Writing Paragraphs - Book PDF
Writing Paragraphs - Book PDF
What is a paragraph? 4a
Moreno 3
CHAPTER 4
Writing Paragraphs
4a What is a paragraph?
A paragraph is a group of sentences that work together to develop a unit of
thought. Paragraphing permits writers to divide material into manageable
parts. When a group of paragraphs works together in logical sequence, the
result is a complete essay or other whole piece of writing.
47
TROYMC01_09_0131889567.QXD 1/27/06 6:08 PM Page 48
4b WRITING PARAGRAPHS
To signal the start of a new paragraph, indent the first line about one-half
inch. Skip no extra lines between paragraphs. Business writing (Chapter 38)
is an exception: It calls for block format for paragraphs, which means you do
not indent the first line but rather leave a double space between paragraphs.
If you’re already double-spacing, then leave two double lines for a total of
four lines.
On seeing another child fall and hurt himself, Hope, just nine
months old, stared, tears welling up in her eyes, and crawled to her
mother to be comforted—as though she had been hurt, not her friend.
When 15-month-old Michael saw his friend Paul crying, Michael fetched
1
his own teddy bear and offered it to Paul; when that didn’t stop Paul’s
tears, Michael brought Paul’s security blanket from another room. Such
small acts of sympathy and caring, observed in scientific studies, are
leading researchers to trace the roots of empathy—the ability to share
48
TROYMC01_09_0131889567.QXD 1/27/06 6:08 PM Page 49
B OX 4 - 1 S U M M A RY
Introductory paragraphs
Strategies to Use
■ Providing relevant background information
■ Relating briefly an interesting story or anecdote
■ Giving one or more pertinent—perhaps surprising—statistics
■ Asking one or more provocative questions
■ Using an appropriate quotation
■ Defining a Key Term
■ Presenting one or more brief examples (4i)
■ Drawing an ANALOGY (4i)
Strategies to Avoid
■ Don’t write statements about your purpose, such as “I am going to
discuss the causes of falling oil prices.”
■ Don’t apologize, as in “I am not sure this is right, but this is my
opinion.”
■ Don’t use overworked expressions, such as “Haste makes waste, as I
recently discovered” or “Love is grand.”
4c WRITING PARAGRAPHS
B OX 4 - 2 S U M M A RY
.05 second; they can also remain motionless for days. And if all this isn’t
creepy enough, they can fly too.
—Jane Goldman, “What’s Bugging You?”
Paragraph 3 has UNITY (4d) in that the main idea (stories we’ve heard
about cockroaches are true), stated in the TOPIC SENTENCE (4e), which is also
the first sentence, is supported by detailed examples. It has COHERENCE (4g)
in that the content of every sentence ties into the content of the other sen-
tences. Also, the paragraph coheres—sticks together—by word choices
(repeating they can each time to put the emphasis on the interesting facts)
and with consistent grammar (a different ACTIVE VERB [see VOICE, 8n through
8p] for each example). It has PARAGRAPH DEVELOPMENT (4f) in that the
details provide support for the main idea.
4e WRITING PARAGRAPHS
B. The once majestic oak tree crashes to the ground amid the destructive
flames, as its panic-stricken inhabitants attempt to flee the fiery tomb.
Undergrowth that formerly flourished smolders in ashes. A family of deer darts
8 furiously from one wall of flame to the other, without an emergency exit. On the
outskirts of the inferno, firefighters try desperately to stop the destruction.
Somewhere at the source of this chaos lies a former campsite containing the
cause of this destruction—an untended campfire. This scene is one of many
that illustrate how human apathy and carelessness destroy nature.
—Anne Bryson, student
C. Rudeness isn’t a distinctive quality of our own time. People today would
be shocked by how rudely our ancestors behaved. In the colonial period, a
French traveler marveled that “Virginians don’t use napkins, but they wear
silk cravats, and instead of carrying white handkerchiefs, they blow their
noses either with their fingers or with a silk handkerchief that also serves
9 as a cravat, a napkin, and so on.” In the 19th century, up to about the
1830s, even very distinguished people routinely put their knives in their
mouths. And when people went to the theater, they would not just applaud
politely—they would chant, jeer, and shout. So, the notion that there’s been
a downhill slide in manners ever since time began is just not so.
—“Horizons,” U.S. News & World Report
4f WRITING PARAGRAPHS
B OX 4 - 3 S U M M A RY
Use the RENNS Test to check the quality of your paragraph development.
Of course, not every paragraph needs all five kinds of RENNS details, nor do
the supporting details need to occur in the order of the letters in RENNS.
Paragraph 11 contains three of the five types of RENNS details. Identify the
topic sentence and as many RENNS as you can before reading the analysis that
follows the paragraph.
U.S. shores are also being inundated by waves of plastic debris. On the
sands of the Texas Gulf Coast one day last September, volunteers collected
307 tons of litter, two-thirds of which was plastic, including 31,733 bags,
11 30,295 bottles, and 15,631 six-pack yokes. Plastic trash is being found far out
to sea. On a four-day trip from Maryland to Florida that ranged 100 miles
offshore, John Hardy, an Oregon State University marine biologist, spotted
“Styrofoam and other plastic on the surface, most of the whole cruise.”
—“The Dirty Seas,” Time
In paragraph 11, the first sentence serves as the topic sentence. Sup-
porting details for that main idea include examples, names, and numbers.
