Paragraph Writing [PDF]

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Paragraph Writing By Kenneth



Beare



There are two structures to learn in English that are important in writing: the sentence and the paragraph. Paragraphs can be described as a collection of sentences. These sentences combine to express a specific idea, main point, topic and so on. A number of paragraphs are then combined to write a report, an essay, or even a book. This guide to writing



paragraphs describe the basic structure of each paragraph you will write.



In general, the purpose of a paragraph is to express one point, idea or opinion. For example: Students require more recreational time in order to better focus on lessons in class. This main idea is expressed through three sections of a paragraph: 1. Beginning - Introduce your idea. 2. Middle - Explain your idea. 3. End - Make your point again, transition to next paragraph. Here is a paragraph taken from an essay on various strategies required for an overall improvement of student performance: Students require more recreational time in order to better focus on lessons in class. In fact, studies have shown that students who enjoy a recess of more than 45 minutes consistently score better on tests immediately following the recess period. Clinical analysis further suggests that physical exercise greatly improves the ability to focus on academic materials. Longer periods of recess are clearly required to allow students the best possible chances of success in their studies. Clearly, physical exercise is just one of the necessary ingredients for improving student scores on standardized tests. There are four sentence types used to construct a paragraph: 1. Topic sentence One sentence which states your idea, point, or opinion. This sentence should use a strong verb and make a bold statement. For example: Students require more recreational time in order to better focus on lessons in class. NOTE: Notice the strong verb 'require' which is a call to action. A weaker form of this sentence might be: I think students probably need more recreational time ...This weaker form is inappropriate for a topic



sentence.



1. Supporting sentences Supporting sentences (notice the plural) provide explanations and support for the topic sentence (main idea) of your paragraph. For example: In fact, studies have shown that students who enjoy a recess of more than 45 minutes consistently score better on tests immediately following the recess period. Clinical analysis further suggests that physical exercise greatly improves the ability to focus on academic materials. NOTE: Supporting sentences provide the evidence for your topic sentence. Supporting sentences that include facts, statistics and logical reasoning are much more convincing that simple statements of opinion. 1. Concluding sentence The concluding sentence restates the main idea (found in your topic sentence) and reinforces the point or opinion. For example: Longer periods of recess are clearly required to allow students the best possible chances of success in their studies. NOTE: Concluding sentences repeat the main idea of your paragraph in different words. 2.



Transitional sentence



The transitional sentence prepares the reader for the following paragraph. For example: Clearly, physical exercise is just one of the necessary ingredients for improving student scores on standardized tests. NOTE: Transitional sentences should help readers logically understand the connection between your current main idea, point or opinion and the



main idea of your next paragraph. In this instance, the phrase 'just one of the



necessary ingredients ...' prepares the reader for the next paragraph which will discuss another necessary ingredient for success.



How To Write an Essay By Kenneth Beare There are many ways to write an essay. However, the standard essay form follows the same basic patterns as discussed in this 'how to'. Most essays take a repetitive form sometimes known as the "hamburger essay". What this means is that the introductory and concluding paragraphs are very similar, whereas the most important information is found in the body of the essay. Think of a hamburger: The buns cover the top and the bottom - the introduction and conclusion - and provide a nice covering for the most important part of the meal the burger. Difficulty: Average Time Required: 30 minutes Here's How: 1. Select the topic of your essay. 2. Choose the central idea, or thesis, of your essay. For example: Information technology has revolutionized the way we work. 3. Outline your essay into introductory, body and summary paragraphs. 4. The introductory paragraph begins with an interesting sentence. For example: Home workers have grown from 150,000 to over 12 million in the past 5 years thanks to the wonders of the computer. There are a number of types of introductions: Interesting statistics, a quote from a famous person, or a rhetorical question such as "Did you know that ...". 1. After this first sentence, add your thesis statement from above. The thesis clearly outlines what you hope to express in the essay. 2. Use one sentence to introduce every body paragraph to follow. This linking to ideas you will develop further in your body paragraphs provides structure to your essay. 3. Finish the introductory paragraph with a short summary or goal statement. For example: Technological innovation has thus made the traditional workplace obsolete. 1. In each of the body paragraphs (usually two or three) the ideas first presented in the introductory paragraph are developed. Remember that referring to ideas first introduced in the initial paragraph provides structure to your essay. 2. Develop your body paragraphs by giving detailed information and examples. For example: When the Internet was first introduced it was used primarily by scientists, now it is common in every classroom.



