Chapter 4: Paragraph Writing
What you will do in this chapter:
1. Review paragraph format and structure
2. Learn about and practice writing concluding sentences
3. Write a paragraph and proofread your writing
Review It!
Review the paragraph format and structure explained in Chapters 2 and 3.
Exercise 1: Read this paragraph and discuss the questions together with classmates. (*Note: There are no grammar or spelling mistakes.)
Playing video games is good, so I will talk about two reasons. In fact, I enjoy playing video games, like Fortnite, whenever I can.
By playing video games, students can get to know each other. They can enjoy chatting and laughing
while they play. This can help them make friends in college.
Second, students can relax and forget their stress. By the way, students are very busy studying,
doing club activities, and working at part-time jobs. They are very busy and stressed. So they can feel
relaxed and refreshed.
They can also enjoy time with their friends.
In this way, video games are a good way for students to spend their free time.
Discussion Questions
a. Can you identify any problems with the format of this paragraph? (circle them)
b. Is the controlling idea of the topic sentence clear, too specific, or too general?
c. Can you identify any problems with unity in this paragraph? d. Can you identify any problems with coherence in this paragraph?
Learn It!
Concluding Sentence
To understand concluding sentences better, learn their location, function, and features.
- Location – last sentence of a paragraph
- Function – 1) sums up a paragraph; 2) often connects a paragraph to the following paragraph
- Features – 1) restates (paraphrases) the topic sentence, or makes a final comment about the controlling idea; 2) commonly begins with some transitional words or phrases
Concluding sentence transitional words/phrases:
To conclude, To sum up, As mentioned above, In short, For these reasons,
Example topic sentence: There are several reasons why students at Kyoto University should study academic writing.
Example concluding sentence: To sum up, Kyoto University students need to practice academic writing seriously.
Exercise 2: For each topic sentence below, write a concluding sentence with a transitional phrase.
1) Topic sentence: While tourism benefits cities economically, it can have serious negative effects as well.
Concluding sentence: __________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
2) Topic sentence: To address contemporary society’s dependence on plastics, there are several interesting developments in the fields of chemistry and biology.
Concluding sentence: __________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
3) Topic sentence: By using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technology, researchers have found that listening to a story has two significant effects on the brain.
Concluding sentence: __________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
FYI
Corresponding with teachers
Imagine you are preparing to write an assignment and you log onto KULASIS/PandA for information your teacher sent out to the class…. But wait! Where is it? You can’t find it! What will you do? Most likely you will have to write to your teacher via email. Writing an email is not the same as sending a text message using a messaging application. Just as with academic writing, there are certain guidelines to follow:
1. Be sure to write a subject in the subject line.
If an e-mail arrives without a subject, it looks unprofessional, careless, and suspicious.
2. Be sure to put a greeting at the beginning of the e-mail.
Some appropriate greetings for a formal e-mail to your teacher are:
• Dear Professor _(Name)______,
• Professor _(Name)______,
3. Be sure to use spellcheck.
Not using spellcheck makes you look unprofessional, lazy, and/or careless.
4. Be sure to make polite requests.
Some polite phrases for making requests are:
• I would greatly appreciate it if you could… (e.g., reply at your earliest convenience; send me the information this week).
• Would you mind… (e.g., checking the homework I have attached)?
Some impolite phrases for making requests are:
💣 I want you to/I would like you to… (e.g., check my grammar).
💣 Please… (e.g., reply soon).
5. Be sure to make a polite closing remark.
Some examples of polite closing remarks are:
• Thank you in advance for your assistance/reply.
• Sincerely,
• Thank you for your consideration of this matter.
• Regards,
6. Be sure to write your name, department, student number and class day/period.
This is a common mistake, especially when using a smartphone. Whenever you contact your professors, you must clearly tell them who you are. Remember, they have many students.
See Appendix 7 for an example.
Write It!
Exercise 3: Write a paragraph based on one of the given topics, a topic of your choosing, or a topic assigned by your teacher.
a. Tourist sites in Kyoto
b. A restaurant students enjoy
c. New technological advances in your field
d. A historical figure
e. Your topic: _________________________
f. Your teacher’s topic: _________________________
Exercise 4: Use the list below to check your paragraph. If the answer to the question is “Yes,” put a checkmark (✓) in the box.
Checklist
◻︎ 1. Does your topic sentence have a focus or controlling idea?
◻︎ 2. Does your topic sentence indicate the supporting points to follow?
◻︎ 3. Does each supporting sentence directly support the main/controlling idea (unity)?
◻︎ 4. Does each supporting sentence start with a transitional word/phrase (coherence)?
◻︎ 5. Does your concluding sentence restate the topic sentence?
◻︎ 6. Does your paragraph start with an indent?
◻︎ 7. Are the margins of your paragraph aligned correctly? 8. Is your paragraph one continuous block of text?
◻︎ 8. Is your paragraph one continuous block of text?
