Entry 05: Paragraph Organization

 The main Characteristics of a well-written paragraph

• Topic sentence:  you have to say something interesting and global about it and to state your subject.
  
  
• Body: -order of importance or chronology- It is the heart of your paragraph and the one on which you present your supporting arguments and details for your topic sentence.
  
  
• Closing sentence: It has two functions; to remind the audience what you are writing about and to keep them thinking about the topic.

Source:

Learn English with Alex (May 19th, 2009). Parts of a Paragraph - English Academic Writing Introduction. Available at: https://youtu.be/cCuExRE6N-4

1) TOPIC SENTENCE:

It is used to tell the reader what it's that you are going to be talking about in that paragraph. This sentence is important because it leads the reader into the points that you're trying to explain without leaving them confused.

There are some qualities that make for a good topic sentence:

•  Brevety: Long sentences can be confusing. Don't pack your topic sentence too full of details.
• Clarity: Say exactly what you want to say. Avoid vague terms.
• Precision: Don't be too broad when introducing the topic that you're going to discuss.

There are some things that make for a bad topic sentence:

• Using facts as topic sentences
• Talking only about the "what" instead the "why" as well
• Using phrases like: "I'm going to tell you...", "I'm going to speak about"

Good vs Bad topic sentences:

✗  Abraham  Lincoln was born in 1809.

Bad: First and foremost, it tells the reader very little about what you are going to say. Not only that, but you are not using this valuable space in your paragraph to make a real point. 

✓ Abraham Lincoln, born in 1809, was one of the most influential politicians in history. 

Good: With this topic sentence, you are making a strong point, which you will ideally back up with plenty of facts and good information. The reader also knows what to expect when you use this kind of statement.

Source: Udemy Editor (February 2020). Examples of Topic Sentences and How to Write Them . Available at: 

https://blog.udemy.com/examples-of-topic-sentences/

Some PRACTICE and examples about topic sentences:

1. Many politicians deplore the passing of the old family-sized farm, but I'm not so sure. I saw around Velva a release from what was like slavery to the tyrannical soil, release from the ignorance that darkens the soul and from the loneliness that corrodes it. In this generation my Velva friends have rejoined the general American society that their pioneering fathers left behind when they first made the barren trek in the days of the wheat rush. As I sit here in Washington writing this, I can feel their nearness. (from Eric Sevareid, "Velva, North Dakota").

2. There are two broad theories concerning what triggers a human's inevitable decline to death. The first is the wear-and-tear hypothesis that suggests the body eventually succumbs to the environmental insults of life. The second is the notion that we have an internal clock which is genetically programmed to run down. Supporters of the wear-and-tear theory maintain that the very practice of breathing causes us to age because inhaled oxygen produces toxic by-products. Advocates of the internal clock theory believe that individual cells are told to stop dividing and thus eventually to die by, for example, hormones produced by the brain or by their own genes. (from Debra Blank, "The Eternal Quest" [edited]).

3. We commonly look on the discipline of war as vastly more rigid than any discipline necessary in time of peace, but this is an error. The strictest military discipline imaginable is still looser than that prevailing in the average assembly-line. The soldier, at worst, is still able to exercise the highest conceivable functions of freedom -- that is, he or she is permitted to steal and to kill. No discipline prevailing in peace gives him or her anything remotely resembling this. The soldier is, in war, in the position of a free adult; in peace he or she is almost always in the position of a child. In war all things are excused by success, even violations of discipline. In peace, speaking generally, success is inconceivable except as a function of discipline. (from H.L. Mencken, "Reflections on War" [edited]).

Source: 

uOttawa (June 2020). The Writing Centre . Available at: https://arts.uottawa.ca/writingcentre/en/hypergrammar/writing-paragraphs/review-topic-sentences

2) BUILDING A PARAGRAPH

It's necessary to keep in mind some things: 

• Logical order: 

A well constructed paragraph contains sentences that are logically arranged and flow smoothly. Logical arrangement refers to the order of your sentences and ideas. This order will depend on your purpose. 

•   Linking:

Not only should sentences and ideas in a paragraph be logically arranged, but they should also flow smoothly. Expressions such as next, then, after, when and other signal time sequence; expressions such as an example of, the most significant example, to illustrate are used to identify the example in the sentence. Such expressions provide a link between the ideas presented. 

• Repetition of Key Words:

Each sentence in a paragraph should relate to the topic and develop the main idea. If your paragraph repeats and elaborates key words there is less chance of writing irrelevant material. Repeating the key words or finding synonyms for those words allows you to keep your writing focused on the main idea of a paragraph.

• Relevance:

If a sentence does not relate to or develop the main idea, it is irrelevant and should be omitted. Cutting out the irrelevant material is part of the task of revising. 

3) INCORPORATING SOURCES WITHIN PARAGRAPHS

The point of view a writer develops in an essay and within each paragraph cannot just be based on personal opinion, but must be backed up with evidence, examples and the opinion of experts. The words or ideas taken from other sources need to be clearly signalled as belonging to another person. This is done by referring to the author as well as the source of the words or ideas. The method of signalling used in these examples is the Harvard style of reference to sources. The setting out of the references is the American Psychological Association (or APA) style of referencing. 

4) TYPES OF PARAGRAPHS

There are three main types of paragraphs in an academic essay: 

• The introductory paragraphs provide the reader with any necessary background information before leading into a clear statement of the writer's point of view. The thesis statement is a brief but very specific statement of the position the writer will take in the essay. The introductory paragraph may also present an overall plan of the way the essay's argument will be developed, as well as any limits the writer will place on the topic.

• The body paragraphs which follow all flow logically from the introductory paragraph. They expand on the thesis statement and each in turn is clearly focused on a single issue with plenty of supporting detail or evidence from concrete and relevant examples, or from the reading which the writer uses to support the point of view. 

• The concluding paragraphs summarise the points made, repeats the overall point of view, and explains why the writer took the position held. It may also indicate wider issues not covered in the essay but of interest and relevant to the point of view.

Source:

 Victoria University of Wellington. Academic Writing . Available at: https://www.wgtn.ac.nz/llc/llc_resources/academic-writing/index.html