英语写作Lesson 11

1、 Features of a Paragraph What is a paragraph?nDiscuss the following question:n What is a paragraph? What is a paragraph?nIs the following sentence about paragraph correct?n A paragraph is made up of a series of sentences. Sample 1 Trees complain as the strong wind tears at their branches, causing th

2、em to bend and how down. Mr. Green goes through the same morning routine every weekday. It also has a varied landscape with dramatic mountains, rocky coastlines and rolling hills.it gives the fact and description to show how beautiful the Irish country is. At six he is wakened by an alarm clock and

3、gets up. What is a paragraph?nRead the following sample paragraph and answer the question:n What is a paragraph? What is a paragraph?n The Irish countryside is very beautiful. There is a popular Irish song which says that there are 100 different shades of green in the Irish landscape, and this is no

4、 exaggeration. Thanks to generous rainfall, much of the countryside is covered in rich green vegetation, which is why Ireland is also known as the Emerald Isle. It also has a varied landscape with dramatic mountains, rocky coastlines and rolling hills. What is a paragraph?nA paragraph is a group of

5、related sentences that develop one main idea.What is an effective paragraph?nAnalyze the sample paragraph and answer the following question:n What is an effective paragraph? What is a paragraph?nThe Irish countryside is very beautiful. There is a popular Irish song which says that there are 100 diff

6、erent shades of green in the Irish landscape, and this is no exaggeration. Thanks to generous rainfall, much of the countryside is covered in rich green vegetation, which is why Ireland is also known as the Emerald Isle. It also has a varied landscape with dramatic mountains, rocky coastlines and ro

7、lling hills.What is an effective paragraph?nThe paragraph consists of _ sentences.What is an effective paragraph?nThe feature of the first sentence:nThe Irish countryside is very beautiful.nThe first sentence concerning the topic of the paragraph, so it is the topic sentence.What is an effective par

8、agraph?nThe feature of the second sentence:nThere is a popular Irish song which says that there are 100 different shades of green in the Irish landscape, and this is no exaggeration. .nIt cites the lyrics of a song emphasizing the many different shades of green in Ireland, and gives the fact to show

9、 how beautiful the Irish country is. It develops the first sentence, so it is the supporting sentence.What is an effective paragraph?nThe feature of the third sentence:nThanks to generous rainfall, much of the countryside is covered in rich green vegetation, which is why Ireland is also known as the

10、 Emerald Isle.nIt gives the reason why Ireland is rich in green, and gives the description to show how beautiful the Irish country is. It develops the first sentence, so it is the supporting sentence.What is an effective paragraph?nThe feature of the fourth sentence:nIt also has a varied landscape w

11、ith dramatic mountains, rocky coastlines and rolling hills. nIt adds some more information about the Irish landscape. It gives the fact and description to show how beautiful the Irish country is. It develops the first sentence, so it is the supporting sentence.What is an effective paragraph?nAfter t

12、he above analysis, we find that the whole paragraph talks about one thing or one topic: the beauty of the Irish countryside. All the four sentences in it are related to this central idea, and to nothing else. This, therefore, is our first finding: a paragraph should have one, and only one, central i

13、dea. What is an effective paragraph?nThis central idea is expressed in the first sentence of the paragraph: The Irish countryside is very beautiful. The other three sentences give a few facts or descriptions to show how beautiful the Irish countryside is. The first sentence mentions the topic of the

14、 paragraph, so it is the topic sentence. This is the second feature in the paragraph.What is an effective paragraph?nThere is in the first sentence the phrase the Irish countryside, in the second the Irish landscape, in the third much of the countryside, and in the fourth It also has a varied landsc

15、ape. These words keep reminding the reader that the Irish country side is being talked about. What is an effective paragraph?n Besides, the pronoun this in S2 refers back to the lyrics of the popular Irish song while it in S4 to the country of Ireland mentioned in S3. All these devices help to conne

16、ct the four sentences and make the paragraph coherent. So good connection between sentences is the third feature of an effective paragraph.What is an effective paragraph?n Thus we can say that an effective paragraph generally has three fundamental features: a central idea, a topic sentence that expr

17、esses the central idea, and close connection between the sentences.What is an effective paragraph?nRead the following paragraph and identify the three fundamental features of it: nthe central idea;nthe supporting evidence;nhow connection between sentence is achieved. What is an effective paragraph?n

18、 For generations the kitchens of the vast majority of our homes have acted as living room kitchens. The sitting room is reserved for Sunday afternoons and special occasions. All the week-day activities have to be carried out in the kitchen. Meals are prepared, cooked and eaten there; washing, drying

19、, ironing and sewingall are usually carried on in it. It is in the kitchen that the children must do their homework while father sits with his paper by the fire, and mother gets out the darning.What is an effective paragraph?nThe paragraph consists of _ sentences.nfiveWhat is an effective paragraph?

