Paragraph Writing Exercises

In Process Writing, we have emphasized the fact that it is very hard for the teacher to concentrate on both the grammar and the organization errors on a student paper and still not discourage the student with those red marks all over the paper. Instead, we have suggested that the students should be able to comment on and edit their own paper to a certain extent. The advantages of such an approach would be raising awareness of the student and reducing the workload of the teacher.

The exercises we have here are organized in such a way that the students will concentrate on only one thing e.g. organization, grammar, vocabulary choice, etc.! at a time. "or each type of mistake, we first repeat the information presented in detail in Paragraph #evelopment and The $ssay, and then provide a writing exercise about it. "or each type, the student first sees the original writing. Then, he corrects the writing by typing in the text box provided, and then sees the teacher%corrected version. The teacher%corrected version is only a suggestion. There may be many ways to correct a mistake. The examples given here are all original beginner level papers.

&ere are the contents' 1. ORGANIZATION OF THE PARAGRAPH *. +nity $xercise .. /oherence $xercise 1 /. "aulty )tart $xercise 2 2. VOCA !"AR# CHOICE $xercise 3 #. (ack of Topic )entence $xercise , $. #evelopment of ideas $xercise 0

1.

ORGANIZATION OF THE PARAGRAPH

A. !nit$' It means that all the sentences refer to the main idea, or the topic of the paragraph.

$xercise -' The original student paper'

I live in a flat with my family. We have two bedrooms and a living room. We have a garden and we have some flowers there. In weekdays I arrive home at five o'clock and I have lunch. Then I do my homework and go to bed. I had a computer but now it doesn't work. I have a brother and a sister and I think I am very lucky to live with them. Sometimes our relatives visit us. Our flat becomes very crowded sometimes but I like it.

In a unified paragraph, we expect all the sentences to be about the main idea of the paragraph. The main idea in this paragraph is 4the description of your house4. If we examine the paragraph, we see that some sentences do not describe the house, such as'

In weekdays I arrive home at five o'clock and I have lunch. Then I do my homework and go to bed. I had a computer but now it doesn't work.

5ow, rewrite the main idea of the example paragraph so that it covers all the sentences the student has written.

Reset

6ou can compare your answer with the answer we suggest'

. C%herence' It means that the sentences should be organized in a logical manner and should follow a definite plan of development. $xercise 1' The original student paper'

I live in a house in Izmit. It isn't old or modern. It's a normal Turkish house. We can say it is near the sea. It takes about ! minutes to go to the sea side on foot. We have one bedroom" one living room. We also have two other rooms" too. We use them as a dining room. #aturally" we have a kitchen" a bathroom" and a toilet. I live with my parents. $nd our house has a little garden% my parents spend their time there to grow vegetables and fruit.

"irst, let7s see the order of the ideas' -. 1. 2. ,. 0. Where the house is Type of the house The location The rooms in the house The fact that he lives with his parents

3.

The garden

The paragraph is well organized until he says he lives with his parents. It looks like this idea interrupted his description of the house. It should be put somewhere else in the paragraph. In the box below, rewrite the paragraph in the correct order of ideas you can copy ctrl8c! and paste ctrl8v! if you like.!

Reset

5ow, compare your answer with the answers we suggest'

C.

Fa&'t$ (tart'

&ere are some ways to bore your readers to death 9! when starting a paragraph:an essay' 6ou can start with' -. a nonsense sentence' e.g. I want to talk about ;.

1.

a clich<' e.g. ; plays a great role in our lives. ; is a very important issue in today7s world. $xercise 2' &ere is an example'

I want to talk about friendship. &riends can change your life. So" you must know who is a real friend. &irstly" your friend must understand you and of course" you must understand her" too. I think" another important point in a friendship is confidence. 'ou mustn't tell lies to each other. In addition" you must say everything about yourself. I think these are important for a friendship. If you have a friend like this" you don't break up with her because a real friend is not found easily. &ow do we understand that 4I want to talk about friendship.4 is a nonsense sentence= If we leave the nonsense sentence out, the content and meaning of the paragraph does not change. /lick 4)$$4 to check it yourself.

). "ac* %+ T%pic (entence, Topic sentence is the main idea, your attitude, your evaluation of something. &aving no topic sentence is bad both for the writer and the reader. "irst, the reader has to read the entire paragraph to get to the point. &ere, the example is one paragraph long. What if the example was a paper of 1%2 pages= This is one side. (ack of a topic sentence also causes the writer to drift away from the topic. &e loses control over the writing. &e may write 2 sentences about one controlling idea and for the other which causes an imbalance within the writing.

