The study “How to write a good paragraph” - Nguyễn Thị Hà

SỞ GIÁO DỤC & ĐÀO TẠO TỈNH VĨNH PHÚC
PHÒNG GIÁO DỤC & ĐÀO TẠO HUYỆN LẬP THẠCH
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THE STUDY
“HOW TO WRITE A GOOD PARAGRAPH”
 Họ và tên : NGUYỄN THỊ HÀ
 Chức vụ : Giáo viên
 Đơn vị : Trường THCS Lập Thạch – huyện Lập Thạch Tỉnh Vĩnh Phúc.
 Đối tượng học sinh bồi dưỡng: HS lớp 8,9.
 Số tiết bồi dưỡng: 12
PART I:
KNOWLEDGE SYSTEMS, BASIC METHODS, AND ILLUSTRATIVE EXAMPLES
A, ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:
As we know, many students in Viet Nam cannot use English in communication after leaving high schools or universities, which is a big problem for our education system. The authorities really concern about teaching and learning English in Viet Nam, so they motivate the National Foreign Languages 2020 Project to help Vietnamese students improve and use English fluently. However, during my teaching I realize our students’ skills are not good. One of the four skills that students find it difficult and confusing is writing skill, especially writing paragraphs. Although many students are good at grammatical structures, know a variety of vocabularies, they do not know how to organize sentences to make a good paragraph and get good grade for their paragraph writing. To achieve this, students should hold the guidelines below.
B, CONTENTS
I, What is a paragraph?
 A paragraph is a group of related sentences that discuss one (and usually only one) main idea. A paragraph can be as short as one sentence or as long as ten sentences. The number of sentences is unimportant; however, the paragraph should be long enough to develop the main idea clearly.
 A paragraph should always have complete, correct sentences. As well it should be easy to read and well organized. The paragraph itself should focus on one subject, theme, or central idea. 
       In other words, a paragraph could be about an object such as a young boy. If the paragraph starts out talking about the boy, it must stay the same throughout. For example, if the writer were to talk about where a young boy lives and then go on to describe what the boy looks like, these are two separate ideas. This is demonstrated below: 
 John lived in San Francisco, California, with his two parents. He had his own bedroom, which he decorated himself. He and his parents all lived comfortably in the cozy apartment on the third floor. The apartments were only three blocks from where he attended J.U. High School. 
 John was only five years old, but he was extremely smart for his age. He wasn’t that tall and he was a bit on the skinny side. He had big blue eyes, light brown hair, rosy cheeks, and a friendly smile. Just looking at him he seemed like any other kid-- quite normal. Yet, everyone in his class looked at him differently because John could never be a normal kid. Instead, he wasn’t normal. No, he was a genius.
         In this example you can see that the first paragraph is about where John lives and the second paragraph covers another topic or idea, which is what he looks like. When examining a paragraph you can always ask yourself, what is the main idea in this paragraph? If you see two ideas as in the above example you might have to create two paragraphs. Although, in order to understand what a paragraph is and how to write one, you need to know how a paragraph is constructed. 
II, Elements of a paragraph
A paragraph should contain some structures and particular elements, which are listed below in relative order: 
1.A Topic sentence- motivates the reader to want to read more.
Every good paragraph has a topic sentence, which clearly states the topic and the controlling idea of the paragraph.
A topic sentence is the most important sentence in a paragraph. It briefly indicates what the paragraph is going to discuss. For this reason, the topic sentence is a helpful guide to both the write and the reader. The writer can see what information to include. The reader can see what the paragraph is going to be about and therefore better prepare to understand it. For example, in the model paragraph on gold, the topic sentence alerts the reader to look for two characteristics.
Gold
 Gold, a precious metal, is prized for two important characteristics. First of all, gold has a lustrous beauty that is resistant to corrosion. Therefore, it is suitable for jewelry, coins, and ornamental purposes. Gold never needs to be polished and will remain beautiful forever. For example, a Macedonian coin remains as untarnished today as the day it was made 25 centuries ago. Another important characteristic of gold is its usefulness to industry and science. For many years, it has been used in hundreds of industrial applications, such as photography and dentistry. The most recent use of gold is in astronauts’ suits. Astronauts wear gold-plated heat shields for protection when they go outside spaceships in space. In conclusion, gold is treasured not only for its beauty but also for its utility.
