写作第一单元总结
Unit 1 Paragraph Writing
Unit Objectives
? 1. become familiar with the organizational structure of a paragraph
? 2. know how to write a good topic sentence and select supporting details to achieve unity
? 3. be able to use various devices to achieve coherence
What is a good paragraph?
? Paragraphs: smaller units of a longer piece of writing
? A good paragraph is a group of sentences that support and develop a single idea.
? In other words, a paragraph expands upon a core idea stated in its topic sentence.
? And in this unit, we are going to study how to write well-organized paragraphs.
Topic Sentence
? Topic sentence: a sentence that names the topic of the paragraph and contains a controlling idea.
– E.g. Riding a bicycle gives me much pleasure.
– I had a terrible morning today.
Features of a good topic sentence
? 1. It is a complete sentence.
? 2. It contains both a topic and a controlling idea.
? 3. It is neither too general nor too specific.
? 4. It tells the reader what to expect in the paragraph.
The spelling of the word centre in British English is different from that in American English
? Comment: too specific
? Improvement:
– British English is different from American English in spelling.
Different countries with different customs
? Comment: This is not a sentence, but a fragment.
? Improvement:
– Different countries have different customs.
The local food is terrible
? Comment: too general, too emotional
? Improvement: The local food is tasteless and greasy.
Organizational Structure
A paragraph consists of three main parts:
? The topic sentence:
– Introduces the topic sentence and the controlling idea of the paragraph.
?beginning, end or middle
? The supporting sentences:
– Support or develop the controlling idea.
? The concluding sentence:
– Wind up the whole paragraph by restating the topic sentence or draw an inference.
A good paragraph should achieve
? Unity
? Coherence
– (make things move in a more natural and sensible way)
Unity
? The essential quality of a good paragraph
? A well-written paragraph has only one point to make, and every sentence in the paragraph develops or supports that idea.
? Unnecessary details or unexpected directions should be avoided.
Coherence
? Ideas
? Content
? The form of expression
– Thoughts: orderly and never abrupt
– Between ideas: no gaps or confusing leaps
Four Basic Techniques to achieve coherence
? Repetition of key words and
phrases
? Transitional signals
? Use of pronouns (their, they ,it)
? Repetitions of sentence patterns
Transitional signals
? To link ideas together
– second, next, third, besides, finally, moreover, furthermore, in addition, and
? To indicate time
– after, later, first, next, then, afterward, from then on, meanwhile, now, until, while
? To give examples
– such as, for example, for instance, to illustrate
? To show similarity
– likewise, also, in the same way, similarly, too, in the same manner
? To show contrast
– but, although, however, in contrast, on the contrary, on the other hand, unlike, whereas, while, yet
? To show causation
– Because, as, since, due to, for, for this reason, now that, owing to
? To show consequence
– Therefore, as a result, consequently, thus, accordingly
? To emphasize or restate
– Above all, after all, in fact, particularly, that is, namely, in other words, especially indeed, as a matter of fact, no doubt
? To conclude a point
– To sum up, to summarize, to conclude, in a word, in conclusion, in brief, in short, in summary
Conclusion
? A good paragraph: a group of sentences to support a single idea.
? Topic sentence = topic + controlling idea
– Not be too general, specific or emotional
? Unity and coherence
Homework
? Discuss with each other over the advantages and disadvantages of having a mobile phone. Then pick out a few ideas, reorganize them and write one paragraph on the advantages or on the disadvantages of having a mobile phone.
? Ask one classmate to edit your writing and make some comments on the topic sentence, unity, and coherence, etc.