20、nThe central idea:nIn the past the kitchen served as a living-room as well as a kitchen in most English homes, which is stated in the first sentence. What is an effective paragraph?nThe supporting evidence:nS2: The real sitting room is reserved for Sunday afternoons and special occasions. nS3: All t

21、he week-day activities are carried out in the kitchen. nS4: Children must do their homework, father reads his paper and mother gets out the darning there.What is an effective paragraph?nThe connection:nThe word kitchen and its pronouns throughout the paragraph. nThe synonymous words: living room in

22、S1 and sitting room in S2;nThe contrast between Sunday in S2 and week-day in S3nThe description of activities in S3 and S4. nAll the sentences in the paragraph, as we can see clearly, are well connected.What is an effective paragraph?nAnalyze the following paragraph:n The wind picks up and begins to

23、 hurl itself through those deserted streets. Signboards sway violently from side-to-side, seeming almost to want to go with the wind that blows them. Trees complain as the strong wind tears at their branches, causing them to bend and how down. With the wind comes the rain. The terrible rain beats do

24、wn, stinging anyone unfortunate enough not yet to have reached the safety of home.What is an effective paragraph?nThe central idea:nthe scene of a violent storm in the deserted street of a city.What is an effective paragraph?nThe topic sentence:nThere is no topic sentence, the topic is not stated in

25、 a topic sentence but implied in the content. What is an effective paragraph?nThe supporting sentences:nS1: n The wind picks up and begins to hurl itself through those deserted streets. n It describes the start of the wind.What is an effective paragraph?nThe supporting sentences:nS2: n Signboards sw

26、ay violently from side-to-side, seeming almost to want to go with the wind that blows them. nS3:n Trees complain as the strong wind tears at their branches, causing them to bend and how down.n They depict in detail the scene of the wind.What is an effective paragraph?nThe supporting sentences:nS4: n

27、 With the wind comes the rain.nIt is the transition between the wind and the rain.nS5:n The terrible rain beats down, stinging anyone unfortunate enough not yet to have reached the safety of home.nIt describes the scene of rain.What is an effective paragraph?nThe connection between sentences:n There

28、 is in the first sentence the phrase the wind, in the second “go with the wind that blows them, in the third “as the strong wind tears at their branches, in the fourth “with the wind comes the rain. and in the fifth “the terrible rain These words keep reminding the reader that the scene of storm is

29、being talked about. What is an effective paragraph?n Besides, the figurative use of the words “hurl”, “complain”, “tear”, “stinging” highlights the violence of the storm. What is an effective paragraph?n Composition are built with ideas, and each idea is developed or explained in a separate paragrap

30、h. The paragraph may be long or short, depending upon the idea it develops; but it must make a single point that the reader can grasp. It must stick to that point. The qualities of an effective paragraphA paragraph should be unified. nIt is important that each paragraph develop one specific idea and

31、 no more. If a paragraph develops more than one idea, it fails to have unity. If it does not develop an idea at all, it does not fulfill its function. nRead the following example:The qualities of an effective paragraphn (1)I feel quite confident about the math test that is scheduled for tomorrow. (2

32、)The instructor has told us exactly what to study, and my grades on homework have been good. (3)After the test, Susan and I are going to eat and then go to a movie. (4)She is taking me out because it is my birthday. (5)Last week we were going to go to the homecoming game, but she was sick and we did

33、nt get to go. The qualities of an effective paragraphn the paragraph has no unity because it has no single topic. It begins with a math test and drifts into three different things: the math test; his upcoming date with Susan; and the missed date last week.each of these topics might be developed into

34、 a paragraph or even a complete story, but all three certainly do not belong together to one sentence. The qualities of an effective paragraphn I feel quite confident about the math test that is scheduled for tomorrow. The instructor has told us exactly what to study, and my grades on homework have

35、been good. In fact, I suppose that math has always been one of the subjects that I enjoy the most. I have already spent two hours reviewing pages 100-140. Tonight Susan and I will devote another hour or two practising some of the sample problems. Then I will be ready.The qualities of an effective pa

36、ragraphnThis paragraph is now unified because each of the five supporting sentences can be directly linked with the controlling idea.nThe controlling idea is usually indicated by a single word or phrase in the topic sentence, which is known as the key word(s ). The unity of a paragraph would be dest

37、royed by inserting any sentence that is not related to the key word(s ) in the topic sentence. The qualities of an effective paragraphnIn this paragraph, the key word is confident. All details are presented to support, develop, and explain the students confidence.The qualities of an effective paragr

38、aphA paragraph must be coherent.nTo produce a good paragraph, in addition to unity, we need coherence.nCoherence means the well-connectedness of words and sentences in a paragraph, achieved through the proper arrangement and use of certain words.n Read the following example:The qualities of an effec

39、tive paragraph Mr. Green goes through the same morning routine every weekday. He shaves, brushes his teeth, washes his face, and dresses. He has breakfast and reads the morning newspaper. At six he is wakened by an alarm clock and gets up. At seven thirty he says good-bye to his family and leaves for his office. He exercises deep-breathing in the garden for ten minutes.The qualities of an effective paragraph Though it is absurd, the paragraph has unity because all the sentences are about one topic stated in the topic sentence “Mr. Green goes through