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Paragraph Writing Material - 528316668
Paragraph Writing Material - 528316668
DESCRIPTIVE WRITING
A descriptive paragraph tells the reader how something looks. It can talk about a
person’s or a place’s physical appearance what really matters here is space and not
time. Therefore, you should arrange your sentences and details according to where
the objects being described are located. This kind of organization is called spatial
organization.
In summary, the following are the most common characteristics of descriptive writing:
1. It tends to move between general and specific; the more common direction is
from general to specific.
2. Its main purpose is to enable the reader to see what the writer is describing.
3. It organizes details in a spatial arrangement.
ELEMENTS OF A PARAGRAPH
2. Body: It is all about the information that helps you describe your subject.
Supporting sentences: These sentences tell the reader how is it that you think
in that way. You address those features that complete or make whole of
something. These features are arranged in a special order and their exact
location is crucial when illustrating the whole thing.
Concluding Sentence: Here you restate your opinion about the topic. You
can use other words that mean or reflect exactly the same thing you said in
your Topic Sentence. The reader must agree with you.
DESCRIBING A PERSON
When you try to describe a person to someone who doesn’t know that person, what you
often do first is to say something very general about that person, something that will convey
the kind of impression that the person makes on others: “Omar has the most amazing
luck!”, and if the person you are talking to happens to ask, “What do you mean, the most
amazing luck?”. Then you often find yourself supporting the general statement with
specific examples: “ Why, only last Tuesday he was walking down the street when a
twenty-dollar bill blew right into his hand…”. In conversation, you often use specific
examples to support general statements.
When you write a description of a person, you often use the same technique. You begin
with a topic sentence that gives the reader a general impression of the person you are
describing. The topic sentence can then be developed by other sentences that provide an
example or examples to support the point you are making.
DESCRIBING A PLACE
When describing a place, the description must be organized so that the reader can vividly
imagine the scene being described. Imagine that you are describing a scene for an artist to
paint. It is as if you were describing a picture, a painting, or a postcard. The arrangement
of the details depends on the subject of the paragraph.
Spatial is also very important here. If you are going to describe a place you can start from
right to left or vice versa. You can also begin by focusing the reader’s attention in the center
of your view on a specific object and then take turns to describe what you see on the side
of it. Another way to make your description possible is to begin from the bottom of your
view to the top of it or vice versa.
“Living in a box”
B. Body
Supporting Sentences:
1. ………………………………………………………………….
2. ………………………………………………………………….
3. ………………………………………………………………….
4. ………………………………………………………………….
5. ………………………………………………………………….
6. ………………………………………………………………….
C. Conclusion
A narrative is a story. Thus, narrative writing is writing that tells a story. You
are using a narrative when you tell a friend about something interesting that
happened to you at work or in school, when you tell someone a joke, or when
you try to explain to a policeman why you were going fifty miles an hour in a
twenty mile-an-hour-zone. You have already written narratives if you write
letters back home to your relatives and friends, or if you write about the events
of the day in the privacy of a diary or journal.
ELEMENTS OF A PARAGRAPH
2. Body: It is the event itself which is told in three parts that keep coherence and unity
at the same time.
Supporting sentences: These sentences tell the reader how things happen
in a chronological order.
You also talk about things that happen secondly which are actually
the details of the climax of your story –in other words the most
important things.
And thirdly, you talk about things that are the result, the out come
of the situation.
Concluding Sentence: Here you restate your opinion about the topic. You
can use other words that mean or reflect exactly the same thing you said in
your Topic Sentence.
TOPIC When people talk of Mardi Gras, they say that Mardi Gras is the
SENTENCE
liberating key to madness. This delightful madness begins for many on St.
Charles Avenue with the Rex Parade. By nine o’clock the avenue is line with
BEFORE
people all ages in colorful costumes, from Cavemen to Supermen. They stroll
among the crowd and chat with friends and strangers alike. Some dance and
some drink. At around ten o’clock, the excitement mounts as the parade begins.
