UNITY AND

COHERENCE
IN PARAGRAPH
 What is a paragraph?
• A paragraph is the basic unit of composition. It
consists of a group of related sentences that
develop one main idea.
• It has three main parts; an introduction, a body
of the paragraph and a conclusion.
• In other words, it has a topic sentence, a few
supporting sentences, and a concluding
sentence.
• All sentences in a paragraph speak about one
aspect of a topic and discuss one main
subject.
Topic Sentence - States the main idea and is often
presented as the first sentence
- Indicates the matter to be
Supporting discussed in the paragraph and
- Describe
works as the
a summary of it
topic sentence.
Sentences
- Support or explain the idea
expressed in the topic sentence.
Concluding
- Summarizes the information that
Sentence
has been presented.
- Restates the main idea of the
paragraph.
- It is presented at the end of the
paragraph.
 Paragraph Unity
• PARAGRAPH UNITY is the most important
characteristic of a good paragraph.
• It defines that all sentences in a paragraph
should speak about one single idea or one
main subject.
• That is, the topic sentence, the supporting
details, and the concluding sentence should
focus on only one idea.
 Paragraph Coherence
• Paragraphs should also be coherent.
• Coherence demands that the ideas or
sentences presented in a paragraph
should flow smoothly from one to the
other.
• It relates sentences to each other.
• It can be done by repeating the key
words, pronouns, and synonyms and
using linking transition.
Steps to writing a good paragraph
1. Make a topic sentence. Turn it into a
question that cannot be answered with yes
or no.
2. List the answers to the question as the
controlling ideas. Make sure they relate to
the question; if not, it will lack unity.
3. Expand the controlling ideas into supporting
sentences.
4. Write the paragraph; make it into logical,
smooth-flowing sentences that support the
topic sentence.
 A recent magazine article discussed several old
beliefs that explain why woman wear wedding bands on
the fourth finger of the left hand. Because the left hand is
usually weaker and considered feminine. Therefore,
wearing a wedding ring on the left hand indicates that
the wife is weaker than her husband. Another reason for
this belief is that the fourth finger is dependent upon the
movement of other fingers if it is to be raised. A more
romantic explanation is that centuries ago people
believed a vein ran straight from the heart to the fourth
finger of the left hand. Therefore, it was appropriate
finger for a wedding band. Of course, a lot of these old
beliefs are non-sense, but for some reasons the custom
of women wearing bands on the fourth finger seem to
prevail.
My uncle’s backyard was a marvelous place for my
activities as a child. There were two old trees with
trunks just made for climbing and branches were
strong enough to support me when I climbed them.
But when I wanted to rest, I could sit in the shade of
the trees, listening to the leaves when a breeze
passed through. Best of all was the hiding place
behind a clump of bushes where I could go for total
privacy. My poems were written there; my diary
entries were made there; my dreams were dreamed
there. That backyard made my childhood happy and
memorable.