Here are three important points to remember about a topic sentence:
a, A topic sentence is a complete sentence; that is, it contains at least one subject and one verb. The following are not complete sentences because they do not have verbs:
Eg: Learning English at school.
 How to cook a good meal. 
b, A topic sentence contains both a topic and a controlling idea. It names the topic and then limits the topic to a specific area to be discussed in the space of a single paragraph.
Eg:
Gold , a precious metal, is prized for two important characteristics. 
topic	controlling idea
Driving on freeways requires skill and alertness.
Topic controlling idea
Participating in class discussions is a problem for several different groups of students 
 Topic controlling idea
c, A topic sentence should be neither too general nor too specific. If it is too general, the reader cannot tell exactly what the paragraph is going to discuss. If it is too specific, the writer will not have anything to write about in the rest of the paragraph.
Eg1: English has been influenced by other languages. -> This sentence is too general. We don’t know how many languages English has been influenced 
Eg2: Undercooked chicken and hamburger may carry E.coli bacteria.
->This sentence is too specific. It dedicates that undercooked chicken and hamburger causes E.coli bacteria. It is too clear for us to continue our ideas.
Eg3: It is hard to know which foods are safe to eat nowadays.-> This is the best topic sentence. It limits the paragraph to talk about only safe foods
*Notice:
A topic sentence is usually (but not always) the first sentence in a paragraph. Sometimes a topic sentence comes at the end. But the best spot is usually right at the beginning. The reader who are used to the English way of writing want to know what they will read about as soon as they begin reading.
2, Body: Supporting sentences 
2.1, Supporting sentences: 
- Supporting sentences develop the topic sentence. That’s, they explain or prove the topic sentence by giving more information about it. One of the biggest problems in student writing is that student writers often fail to support their ideas adequately. They need to use specific details to be thorough and convincing. 
- Good supporting sentences are specific and factual.
- There are several kinds of specific supporting details: examples, statistics, facts and quotations.
Following are some of supporting sentences that explain the topic sentence about gold.
First of all, gold has a lustrous beauty that is resistant to corrosion. 
For example, a Macedonian coin remains as untarnished today as the day it was made 25 centuries ago.
Another important characteristic of gold is its usefulness to industry and science.
- Paragraphs in English often have more than two supporting ideas. At minimum, you should have at least five to seven sentences in your paragraph
2.2, Unity:
- Supporting sentences must be directly linked to the topic sentence of the paragraph. When the sentences in a paragraph are not consistent with the main idea provided by the topic sentence, the paragraph lacks unity. Unity is a very important characteristic of good paragraph writing. Paragraph unity means that one paragraph is about ONLY ONE main topic. That is, all the sentences -- the topic, supporting sentences, the detail sentences, and (sometimes) the concluding sentence -- are all telling the reader about ONE main topic. If your paragraph contains a sentence or some sentences that are NOT related to the main topic, then we say that the paragraph "lacks unity," or that the sentence is "off-topic."
Eg: paragraph 1
 Adventure travel is the hot trend in the tourism industry. Ordinary people no longer content to spend their two weeks away from the office resting on a sunny beach in Florida. More and more often, they are choosing to spend their vacation rafting down wild rivers, hiking through steamy rain forests, climbing the world’s highest mountains, or crossing slippery glaciers.(People of all age are choosing education study tours for their vacations.)
->This paragraph breaks the rule of unity because it contains one or more sentences that are off the topic. The last sentence introduces a new topic.
- Every sentence in the paragraph should relate to the main idea. You achieve unity by:
+ discussing only one idea in a paragraph.
+ always staying on the topic in your supporting sentences.
2.3, Coherence:
- Supporting sentences should be arranged in logical order and connected by transitions to provide coherence (that other one!). The Latin verb cohere means “hold together”. For coherence in writing, the sentences must hold together; that is, the movement from one sentence to the next must be logical and smooth. There must be no sudden jumps. 