$xercise ,' Try to write only a topic sentence for this paragraph.

I hate lie. I always try not to tell lies and I want that from my friends" too. I think it is the most important behavior. I can believe everything my friends say. In addition" a good friend must say his ideas to me firstly. I mean" he shouldn't talk about me with other people. (specially about the bad thing" he doesn't have to talk because it might be wrong. Secondly" a good friend must help me. )e must do his best. )e should ask help from me too. If we solve problems together" our friendship will be better and it will become stronger. Thirdly" the talking time is important. I can talk with my friends for a long time" and during that time I must be happy. That's why we should like the same things. In conclusion" trust is the basics of a friendship. Write your topic sentence in the box.

Reset

)ee the one we have provided'

E. )e-e'%p.ent %+ the i/eas ' It means that every idea discussed in the paragraph should be ade>uately explained and supported through evidence and examples.

We generally believe that people would easily understand us when we write. +nfortunately, our use of language may not be perfect and our ideas may be different. If we want our ideas to be understood, we need to explain them and give specific examples of each. (isting our ideas is never enough. )ee the example below'

$xercise 0'

&irst of all" a friend mustn't tell lie. )e must always tell me the truth and he must be honest because if there is honesty between two friends" their relationship will last until death. In addition to honesty" helping or being near a friend on a bad day is very important. $nother point to consider is that he must criticize me if I make a mistake. If we list the ideas, here is what we get' * friend must' not tell a lie be there for him on a bad day criticize when necessary The list and the paragraph are the same length because the ideas in the paragraph are also listed without explanation. This means, the ideas are not developed. It also lacks a topic sentence. (et?s write the paragraph again creating a topic sentence and some explanation of the ideas provided.

Reset

)ee our suggestion'

2.

VOCA !"AR# CHOICE,

@any reasons play a role in our vocabulary mistakes. There are some $nglish words and expressions that are confused throughout the world where $nglish is used. There even are dictionaries of common language errors. "or example, effect:affect, advise:advice. There are sites dedicated to these common errors and related exercises amongst the links we have provided. &ere, we would especially like to work on language errors caused mainly by Turkish interference aka Turklish!. $xercise 3' (et7s read the original student paragraph below and then discuss the issue'

&riends play a great role in our lives. They effect our lives negatifly or positifly. We should choose them very carefully. &irst" we can look at his behaviors. If it is O*" no problem but if it is not" we can't become a +*anka+. $fter that" we can look at his activities. It is very important to do something together. We must beware of people who has bad habits such as smoking" bad speaking" etc. Some people don't think so but I think finally we should look at his phsical aparians because if you have diffirent phsical aparianse than him" you can't be rela,able. &or e,ample if you are taller than him" this generally does unrela,able to him. $s a conse-uently" it is very important to choose a friend according to your especialities. "irst of all, "negatif" and "positif" are written in Turkish or almost in Turkish 4pozitif4!. We, Turkish learners of $nglish, generally make this mistake both in writing and in speaking consider 4psychology, sociology4!. We may have similar words in both languagesA however, we must pay attention to their spellings and pronunciations.

)econdly, 4Banka4 is a Turkish word. It is correct to highlight it either by using double >uotations or writing in italics, but does this explain what 4Banka4 means= #o all of us including foreign instructors reading this writing! need to know this word which is used mostly by teenagers= It is common practice to use foreign words or expressions. If we use them, we need to make ourselves clear by explaining their meanings. Thirdly, we see many misspelled words. We can deduce what they are but do we have to= +nless we write words correctly, we cannot expect others to understand us. This attitude 4This is how I write : talk. If they want to understand me, they should get used to my style4 would not help anyone, and should not be. 5ow, let7s get rid of the 4Turklish4 in the sample paragraph and write it again, without changing the meaning much.

Reset

5ow, you can compare your version with the paragraph we have written. Cemember, ours is only a suggestion. It is >uite normal to have a different paragraph.

DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

Points to remember in a paragraph - writing :

1. Each paragraph should begin with a sentence which contains the idea that is built or illustrated in the rest of the paragraph - this sentence is called the "topic sentence" and provides the base on which to build the paragraph. 2. Every paragraph should have unity and this is provided by the way sentences stand together and add up to the main idea. 3. The order of the sentences is important -- they must follow one another in a natural sequence. . !t is e"tremely important that a paragraph should e"hibit #oherence -- the facts and ideas should be arranged in logical order and there should be an easy transition from sentence to sentence. $. %ormally& the length of the paragraph is stated but ' in any case& one is advised to avoid writing long paragraphs -- because then every sentence in it may not have a definite relation to the main topic.

