Course Session Written by

: Writing V : Review on paragraph writing and its elements and rules: topic, topic sentence, supporting sentence, concluding sentence, and the use of transitional signal. : Yusuf Hidayat

Before writing the paragraph, better we should know and understand what paragraph is. According to Oshima and Hogue (1983:3) a paragraph is a basic unit of organization in writing in which a group of related sentences develops one main idea. In other series of their book, Oshima and Hogue (2007:38-39) state that a paragraph is a group of related sentences that develop one main idea, which is the topic of the paragraph. A paragraph can be as short as one sentence or as long as ten sentences. The number of sentences in unimportant, however, the paragraph should be long enough to develop the main idea clearly. The elements of the paragraph: A paragraph has three major structural parts: a topic sentence, supporting sentences, and a concluding sentence. a. Topic Sentence Topic sentence is the most important sentence in a paragraph. Normally it is a complete sentence. That is, it contains a subject a verb, and (usually) a complement. Topic sentence consists of a topic and a controlling idea. The topic names the subject of the paragraph. And the controlling idea tells what the paragraph will say about the topic. It controls or limits the topic to a very specific point or points. Notice the following example: 1. Driving on freeways. 2. Some weddings are very simple 3. Gold, a precious metal, is prized for two important characteristics. 4. The important of gold. 5. Some marriages are a union of two individuals. 6. How to register for college classes. 7. Some weddings take place in unusual locations. b. Supporting Sentences Supporting sentences explain the topic by giving more information about it, on other hand supporting sentences develop the topic sentence. A concluding sentence The concluding sentence signals the end of the paragraph and leaves the reader with important points to remember.

c.

The use of transition signals Another element of a good paragraph is coherence. The verb cohere means hold together. In order to have coherence in writing, the movement from one sentence to the next must be logical and smooth. There must be no sudden jumps. Each sentence should flows smoothly into the next one.

There are two main ways to achieve coherence. The first way is to use transition signals to show how one idea is related to the next. The second way to achieve coherence is to arrange your sentence in logical order. Transition signals are words such as first, second, next, finally, therefore, and however, or phrases such as in conclusion, on the other hand, and as a result. Think of transition signals as traffic signs that tell your reader when to go forward, turn, slow down, and stop. In other words, tell the reader when you are giving the similar idea (similarly, moreover, furthermore, in addition), an opposite idea (on the other hand, however, in contrast) an example (for example), a result, (as a result), or a conclusion (in conclusion). Using transition words to guide your reader makes it easier to follow your ideas. Transition words give your paragraph coherence. Notice and compare two paragraphs below: Paragraph 1: 1 A difference among the world seas and oceans is that the salinity varies in different climate zones. The Baltic Sea in Northern Europe is only one-fourth as saline as the Red Sea in the Middle East. There are reasons for this. In warm climate, water evaporates rapidly. The concentration of salt is greater. The surrounding land is dry and does not contribute much fresh water to dilute the salty sea water. In cold climate zones, water evaporates slowly. The runoff created by melting snow adds a considerable amount of fresh water to dilute the saline sea water.

Paragraph 2: 1 Another difference among the worlds seas and oceans is that the salinity varies in different climate zones. For example, the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe is only one-fourth as saline as the Red Sea in the Middle East. There are two reasons for this. First of all, in warm climate zones, water evaporates rapidly; therefore, the concentration of salt is greater. Second, the surrounding land is dry and consequently, does not contribute much fresh water to dilute the salty sea water. In cold climate zones, on the other hand, water evaporates slowly. Furthermore, The runoff created by melting snow adds a considerable amount of fresh water to dilute the saline sea water.

Types of transition signals Transition signals can be divided into four basic groups according to function: sentence connectors, coordinators (coordinating conjunctions), subordinator (subordinating conjunctions), prepositions, and determiners. 1. Sentence connectors usually join one independent clause with another to form a compound sentence, which is punctuated with a semicolon (;) and a comma (,). Example: however, therefore, furthermore, for example, on the other hand, in addition, still, otherwise. 2. Coordinators usually join two independent clauses to form a compound sentence. Punctuate the sentence with a comma after the first clause. Example: and, but, yet, or, nor, for, so. 3. Subordinators usually join an independent clause with a dependent clause to form a complex sentence.

Example: because, after, since, as, although, if, when. 4. Preposition and determiners. Actually this group of transition signals has no special rules for punctuation. Example: because of, due to, in spite of (preposition) Another, additional, final (determiners) References: Oshima, Alice and Ann Hogue. (1983). Writing Academic English; A writing and Sentence Structure Workbook for International Students. United States of America: Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, Inc. Oshima, Alice and Ann Hogue. (2007). Introduction to Writing Academic, Third Edition. United States of America: Pearson Longman.