There are four ways to achieve coherence:
Repeat key nouns
Use consistent pronouns.
Use transition signals to link ideas.
Arrange your ideas in logical order.
- Arrangement of support sentences might be based on importance (usually least to most), time (usually first to last), or even space (far to near, near to far) -- just about anything, as long as it serves the writer's purpose. Transition words are often used to improve coherence and to reinforce the order in which supporting points are presented. Sometimes writers use simple transitions such as these to connect support sentences: 
"My first challenge at Wilson High School . . . "
"The second challenge I encountered . . . "
"My final challenge in high school . . . "
These sentences not only use transition words (first, second, final), but also repeat the key word challenge. This repetition of key words helps the reader keep in mind the main idea of the paragraph.
a, Repeat key nouns: 
- The easiest way to achieve coherence is to repeat key nouns frequently in your paragraph. Read the model about gold to see how it uses this technique to smooth the flow of sentences. The key words in this paragraph are gold.
Gold
 Gold, a precious metal, is prized for two important characteristics. First of all, gold has a lustrous beauty that is resistant to corrosion. Therefore, it is suitable for jewelry, coins, and ornamental purposes. Gold never needs to be polished and will remain beautiful forever. For example, a Macedonian coin remains as untarnished today as the day it was made 25 centuries ago. Another important characteristic of gold is its usefulness to industry and science. For many years, it has been used in hundreds of industrial applications, such as photography and dentistry. The most recent use of gold is in astronauts’ suits. Astronauts wear gold-plated heat shields for protection when they go outside spaceships in space. In conclusion, gold is treasured not only for its beauty but also for its utility.
b, Use consistent pronouns:
- Be consistent in point of view, verb tense, and number. Consistency in point of view, verb tense, and number is a subtle important aspect of coherence. If you shift from the mode of personal "you" to the impersonal “one,” from past to present tense, or from “a man” to “they,” for example, you make your paragraph less coherent. Such inconsistencies can also confuse your reader and make your argument more difficult to follow.
- When you use pronouns, make sure that you use the same person and number throughout your paragraph. Don’t change from you to he or she (change of person ) or from he to they( change of number). 	
c, Use transition signals to link ideas.
- Now, look at this paragraph. Can you identify the main points?
 Each of the U.S. manned space exploration projects had specific major goals. The Mercury project was designed to test whether or not human beings could survive and function in outer space. The Mercury project tested rockets with the new Mercury space capsule, which could hold one person. The Gemini project was intended to find out whether two people could work in the weightless environment of space. Gemini astronauts took "spacewalks." They floated outside their spacecraft in a spacesuit, connected to it by a tether. Gemini astronauts tried out new flying skills. Some astronauts flew two spacecraft extremely close together; this procedure was called "rendezvous." On some Gemini flights, astronauts physically linked two spacecraft together. Linking, or "space docking," was a major goal of the Gemini program. The Apollo project, with three astronauts, was intended to test spacecraft and skills so that people could actually fly to the Moon and land on it. Performing scientific experiments on the lunar surface and collecting rocks for study on Earth were goals.
-Was this paragraph a little confusing to read? Now consider the same paragraph with a few changes:
       Each of the U.S. manned space exploration projects had specific major goals. For example, the Mercury project was designed to test whether or not human beings could survive and function in outer space. In addition, the Mercury project tested rockets with the new Mercury space capsule, which could hold one person. As another example, the Gemini project was intended to find out whether two people could work in the weightless environment of space. One way of doing this was by having Gemini astronauts take "spacewalks." That is, they floated outside their spacecraft in a spacesuit, connected to it by a tether. Gemini astronauts also tried out new flying skills. For example, some astronauts flew two spacecraft extremely close together; this procedure was called "rendezvous." On some Gemini flights, astronauts physically linked two spacecraft together. This linking, or "space docking," was a major goal of the Gemini program. Finally, the Apollo project, with three astronauts, had the goal of testing spacecraft and skills so that people could actually fly to the Moon and land on it. Other goals included performing scientific experiments on the lunar surface and collecting rocks for study on Earth.
