Writing A way to develop a paragraph: exemplification

Exemplification is another method of paragraph development. It uses examples or specific instances selected to support a topic sentence and make a general statement specific and easy to understand. Exemplification is usually introduced by expressions like for example, for instance, such as, and take the case of. Paragraphs 6-8 of section A is an example of this method. INTRUDUCTION

Interest in teaching, social service and the humanities is at a low, along with ethnic and women’s studies. On the other hand, enrollment in business programs, engineering and computer science is way up. (Para. 6) Main idea

Para. 7 That’s no surprise either. A friend of mine (a sales representative for a chemical company) was making twice the salary of college instructors during her first year on the job—even before she completed her two-year associate degree. Para. 8 “I’ll tell them what they can do with their (music, history, literature, etc.),” she was fond of saying. And that was four years ago; I tremble to think what she’s earning now. Examples

Some points to be kept in mind in selecting an example: When you select an example, you should see to it that it is precise concrete relative to the main idea Read the following paragraphs and decide whether the examples in them are proper.

Paragraph 1 Wherever there are great forests, modern methods of insect control threaten the fishes inhabiting the streams in the shelter of the trees. One of the best- known examples of fish destruction in the United States took place in 1955, as a result of spraying in and near Yellowstone National Park. By the fall of that year, so many dead fish had been found in the Yellowstone River that sportsmen and Montana fish-and-game administrators became alarmed. About 90 miles of the river were affected. In one 300-yard length of shoreline, 600 dead fish were counted. Stream insects, the natural food of trout, had disappeared.

The example in this paragraph shows that people spray in Yellowstone Park to kill insects, but they didn’t expect that many fish living on the insects died from starvation. This example support the main idea “modern methods of insect control threaten the fishes inhabiting the streams in the shelter of the trees”. Therefore, it is a proper one. Analyze

Paragraph 2 Misunderstandings—often amusing but sometimes serious—can arise between people from different cultures if they misinterpret nonverbal signals. Take, for example, the differences in meaning of a gesture very common in the United States: a circle made with the thumb and index finger. To an American, it means that everything is OK. To a Japanese, it means that you are talking about money. In France, it means that something is worthless, and in Greece, it is an obscene gesture. Therefore, an American could unknowingly offend a Greek by using that particular hand signal.

This paragraph uses a very common signal as an example to show that something means one thing in this culture but means a totally different one in another. Misunderstanding may come from this. It’s a proper example to support the main idea that “Misunderstandings can arise between people from different cultures if they misinterpret nonverbal signals”. So it’s a case in point. Analyze

Useful expressions to introduce examples  for example/for instance  …is often cited/quoted/taken as an example.  A good case in point is….  This offers a typical/concrete/dramatic/striking example….  To illustrate this, we may take…as an example.  History/Our society is filled with the examples…  …shows/exemplifies/illustrates this.  This is shown/exemplified/illustrated by the story of…  As for as …be concerned, the history of… show many instances (in which)…  …can serve as an example.

Develop one of the following topic sentences by supporting it with proper examples. 1. Recent years have witnessed a marked growth of fire accidents in big cities in our country. 2. Movies often distort the image of real life.

Sample Movies often distort the image of real life. To illustrate this, let’s look at crime drama as an example. Such film is about finding the criminal; as soon as he is arrested the story is over. In real life, however, little of a policeman’s time is spent on dramatic confrontations with desperate criminals. Love story is another typical example. Lovers can never get together easily. There must be someone coming out to stop them, and they, without exception, will never give up. And the end is always a wedding ceremony. This is too far from realistic.

Comments In this paragraph, the writer first brings up the main idea: Movies often distort the image of real life. Then he supports it with two examples: crime drama and love story. These two examples very well illustrate the main idea.