Effective writing

WRITING PARAGRAPH
Identification
A paragraph is an orderly arrangement of sentences, all of which are related to a single topic.
PARAGRAPH
The thought divisions of your writing.
Shows the various phrases of your thinking on a subject
Indicates your plan to your reader
WRITING PARAGRAPH
Mechanics in writing
Three essentials of every paragraph: Unity, Coherence, and Emphasis.
Indent the first line of every paragraph, except in letters written in block form.
Do not leave blank space in a line unless a new paragraph is to begin on the next line.

A PARAGRAPH NORMALLY INCLUDES 5-12 SENTENCES
WRITING PARAGRAPH
The Outline Arrangement







MAIN HEADING
Be started at the left margin of the paper
Be labeled with Roman numerals
SUBTOPICS
Be intended and be given
letters and numbers
Be intended and be given
letters and numbers
The first subtopics are labeled with
capital letters
The second subtopics are labeled with Arabic numerals
The third subtopics are labeled with lower-case letters
WRITING PARAGRAPH
The Outline
The arrangement of letters and numbers in an outline:

TITLE

(a) (further Subdivision)

1. (the second Subtopic)

A. (the first Subtopic)
I. (the main heading)

a. (the third Subtopic)

(1) (the further Subdivision)
WRITING PARAGRAPH
The Outline Styles




TOPIC OUTLINE

Each heading and sub-heading is a word, a phrase, or dependent clause

All headings’ parallel ideas must be expressed in parallel forms and in the same grammatical structures

Parallel structure will help to make clear the relationships between ideas
WRITING PARAGRAPH
The Outline Styles
WRONG
RIGHT
1. Good driving habits
2. Pedestrians have to
observe the laws
3. Improving road conditions
Good driving habits
2. Observance of the laws
by pedestrians
3. Improved road conditions
How To Decrease Traffic Accident
WRITING PARAGRAPH
The Outline Styles

SENTENCE OUTLINE
Each heading and sub-heading is a complete sentence
Each topic and sub-topic is a complete sentence
Each topic and sub-topic must begin with a capital letter and end with a terminal punctuation mark.
WRITING PARAGRAPH
The Topic Sentence







