ugrc 110 academic writing - · pdf file · 2017-09-20the topic sentence supporting...

College of Education

School of Continuing and Distance Education 2014/2015 – 2016/2017

UGRC 110

Academic Writing

Session 5 – Paragraph Structure

Lecturer: Dr. David Odoi, LANGUAGE CENTRE Contact Information: [email protected]

Session Overview

• This section explains the features of a good paragraph and its function in a piece of writing. Related concepts such as paragraph unity, completeness, and coherence are discussed.

OBJECTIVES • By the end of this section you will be able to do the

following: – Write well-structured paragraphs – Recognise the roles of each part of the paragraph – Achieve coherence by following logical order and using

transitions to link sentences – Write meaningful paragraphs

Dr. David Odoi, Language Centre Slide 2

Session Outline

The key topics to be covered in the session are as follows:

• Structure of the single paragraph What is paragraph

The topic sentence

Supporting sentences

Summary sentences

• Paragraph unity and completeness

• Paragraph coherence Logical order

Cohesive devices

• Multiple paragraph structure

• Revising paragraph introduction


Reading List

a) Section One, Chapter 1 Of Buscemi A Reader For College Writers (2008), pp. 53-80

b) Academic Writing: A Handbook For International Students, Bailey (2011), Chapter 1.10, pp. 77-82


STRUCTURE OF THE SINGLE PARAGRAPH

Topic One


What is a Paragraph?

The word ‘Paragraph’ comes from the words ‘para’ and graphus’ glossed to mean ‘to mark a change in writing or a subdivision of a bigger piece of writing’.

The paragraph therefore is a group of related sentences that develop one idea or point.

The paragraph is very crucial in writing essays or in writing compositions in English.

In many ways the paragraph can be likened to an atom. The Atom is also made up of protons, neutrons and electrons.

The paragraph like the Atom, also has three components, the topic sentence, supporting sentences and the summary sentence which can be isolated and analysed for their roles and importance.


THE TOPIC SENTENCE Topic Two


The topic sentence

The first component of a paragraph is the TOPIC SENTENCE. It is important to know that the Topic Sentence normally occurs at the

beginning of a paragraph. However, it may occur at the middle or sometimes at the end of a paragraph.

It is profitable to have the Topic Sentence at the beginning of the paragraph to guide the writer to be able to select ideas that support the Topic Sentence

The topic sentence tells us at a first glance what the whole paragraph is going to talk about. For example, if we say ‘Kofi is irresponsible,’ immediately, and without reading the rest of the paragraph, we expect to read why Kofi is described as irresponsible.

The Topic Sentence also contains a central idea. In the case of our example above, issues related to Kofi’s irresponsibility are what we are looking for. So, if Kofi has other qualities apart from being irresponsible, it is expected that such qualities would be discussed in another paragraph and not this present one.

This central idea which limits what we want to discuss or explain in a paragraph is known as ‘The Controlling Idea’. The Controlling idea is ‘the nucleus’ of the topic sentence


Sample question

• Write two topic sentences and clearly identify and explain the controlling idea in each.


SUPPORTING SENTENCES Topic Three


Supporting sentences

The second component of the paragraph is known as ‘Supporting Sentences’ or ‘Supporting Details’.

These sentences add flesh to a claim made in the topic sentence. These pieces of information further explain your controlling idea. The Supporting Sentences help readers understand the writer. Thus the

Topic Sentence cannot be written in isolation. Continuing with our sample topic sentence above we may say: Kofi is irresponsible. He is the class president yet he hardly attends lectures. Last week, he intentionally broke a chair and he refused to own up when he was questioned by a lecturer. Yesterday, he slapped one of his mates, a girl, without provocation. From these assertions, can we not conclude that Kofi is irresponsible? In this example, the paragraph has three quick sentences following the Topic Sentence. Each of these sentences shows instances of Kofi being irresponsible. Therefore, we regard these sentences as lending ‘support’ to the claim in the topic sentence.


Major and minor supporting sentences

Supporting details can be subdivided into two: Major supporting sentences and minor supporting sentences.

Major Supporting Sentences provide new information or evidence which helps the Topic Sentence to be understood by readers.

Minor Supporting Sentences on the other hand say more about the Major Supporting Sentence.

A minor supporting sentence usually provides an example of the major supporting sentence in order to make clearer the general point being made.


Sample exercise

• Use one of the topic sentences you wrote earlier again and write out three major supporting sentences and their minor supporting sentences.


SUMMARY/CLOSING SENTENCES Topic Four


Summary or closing sentences

Many paragraphs need a form of closure. The end of a paragraph need not be abrupt.

The summary sentence ties up what has been discussed or explained in a paragraph, or it simply makes a judgment about the issue that has been presented in the paragraph.

Example:

The Adomi Bridge has structural defects. The main beam supporting it on one side is broken. This has put stress on the other beams which have begun to weaken. Also there are cracks on other parts of the bridge. The structural defects need urgent attention.


PARAGRAPH UNITY AND COMPLETENESS

Topic five


Paragraph unity

The word ‘Unity’ refers to ‘oneness’. Paragraph Unity thus refers to all the sentences in the paragraph working together as one whole.