First there is the welcome sound of sirens. The police on motorcycles always
lead the parade to make a path through the jubilant crowd. Then a band usually
marches by, playing a popular tune such as the theme from Star Wars. At this
time, people start clapping and dancing to the music. Next, the masked men
DURING
come on horseback. They wave at the crowd and the crowd waves back.
SUPPORTING
SENTENCES Sometimes a girl goes up and kisses one of the riders! Finally someone usually
shouts, “There it is!” It is the first float carrying men in costumes and masks.
Immediately, everyone rushes toward the float. They wave their hand and yell,
“Throw me something, Mister!” The men throw beads and souvenir coins to the
excited crowd. Usually they catch the coins, but sometimes one hits the ground.
Then several people rush to retrieve it pushing and shoving if necessary. Then
the float passes, but soon another one comes and the madness continues in the
AFTER
same way. After about an hour, the parade passes by and the first part of Mardi
Gras day ends. To sum up, this American Holiday brigs out all those restrained
CONCLUDING feelings that people keep during the year and let them loose to manifest in the
SENTENCE
craziest ways possible.
B. Body:
Supporting Sentences:
1. Before:……………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………
……………………..………………………………………………………
…………..
2. During:……………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………
……………………….……………………………………………………
……………
3. After:………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………….……………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………
……………
C. Conclusion:
Restatement Sentence:
………………………………………………………………...
Argumentative paragraph is writing that sets forth an argument. That is to say, it advances
a writer’s opinion or belief about an issue, and it attempts to persuade an audience that this
opinion is correct. It does so buy supporting the opinion with information given in the form
of reasons and examples. The information is often arranged in terms of its importance as
evidence. It either begins with the least important information and builds up to the most
important, or works the other way around, from the most important to the least.
In summary, the following are the most important characteristics of argumentative writing:
Elements of a paragraph.-
A) Introduction: It introduces the topic to be talk about and presents the topic sentence in
the form of an opinion.
B) Body: It is the event itself which is told in three parts that keep coherence and unity at
the same time.
Supporting sentences: These sentences tell the reader why and how is that you think
in that way. You will need 3 reasons accompanied and 3 pieces of evidence. Each
reason must be accompanied by its respective piece of evidence.
C) Conclusion: It restates and confirm your thought or feeling about the topic.
Evidence Classification:
Fact.- It is a universally true event. No one can refuted or say the opposite.
Sentence Connectors:
Supporting connectors: They glue sentences that complement each other and
make your idea stand stronger.
Contras Connectors: They glue sentences together that are actually opposite to
each other.
* But, * Nonetheless,
* However, * Even so,
* On the other Hand * Even though,
* Nevertheless, * In spite of,
* Although, * Despite,
* Therefore, * As a result,
* Hence, * To sum up,
* Thus, * In conclusion,
* In summary,
MODEL PARAGRAPH:
In my opinion, _____________________________________________________
_______. One reason for this is ______________________________________________
_________________________________________. For example, __________________
________________________________________________________________________
A second reason for this is __________________________________________________
__________________________________________. For instance, _________________
________________________________________________________________________
The most important reason for this is _________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
For example, ____________________________________________________________
____________________________. In conclusion, _______________________________
_____________________________________.
PARAGRAPH OUTLINE:
TOPIC SENTENCE
REASON 1
o Evidence 1
REASON 2
o Evidence 1
REASON 3
o Evidence 1
CONCLUDING SENTECE
or did not use them. The most important reason is that voting
usually leads to the election of the best man. There are those who
Reason 3
argue that all candidates are the same, promising before Election
Day and forgetting after it. But in my city, for example, there
really are differences between the candidates. Thus, voting is a
Evidence 3
Concluding right that every citizen must exercise in democratic society.
sentence
Paragraph Analysis
A. Introduction:
B. Body:
Supporting Sentences:
1. Reason……………………………………………………………………
Evidence:…………………………………………………………………
………..…………………………………………………………………..