3. Body paragraphs should develop the central idea and finish with a summary of that idea. There should be at least two examples or facts in each body paragraph to support the central idea. 1. The summary paragraph summarizes your essay and is often a reverse of the introductory paragrah. 2. Begin the summary paragrah by quickly restating the principal ideas of your body paragraphs. For example: The Internet in the home, benefits and ease of use of modern computer systems... 3. The penultimate sentence should restate your basic thesis of the essay. For example: We have now passed from the industrial revolution to the information revolution. 4. Your final statement can be a future prediction based on what you have shown in the essay. For example: The next step: The complete disappearance of the workplace. Tips: 1. Use strong verbs and avoid modals to state your opinion. It is better to write: The workplace has evolved than The workplace seems to have evolved 2. Do not apologize for what you are saying. An essay is about your opinion. 3. Do not translate from your mother tongue. It will quickly get you into trouble! What You Need:  Computer or Typewriter  Dictionary  Thesaurus



ESL Essay Writing Rubric By Kenneth



Beare



Scoring essays written by English learners can at times be difficult due to the challenging task of writing larger structures in English. ESL



/ EFL teachers should expect errors in each area and make appropriate concessions in their scoring. Rubrics should be based on a keen understanding of English learner communicative levels. This essay writing rubric provides a scoring system which is more appropriate to English learners than standard rubrics. This essay



writing rubric also contains marks not only for organization and structure, but also for important sentence level mistakes such as the correct usage of linking language, spelling and grammar. Essay Writing Rubric Category



4 - Exceeds 3 - Meets 2 - Needs 1 - Inadequate Score Expectations Expectations Improvement



Understanding Demonstrates Demonstrates Demonstrates a Not clear of Audience a keen a general limited which understanding understanding understanding audience is of the target of audience of audience, intended for audience, and and uses and generally this writing. uses mostly uses appropriate appropriate appropriate, if vocabulary andvocabulary andsimple,



language. language Anticipates structures. probable questions and addresses these concerns with evidence pertaining to probable potential readers. Hook / Introduction



vocabulary and language.



Introductory Introductory Introductory Introductory paragraph paragraph paragraph paragraph begins with a begins with a begins with a does not statement that statement that statement that contain a hook both grabs the attempts to might be or attention attention of the grab the construed as grabber. reader and is attention of the an attention appropriate to reader, but is getter, but is not the audience. incomplete in clear. some sense, or may not be appropriate to the audience.



Theses / Main Introductory Introductory Idea paragraph paragraph Structuring contains a contains a clear thesis of clear thesis. main idea with However, the clear following suggestions as support to how the sentences are body of the not essay will necessarily, or support this only vaguely thesis. connected to the body paragraphs.



Introductory paragraph contains a statement that may be construed as a thesis or main idea. However, there is little structural support in the following sentences.



Introductory paragraph contains no clear thesis statement or main idea.



Body / Evidence and Examples



Body paragraphs provide clear evidence and ample examples supporting thesis statement.



Body Body paragraphs paragraphs are provide clear vaguely on connections to topic, but lack thesis clear statement, but connections, may be need evidence and more examplesexamples of or concrete thesis or main evidence. idea.



Body paragraphs are unrelated, or marginally connected to essay topic. Examples and evidence is weak or nonexistent.



Closing Paragraph /



Closing paragraph



Closing paragraph



Conclusion is nonexistent



Conclusion is weak and at



Conclusion



provides a concludes clear essay in conclusion satisfactory successfully manner. stating the However, author's author's position, as position and / well as or an effective containing an restatement of effective main idea or restatement of thesis may be the main idea lacking. or thesis of the essay.



Sentence Structure



All sentences are well constructed with very few minor mistakes. Complex sentence structures are used effectively.



Most Some sentences are sentences are well well constructed constructed, with a number while others of mistakes. contain serious Some attempts errors. Use of at complex complex sentence sentence structure are structure is successful. limited.



Very few sentences are well constructed, or sentence structures are all very simple.



Linking Language



Linking language is used correctly and often.



Linking Linking language is language is used. seldom used. However, mistakes in exact phrasing or usage of linking language is evident.



Linking language is almost never or never used.



Grammar and Writing Spelling includes no or only very few minor errors in grammar, spelling.



times confusing with little or no in terms of reference to author's proceeding position with paragraphs or little reference author's to main idea or position. thesis.



Writing Writing includes Writing includes a a number of includes relatively small errors in numerous number of grammar, errors in errors in spelling and grammar, grammar, punctuation spelling and spelling and which, at times, punctuation punctuation. hinders which makes However, reader's reader's reader's understanding. understanding understanding difficult. is not impeded by these errors.