!n many languages& the fundamental unit of composition is the paragraph. ( paragraph consists of several sentences that are grouped together. This group of sentences together discuss one main sub)ect. !n *.+. formal academic English& paragraphs have three principal parts. These three parts are the topic sentence& body sentences& and the concluding sentence. ,e will also talbriefly about details in paragraphs.

The Topic Sentence

( topic sentence usually comes at the beginning of a paragraph' that is& it is usually the first sentence in a formal academic paragraph. .+ometimes this is not true& but as you practice writing with this online lesson site& please -eep to this rule unless you are instructed otherwise./ %ot only is a topic sentence the first sentence of a paragraph& but& more importantly& it is the most general sentence in a paragraph. ,hat does "most general" mean0 !t means that there are not many details in the sentence& but that the sentence introduces an overall idea that you want to discuss later in the paragraph.

1or e"ample& suppose that you want to write a paragraph about the natural landmar-s of your hometown. The first part of your paragraph might loo- li-e this2

3y hometown is famous for several ama4ing natural features. 1irst& it is noted for the ,heaton 5iver& which is very wide and beautiful. (lso& on the other side of the town is ,heaton 6ill& which is unusual because it is very steep. .%otice how the first sentence begins with "3y hometown..." a few spaces to the right of the paragraph edge. This is an indentation. (ll paragraphs in English 3*+T begin with an indentation./ %ote how the first sentence& My hometown, Wheaton, is famous for several amazing geographical features,is the most general statement. This sentence is different from the two sentences that follow it& since the second and third sentences mention specific details about the town7s geography& and are not general statements. 6ere are some e"amples of sentences that cannot be used as topic sentences. #an you figure out why they are inappropriate0 1. 3y hometown is famous because it is located by ,heaton 5iver& which is very wide& and because it is built near an unusually steep hill called ,heaton 6ill.

2. There are two reasons why some people li-e to buy cars with automatic transmission and two reasons why others li-e cars with manual transmission.

3. #louds are white.

The problem with sentence 81 is that it contains too many details. Topic sentences are general& and details should appear later in the paragraph. ( better topic sentence would be li-e the one mentioned above& My hometown is famous for several amazing geographical features. +entence 82 is not appropriate as a topic sentence because it mentions two topics& not )ust one. 9aragraphs are usually about one main thing and so their topic sentences should also be about only one main thing. The problem with sentence 83 is that it is toogeneral. !t is also very boring: ,ould you li-e to read a paragraph with this topic sentence0 3ost people would not. ,e can rewrite sentences 82 and 83 in the following ways to ma-e it better2

There are two reasons why some people li-e to buy cars with automatic transmission.

OR (in a different paragraph):

There are two reasons why some people li-e cars with manual transmission.

The shapes of clouds are determined by various factors.

Supporting Sentences

#onsider again the above-mentioned& short paragraph2 3y hometown& ,heaton& is famous for several ama4ing natural features. 1irst& it is noted for the ,heaton 5iver& which is very wide and beautiful. (lso& on the other side of the town is ,heaton 6ill& which is unusual because it is very steep. .(gain& note how this paragraph is indented on the first line& about five or seven spaces in from the left-hand edge of the paragraph. (lways remember to indent your paragraphs:/ ,hen a reader reads a topic sentence& such as My hometown, Wheaton, is famous for several amazing natural features,a question should usually appear in the reader7s mind. !n this case& the question should be li-e& ",hat are the natural features that ma-e ,heaton famous0" The reader should then e"pect that the rest of the paragraph will give an answer to this question. %ow loo- at the sentences after the topic sentence. ,e can see that the second sentence in the paragraph& irst, it is noted for the Wheaton River, which is very wide and !eautiful,indeed gives an answer to this question. That is& the second sentence gives some e"planation for the fact that ,heaton is a famous town. +imilarly& we can see that the third sentence also gives some e"planation for the fact that ,heaton is famous by giving another e"ample of an "ama4ing natural feature&" in this case& ,heaton 6ill. The second and third sentences are called supporting sentences. They are called "supporting" because they "support&" or e"plain& the idea e"pressed in the topic sentence. ;f course& paragraphs in English often have more than two supporting ideas. The paragraph above is actually a very short paragraph. At minimum, you should have at least ive to seven sentences in your paragraph. 6ere we can see our paragraph about ,heaton with a few more supporting sentences in bold font2

3y hometown is famous for several ama4ing natural features. 1irst& it is noted for the ,heaton 5iver& which is very wide and beautiful. (lso& on the other side of the town is

,heaton 6ill& which is unusual because it is very steep. The third ama!ing eature is the "ig #ld Tree. This tree stands two hundred eet tall and is probably about si$ hundred years old. !n this lesson& we will tal- about supporting sentences again in the section& "<etails in 9aragraphs&" below.

