Paragraph Unity and Coherence  Copyright 2012                    www.time4writing.com/free-writing-resources                    Copyright 2012 

It's a group of sentences organized around one central topic.          What is a Paragraph? It's a group of sentences organized around one central topic.   These sentences follow one clear path through the topic, without detours. Use these four elements to create unified paragraphs that don't wander.  Copyright 2012                    www.time4writing.com/free-writing-resources                    Copyright 2012 

Elements that make for great paragraphs: 1. Unity 2. Order 3. Coherence 4. Completeness  Copyright 2012                    www.time4writing.com/free-writing-resources                    Copyright 2012 

Element #1: Unity Start with the topic sentence. Every sentence supports this one idea with information that points back to it, or explains it! The paragraph is unified around just one idea.  Copyright 2012                    www.time4writing.com/free-writing-resources                    Copyright 2012 

The start of this paragraph is incorrect: Example: No Unity The start of this paragraph is incorrect: "Sunday is my favorite day, because I can watch football with my dad. There are other sports on other days to watch on TV." The second sentence detours from the main topic: how watching football with dad makes Sunday your favorite day.  Copyright 2012                    www.time4writing.com/free-writing-resources                    Copyright 2012 

Don't include unrelated details  Sentences like these don't relate to the main idea in the topic sentence: "There are other sports on other days to watch on TV." OR "Some days my dad doesn't make it home from work until after I'm in bed."  Copyright 2012                    www.time4writing.com/free-writing-resources                    Copyright 2012 

This is a better start to the paragraph: Example of Unity This is a better start to the paragraph: "Sunday is my favorite day, because I can watch football with my dad. He spends the whole day watching football on TV with me, since he doesn't have to work that day." The second sentence elaborates on the main topic. This is a unified start.  Copyright 2012                    www.time4writing.com/free-writing-resources                    Copyright 2012 

You can order your supporting sentences in different ways: Element #2: Order You can order your supporting sentences in different ways: 1. by chronology: the order of events in time 2. by importance: the order of most to least important, or least to most important 3. by logic: the order that makes the most sense based on the topic  Copyright 2012                    www.time4writing.com/free-writing-resources                    Copyright 2012 

Random sentences cause confusion. Why is order important? Random sentences cause confusion. Without organization of your sentences, it's hard to tell what your main idea is. Order helps you make your point, and helps the reader follow along from one idea to the next one, until you prove your conclusion.  Copyright 2012                    www.time4writing.com/free-writing-resources                    Copyright 2012 

What is the correct order of these sentences? And if I'm really late, I even miss the school bus. If I forget to set my alarm, I get up late and rush through everything. As a result, I often have to gulp my breakfast.  It's always much better if I remember to set the alarm, so I have more time to get ready. I also might rush out and forget my books. Can you see why order is important?  Copyright 2012                    www.time4writing.com/free-writing-resources                    Copyright 2012 

Element #3: Coherence This is how you make your writing understandable to the reader. You make your paragraph coherent by connecting ideas to one another.  Copyright 2012                    www.time4writing.com/free-writing-resources                    Copyright 2012 

Two Ways of Creating Coherence: 1. Use transition words to create bridges from one sentence to the next. 2. Be consistent in using verb tenses and point of view. This makes the paragraph work as a whole unit, with everything working together.  Copyright 2012                    www.time4writing.com/free-writing-resources                    Copyright 2012 

1. Types of Transition Words: words that show order: first, second, third words showing spatial relationships:  above, below, beside words showing logical order:  furthermore, in fact, in addition  Copyright 2012                    www.time4writing.com/free-writing-resources                    Copyright 2012 

2. Verb Tenses and Point of View: Verb tenses should all be consistently present tense, or consistently past tense. "Sunday used to be [past] my favorite day, because I could [past] watch football with my dad. He spends [present] the whole day watching football on TV with me, since he doesn't have to [present] work that day."                           This is not unified in tense!  Copyright 2012                    www.time4writing.com/free-writing-resources                    Copyright 2012 

2. Verb Tenses and Point of View: Point of View: write from the point of view of the same person throughout the whole paragraph. "Sunday is his favorite day, because he can watch football with his dad. I have lunch with my dad while we watch a game together."  Point of view changes from "he/his" to "I/my" in the second sentence -- not good!  Copyright 2012                    www.time4writing.com/free-writing-resources                    Copyright 2012 

Element #4: Completeness For a complete paragraph, you need enough information to support the main idea, or prove your thesis. If all sentences clearly and thoroughly support the main idea, the paragraph is complete.  Copyright 2012                    www.time4writing.com/free-writing-resources                    Copyright 2012 

Main parts of a Complete Paragraph 1. Topic sentence: an interesting subject and its controlling idea 2. Supporting sentences: usually at least three, to develop the main idea thoroughly 3. Concluding sentence: to summarize the main idea and reinforce the topic sentence  Copyright 2012                    www.time4writing.com/free-writing-resources                    Copyright 2012 

Sample Paragraph with all 4 Elements: "Sunday is my favorite day because I spend the day watching football with my dad. On Sunday, unlike the other days of the week when he works, my dad spends the whole day with me watching football on TV. We even eat lunch together while watching. The highlight of the day is watching the Dolphins game. Dad and I get so excited, we yell and cheer together. On Sundays, I get to combine watching my favorite sport and spending time with my favorite person—what a great day!"  Copyright 2012                    www.time4writing.com/free-writing-resources                    Copyright 2012