2. Reason……………………………………………………………………
Evidence:…………………………………………………………………
…………………………….……………….………………………………
3. Reason……………………………………………………………………
………
Evidence:………………………………….………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………
C. Conclusion:
Concluding Sentence:
………………………………………………………………...
1. Which example has been drawn from knowledge the writer has about another
person’s life?
2. Which example has been drawn from information the writer has at hand?
ANALYTICAL PARAGRAPH
Analytical writing is writing that analyzes. You use analytical writing when you classify
or break down a subject into its component parts and describe those parts in a logical,
orderly manner. Analytical writing is closely related to descriptive writing. Both forms aim
to make the reader see what the writer sees. While descriptive writing is usually concerned
with one subject, such as a room or a person, analytical writing is usually concerned with
classifying two or more subjects. The writer of analysis examines subjects according to
their similarities and/or differences.
Some TOEFL writing topics will ask you to consider the relationship between two things,
for example, your hometown (that is, the town where you were born or grew up) and your
university town. Such topics may allow you to organize your writing either around the
similarities between these two subtopics (for example, between your hometown and your
university town) or around the differences between them. If you write about the similarities,
the writing will be a comparison writing. On the other hand, if you want to write about the
differences, your writing will be a contrast writing.
There are many similarities between doctors and teachers. First, both doctors and
teachers are considered professionals by their communities. The classification of
professional is the highest socioeconomic rank an individual can achieve in this society.
Second, both doctors and teachers help others: doctors heal the bodies of sick people and
return them to health, and teachers mold the minds of young people and turn them into
responsible, educated adults. Last, both doctors and teachers are essential members of a
community. It is difficult to imagine a city or town that has no need of either a doctor or a
teacher. Such a place would truly be primitive.
My hometown and my college town have several things in common. First, both are
small rural communities. For example, my hometown, Gridlock, has a population of only
about 10,000 people. Similarly, my college town, Subnormal, consists of about 11,000
local residents. This population swells to 15,000 people when the college students are
attending classes. A second way in which these two towns are similar is that they are both
located in rural areas. Gridlock is surrounded by many acres of farmland which is devoted
mainly to growing corn and soybeans. In the same way, Subnormal lies in the center of
farmland which is used to raise hogs and cattle…
(Note: The four dots [. . . .] at the end of this paragraph mean that the paragraph contains
more sentences that are not shown here.)
The passage above is from a comparison paragraph. That is, a paragraph which discusses
the similarities between two subtopics. Notice how the ideas in this paragraph are
organized. As usual, the topic sentence is at the beginning of the paragraph. After that, the
paragraph continues by discussing one point of similarity between the towns of Gridlock
and Subnormal, namely, their small population. Specific details are given to support the
statement that "both are small rural communities." Following this, the paragraph briefly
discusses a second point of similarity between the two towns, that is, their geographic
surroundings. Here, the paragraph also gives supporting details to illustrate their similarity,
namely, that they are "both located in rural areas."
As you can see, therefore, this comparison paragraph is structured (organized) according
to the points of similarity between the two towns. This particular paragraph discusses only
two points of similarity, but of course we can imagine a paragraph that gives three, four,
or even more points of similarity. This paragraph, for example, might continue in this way:
. . . Thirdly, both of these towns are similar in that both contain college campuses. Gridlock,
for example, is home to Neutron College, which is famous for its Agricultural Economics
program as well as for its annual Corn-Watching Festival. Likewise, the town of Subnormal
boasts the beautiful campus of Quark College, which is well known for its Agricultural
Engineering department and also for its yearly Hog-Calling Contest.
(Note: The three dots [. . .] at the beginning of the above paragraph indicate that the
paragraph contains previous sentences that are not shown here.)
We can place the points of similarity and their supporting details in a table in order to see
more clearly how this short paragraph is organized:
Comparison Paragraph -- Organized by Similar Points
TOPIC SENTENCE My (a) hometown and (b) college town are similar.
