Paragraph Writing 段落.

1、Paragraph WritingEdited by Sophie QianSchool of Foreign Languages1A paragraph is a group of related sentences that develops one main idea.A paragraph has: a title which introduces the topic.a topic sentence which tells the reader how the paragraph will develop.supporting details which explain the to

2、pic sentence or expand it.a conclusion which tells the reader the paragraph has finished. 2A topic sentence has a topic and a controlling idea. The controlling idea tells the reader how the paragraph will develop.What makes a good topic sentence? Hassan Ali Hussein is a typical Lebanese student.3A t

3、opic sentence must have only one main idea. Hassan is a typical Lebanese student, although sometimes his attitudes are Western.Not having my car for a week led me to discover the joys of walking, but it was inconvenient sometimes.Divorce is bad for children in many ways and the government should do

4、more to help children who are from broken families.4A topic sentence must be specific. If it is too general or wide, then it is difficult to write anything meaningful about it. This is why controlling idea is so important.为了正确表达观点，好的主题句经常使用关键词或词组，即限制词（controllers）限制这一观点。Air travel is more convenient

5、 than train for at least three reasons“air travel”（ topic），他将要把 “train”（ aspect）和“ air travel”作比较，并且陈述“reasons”。作者在“aspect”（方面）和“reason”（原因）两方面限制了主题。5Hassan is a Lebanese student.I like sport.I like sport because it develops my body, reduces stress.Mrs. Thatcher was the British prime minister from 1

6、974 to 1985 and she changed British society for the worse.Mrs. Thatcher, who was the British prime minister from 1974 to 1985, had a profound effect on my life.6A topic must not be too narrow. If it is too narrow, it cannot be developed.Hassan goes to his favorite bar three times a week.Hassans favo

7、rite bar offers good music, good food and a friendly atmosphere.My father grows spinach, cabbages in his garden.A garden can make a great difference to your quality of life.I was the youngest child in my family.Being the youngest child in my family gave me many advantages.7Directions：Identify the ar

8、eas which limit the topic sentencesSoccer has become increasingly popular in the U S in the last ten yearsPollution has caused three major problems in the last decadesThere are two kinds of memory： short-term and long-termWomen are playing an increasingly important part in society todayWomen are pai

9、d less for equal work than men in some companies8Directions： Write two topic sentences for each of the topics，limiting the topic in different waysTopic： the study of EnglishTopic： college students todayTopic： women in China9Directions: Read the following paragraphs and supply the missing topic sente

10、nce.Icelands flag, for instance, stands for features of the land. Red for the fire of Icelands volcanoes. White is for ice. Blue is for the mountains. On Indias flag, the blue wheel stands for peace and progress. The white stripe behind it is for truth. The black stripe on the flag of Malawi stands

11、for the Negro people of that African land. The red stripe represents the blood they shed to free themselves from foreign rule.10The one most people are familiar with is the “desk dictionary”, sometimes refered to as general-purpose dictionary. Another kind is the pronouncing dictionary， which is con

12、cerned with a words pronunciation more than with its meaning. A third type is the bilingual dictionary, which lists the words in one language and attempts to give equivalent meaning in another language. Other types include technical dictionaries, special purpose dictionaries, and scholarly dictionar

13、ies11Passage AProgress is gradually being made in the fight against cancer. In the early 1900s, few cancer patients had any hope of long-term survival. In the 1930s, less than one in five cancer victims live more than five years. In the 1950s the ratio was one in four. Currently, the ratio is down t

14、o one in three. The gain from one in four to one in three represents about 58,000 lives saved each year. 12Passage B Progress is gradually being made in the fight against cancer. In the early 1900s,few cancer patients had any hoe of long-term survival. But because of advances in medical technology,

15、progress had been made so that currently one in three cancer patients survives. It has been proven that smoking is a direct cause of lung cancer. However, the battle has not yet been won. Although cures for some forms of cancer have been discovered, other forms of cancer are still increasing. Heart

16、disease is also increasing.13In one paragraph, only one main idea should be discussed. All the supporting sentences must be directly related to the topic sentence and arranged in a logical order, with transitional words to combine them together. As an effective paragraph, unity, coherence and transi

17、tion are the essential elements14Hassan Ali Hussein is a typical Lebanese student .When he has any free time, he likes socializing with his many friends and listening to music. Hassan is different to most Lebanese students because his favorite music is classical.A good paragraph has unity. This mean

18、s it develops the topic and the controlling idea in the topic sentence. A good paragraph does not introduce unrelated points or details.15Hassan comes from an ordinary middle class family.In contrast, Hassan is outgoing and enjoys meeting new people. In fact, he made a new friend last week while he

19、was studying in the library. He was looking for a book when he accidently bumped into a pretty female student. They immediately started chatting and agreed to meet for coffee later that day.16Like most student in Beirut, Hassan would like to travel after he graduates.because it has an unusual design

20、, being built in the shape of a sail. Ali read about this hotel in one of his course books and it is a wonderful example of how modern engineering and architecture can combine to create a stunning building that reflects its environment.17A good paragraph must be cohesive. This means that the ideas f

21、low smoothly from one point to the next. There are many ways to make a paragraph cohesive, including:1. Repeating key words and ideas with synonyms and words that are related to each other.2. Using pronouns to refer to previous nouns and ideas.3. Using co-ordinators to join independent clauses to ma

22、ke one sentence.4. Using conjunctive/linking adverbs.5. Using subordinators.18Find out how the paragraph achieves cohesion from the following aspects.Key words ReferenceCoordinatorsLinking adverbsSubordinators19A good paragraph must be coherent. This means that the ideas must be in a logical order s

23、o that the reader can follow the writers train of thought and flow of information.There are many ways to order ideas logically, and often the order will depend on the type of paragraph the author is writing. For example, a story will usually go in time order, a process will have a clear start and a

24、clear end, a description often uses a spatial order perhaps going from left to right or top to bottom.201. Paragraph appreciation:Why is the following paragraph incoherent?2. Exercise: Fill the blankets with a proper word or phrase which may help to achieve good coherence in a paragraph.21Some peopl

25、e believe that economic development should never be at the cost of the environment. _ think the present serious environmental problems are largely caused by rapid economic development. _, land resources are shrinking _ the industrial development and the expansion of cities. Desserts are spreading _

26、over grazing, tree cutting, and strip mining(露天开采). Our air and water supplies are being polluted by poisonous gases and waste products. It is important, _, that we should take another look at the way_ our industries and cities are developing.22A paragraph needs a topic sentence which must be develo

27、ped by supporting details.Supporting details can be facts, examples, explanations, opinions or statistics.The model paragraph can be broken down into three distinct parts:1. Topic sentenceHassan Ali Hussein is a typical Lebanese student.2. Hassans familyHassan comes from an ordinary middle class family. 3. His future plansLike most student in Beirut,