Each sentence is related to other sentences in the paragraph by the fact that they have ‘one’ controlling idea.

If your topic sentence is “Accra is a very busy city’ then your controlling idea is ‘a very busy city’ so all your sentences that will support the controlling idea should show elements of Accra being ‘a busy place’.

• For instance, we can add the following sentences to our topic sentence: The roads of Accra are always busy. The shops are full of people from the time they open till the time they close. Most of Accra’s restaurants and nightclubs are filled to capacity throughout the week. In fact there is an abundance of hustle and bustle in every sphere of life in Accra. • Note that each sentence reveals one aspect of the busy life in Accra. The

sentences are therefore ‘united’ by the idea of ‘busy’. Words or sentences that do not add to the idea that “Accra is a busy place” must be avoided.


Paragraph completeness

• A paragraph as mentioned earlier is meant to provide information on one well explained or argued point. Therefore, each paragraph must provide adequate and convincing evidence that supports the point made.

• The evidence can be facts, explanations, examples or other pieces of information that make the topic sentence and its controlling idea understandable and believable to the reader.

• The paragraph must be ‘complete’ such that little or no doubt can be raised against the point that has been made by the topic sentence.


PARAGRAPH COHERENCE LOGICAL ORDER

Topic six


Paragraph coherence logical order

Coherence is the third major feature of any effective paragraph, the others being Unity and Completeness.

Coherence allows the reader to follow a writer’s train of thought without the reader straining to understand what the writer is saying.

This is because the relationship between each sentence and the one before or after it is very clear. In other words, the content of sentences should lead the reader from the start of the paragraph to the end in a logical manner.

Generally there are three types of organisation or logical order: spatial order, chronological order and order of importance


Paragraph coherence logical order

Spatial order • When spatial order is used in a paragraph, sentences are organised

in the paragraph in a way that space is, as it were, arranged or ordered (from top to bottom, left to right etc)

• You can write like this when you feel that it is important to make your reader see the scene of the story you are telling .

Chronological order • When you organise your paragraph chronologically, it means you

arrange events in the order in which they actually occur. Order of importance • Organising in order of importance means arranging points from the

least important to the most important or vice versa. • With this organisation, the writer ensures that the reader will keep

the most important point in mind.


PARAGRAPH COHERENCE COHESIVE DEVICES

Topic seven


Paragraph coherence cohesive devices

• Achieving coherence in a paragraph involves using writing skills that ensure that your reader follows your train of thought effortlessly.

• Cohesive devices include repetition of key terms and ideas, use of pronouns and transitional words or phrases



Repetition of key terms and ideas • One important means by which you may achieve

coherence is by repeating key words or ideas in your paragraph.

• Repetition may be done by re-expressing ideas using synonyms.

• Repetition may also be done using summary words or phrases.

Transitional terms • A transitional term is a word or a phrase that connects

one sentence to another and shows the relationship between the ideas they express.



There are several types of transitional terms. Below are just some of them.

1. ILLUSTRATION/EXAMPLE: for example, for instance, specifically, that is

2. ADDITION: and, furthermore, moreover, likewise, also

3. COMPARISON: similarly, likewise, in the same vein

4. CONTRAST: however, conversely, on the other hand, but

5. TIME/SEQUENCE: next, shortly, after that, after, before, during, later on, thereafter, finally

6. CAUSE AND EFFECT: so, therefore, thus, consequently, as a result, hence, because of this.

7. EMPHASIS: indeed, in fact, especially, most importantly. Dr. David Odoi, Language Centre Slide 25


Pronouns

• A pronoun may be used in one sentence as a link to a previous sentence.

• A linking pronoun points to details you mentioned earlier, details expressed by a noun called its antecedent.

• By using a pronoun, you keep your reader’s attention on the details without having to repeat the same noun.


MULTIPLE PARAGRAPH STRUCTURE Topic eight


Multiple paragraph structure

• In essays we cannot have a single paragraph but rather a series of paragraphs each complete in itself but linked to one another by a common idea referred to as the thesis statement,

• In dealing with multiple paragraphs, the key item here is the use of transitional words, phrases or even sentences which help with unity in the totality of the essay.

• Multiple paragraphs may alternatively deal with addition if information, comparison, cause and effect etc.


REVISING PARAGRAPH INTRODUCTION

Topic nine


Revising paragraph introduction

Limiting the focus of the paragraph • We must not attempt to write everything in one paragraph. • It is important to make sure that in revising a paragraph, you limit

the topic sentence so that you can stay focused and help the reader understand what you want to say.

• The first rule in writing a good paragraph is to limit the focus of the paragraph.

Revision for unity • An important point of revision is that you try to maintain unity in

the paragraph. • In a situation where you do not find any relationship between the

information in a given sentence and the controlling idea, you may simply remove the sentence or expand the topic sentence to include the irrelevant sentence.


Revising paragraph introduction

When it is necessary to break a paragraph into two

• A paragraph can be revised by breaking it into two

Revising for coherence

• In the revising of a paragraph you may need to connect some sentences together by the use of transition words or other cohesive devices.


ugrc 110 academic writing - · pdf file · 2017-09-20the topic sentence supporting...

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