英语写作第3章

英语写作第3章
Chapter 3 Developing Paragraphs
1. Basic structure of paragraphs
Topic sentence:
It states the main idea of the paragraph. It not only names the topic of the paragraph, but it also limits the topic to one or two areas that can be discussed completely in the space of a single paragraph. The specific area is called the Controlling idea. Supporting sentences:
It develops the topic sentence. That is, they explain the topic sentence by giving reasons.
Concluding sentence:
It signals the end of the paragraph and leaves the reader with important point to remember.
E.g.
There are three reasons why Canada is one of the best countries in the world. First, Canada has an excellent health care system. All Canadians have access to medical services at a reasonable price. Second, Canada has a high standard of education. Students are taught by well-trained teachers and are encouraged to continue studying at university. Finally, Canada's cities are clean and efficiently managed. Canadian cities have many parks and lots of space for people to live. As a result, Canada is a desirable place to live.
What is the topic sentence?
The topic sentence is the first sentence in a paragraph.
What does it do?
It introduces the main idea of the paragraph.
How do I write one?
Summarize the main idea of your paragraph. Indicate to the reader what your paragraph will be about. What are supporting sentences?
They come after the topic sentence, making up the body of a paragraph.
What do they do?
They give details to develop and support the main idea of the paragraph.
How do I write them?
You should give supporting facts, details, and examples.
What is the closing sentence?
The closing sentence is the last sentence in a paragraph.
What does it do?
It restates the main idea of your paragraph.
How do I write one?
Restate the main idea of the paragraph using different words.
II. Ways of Developing a Paragraph
Definition Paragraph
When writing a definition paragraph, you take a thing or an idea and explain what it is.
1. "is defined as"
Example:
A pest is defined as any animal or plant that damages crops, forests, or property. 2. "is a kind of"
Example:
A pest is a kind of animal or plant that damages crops, forests, or property. Classification Paragraph
When writing a classification paragraph, you group things or ideas into specific categories.
Example: Write a paragraph discussing two types of energy resources.
The following words can help you to write a good classification paragraph: Helper Words: is a kind of, can be divided into, is a type of, falls under, belongs to, is a part of, fits into, is grouped with, is related to, is associated with
Description Paragraph
In a description paragraph, you are writing about what a person, place, or thing is like. Sometimes, you may describe where a place is located.
Examples:
Write a paragraph describing what a polar bear looks like.
Describe where Canada's industry is located. The following words can help you to write a good description paragraph: Helper Words:
Compare and Contrast Paragraph
In a compare and contrast paragraph, you write about the similarities and differences between two or more people, places, things, or ideas.
Example: Write a paragraph comparing the weather in Vancouver and Halifax.
The following words can help you to write a good compare and contrast paragraph:
Helper Words:
Sequence Paragraph
In a sequencing paragraph, you are writing to describe a series of events or a process in some sort of order. Usually, this order is based on time.
Example: Write a paragraph outlining how a person becomes the prime minister.
The following words can help you to write a good sequence paragraph.
Helper Words:
Choice Paragraph
In a paragraph where you have to make a choice, you need to choose which object, idea, or action that you prefer. Often, you will need to give your opinion on a choice of actions or events.
Example: Write a paragraph stating whether you would prefer to play hockey or lacrosse.
Helper Words:
Explanation Paragraph
In an explanation paragraph, you need to explain how or why something happens. Very often in social studies class, you will be asked to explore causes and effects of certain events.
Example: Write a paragraph explaining why so many Europeans moved to Canada during the nineteenth century.
The following words can help you to write a good explanation paragraph:
Helper Words:
Evaluation Paragraph
In an evaluation paragraph, you make judgments about people, ideas, and possible actions. You need to make your evaluation based on certain criteria that you develop. In the paragraph, you will state your evaluation or recommendation and then support it by referring to your criteria.
Example: Write a paragraph evaluating whether pesticides should be used on farms.
The following words can help you to write a good evaluation paragraph:
Helper Words
Exercises:
In the following text, some sentences have been removed. For Questions (1-5), choose the most suitable one from the list A-G to fit into each of the numbered blank. There are two extra choices, which do not fit in any of the gaps.
Coinciding with the groundbreaking theory of biological evolution proposed by British naturalist Charles Darwin in the 1860s, British social philosopher Herbert Spencer put forward his own theory of biological and cultural evolution. Spencer argued that all worldly phenomena, including human societies, changed over time, advancing toward perfection. 1.____________. American social scientist Lewis Henry Morgan introduced another theory of cultural evolution in the late 1800s. Morgan, along with Tylor, was one of the founders of modern anthropology. In his work, he attempted to show how all aspects of culture changed together in the evolution of societies.2._____________.
In the early 1900s in North America, German-born American anthropologist Franz Boas developed a new theory of culture known as historical particularism. Historical particularism, which emphasized the uniqueness of all cultures, gave new direction to anthropology.
3._____________ .
Boas felt that the culture of any society must be understood as the result of a unique history and not as one of many cultures belonging to a broader evolutionary stage or type of culture.
4._______________.
Historical particularism became a dominant approach to the study of culture in American anthropology, largely through the influence of many students of Boas. But a number of anthropologists in the early 1900s also rejected the particularist theory of culture in favor of diffusionism. Some attributed virtually every important cultural achievement to the inventions of a few, especially gifted peoples that, according to diffusionists, then spread to other cultures.
5.________________.
Also in the early 1900s, French sociologist ?mile Durkheim developed a theory of culture that would greatly influence anthropology. Durkheim proposed that religious beliefs functioned to reinforce social solidarity. An interest in the relationship
between the function of society and culture—known as functionalism—became a major theme in European, and especially British, anthropology.
[A] Other anthropologists believed that cultural innovations, such as inventions, had a single origin and passed from society to society. This theory was known as diffusionism.
[B] In order to study particular cultures as completely as possible, Boas became skilled in linguistics, the study of languages, and in physical anthropology, the study of human biology and anatomy.
[C] He argued that human evolution was characterized by a struggle he called the “survival of the fittest,” in which weaker races and societies must eventually be repla ced by stronger, more advanced races and societies.
[D] They also focused on important rituals that appeared to preserve a people’s social structure, such as initiation ceremonies that formally signify children’s entrance into adulthood.
[E] Thus, in his view, diverse aspects of culture, such as the structure of families, forms of marriage, categories of kinship, ownership of property, forms of government, technology, and systems of food production, all changed as societies evolved.
[F]Supporters of the theory viewed as a collection of integrated parts that work together to keep a society functioning.
[G] For example, British anthropologists Grafton Elliot Smith and W. J. Perry incorrectly suggested, on the basis of inadequate information, that farming, pottery making, and metallurgy all originated in ancient Egypt and diffused throughout the world. In fact, all of these cultural developments occurred separately at different times in many parts of the world.。