The %oncluding Sentence

!n formal paragraphs you will sometimes see a sentence at the end of the paragraph which summari4es the information that has been presented. This is the concluding sentence. =ou can thin- of a concluding sentence as a sort of topic sentence in reverse. =ou can understand concluding sentences with this e"ample. #onsider a hamburger that you can buy at a fast-food restaurant.> ( hamburger has a top bun .a -ind of bread/& meat& cheese& lettuce& and other elements in the middle of the hamburger& and a bottom bun. %ote how the top bun and the bottom bun are very similar. The top bun& in a way& is li-e a topic sentence& and the bottom bun is li-e the concluding sentence. ?oth buns "hold" the meat& onions& and so on. +imilarly& the topic sentence and concluding sentence "hold" the supporting sentences in the paragraph. @et7s see how a concluding sentence .in bold font/ might loo- in our sample paragraph about ,heaton2 3y hometown is famous for several ama4ing natural features. 1irst& it is noted for the ,heaton 5iver& which is very wide and beautiful. (lso& on the other side of the town is ,heaton 6ill& which is unusual because it is very steep. The third ama4ing feature is the ?ig ;ld Tree. This tree stands two hundred feet tall and is probably about si" hundred years old. These three landmar&s are truly ama!ing and ma&e my hometown a amous place. %otice how the concluding sentence& "hese three landmar#s are truly amazing and ma#e my hometown a famous place,summari4es the information in the

paragraph. %otice also how the concluding sentence is similar to& but not e"actly the same as& the topic sentence. %ot all academic paragraphs contain concluding sentences& especially if the paragraph is very short. 6owever& if your paragraph is very long& it is a good idea to use a concluding sentence.

'etails in Paragraphs
The short paragraph in this lesson is a fairly complete paragraph& but it lac-s details. ,henever possible& you should include enough details in your paragraphs to help your reader understand e"actly what you are writing about. !n the paragraph about ,heaton& three natural landmar-s are mentioned& but we do not -now very much about them. 1or e"ample& we could add a sentence or two about ,heaton river concerning 6;, wide it is or ,6= it is beautiful. #onsider this revision .and note the additional details in bold/2

3y hometown is famous for several ama4ing natural features. 1irst& it is noted for the ,heaton 5iver& which is very wide and beautiful. #n either side o this river, which is 1() eet wide, are many willow trees which have long branches that can move grace ully in the wind. *n autumn the leaves o these trees all and cover the riverban&s li&e golden snow. (lso& on the other side of the town is ,heaton 6ill& which is unusual because it is very steep. +ven though it is steep, climbing this hill is not dangerous, because there are some irm roc&s along the sides that can be used as stairs. There are no trees around this hill, so it stands clearly against the s&y and can be seen rom many miles away. The third ama4ing feature is the ?ig ;ld Tree. This tree stands two hundred feet tall and is probably about si" hundred years old. These three landmar-s are truly ama4ing and ma-e my hometown a famous place.

!f we wished& we could also add more details to the paragraph to describe the third natural feature of the area& the ?ig ;ld Tree. ,hy are details important- #onsider the e"ample of the hamburger& mentioned above.> !f the hamburger buns are the topic and concluding sentences& then the meat& the cheese& the lettuce& and so on are the supporting details. ,ithout the food between the hamburger buns& your hamburger would not be very delicious: +imilarly& without supporting details& your paragraph would not be very interesting. A .ote on /ormality. !n addition to having a particular -ind of structure& academic paragraphs .and multi-paragraph essays& which will be topic of another lesson/ are different from "ordinary writing" .such as letter writing/ in that certain -inds of e"pressions are not allowed. 1or e"ample& in formal essays& you should not use contractions such as don$t or aren$t. !nstead& you should write out the words in full& for e"ample& do not and are not. (lso& in formal essays you should avoid the first and second person. That is& do not use the pronouns % or you. The pronouns we and us are sometimes used in formal essays in some ma)or fields& but in general you should not use these unless you are certain that they are customary in your field andAor your professor allows them. !t is safer simply to use the third person.