As you can see, after the topic sentence, this paragraph first discusses the relevant details
about Gridlock and then presents the details about Subnormal. As with the paragraph
above, we can illustrate this paragraph's structure in the following way:
Although doctors and teachers both have professional status, there are many
differences between the two professions. First, doctors are more highly respected than
teachers by their communities. Second, as a rule, doctors can earn considerably more
money than teachers. For example, an experience surgeon working in an urban area can
earn over $200.000 annually while an experienced high school teacher working in an
urban school district can earn up to $40.000 annually. Last, doctors have many more
career options than teachers. While a doctor can maintain a private practice and, at the
same time, be on the staff of several hospitals, a teacher can only be affiliated with one
school at a time. Moreover, while doctors can easily establish a private practice and
hospital affiliations in another city should they decide to relocate, teachers who have
jobs security in the form of tenure in one school district cannot easily relocate and find
a tenured position. All in all, it is easy to see that doctors have more respect, greater
flexibility, and higher incomes than teachers.
A contrast paragraph discusses the differences between (at least) two things. You can
organize contrast paragraphs in much the same way that you can organize comparison
paragraphs. That is, you can organize them either according to points of similarity or
according to subtopic. Here is an example.
Even though Arizona and Rhode Island are both states of the U.S., they are strikingly
different in many ways. For example, the physical size of each state is different. Arizona
is large, having an area of 114,000 square miles, whereas Rhode Island is only about a
tenth the size, having an area of only 1,214 square miles. Another difference is in the size
of the population of each state. Arizona has about four million people living in it, but Rhode
Island has less than one million. The two states also differ in the kinds of natural
environments that each has. For example, Arizona is a very dry state, consisting of large
desert areas that do not receive much rainfall every year. However, Rhode Island is located
in a temperate zone and receives an average of 44 inches of rain per year. In addition, while
Arizona is a landlocked state and thus has no seashore, Rhode Island lies on the Atlantic
Ocean and does have a significant coastline.
a good point
Which words in the box above are alternative ways of referring to (a) advantages and (b)
disadvantages?
(a) Advantages
_____________________________________________________________________
(b) Disadvantages
_____________________________________________________________________
* Cellular phones, which became available in the 1990s, stand out as one of the options for
communication. Although cellular phones offer certain benefits, they have various
disadvantages. (Introductory sentence presenting the topic before the topic sentence.)
The first and the most important advantage is that mobile phones …
The second benefit is that cellular phones … } Descending order of importance
The third and the last positive aspect of cellular phones is that …
1. Introductory Sentence
2. Topic sentence
3. 1st Advantage (or) 1st Disadvantage (Major Support 1)
Minor Support(s) (facts, examples, etc.)
4. 2nd Advantage (or) 2nd Disadvantage (Major Support 2)
Minor Support(s) (facts, examples, etc.)
5. Conclusion
1. Introductory Sentence
2. Topic sentence
3. 1st Advantage (or) 1st Disadvantage (Major Support 1)
Minor Support(s) (facts, examples, etc.)
4. 2nd Advantage (or) 2nd Disadvantage(Major Support 2)
Minor Support(s) (facts, examples, etc.)
5. Transition Sentence/Phrase
6. 1st Disadvantage (or) 1st Advantage (Major Support 1)
Minor Support(s) (facts, examples, etc.)
7. 2nd Disadvantage (or) 2nd Advantage (Major Support 2)
Minor Support(s) (facts, examples, etc.)
8. Conclusion
Conclusion
* In conclusion, due to the great risks concerning health, safety and environment, the
disadvantages of cellular phones outweigh the advantages.
* To conclude, the disadvantages of cellular phones outweigh the advantages due to the
risks concerning health, safety and environment, and for this reason, parents should
thoroughly consider these risks before purchasing a mobile phone for their children.
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3. Does the topic sentence identify the topic of the paragraph? What is it?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
__________________________
4. Does the topic sentence announce the method of development? What is it?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
__________________________