Unity and Coherence A good paragraph has the elements of unity and coherence: Unity: You discuss only one idea in the paragraph which is stated in the topic sentence, and then each and every supporting sentence develops that idea. (The paragraph should not end with another idea or wander within different ideas- it should have a single focus!) Coherence: The paragraph should be easy to read and understand. For this you can: Keep your sentences in a logical order & Connect your ideas by the use of appropriate transition signals: ex. (first of all, however, for example, etc.

Coherence Key nouns Pronouns Transitional Signals. Logical Order.

Key nouns English has almost become an international language. Except for it’s Chinese, more people speak it than any other language. Spanish is the official language of more countries in the world, but more countries have it as their official or unofficial second language. More than seventy per cent of the world’s mail is written in it. In international business, it is used more than any other language, and it is the language of airline pilots and air traffic controllers all over the world. Moreover, although French used to be the language of diplomacy, it has displaced it throughout the world. Therefore unless you plan to spend your life alone on a desert island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, it is a useful language to know.

Consistent Pronouns Ex. An Olympic athlete must be strong both physically and mentally. First of all, if you hope to complete in an Olympic sort, you must…………… In addition to being physically strong, he/she must also be mentally tough.

Transition Signals, See (Writing Academic Englsih, p. 43) P. 48 (Write a paragraph that develops the following topic sentence. Use the transitional signals below: Some people enjoy solitude -For instance -Moreover -On the other hand -Therefore

Logical Order To achieve coherence , you can arrange your sentences in some kind of logical order. There are different ways to organize the ideas and sentences in a paragraph. Choosing one depends on your topic and on your purpose. Some kinds of logical order are: (Chronological order, logical divisions of ideas, comparison and contrast, and cause and effect.

For logical order Each kind of order has its own special words and phrases to show the relationships among the ideas. For example: Chronological Order: first, next after 1950, then, in …, while working on the project, etc. Differences: The most noticeable difference (contrast, larger than, unlike, on the other hand, in contrast, differ from Similarities (comparison): Similarly, as expensive as, just as, just like, compare with, in comparison Logical division of ideas: first, second, third,.etc.

Logical Divisions of Ideas Logical division is one of the most common ways to organize ideas in English. In everyday life, things are divided into groups. Grocery stores separate items into groups: There is usually more than one way to divide things: by age by gender, by level, etc. - Order of importance.

Concrete Support When writing a paragraph you should support your topic sentence by using specific and factual details. Facts Versus Opinions: Ex. 1. At sea level, water boils at 100 degrees Celsius………………(fact!) Ex. 2. Men are better drivers than women. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - In formal writing, it is good to express your opinion, but you need to support it with factual details. - In formal writing, even some statements that are considered facts need further support (by mentioning some specific supporting details in Order to be completely convincing)

Concrete Support Example: Fact: Smoking cause lung cancer C. S. : The U.S Surgeon General’s 1964 report on smoking states…..

Fact Versus Opinion (Ex. P. 66) 1. Decide whether each of the following statements is a fact or an opinion. Write (F) for fact, O for opinion. 2. Decide if the facts need additional supporting details. Write NFS (needs further details) next to those that do. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Smoking is relaxing. Smoking is unhealthy. Some people enjoy smoking because it relaxes them. Dr. Kathleen Parker, a well-known cancer specialist, recently admitted an interview, ‘’Although I see harmful effects of smoking nearly every day in my work, I still enjoy relaxing with a cigarette after dinner’. Cigarette smoke causes chemical changes in your lung cells which can lead to cancer. Young men between the ages of 16 and 30 are reckless drivers. Young men between the ages of 16 and 30 have 2.7 times as many accidents as young women in the same age group do. Young men between the ages of 16 and 30 should be required to take a driver’s training class, which emphasizes safety and responsibility. Young men who take such a class will become safer drivers.

Concrete Support Details There are several kinds of concrete supporting details. Among the most common are: examples, illustrative incidents, statistics, quotations, references, etc. Tips for Using Examples and Illustrative Incidents: Examples and illustrative incidents are perhaps the easiest kind of supporting details to use. You can often take them from your own knowledge and personal experiences. Illustrative incidents are usually interesting and make your writing interesting. But, In formal writings, examples and illustrative incidents are considered the weakest form of support- so do not use them so often. You should make sure that they prove your point. When using them, introduce them with appropriate transitional signals: for example, for instance, e.g. (exempli gratia).

Writing practice! Choose one of the topics below and write one paragraph about it. Focus on making your paragraph coherent. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Narrow the topic and brainstorm to develop ideas by listing, freewriting, or clustering Develop an outline, including a topic sentence and a concluding sentence. Decide what transition signals would be appropriate and write them in the margin of your outline Write a rough draft, and check it Write a second draft and check it for grammar and mechanics. Write your final copy and hand it in: Cheating Drugs Marriage

Paragraph Checklist Form Topic sentence Supporting sentences Unity - Did you indent the first line - Did you write on every other line? Topic sentence - Does your topic sentence contains a controlling idea? Supporting sentences Unity - Do all of your sentences support your topic sentence Coherence - Do you repeat key nouns frequently and use pronouns appropriately? - Do you use transition signals at appropriate places to make your sentences flow smoothly? Concrete support - Does your paragraph contain enough specific supporting details to prove your main points? Concluding Sentence - Does your paragraph have a concluding sentence ( See Course Main reference book, p. 73)

Suggested Time limits: Brainstorm for ideas 5 min. Develop a rough outline 3 min Write your paragraph 10 min Check your paragraph 2 min ------------------------------------------------- 20 min.