T## *./#01A2 3'o not use4

A%%+PTA"2+

don7t doesn7t aren7t weren7t can7t couldn7t won7t

do not does not are not were not cannot could not will not

%oherence and 5nity

!n this lesson2
3a)or #onnectors B 3inor #onnectors B 9aragraph *nity B E"ercise 82

%oherence refers to a certain characteristic or aspect of writing. @iterally& the word means "to stic- together." #oherence in writing means that all the ideas in a paragraph flow smoothly from one sentence to the ne"t sentence. ,ith coherence& the reader has an easy time understanding the ideas that you wish to e"press. #onsider the paragraph that we studied in @esson 812

3y hometown is famous for several ama4ing natural features. /irst& it is noted for the ,heaton 5iver& which is very wide and beautiful. ;n either side of this river& which is 1C$ feet wide& are many willow trees which have long branches that can move gracefully in the wind. !n autumn the leaves of these trees fall and cover the riverban-s li-e golden snow. Second& on the other side of the town is ,heaton 6ill& which is unusual because it is very steep. Even though it is steep& climbing this hill is not dangerous& because there are some firm roc-s along the sides that can be used as stairs. There are no trees around this hill& so it stands clearly against the s-y and can be seen from many miles away. The third ama!ing eature is the ?ig ;ld Tree. This tree stands two hundred feet tall and is probably about si" hundred years old. These three landmar&s are truly ama4ing and ma-e my hometown a famous place.

1a6or %onnectors

@oo- at the words in bold font. <o you see how they help guide the reader0 1or e"ample& consider the words& /irst, Second, and The third ama!ing eature. ,e can call these words ma&or connectors. 3a)or connectors help organi4e the main parts of your paragraph. This paragraph has three main parts2 .1/ a part about the ,heaton 5iver& .2/ a part about ,heaton 6ill& and .3/ a part about the ?ig ;ld Tree. (nother way of saying this is that this paragraph has three main points which are indicated by the ma)or connectors. *sing such ma)or connectors is an important way of providing coherence in a paragraph.

1inor %onnectors
,hat about the other words in bold& such as those appearing in the phrases "these trees" and "this hill"0 ,e can call these minor connectors. 3inor connectors provide coherence to a paragraph by connecting sentences within each of the main parts of your paragraph. That is& when you write about your main points& you can use minor connectors to lin- your details to each main point. %ow& loo- at this paragraph. #an you identify the main points0 Each of the *.+. manned space e"ploration pro)ects had specific ma)or goals. The 3ercury pro)ect was designed to test whether or not human beings could survive and function in outer space. The 3ercury pro)ect tested roc-ets with the new 3ercury space capsule& which could hold one person. The Demini pro)ect was intended to find out whether two people could wor- in the weightless environment of space. Demini astronauts too- "spacewal-s." They floated outside their spacecraft in a spacesuit& connected to it by a tether. Demini astronauts tried out new flying s-ills. +ome astronauts flew two spacecraft e"tremely close together' this procedure was called "rende4vous." ;n some Demini flights& astronauts physically lin-ed two spacecraft together. @in-ing& or

"space doc-ing&" was a ma)or goal of the Demini program. The (pollo pro)ect& with three astronauts& was intended to test spacecraft and s-ills so that people could actually fly to the 3oon and land on it. 9erforming scientific e"periments on the lunar surface and collecting roc-s for study on Earth were goals. ,as this paragraph a little confusing to read0 %ow consider the same paragraph with a few changes2

Each of the *.+. manned space e"ploration pro)ects had specific ma)or goals. 1or e"ample& the 3ercury pro)ect was designed to test whether or not human beings could survive and function in outer space. %n addition, the 3ercury pro)ect tested roc-ets with the new 3ercury space capsule& which could hold one person. (s another e"ample& the Demini pro)ect was intended to find out whether two people could wor- in the weightless environment of space. One way of doing this was by having Demini astronauts ta-e "spacewal-s." "hat is, they floated outside their spacecraft in a spacesuit& connected to it by a tether. Demini astronauts alsotried out new flying s-ills. or e'ample, some astronauts flew two spacecraft e"tremely close together' this procedure was called "rende4vous." ;n some Demini flights& astronauts physically lin-ed two spacecraft together. "his lin#ing, or "space doc-ing&" was a ma)or goal of the Demini program. 1inally& the (pollo pro)ect& with three astronauts& had the goal of testing spacecraft and s-ills so that people could actually fly to the 3oon and land on it. Other goals included performing scientific

