WRITING THE PARAGRAPH
Writing the parts of a paragraph
Writing the topic sentence:
Topic controlling idea
My wedding day was the most thrilling day of my life.
Characteristics of a good thesis statement:
A good thesis is restricted: The topic of the thesis statement should not be too general.
E.g. The world is in a terrible mess. Poor
Trade barriers contribute to international tensions. Better
People are too selfish. Poor
Human selfishness is seen at its worst during rush hour. Better
A good thesis is unified: The thesis expresses one major idea about its subject. A good thesis may sometimes include a secondary idea if it is strictly subordinated to the major one.
E.g. Poor
The new health program is excellent, but it has several drawbacks, and it should be run only on experimental basis for two or three years.
Better
The new health program should be run only on experimental basis for two or three years.
Despite its general excellence, the new health program should be run only on an experimental basis for two or three years.
A good thesis is specific: The controlling ideas should not be vague.
E.g. Drug addiction is a big problem. Poor
Drug addiction has caused a dramatic increase in crimes of violence. Good
A good statement should inform readers the basic structure of the writing.
Writing the supporting sentences:
All the supporting sentences in a paragraph must clearly relate to the topic sentence. They can be reasons, explanation, examples, description, definitions, statistics, or quotations etc.
Writing the concluding sentence:
signals the end of the paragraph and leave reader with important point to remmermber
Summary main points of the paragraph
Writer’s comment: This can be done by
+ Giving advice or a warning.
+ Making a prediction or asking a question.
+ Providing new insights and discoveries that the writer has gained through writing the essay.
Useful language
Academic language
Formal words: Academic writing prefers formal vocabulary to informal one. The table below provides several instances of informal, neutral and formal words:
Informal (Avoid)
Neutral (Spoken)
Formal (Written)

Stuff
Things
Items, Possessions

Kids (younger)
Babies, Children
Infants, Offspring

Kids (older)
Teenagers
Adolescents, Youths

Guy
Man
Male

Crooks
Criminals
Offenders, Lawbreakers

OK, Alright
Fine
Acceptable, Satisfactory

Awesome
Good
Preferable, Desirable

Rubbish, Useless
Bad, Poor
Unsatisfactory, Unacceptable

-
Sad (person)
Regretful, Distressed

-
Sad (situation)
Regrettable, Distressing

-
Rich (country)
Wealthy, Developed

-
Rich (person)
Wealthy, Privileged


Normalization: Formal written English uses nouns more than verbs. For example, "judgment" rather than "judge", "development" rather than "develop", "admiration" rather than "admire". Changing a verb or other word into a noun is called nominalization.
E.g. This information enables us to formulate precise questions.
=> This information enables the formulation of precise questions.
Complex phrases: Academic writing uses many noun phrases.
Determiner
Pre modifier
head
post modifier

A
Complicated
solution
to the problem

E.g. Many factors must be considered in explaining how fast the population has grown in the developing countries.
=> Many factors must be considered in explaining the rapid growth of population in the developing countries.
Sentence structures: These following sentences structures are favored in academic essays
Passive voice
Complex sentences
Conditional sentences
Relative clauses
Emphatic sentences
Inversions
Avoid:
+ Contractions: can’t, couldn’t, doesn’t, didn’t, I’ve, he’d, etc…
+ Two-word verb: put off, go up, bring up, etc…
E.g. A primary education system was set up throughout Ireland as early as 1831.
=> established
+ Words of objectivity: I, me, myself, personal examples

Guided practice
Exercises 1: Write the equivalent formal or informal words.

Informal
Formal

In the end


At once


Mainly


Next


Whole


Wrong


Enough


Better


Informal
Formal


Initially


Repeatedly


Therefore


Opportunity


Insane


Fortunate


Occupation


Enormous

.
Exercise 3: Complete the following topic sentences by adding subtopics to them.
A computer is necessary for students for three reasons: ……………… …………………………………………………………………………………...
A generation gap exists in my home because of…………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………
To survive a major disaster such as an earthquake requires …………………….
……………………………………………………………………………………
Poverty creates negative consequences for society such as