The helpful method to visualize the topic sentence and the body sentences: Place the topic sentence next to each sentence in the paragraph and check if they make sense side by side. If not, consider whether the topic sentence is too narrow or the body sentence should be eliminated.
TOPIC SENTENCE
Normally is the first sentence of the paragraph. It states the main idea of the paragraph.
Always more general in terms of meaning than body’s sentences.
Must be specific to the idea but general enough to fit all of the sentences under it.
WRITING PARAGRAPH
The Reason and Example Paragraph
THE
REASON AND EXAMPLE PARAGRAPH
Uses the reasons
to explain and support
the topic sentence.
It is common to use two or three reasons to support the topic sentence.
Uses examples to give additional information about each reason.
WRITING PARAGRAPH
Example
My House
My house is a good place to live for several reasons. First of all, my house is in a convenient location. For example, it is near the main market and very close to the main streets of the city. My house is near the high school, so my children can walk to school every day. Also, there is a bus stop a block away from my house, so my mother can take the bus to the pagoda. Second, I live in a very good neighborhood. Everyone takes good care of their houses. They plant flowers and shrubs, and mow the lawns every weekend. In addition, our neighborhood is safe, so we do not have to worry about security. Finally, we have very nice neighbors. They are friendly and helpful and always say hello. They are also very quite neighbors. They do not play loud music or have too many parties. For these reasons , my house is a good place to live, and we hope to buy a home in this neighborhood some day.
WRITING PARAGRAPH
The Descriptive Paragraph
THE
DESCRIPTIVE PARAGRAPH
Tells the readers about what a person, place, or thing looks like. (good, bad, comfortable, interesting to visit etc …)
Use a description to support the topic sentence.
WRITING PARAGRAPH
Example
An Ocean Panorama
Nha Trang, is a nearly perfect place to enjoy an early sunrise and the calm air on the beach. A patch of pink appears on the sky, and within an hour, the whole sky is ablaze in vibrant shades of pink. Honking seagulls fly overhead, wet sand squishes under our bare feet, and the crashing surf rises and falls like the changing rhythms of a symphony. Sit down on the beach rocks and inhale the salty sea air, you would feel that the fresh calm air is coming deep into your heart. Then a sea wind stings your face and brings your muscles a new energy. Truly, the Nha Trang’s seaside is a good place to become re-acquainted with your senses.
WRITING PARAGRAPH
Using Description to Support the Topic Sentence
To support the topic sentence with a description, we use words to “paint the picture” (good friend, comfortable room, interesting place to visit, etc…).
The words we use must appeal to the reader’s five senses and making reader “see” and “feel” like you.
WRITING PARAGRAPH
Example
A Childhood Memory
The memory of my native homeland, Bentre, is crystal clear in my mind. Bentre is an island province about 120miles from Saigon. To get there, I have to cross the Tiengiang River on a ferry boat from Mytho. The beautiful scenery along this river is unforgettable. Forty-five minutes of travel on this immense body of water gives me a sweeping view of my homeland with its flush green coconut orchards. After the ferryboat is moored, I set foot on my homeland. It is criss-crossed with thousands of canals of many sorts. Sampans and other kinds of boats are the main means of transport. The chugging sound of motorboats and the soothing sound of waves under oars can be heard along the calnals from dawn to dusk. At the end of the day, the beauty of the setting sun behind the horizon, the gently blowing breezes and the flocks of birds on the way to their nests fill my heart with emotion. Weary ploughmen walk home from the fields with their tired beasts, and buffalo boys lead their animals home, too. In the cool of the evening, smoke rises from the cottages, and the hungry families know that dinner will be ready soon. These are my memories of my childhood home in the countryside of Vietnam. Truly, Bentre holds a very special place in my heart.
WRITING PARAGRAPH
Using Descriptive Details to Support the Topic Sentence
To support the topic sentence, the descriptive details, must be as “specific” as possible .
The words we use must appeal to the reader’s five senses: “sight”, “hearing”, “touching”, “tasting” and “smell”.
WRITING PARAGRAPH
Example
A Messy Bedroom
My teenage daughter’s bedroom is always a disaster area. The twin bed on the left side of the room is always a jumble of twisted sheets and blankets. Next to the bed, the beside table is full of debris. There is a half-empty glass of sour milk and a plate with the last bite of sandwich. The floor is also a mess. It is covered with tennis shoes, dirty socks, jeans, shirts, and sweaters. There is usually Kleenex, crumpled paper, and gum wrappers on the floor around the wastebasket in the corner. Opposite the bed, the closet is the final area of disorder. The shelves are full of my daughter’s old games, stuffed animals, boxes of loose photographs, and stacks of magazines. Also, there are more clothes on the floor than on the hangers. A teenager’s life is not easy. However, it is not easy for the teenager’s parents also.
WRITING PARAGRAPH
The Organization of a Descriptive Paragraph
The most common way to organize the details in a descriptive paragraph is to use “space order”.
When we apply space order description, we must arrange sentences and details according to the location of the objects we are describing.
We can begin our description from left to right, from top to bottom, from far to near, and so on.
WRITING PARAGRAPH
Example
A Big Disappointment
Every summer we rent a small cabin at the Xuan Huong Lake, Dalat, for a week’s vacation. Usually, we are satisfied with our cabin, but this year we are very disappointed. Our cabin this year is a dim, dark, musty-smelling room. Against the wall on the right, there is a small, lumpy, uncomfortable-looking sofa bed. There is a tarnished lamp on a table in the corner next to the sofa bed. The lamp and the table both look like they came from a garage sale many years ago. The kitchen area on the far wall is tiny and cramped. In the kitchen, there is an electric stove covered with grease, an old yellow refrigerator, and a sink with a dripping faucet. There are two dark brown cabinets on the wall over the sink. Finally, on the wall to the left, two small, dirty windows offer a view of a beat-up old wooden shed and a dead tree. What a horrible place to spend a vacation.
WRITING PARAGRAPH
The Narrative Paragraph



NARRATION
A FORM OF DISCOURSE WHICH TELLS A STORY
A UNIFIED AND COMPLETED STORY
MUST BE COHERENT
MUST BE EMPHATED
MUST HAVE AN APPROPRIATE
STYLE AND TONE
WRITING PARAGRAPH
The Narrative Paragraph
NARRATIVE PARAGRAPH
UNITY : MUST HAVE A “beginning”, “middle”, AND “end”
MUST BE SYSTEMATIC: with “reference to time”, “to point of view”, AND “to setting”
MUST HAVE “pace”, “proportion”, AND “climax”
DICTION IN HARMONY WITH “the action” AND WITH “the point of view” OF THE NARRATOR
The topic sentence must be supported by a story.
The sentences must be arranged logically.
WRITING PARAGRAPH
Example
A Humorous Experience
My most humorous experience happened on the day of my first job interview. At the time, however, I did not think that it was funny at all. My interview was at 8:00 AM, and I did not want to be late. I rode into town on a motorbike and was lucky enough to find a parking space in front of the building that I would be there for interview. I was just starting to park my bike when a car drove into it. I was furious and yelled angrily at the driver, but he ignored me and walked away. It took me twenty minutes after that for looking another place due to the fact that in the central region of the city it was very hard to find a parking lot. As soon as I parked my bike, I rush back to the building … It was twenty minutes late for my appointment. When I found the personnel manager’s office, I knocked the door and walked into it. The man behind the large desk was the one who took my parking place! … And he was smiling at me…. Since then, I never yell angrily at anyone even if they behaved to me wrongly …