Instructor : Mr BOUNADJA Semester 2

Level : First year

Module : Written Expression
Course : Paragraph Writing

Lesson4:What is a paragraph?
A paragraph is a group of related sentences about one single topic. They explain the main idea
(most important idea) of the writer about the topic. The paragraph is between five to ten long
sentences; generally suiting the length of the topic. It includes one main idea with supporting
sentences and concluding one. The first sentence is often indented (moved in) a few spaces.
Paragraphs are organized differently suiting their purposes.
Steps in paragraph writing
-Choose a topic: Before writing, your teacher gives you a given topic or ideas of what to write.
-Gather ideas: Think about what to write in the topic.
-Organize ideas: Decide which ideas to use and where to use them. Which one to talk about first,
next and last.
Main Characteristics of a Good Paragraph
Cohesion and coherence are essential properties of the texts in academic writing. They refer to
intra-text connectedness, and the contextual fitness of the ideas. They are essential to create more
comprehensible texts.
Cohesion: To Yule (2008) ‘Cohesion is the tie and connection that exist within the text’. It is the
part of the system of a language; a type of intra-sentence relation of an item with either the
preceding or following item/s in the text. In communication process, cohesion gives insights into
how the writer structures what he/she wants to convey.
According to Halliday and Hasan (1976) there are two types of cohesion: grammatical cohesion,
and lexical cohesion.
Grammatical cohesion is the cohesive tie that is expressed through the grammatical system of a
language such as reference, substitution, ellipsis, and conjunction.
Below are illustrative examples that show the cohesive tie in italics in each:
(i) Wow, how beautiful flower vessel! How much does it cost? [reference]
(ii) You are going to attend the party? If so, what about these agenda? [substitution]

(iii) We can buy those apples if we need to (buy those apples). [ellipsis]

(iv) He passed the exam. However, he did not obtain A plus. [conjunction]

Lexical cohesion, on the other hand, is ‘the cohesive effect achieved by the selection of
vocabulary’ (Halliday & Hasan, 1976, p 274). Lexical cohesion can be realized in reiteration
(using the same, or semantically related vocabulary such as repetition, synonym, superordinate,
general word) and in collocation (co-occurrence of lexical items). Followings are some examples
showing cohesive tie in italics.

(i) Reiteration: I have a puppy. The puppy is black. [Repetition]

I have a puppy. The pup is black. [Synonym]
I have a puppy. The animal is black. [Superordinate]
I have a puppy. The baby dog is black. [General word]
(ii) Collocation: With their hammer-nail relation, the boys won the match.

Coherence:
A text is formed not only with the structured string of words, but also with the contextual
occurrence of the sentences. Coherence, then, is the contextual appearance of the utterances in
the text. More specifically, it is the contextual fitness of in the text that contributes in
understanding the meaning or message related to its context of situation or culture. In other
words, it is the meaning as a result of the relation between the audience and the text.

The examples below show the coherent, and non-coherent texts:

(i) A text with coherence: A: Did you bring the car?

B: Yes, I brought it yesterday.

(ii) A text with no coherence: A: Where did you go last week?

B: That sounds good. My brother paints it.

So both cohesion and coherence contribute for maintaining unity in the paragraphs in academic
writing. It is coherence-the contextual fitness of the sentences-that is more significant for sense
of the text for the readers. However, a text with cohesive ties and coherence is more comfortable
for the readers to comprehend and interpret the message of the writer.
Practice
A/Answer the questions below.

1. Complete the following statement: A well-written paragraph should ________

a. focus on a single, coherent idea.
b. consist of logically connected sentences.
c. Both a and b.
2. How long should a paragraph be?
a. Every paragraph should be at least five sentences long.
b. Good paragraphs must be at least one page long.
c. It's okay for paragraphs to vary in length.
3. Which statement about paragraph length is TRUE?
a. In a written dialogue, start a new paragraph with each new speaker.
b. Use short paragraphs when you are analysing complex ideas or data.
c. Use long paragraphs when you are presenting facts in a technical manual.
4. Complete the following sentence: Most paragraphs can function as ________________.
a. miniature essays, each with a main topic and related sentences to support it.
b. thesis statements, summarising the key arguments in the body of the paper.
c. Both a and b.
5. The smooth, logical flow of sentences within a paragraph is called __________________.
a. paragraph deduction.
b. paragraph coherence.
c. paragraph personality.
 6. How can you strengthen the connection between sentences in a paragraph?
a. Use word patterns such as first, second, third.
b. Repeat a key word, phrase, or synonym.
c. Both a and b.
7. How can you strengthen connections between paragraphs in a paper?
a. Use transitional words or phrases at the beginning of the paragraph.
b. Make sure the first sentence in the next paragraph is extremely long and flowing.
c. Use the phrase “Here's the connection” to let the reader know the concepts are
related.

English writing :
In order to get correct writing, learners need hard thinking as they are required to have an
extent knowledge as they will have to produce some words, sentences and paragraphs at the
same time. Language learners have to master all aspects about writing including good spelling
and right punctuation.