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Unitycoh 3
Unitycoh 3
In general, the division of a piece of writing into paragraphs should make it easier
for the reader to understand what he/she is reading (improves comprehension). A
paragraph is a group of sentences developing one topic (this lesson does not consider
dialogue, where each speech gets its own paragraph).
The topic sentence should make clear exactly what is being discussed – it’s a brief
statement of the subject of the paragraph. However, in narrative or descriptive
paragraphs, the topic sentence is often omitted. As you become more adept writers, you
can move the location of the topic sentence to the middle or the end of the paragraph
(clincher sentence), but beginning writers should form the habit of “expressing the main
idea of a paragraph of explanation or argument in the first sentence and using the topic
sentence as a foundation on which to build the paragraph.” Remember that a narrow
topic sentence is generally better than a broader one.
Unity – Unity means “oneness”, so a paragraph has unity of thought if it sticks to one
subject. If a paragraph is unified, it can be summed up in one sentence. This is called
unity of thought.
Coherence – Coherence means “hanging together” and requires both the proper
arrangement of ideas and the bridging of gaps between sentences with connectives that
show the exact relationship of part to part.
Emphasis – Make sure that significant matters stand out and unimportant details stay in
the background; usually we place important ideas at the beginning and the end because
first impressions are lasting and the end is the longest remembered. Chief devices of
emphasis include the following:
• a forceful introduction
• an effective conclusion
• purposeful repetition
• examples and illustrations
• comparison and contrast
• climactic arrangement
• good proportion