2, 3, etc.): Each paragraph should be complete and unified, with its own topic sentence that supports the thesis statement in the introduction. Make sure you keep body paragraphs distinct: each one has its own main idea and does not

5 repeat information from other body paragraphs. Last paragraph: Conclusion. This can be short, but it should be more than one sentence. Remind your readers of your thesis, or give them something related to think about. 5