ESL Writing Workshop 1 By Kenneth Beare Essay writing in English is required on a number of important exams such as theTOEFL, TOEIC, IELTS and Cambridge exams. Any student wanting to continue their studies at university must also be able to write essays. At the most basic level essays are written in a certain style that I like to call the hamburger essay. In other words, an introduction and conclusion that is similar with body paragraphsproviding the main points of the essay. English learners can use this series of four lessons to begin writing essays. Most students also write essays for other courses in their native language, they often feel hesitant when writing essays in English. This series of four lessons is designed to help students become familiar with writing an essay in English. The first lesson is designed to give students an overview of basic essay writing style. The final three lessons focus on developing skills that are used when analyzing texts as the basis of their essays. Aim: Learning basic essay structure for young learners to use for text analysis Activity: Overview of basic essay structure presentation with students working together to develop an essay outline Level: Young Learners - upper intermediate Outline:  Choose a short story that your class is very familiar with, and about which they will surely have



strong opinions.  In a brainstorming session, ask students the following questions (you may want to have the 



students work on these questions in small groups and then review their answers as a class): Who are the main characters of the story?







What are the main events of the story?







What roles do the main characters play in the main events of the story?







Is there a moral to the story? If yes, what do you think it is?







What did you learn from the story?



 Make a list of the most commonly held opinions and answers relating to the story.  Give students the short outline to writing an essay. Have them read through the outline and



answer any questions they may have.  Ask students to break up into small groups and, using the information from the brainstorming session, fill in the outline questionnaire.  Circulate around the class helping the groups come up with appropriate answers to the outline.  Make sure that each student has a copy of the work they produce as this outline will be used as



the base of an essay in a future lesson. An Introduction to Writing an Essay



1. Select the topic of your essay. 1. Choose the central idea, or thesis, of your essay. For example: George Orwell's Animal Farm provides a fascinating allegory of life in a totalitarian society. 2. Outline your essay into introductory, body and summary paragraphs. 3. The introductory paragraph begins with an interesting sentence. For example: The idyllic setting of life on the farm provides little clue of the harsh realities George Orwell portrays in Animal Farm. 4. After this first sentence, add your thesis statement from above. 5. Use one sentence to introduce every body paragraph to follow. For example: Orwell's choice of pigs as the leaders of the farm can hardly be incidental. 6. Finish the introductory paragraph with a short summary or goal statement. For example: George Orwell's Animal Farm fascinates the reader through its extreme contrast between the idyllic and brutally realistic. 7. In each of the body paragraphs (usually two or three) the ideas first presented in the introductory paragraph are developed. 8. Develop your body paragraphs by giving detailed information and examples. For example: The struggle between the two leading pigs, Napoleon and Snowball, with its consequences felt by the population of the farm clearly illustrates how totalitarian leaders will put their own confrontations ahead of the population they are supposedly leading. 9. Body paragraphs should develop the central idea and finish with a summary of that idea. There should be at least two examples or facts in each body paragraph to support the central idea. 10. The summary paragraph summarizes your essay and is often a reverse of the of the introductory paragraph. 11. Begin the summary paragraph by quickly restating the principal ideas of your body paragraphs. For example: Through the use of symbolism in the portrayal of characters, setting and style, George Orwell's Animal Farm delivers a harsh criticism of totalitarian society. 12. The penultimate sentence should restate your basic thesis of the essay. For example: Animal Farm is a deceivingly simple allegory presenting totalitarian society in all its grimmest aspects. 13. Your final statement can be a future prediction based on what you have shown in the essay. For example: Considering the vast changes in the global political structure of the last twenty years, one can only hope that mankind has learned the lessons so elegantly told in George Orwell's Animal Farm. Outline Questionnaire  This essay is about:  The essay is introduced by the following interesting statement:  This essay is introduced with the following idea:  The essay will illustrate the above idea by showing that:



 



(main point of paragraph 1) This is shown by:



1. 2. 3.  



(main point of paragraph 2) This is shown by:



1. 2. 3.  



(main point of paragraph 3) This is shown by:



1. 2. 3.  To summarize, this essay has shown that:  The lessons that can be learned are:  



Printing Page Writers' Workshop - Lesson 1 - Basic Essay Structure Writers' Workshop - Lesson 2 - Developing a Character Analysis Writers' Workshop - Lesson 3 - Using Themes to Relate to a Story Writers' Workshop - Lesson 4 - Getting Ideas Organized Back to lessons resource page