e"periments on the lunar surface and collecting roc-s for study on Earth. <o you see which of the connectors above are ma)or and which are minor0 The ma6or ones are or e'ample in the second sentence& which introduces the first supporting point .the 3ercury program/' (s another e'ample, which begins the second main point .the Demini program/' and the word inally, which introduces the third and last main point .the (pollo moon program/. .!n the paragraph above& all of the ma)or connectors are underlined./ (s for the minor connectors& we can divide them into three groups. The first group of minor connectors provides coherence for the first main point .the 3ercury program/. There is only one minor connector in this first group& %n addition, although it is possible to have more than one& depending on how many details you have to support your first main point. The second group of minor connectors consists of "hat is, also, and also the phrase or e'ample in the sentence& "1or e"ample& some astronauts..." %otice that this last minor connector is the same as the ma)or connector at the beginning of the paragraph. 6owever& the function of each is different& depending on the meaning of the sentences. The third group of minor connectors in this particular paragraph also has one member& which is Other goals included.... 6ere is a table of a few common connectors .also called transitions/2
1or e"ample& 1or instance& ;ne e"ample of .this/ is 1irst& +econd& Third& etc. (s another e"ample& (nother e"ample of E"""F is .that/ 1inally& !n conclusion& To summari4e& ;n the one hand& ;n the other hand& 6owever& ...& but... also

9aragraph *nity
5nity is a very important characteristic of good paragraph writing.

9aragraph unity means that one paragraph is about ;%@= ;%E main topic. That is& all the sentences -- the topic& supporting sentences& the detail sentences& and .sometimes/ the concluding sentence -- are all telling the reader about ;%E main topic. !f your paragraph contains a sentence or some sentences that are %;T related to the main topic& then we say that the paragraph "lac-s unity&" or that the sentence is "off-topic." @oo- at the following paragraph& which is similar to the paragraph that we have studied above. <oes it have perfect unity0 Try to find the sentence that is off-topic2 Each of the 5ussian manned space e"ploration pro)ects had specific ma)or goals. 1or e"ample& the Gosto- pro)ect was designed to test whether or not human beings could survive and function in outer space. 1or another e"ample& the Gosh-hod pro)ect was intended to find out whether people could wor- in the weightless environment of space. ;ne Gosh-hod cosmonaut e"perimented with weightlessness by ta-ing a "spacewal-." That is& he floated in a spacesuit outside his Gosh-hod spacecraft& connected to it by a tether. The cosmonaut to do this was (le"ei @eonov. +everal wee-s later& @eonov7s spacewal- was followed by that of *.+. astronaut Ed ,hite. 1inally& the +oyu4 pro)ect& with three cosmonauts& had goals of testing spacecraft and spaceflight s-ills so that people could fly long missions in Earth orbit.

"asic +ssay Structure

*n this lesson:
!ntroductions B ?ody 9aragraphs B #oncluding 9aragraphs B E"ercise 83

;n the ,ritten portion of the T;E1@& you will be as-ed to write an essay that is more than one paragraph long. The reason for this is that in *.+. academic culture& essays need to be several paragraphs long in order for students to e"press their ideas clearly and for instructors to determine whether or not students understand the material. Hnowing how to organi!e your ideas in such long essays is very important for academic success. Denerally& academic essays have a similar format. They are at least five paragraphs long& although often they are much longer. (lso& the basic structure of each of these paragraphs is the same as that which we have already studied. !n addition& the paragraphs in the *.+. academic essay can be divided into three basic -inds2 314 the introductory paragraph, 374 the body paragraphs, and 384 the concluding paragraph.

The !ntroduction
The first paragraph of the academic essay is the one that is usually the most different from the basic paragraph that we have studied. !n @essons 81 and 82& we saw that a basic paragraph had a topic sentence as its first sentence& followed by supporting sentences with supporting details& and these .sometimes/ followed by a concluding sentence. !n the multi-paragraph academic essay& however& the structure is a little different. @i-e the basic paragraph& the introductory paragraph opens with a very general statement about the topic& and is often followed by some supporting e"amples& but the paragraph then finishes with a narrow statement about the topic. This narrow statement is called the main thesis. 6ere is a short e"ample of an introductory paragraph2 Throughout human history& the physical universe has often presented dangers to e"plorers. 1or e"ample& when primitive humans left their tribal villages to search for food and water& they ris-ed death or in)ury from dangerous animals. @ater& when people sailed the oceans in search of new lands for settlement or trade& many died in terrible

