Sultan Moulay Slimane University

Department of English
Beni Mellal

Composition 1
2nd Semester
Groups 5 and 6

Prepared by
Chakour Khaoula

Academic Year: 2020-2021

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 Syllabus

CHAPTER 1: The Writing Process

CHAPTER 2: Writing a Paragraph: Paragraph Structure

CHAPTER 3: Writing a Paragraph: Coherence and Unity

CHAPTER 4: Narrative Paragraphs

CHAPTER 5: Descriptive Paragraphs

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 CHAPTER1: The Writing Process

Writing is not a one-step action; it is the result of a process which involves four main stages:
generating ideas, organizing these ideas, writing a draft, and revising and editing.

1. Prewriting:

The first stage is called prewriting. At this stage, you gather and generate ideas associated with
your topic. This is called brainstorming. When you brainstorm, you write down as many ideas
as possible without judging or evaluating them until you can see the whole picture. Write down
everything that comes to your mind: words, sentences, ideas, feelings, examples … Ask
yourself: What do I know about this topic, or what would I like to write about?

There are several techniques of brainstorming, including listing and mapping.

 Listing: Listing is a prewriting technique in which you quickly write a list of words,
phrases, or sentences related to your topic. In this technique, you keep adding details to
the list until the flow of ideas stops.

Example: In the following example, the writer intends to write about his grandfather.
Therefore, he resorts to writing a list of all the words and phrases that come to his mind
about his grandfather:

Grandfather
Uneducated
Farmer
Worked hard
Helped his community
Started hospital in town – only hospital in big area
Forward-thinking
Improved farming techniques in his area
Thought things over
Got up early
He was the first person in town to buy a car
Smart
Listened to experts
First farmer to terrace his land – now everyone does it

 Mapping (also called clustering): This technique consists of writing the topic in the
middle with a circle around it, putting ideas as you think of them in circles below or

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 above your topic, and, then, drawing lines to connect them to the topic and to each other.
This method is especially practical for thinking about subjects in descriptive writing.

Example: The topic of pollution

The following step in the prewriting stage is the selection of the relevant ideas. At this point,
you choose the ideas which are the most pertinent with regard to your topic and omit those
which seem irrelevant.

2. Outlining:

This stage consists of carefully organizing ideas into logical parts. An outline is an
organizational plan which delineates the structure of your paragraph by displaying your main
idea, its supporting ideas, and the order in which you intend to organize these details. Make
sure the relationships between the ideas make sense. An outline is generally organized
according to the following pattern:

Main idea

1. Supporting idea
 explanation, fact, or example
 explanation, fact, or example
2. Supporting idea

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  explanation, fact, or example
 explanation, fact, or example
3. Supporting idea
 explanation, fact, or example
 explanation, fact, or example

Example:

Arguments for a limited teen driver license

1. Increases safety for teens

1. More practice before driving freeways

2. More experience before driving at night

2. Increases safety for others

1. Teens will not create accidents

2. Fewer people would be in cars with teen drivers

3. Writing / Drafting:

The next step in the writing process is to write a first draft using your outline as a guide. Write
all your ideas from start to finish, and make it your goal to state your main idea clearly and to
develop the content of your paragraph with plenty of specific details. Don’t worry if you commit
errors at this stage because this draft will be subject to revision and improvement.

4. Revising and Editing:

The last stage in the writing process is revising and editing. At this point, you polish and
improve what you have written. Revising involves the examination of the content and
organization of your writing. You check how clearly your main point is developed and if your
ideas are logically connected to each other. While revising, you may add, delete, substitute and
rearrange some ideas to obtain a refined piece of writing. Editing focuses on correcting the
errors related to grammar, usage, punctuation, and spelling.

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 CHAPTER 2: Writing a Paragraph: Paragraph Structure

What is a paragraph? A paragraph is a group of sentences about one topic. All of the sentences
in a good paragraph explain the writer’s main idea about this topic.

A paragraph can give information, provide an opinion, explain or describe something, or even
tell a short story.

Example:

Computers are excellent machines to help students. Before computers, students had to do
their schoolwork on typewriters. Typewriters did not allow students to make major changes easily, so
they had to use special correction fluid to fix mistakes. Today, computers let students move information
around without retyping it and correct errors with little effort. Computers also make research more
convenient for students. For example, before computers, students had to go to the library. Many times,
they would read for four or five hours in several sources before finding useful information. However,
students can now use the Internet network on their computers from their home to obtain the information
that they need much more quickly. Computers have certainly made students’ lives much easier.

A typical paragraph has three basic parts: the topic sentence, the supporting sentences, and
the concluding sentence.

1. The Topic Sentence:

 The topic sentence is the first sentence of a paragraph. It introduces the main idea of the
paragraph. In other words, it presents the topic and indicates the information which the
writer will provide about it.
 The topic sentence is made up of two parts: a topic and a controlling idea. The topic names
the subject of the paragraph. The controlling idea tells what the paragraph will say about
the topic. It is called the controlling idea because it controls the topic by limiting it to a
very specific point.
Examples: In each of the following topic sentences, the topic is circled, whereas the
controlling idea is underlined:
Hiking is the best way to explore nature closely.

