Writing Paragraphs by Prof. Attaullah Shah

Paragraphs Exercise: Checklist for good paragraph writing: Salient features of a good paragraph Unity Coherence Variety Emphasis Checklist for good paragraph writing: Does the paragraph directly to the question or thesis statement? Does the paragraph just have one main idea? Is there a topic sentence which has a topic and controlling idea? Is the topic sentence supported? Are nouns and pronouns used appropriately? Are sentences arranged in a logical order? Are linking words used? Is the paragraph clearly linked to the other paragraphs? Is the paragraph layout correct?

Class Activity (20 minutes) Keeping the basic principles of paragraph writing in mind, write a paragraph of about 15 sentences on any of the following topics: Importance of Survey Camp in Civil Engineering Role of Civil Engineering in Society Civil Engineering and Ethics My ambition of life as Civil Engineer The Department of Civil Engineering at City University The students will be randomly selected to present their paragraph and other students will check its accuracy according to given principles.

Memos and Emails Memo: An important mean for communication amongst employees (supervisor, subordinates, coworkers etc.) Written for different purposes Documentation ( Admission report, incident report, cost reports Cover/Transmittal: Attach doc for readers Confirmation: Meeting date, time, agenda, venue etc. Procedures: Account opening, ID card preparation, online job application etc. Recommendations: Purchase new equipment, hire and fire personnel, contract with new vendor, take actions Feasibility: Study the possibility of possible workplace changes Status: Daily, weekly, monthly progress reports about site development, procurements etc. Directive: Delegation of responsibilities ( Inform subordinates of their designated tasks Inquiry: Ask about upcoming processes., procedures and assignment's

Structure of Memo Every Organization has unique Memo structure called organizational memo style or template Memos contain the following key elements: Memo ID Line/Subject; All readers read it. It must convey possibly sufficient information One word subject line doesn't communicate effectively \ Example: Subject: Increase in salary of Lab Engineer Subject: Lab Engineer A comprehensive subject line, tells the whole story of the memo Very large subject line crates ambiguity and disiterets Introduction Write two introductory sentences What you want and why are you writing? Example: In third series of Quality Control meetings, this quarter I would like to get the information about whether some improvement has been made. As follow-up to our conversation, yesterday I have met with our VP regarding your suggestions. He would like to meet with you and discuss the following ideas………….

Structure of Memo-Cont’d Discussion Here we want to answer to the questions (Who, what, where Why, When and How) Conclusion; Conclude your memo with a complementary close or directive close. Audience recognition: The varied types of audience provides relatively broader challenge.

Effective Memo Checklist Have you used correct Memo format including date, to from, subject lines Is your subject line correct: Is it typed all Caps and Does it contain topic and focus Does your introduction tell you why are you writing and what are you writing about Does the body explain, exactly what you want to say? Does the conclusion tells what next Is your page format user friendly Is your style concise Limit of the words per sentence – Limit of line per paragraph Is your writing clear Do you answer reporter's all questions Do you avoid vague words,

Have you written appropriately to your audience Have you defied high tech terms Have you personalized your memo appropriately to your audience Have you checked your memo for spelling, grammatical errors. Proof read your memo before sending.

Practice Memo Writing Write Memo on any of the following topics: 01:There is some quality problem at worksite. Your boss has asked you to write a memo noting the problem and suggesting solutions 02: The change in the Students’ Time Table has created problems for some students. The HoD has advised you write to SSO for rectification of the problem