storms. Similarly, the ocean o outer space has many dangers, but it also has several unique challenges or e$plorers. %otice how the first sentence& "hroughout human history, nature has often presented dangers to e'plorers,is a very general statment about the topic& which is dangers in e"ploration. The ne"t two sentences give some supporting e"amples of this intital sentence. 6owever& the third sentence of the paragraph gives an e"ample that contrasts in some way with the previous two sentences. Then& the final sentence does something new2 !t introduces a speci ic e$ample o the general topic. This specific topic is the main thesis of the entire essay' that is& the rest of the essay will focus on this specific topic& which in this case is several uni)ue challenges for e'plorers. This main thesis functions li-e the topic sentence of the basic paragraph& which we have studied in @essons 81 and 82. *t is the most important sentence o the essay. %otice how the main thesis is worded. !t includes the phrase& several uni)ue challlenges.This raises a question in the reader7s mind& namely2 ",hat are these challenges0" The reader will find out what some of the challenges are in the body of the essay& which we will study ne"t. 5eturn to top.

The ?ody
The body portion of the essay is the largest portion. Typically& it has three paragraphs& but it might have two paragraphs and of course it can have many more than three. Each of these paragraphs usually has a topic sentence and several supporting sentences& )ust li-e the basic paragraph we have studied. 6ere is an e"ample of three body paragraphs .which together continue the essay that we have started studying above/2 ;ne of the challenges that is unique to space is the fact that space is a vacuum& which is a ris- for various reasons. 1irst& in a vacuum there is no atmosphere and therefore no air pressure. ,ithout air pressure& the

human body has no o"ygen to sustain itself. (fter too many minutes without o"ygen& a person would lose consciousness and eventually die. (lso& in a vacuum a person7s blood will gradually begin to boil. 1inally& without an atmosphere& the rays of the +un can cause radiation poisoning. (nother difficulty that is unique to outer space is the presence of meteors and micrometeors. These are pieces of roc- and metal that are left over from the formation of the solar system. 3any of these ob)ects travel at very high speeds. *nder the Earth7s blan-et of air& people are usually protected from metor impacts. 6owever& in space& people and spaceships are vulnerable to collisions with meteors. !t is true that the chance of metor impacts is relatively small& but if even a small micrometeor happens to collide with a spacecraft& it could cause serious damage. ( third special challenge involved with the environment of space involves the fact that it is very difficult to find life-sustaining water off the Earth. 1or e"ample& the planet 3ercury& which is closest to the +un& is too hot to have water& so space travelers must ta-e water from Earth if they want to visit 3ercury. ( similar situation e"ists on the planet Genus& second from the +un. This planet is li-ewise too hot for water to e"ist. +imilarly& the fourth planet& 3ars& is too cold and dry& although there may be some water fro4en at the north and south poles of the planet. .%ote that usually we do not put e"tra spaces between individual paragraphs& as has been done above. The spaces between the paragraphs above are only for study purposes./

5ecall that the main thesis statement of this essay said& *imilarly, the ocean of outer space has many dangers, !ut it also has several uni)ue challenges for e'plorers. =ou can see how the body of the essay is organi!ed according to the challenges that are mentioned in the main thesis. The first body paragraph discusses the dangers of space vacuum& the second body paragraph gives information about meteors& and the third paragraph mentions the fact that water is very difficult to find on other planets. 5eturn to top.

The #onclusion
The concluding paragraph does not always appear in an academic essay. !n particular& on the ,ritten portion of the T;E1@& which lasts 3I minutes& there may not be enough time for you to include a formal concluding paragraph. 6owever& here is an e"ample of a concluding paragraph for you. %otice how it summari4es the main points of the preceding body paragraphs2 There are other difficulties involved with space e"ploration& but these are three of the most important ones. !n summary& without adequate air pressure& the unprotected human body may be seriously harmed in a vacuum. !n addition& meteors can threaten human life and damage spacecraft. 1inally& the lac- of water in space means that human life may have a difficult time surviving on other planets. (s one can see& the challenges of space travel are rather different from terrestrial dangers. 6ere is another e"ample of a concluding paragraph2 (s mentioned above& the Earth7s natural environment has often presented dangers to e"plorers. <angerous animals& vast oceans& and violent weather have presented ris-s to

humans. 6owever& the new frontier of outer space& with its vacuum& meteors& and lac- of water& presents unique challenges to people who desire to e"plore it. .ote: !f you want to see the above essay in its entirety& clic- here.

