Chunyan Shao (Shandong University)

 To learn 4 kinds of paragraphs  Definition  Comparison and Contrast  Cause-Effect  Explanation  To practice writing different paragraphs

 The paragraph starts with a simple definition.  The topic  Topic Sentence gives a simple definition  Support Sentences give more information through the use of examples, description or explanation  Concluding Sentence (usually unnecessary)

 Three parts: item, category and features. Itemcategoryfeatures A forsythiais a flowering shrub with yellow bell-shaped blossoms. Herbivoresare animalswhich feed on plants. Changeis a type of process which involves passing from one state or phase to another.

 Formal: less known terms  Informal: commonly known terms  informal definition to offer a new or personal understanding  E.g. A school is a place where children study.  E.g. A school is a place where children become socialized at an early age.  E.g. A family is a social unit which is composed of parents and children.  E.g. A family is a shelter where we regain strength and courage  Formal definition is impersonal.  Informal definition is personal.

 Music is a powerful means to influence and express thoughts, feelings, and emotions. Have you ever been in a bad mood or feeling rather sad when a song suddenly came over the radio which made you feel even worse? Have you ever been in a good mood and feeling rather happy, when a song made you feel even better? Many songs contain a mysterious force that releases listeners from reality and awakens the inner would of their emotions. So powerful is this force that people have always used music to convey their emotions to others, knowing that if, even for just an instant, the listener feels the flow of emotion from a memory or dream, the music maker has communicated with the listener on a profound level.

Superstition is an unreasonable belief in the supernature. It often originates because of ignorance of natural causes. It may come from a fear of the unknown and the mysterious. Many signs and omens symbolize good luck or bad luck. For example, if you carry a rabbit’s foot you will avoid bad luck. If you find a four-leaf clover you will have good luck. Hearing the cry of a crow is a sign of death. Misfortune can result from breaking a mirror, walking under a ladder, or opening an umbrella in the house. Today, because people have become more educated and have greater knowledge of the world around them, they have a rational basis for connecting cause and effect. For this reason, superstitions are slowly disappearing. But, although many educated people now say that superstitions are nonsense, they are still uneasy about some of them. For example, they continue to avoid doing important things on Friday the thirteenth day of the month. It will take a long time to eradicate superstitions that originated because of ignorance and fear of the unknown and that still persist because of tradition and habit.

 Longitudinal dunes are long low ridges of sand that lie approximately at right angles to the trend of the sand waves, or parallel to the direction of the wind. Some of the ridges are almost straight; others are slightly wavy. They range up to about 10 metres in height and 30 metres in width. Many are more than one and one- half kilometres long. Both sides of these dunes have practically the same slope and are usually covered with grass and shrubs. While the crest is usually bare of vegetation, on some dunes, even the crest is covered. Where this occurs, it means that wind action has stopped on this particular dune.

 Now pls. write a paragraph defining College Entrance Examination in China.  Topic sentence: Item—category—features  Supporting sentence: information related to College Entrance Examination  Concluding sentence: restatement of the topic sentence.

 Does your definition make CEE different from other kinds of exams?  Does your definition state the key features of CEE?  Does your definition serve as a good topic sentence?

 CEE is the most important test for students.  a criterion / standard  special way  most important access  form  necessary exam  a set of standard  necessary path  institution  a kind of exam

 The relationship between two things, for example, your hometown and your university town.  The similarities between the two entities  A comparison  The differences between the two entities  A contrast

 Despite all the debate and the anguish, the revelations and the confessions, the assertive women and the new men, many women are now reluctantly being forced to draw the same conclusion: the chips are still stacked against women, and men haven't changed. Even this week a report appeared confirming what many of us have known for some time, which is that women earn a lot less than men in the course of their working lives. In fact, the women who lose out the most are the intelligent ones with a bunch of GCSE passes but without a degree. They earn around a quarter of a million pounds a year less in their working lives than men doing the same job.

 At a more personal relationship level, men continue to want to control and lead. They are happy to make the odd gesture with the house or the children, but fundamentally they want the women to take responsibility for the time honoured home-based tasks while they continue to go out and earn the major income. It gives them a sense of worth and a meaning to their lives, poor things. It's quite a basic truth really; how many women have you see on the front of a Yamaha 850 with a man clinging on behind? They might do it once, for a laugh, but at the end of the day, the man wants to be sitting up front with the controls in his hands. Some people say that women who can't see this are battling against a fundamental truth of evolution. However, despite the prevalence of these attitudes, change is on the way.

 What is the topic in the paragraph? Which two subjects are compared?  Does the paragraph concentrate on the similarities or the differences between the two subjects?  How many similarities/differences are pointed out? What are they?

 When I first visited Marangu in 1977, it was a small, sleepy village about 3,000 ft up the side of Mount Kilimanjaro. A narrow road wound up from the valley floor, passing through maize fields, then banana plantations, then banana and coffee plantations and finally a mixture of eucalyptus trees and pine trees mixed in with the bananas and coffee. It was cool and lovely. Despite the fact that the village itself was small, there were two hotels and a training college. The hotels were there because Marangu was the starting point for most of the tourists who wanted to climb the mountain. The college was there because the region had maintained a tradition of education for over a 100 years or more and the college was merely one reflection of that fact.