- Do you see which of the connectors above are major and which are minor? The major ones are For example in the second sentence, which introduces the first supporting point (the Mercury program); As another example, which begins the second main point (the Gemini program); and the word Finally, which introduces the third and last main point (the Apollo moon program). 
- As for the minor connectors, we can divide them into three groups. The first group of minor connectors provides coherence for the first main point (the Mercury program). There is only one minor connector in this first group, In addition, although it is possible to have more than one, depending on how many details you have to support your first main point.
The second group of minor connectors consists of That is, also, and also the phrase For example in the sentence, "For example, some astronauts..." Notice that this last minor connector is the same as the major connector at the beginning of the paragraph. However, the function of each is different, depending on the meaning of the sentences.
The third group of minor connectors in this particular paragraph also has one member, which are other goals included....
	Here is a table of a few common connectors (also called transitions)
Relationship
English Transition Words and Phrases
Adding information
also, and, as well, besides, equally important, finally, furthermore, in addition, moreover, then, too,
Comparing ideas
in like manner, in the same way, likewise, similarly,
Conceding a point
agreed, certainly, granted, obviously, of course, to be sure,
Contrasting ideas
at the same time, but, conversely, even so, even though, however, in contrast, nevertheless, nonetheless, on the one hand, on the other hand, still, yet,
Providing an example
as an illustration, as can be seen by, for example, for instance, in other words, namely, specifically, to illustrate,
Relating time and order of ideas
afterward, before, currently, eventually, finally, first, (second, third, fourth, fifth?), immediately, in the future, in the past, later, less important, meanwhile, most important, next, often, sometimes, soon, subsequently, then, today, when,
Resulting from the previous idea
accordingly, as a result, consequently, so, thereby, therefore, thus,
Showing relative location
Adjacent, at the side, between, here, in the back, in the background, in the distance, in the foreground, in the front, nearby, there, to the side,
Summarizing ideas
finally, hence, in brief, in conclusion, in short, in summary, that is, that is to say, to sum up,
- Since support sentences can be somewhat general, they usually require the proof provided by detail/example sentences, explanations, facts, and statistic
-It is not enough to say, "My first challenge at Wilson High School was studying enough to make good grades and stay on the honor roll." This statement may support the main idea of the paragraph, but the statement still needs to be proven. How much was enough? Why was it a challenge? Can the writer give convincing details or examples to prove it? 
Consider this example:
[ topic sentence] My senior year of high school was challenging. [support sentence] My first challenge at Wilson High School was studying enough to make good grades and stay on the honor roll. [detail/ example] I often studied past midnight, even though I had to get up at 6:00 a.m. to be ready in time to catch the school bus. [detail/ example] When I was studying for my chemistry mid-term in Ms. Beasley's class, I never went to bed at all -- but I made an "A" on the exam! 
- Although this paragraph is unfinished, you can see how important the details are to its development. Without them, the supporting points do not really mean much; they do not seem as real or immediate to the reader. Notice the use of names, specific times, and concrete details. You may have good ideas without providing the detail to support them, but your goal is to convince your reader. Good use of details and examples will help you get your main idea across.
-The short paragraph in this lesson is a fairly complete paragraph, but it lacks details.  Whenever possible, you should include enough details in your paragraphs to help your reader understand exactly what you are writing about.  In the paragraph about Wheaton, three natural landmarks are mentioned, but we do not know very much about them.  For example, we could add a sentence or two about Wheaton river concerning HOW wide it is or WHY it is beautiful. 
 Consider this revision (and note the additional details in bold): 
 My hometown, Wheaton, is famous for several amazing natural features. First, it is noted for the Wheaton River, which is very wide and beautiful. On either side of this river, which is 175 feet wide, are many willow trees which have long branches that can move gracefully in the wind. In autumn the leaves of these trees fall and cover the riverbanks like golden snow. Second, on the other side of the town is Wheaton Hill, which is unusual because it is very steep. Even th