(entence +%r.ati%n Beep your sentences as clear and simple as possible. Eary them in length and structure to keep the interest of your readers alive. .ack to Top 0 (entence +rag.ents #o not write sentence fragments incomplete sentences!, unless they are part of a dialogue. "or example' I need a new book. .ecause the old one is torn. fragments! Cevised' I need a new book because the old one is torn. .ack to Top 0 Para''e' str&ct&re +se the same pattern of words parallel structure! to show two or more ideas in a sentence. "or example' I like reading, writing, and to paint. Incorrect!. I like reading, writing, and painting. /orrect! .ack to Top 0 1ain p%int %+ sentence When writing a sentence, the main point you are trying to put across should preferably be in the beginning. The rest should come later. This makes your readers understand your sentence better. "or example' It was a beautiful garden with well%kept flower beds, immaculately trimmed hedges, and plenty of trees. FIt was a beautiful gardenG is the main idea of your sentence, the rest is extra information. Immediately upon reading the sentence, the reader knows what you are saying.

.ack to Top 0 Write c%ncise sentences Write concise sentences. * sentence should not contain unnecessary words. "or example' F&e wrote the biography of his lifeG should be written as F&e wrote his biographyG. FHf his lifeG are unnecessary words and can easily be removed. .ack to Top 0 Var$ sentence %penings Eary your sentence openings. Too many similar openings in your prose make reading tedious. .esides freshness, variety brings emphasis to the sentence. .ack to Top 0 C%.p%&n/ %r c%.p'ex sentence #o not confuse a compound sentence with a complex sentence. * compound sentence consists of two independent clauses Ioined by a coordinator. This coordinator may either be a coordinating conIunction e.g. and, but, or, for, yet, so!, a conIunctive adverb e.g. therefore, however, moreover, furthermore, nevertheless!, or a semicolon. "or example' I like reading books, but my friend likes painting. I like reading booksA however, my friend likes painting. I like reading booksA my friend likes painting. * complex sentence consists of an independent clause Ioined by one or more dependent clauses. The dependent clause is always headed by a subordinating conIunction e.g. because, although, since, if, though! or a relative pronoun e.g. who, which, that!. "or example' *lthough I like reading books, my friend likes painting. It is my friend who likes painting. .ack to Top 0 O.it &nnecessar$ phrases *void writing phrases that add nothing to the meaning of a sentence. $ither reduce them to single words, or omit them altogether. "or example' &e has no sense of responsibility. may be written as &e is irresponsible. Hr

If you ask me, there is no need for any further discussion on the topic. may be written as "urther discussion on the topic is not needed. .ack to Top 0 T%pic sentence The first sentence of a paragraph should be a topic sentence, introducing the main idea of the paragraph. .ack to Top 0 (&pp%rting sentences The supporting sentences of a paragraph the second sentence onwards! should explain or FsupportG the idea expressed in the topic sentence first sentence!. .ack to Top 0 (&pp%rt $%&r paragraph *dd details and explanations of supporting ideas in your paragraph. With no support or examples, your ideas have no strength. To help you remember to add details, remember JC$55)? K which stands for Ceasons, $xamples, 5ames, 5umbers, )enses L all types of support' Ceason' )ay why your idea is good or bad $xamples' Mive proof of your ideas 5ames' +se specific names, titles, etc. 5umbers' Mive provable numbers )enses' Mive details that refer to our senses sight, touch, smell, sound, taste!

.ack to Top 0 1%-e.ent %+ s&pp%rting sentences The supporting sentences of a paragraph should gradually move from the general to specific >ualification of the idea. .ack to Top 0 )igressi%ns an/ /e-iati%ns Beep the sentences of a paragraph focused and unified in the discussion of the topic. *void digressions irrelevant details! and deviations shifts in focus!. .ack to Top

- Paragraph 'ength
Try to keep your paragraphs about no more than -N sentences, or -, lines. (ong paragraphs tend to decrease comprehension. .ack to Top 0 Transiti%na' paragraphs Write transitional paragraphs when switching between two closely related topics, beginning with the old topic and ending with the new. .ack to Top 0 C'%sing sentence The closing sentence is the last sentence in a paragraph. It should restate the main idea of the paragraph. .ut remember K do not repeat the topic sentenceA if the idea is the same, then rephrase it. Try and make your closing sentence a Jclincher?, leaving your reader thinking about it. .ack to Top 0 2eep t% %ne i/ea * good paragraph is one that keeps to one idea. #iscuss only one idea or topic of the subIect in a paragraph. When moving on to a new idea, start a new paragraph.