 Today, in many ways, Marangu has changed very little, although changes have certainly taken place. The road has been rebuilt and now it's wider and the traffic travels up and down faster and more dangerously than it should. There are more houses too, some of the small and simple and some of them inappropriately grandiose. The hotels are still there, unchanged apart from rewiring and repainting. The college is completely unchanged in almost every respect, and even some of the same staff members are still teaching there. One has been there since 1965 after completing his teacher training in the college. It's a beautiful college and I can still stand on the steps at the back of the main building and, on a good day, see the snow covered peak of Kilimanjaro. It brings back some striking memories.

 What is the topic in the paragraph? Which two subjects are compared?  Does the paragraph concentrate on the similarities or the differences between the two subjects?  How many similarities/differences are pointed out? What are they?

 Block-to-block  A (P1, P2, P3…)  B (P1, P2, P3…)  Point-to-point  P1 (A-B)  P2 (A-B)  P3 (A-B)…

 Everything about A, then everything about B  A separate section or paragraph for each item.  The points should be the same and they should be explained in the same order.  Jinan and your hometown  Jinan (people, food, custom, climate…)  Hometown (people, food, custom, climate…)

 One point of comparison before moving to the next point.  People (Jinan, your hometown)  Food (Jinan, your hometown)  Custom (Jinan, your hometown)  Climate (Jinan, your hometown)

 In spring, where to go for a vacation?  To the mountains or the beaches?  What is your preference?

MountainBeach scenery Green trees fresh air… Blue seawater warm sunshine… activities mountain climbing Hiking swimming beach volleyball Potential dangerAnimals, waysDrowning Other relevant topics

List the similarities in the center area (C). List the different characteristics on either side (A and B).

 Purpose of comparison and contrast  1. To explain difference between subjects  Informative comparisons  2. To persuade readers that one subject is superior to the other.  Persuasive comparisons

1. Frequently use definitions, examples and descriptions to establish similarities and differences. 2. This type of writing generally does not recommend one item as being better than the others.

1. This type of writing relies heavily on critical thinking. 2. One subject as being superior to another. 3. Needs convincing evidence.

 What is your purpose for this composition?  Persuasive comparison  The main ideas.  The points you tend to compare in order to explain the superiority of one thing over another.  The points that worth discussing or the points that could best illustrate the superiority of your preference.

MountainBeach scenery activities Potential danger Please examine the table. Use what has been discussed in the Venn Diagram to fulfill the blanks in the table below. You may also choose your own subjects to compare, and accordingly design your own table.

 Mountain  a. scenery  b. activities  c. potential danger  Beach  a. scenery  b. activities  c. potential danger

 Point 1: Scenery  a. Mountain  b. Beach  Point 2: Activities  a. Mountain  b. Beach  Point 3: Potential Danger  a. Mountain  b. Beach

Short conjunctionsLonger expressions Similarly Likewise...the same the same as also......, too. both In the same way, X is similar to Y in that (they)... X and Y are similar in that (they)... Like X, Y [verb]... In like manner, One way in which X is similar to Y is (that)... Another way in which X is similar to Y is (that)...

Short conjunctionsLonger conjunctions However, In contrast, By contrast,..., but..., yet On the other hand, even though + [sentence] although + [sentence] whereas + [sentence] unlike + [sentence] while + [sentence] nevertheless,

 Nov. 23 Friday  Your writing on Listening comprehension  Your revised opening paragraph  Key points of evaluation  1. General statement  What kind?  Background information  Able to arouse my interest  2. Thesis statement  Topic? Subtopic? Organization? 3. Not language points

 Now write two paragraphs to  Compare your hometown with your university town  Contrast Chinese university with American university

JinanYour hometown sizebiggersmaller population6,814,000 streetMore, narrower Places of interestBaotu Spring, Daming Lake… peopleWarm-hearted, friendly, simple EducationUniversity town

 European universities and universities in the United States are different in many ways. First, European students enroll in fewer courses each term than United States students do. Second, European students seldom live at a university. Instead, they live at home and travel to classes. Thirdly, most European courses are given by professors who lecture to their classes. In contrast, United States professors often ask their students questions or allow their students to form discussion groups. Fourth, European professors ask student to write fewer papers than United States Professors do. Consequently, European students’ final examinations are usually oral, whereas American students take written final examinations. Finally, a European university is mainly a place to study. But at most United States universities, social activities take up a large part of the students’ time.

 My hometown and my college town have several things in common. First, both are small rural communities. For example, my hometown, Gridlock, has a population of only about 10,000 people. Similarly, my college town, Subnormal, consists of about 11,000 local residents. This population swells to 15,000 people when the college students are attending classes. A second way in which these two towns are similar is that they are both located in rural areas. Gridlock is surrounded by many acres of farmland which is devoted mainly to growing corn and soybeans. In the same way, Subnormal lies in the center of farmland which is used to raise hogs and cattle. Thirdly, both of these towns are similar in that both contain college campuses. Gridlock, for example, is home to Neutron College, which is famous for its Agricultural Economics program as well as for its annual Corn-Watching Festival. Likewise, the town of Subnormal boasts the beautiful campus of Quark College, which is well known for its Agricultural Engineering department and also for its yearly Hog-Calling Contest.

 Definition paragraph  item, category and features.  Comparison and contrast  Informative  Persuasive  Point-to-point  Block-to-block