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 Effective time management requires four easy steps.
Reading novels can help students improve their English in many ways.
Tangiers was a great place for our family vacation.

 A good topic sentence should be a complete sentence.

 A good topic sentence should be unified, expressing only one main idea.
Weak: The food and people in Korea are very interesting and different, and so
are the buildings.
Strong: The Korean cuisine incorporates diverse food items and culinary
methods.
 A good topic sentence should convey a main idea or an opinion about the topic.
Weak: I have been studying karate.
Strong: Studying karate has strengthened my personality.
 A good topic sentence should not be too broad.
Weak: Tea is delicious.
Strong: Green tea has many health benefits.

Weak: There are many environmental problems around the world.

Strong: It is important to save the rainforests in South America.
 A good topic sentence should not be too narrow.
Weak: People who smoke heavily are more likely than non-smokers to develop
high blood pressure.
Strong: People who smoke heavily develop serious health problems.

Weak: It is estimated that 20 percent of Japanese marriages are arranged.

Strong: In Japan, there are two types of marriages.

2. Supporting Sentences:

 Supporting sentences add information that supports and explains the topic sentence.
 All the supporting sentences should be about the main idea of the paragraph. If a sentence
points to an idea which is unrelated to the one stated in the topic sentence, it is irrelevant
and should be deleted.
Example: The following simple paragraph contains many simple supporting ideas, but
there is an irrelevant sentence.
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 Bird watching is a great hobby. Many birdwatchers began watching birds as children or
young people. Birds hold a fascination with many people because there are almost always birds
around to see. Butterflies are great to watch too. Birds are easy to learn to identify and fun to watch.
Backyard bird feeding is a good way to start watching birds by bringing them to your yard. Bird
watching remains a pleasurable pastime for many people.

 There are various kinds of supporting sentences that you may use. Good supporting
sentences explain, describe, give reasons, give facts, give examples, or define.
 In a paragraph, each supporting sentence may begin with a major supporting sentence
and be followed by a minor supporting sentence. Major supporting sentences are general
statements which tell us about the topic sentence. Minor supporting sentences are specific
information which tells us more about the major supporting sentences. Minor supporting
sentences can provide details, explanations, and examples.
Example 1:
Topic Sentence: There are three reasons why Canadians consider their country as one of
the best places in the world.
1. Major Supporting Sentence: First, Canada has an excellent health care system.
Minor Supporting Sentence: All Canadians have access to medical
services at a reasonable price.
2. Major Supporting Sentence: Second, Canada has a high standard of education.
Minor Supporting Sentence: Students are encouraged to continue studying
at university.
3. Major Supporting Sentence: Finally, Canada's cities are clean and efficiently
managed.
Minor Supporting Sentence: Canadian cities have many parks and lots of
space for people to live.
Example 2:
Topic Sentence: Successful students possess three important techniques: Organizing,
planning, and preparing.
1. Major Supporting Sentence: Organized students have the necessary tools for
their classes.
Minor Supporting Sentence: For example, they usually carry an
assignment notebook and calendar, a highlighting marker, folders to keep
papers in order, and a pocket dictionary.

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 2. Major Supporting Sentence: In addition, successful students plan their time
very well.
Minor Supporting Sentence: They keep lists of assignments and due dates
and allow enough time to do the work.
3. Major Supporting Sentence: Finally, successful students prepare well for tests.
Minor Supporting Sentence: They take good class notes and anticipate test
questions.

3. The Concluding Sentence:

 The concluding sentence is the last sentence of the paragraph. It signals the end of the
paragraph and reminds the reader of the main idea.
 A concluding sentence can restate the topic sentence, summarize the main idea of the
paragraph, make a prediction connected to the paragraph’s topic, make a suggestion, or
give advice or an opinion connected to the topic.
 A concluding sentence that restates the topic sentence should be expressed in different
words, not be an exact copy of the topic sentence.
 A concluding sentence should not state or introduce a new idea.
 You can start your concluding sentence with concluding signals like “All in all”, “In
conclusion”, “In summary”, “To sum up”, “To conclude”, “In brief”… followed by a
comma.

Examples:

Topic sentence: There are numerous advantages to owning a hybrid car.

Concluding sentence: Given the low running costs and environmental benefits of owning
a hybrid car, it is likely that many people will opt for it in the near future.

Topic sentence: eBook readers are useful devices for students.

Concluding sentence: It is clear that eBook readers have made students’ lives much
easier.

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Topic sentence: At some point, most parents have to decide whether or not to allow their
children to have pets.

Concluding sentence: In brief, although many children want a pet, parents are divided on
this issue for a number of significant reasons.

Topic sentence: There are many benefits of driving a car with a manual transmission.

Concluding sentence: While automatic cars are more convenient, manual transmission
cars certainly offer many more advantages.

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