The writer provides examples of the kinds of litter found washed up on the
beach and floating offshore. The writer names many specific things: Texas
Gulf Coast, September, bags, bottles, six-pack yokes, Maryland, Florida,
John Hardy, Oregon State University, marine biologist, and Styrofoam. And
the writer uses specific numbers to describe the volume of litter collected
54
TROYMC01_09_0131889567.QXD 1/27/06 6:08 PM Page 55
(307 tons), to give counts of specific items (such as 31,733 bags), and to tell
how far from shore (100 miles) the litter had traveled.
Paragraph 12 contains four of the five types of RENNS. Identify the topic
sentence and as many RENNS as you can before you read the analysis that fol-
lows the paragraph.
Tennyson called it a “flying flame,” Benjamin Franklin termed it a
“sudden and terrible mischief.” In Roman mythology, the god Jupiter
used spiky thunderbolts as letters to the editor when he chose to show
displeasure to the poor mortals below. By whatever name, lightning is a
12 spectacular natural event. Captured in photographs, its grandeur and
beauty are safely petrified in static portraits of primal energy. In reality,
at 24,000 to 28,000 degrees C., it is four times hotter than the surface of
the sun. It can vaporize steel, plough up fields, shatter giant trees, and
scatter live incendiary sparks over vast forests. Each day it kills 20 people.
—Michael Clugston, “Twice Struck”
In paragraph 12, the third sentence is the topic sentence. Supporting
details for the main idea include examples (vaporize steel, plough up
fields, shatter giant trees); the writer also uses names (Tennyson, Franklin)
and numbers (24,000 to 28,000 degrees C., 20 people). Sensory details, given
in images, provide more support (flying flame, sudden and terrible mischief).
B OX 4 - 4 S U M M A RY
55
TROYMC01_09_0131889567.QXD 1/27/06 6:08 PM Page 56
4g WRITING PARAGRAPHS
COHERENCE BY ADDITION
Woodpeckers use their beaks to find food and to chisel out nests. In
addition, they claim their territory and signal their desire to mate by
using their beaks to drum on trees.
B OX 4 - 5 S U M M A RY
56
TROYMC01_09_0131889567.QXD 1/27/06 6:08 PM Page 57
C O H E R E N C E B Y R E S U LT
The woodpecker’s strong beak enables it to communicate by drumming
on dry branches and tree trunks. As a result, woodpeckers can commu-
nicate across greater distances than songbirds can.
The funniest people I know are often unaware of just how ticked off
they are about things until they start to kid around about them. Nature
14 did not build these people to sputter or preach; instead, in response to
the world’s irritations, they create little plays in their minds—parodies,
cartoons, fantasies. When they see how funny their creations are, they
also understand how really sore they were at their sources. Their anger
57
TROYMC01_09_0131889567.QXD 1/27/06 6:08 PM Page 58
4g WRITING PARAGRAPHS
To me, gratitude and inner peace go hand in hand. The more gen-
uinely grateful I feel for the gift of my life, the more peaceful I feel.
Gratitude, then, is worthy of a little practice.
If you’re anything like me, you probably have many people to be
thankful for: friends, family members, people from your past, teachers,
17 gurus, people from work, someone who gave you a break, as well as
countless others. You may want to thank a higher power for the gift of
life itself, or for the beauty of nature.
As you think of people to be grateful for, remember that it can be
anyone—someone who held a door open for you, or a physician who
saved your life. . . .
4h WRITING PARAGRAPHS
B. Newton’s law may have wider application than just the physical world. In the
social world, racism, once set into motion, will remain in motion unless acted
upon by an outside force. The collective “we” must be the outside force. We
must fight racism through education. We must make sure every school has
19 the resources to do its job. We must present to our children a culturally
diverse curriculum that reflects our pluralistic society. This can help students
understand that prejudice is learned through contact with prejudiced people,
rather than with the people toward whom the prejudice is directed.
—Randolph H. Manning, “Fighting Racism with Inclusion”
PARAGRAPH A
1. Remember, many people who worry about offending others wind up living
according to other people’s priorities.
60
TROYMC01_09_0131889567.QXD 1/27/06 6:08 PM Page 61
B OX 4 - 6 S U M M A RY
2. Learn to decline, tactfully but firmly, every request that doesn’t contribute
to your goals.
3. Of all the timesaving techniques ever developed, perhaps the most effec-
tive is the frequent use of the word no.
4. If you point out that your motivation isn’t to get out of work but to save
your time to do a better job on the really important things, you’ll have a
good chance of avoiding unproductive tasks.
—Edwin Bliss, “Getting Things Done: The ABC’s
of Time Management”
PARAGRAPH B
1. After a busy day, lens wearers often don’t feel like taking time out to clean
and disinfect their lenses, and many wearers skip the chore.
2. When buying a pair of glasses, a person deals with just the expense of the
glasses themselves.
3. Although contact lenses make the wearer more attractive, glasses are eas-
ier and less expensive to care for.
4. However, in addition to the cost of the lenses themselves, contact lens
wearers must shoulder the extra expense of cleaning supplies.
5. This inattention creates a danger of infection.
6. In contrast, contact lenses require daily cleaning and weekly enzyming that
inconvenience lens wearers.
7. Glasses can be cleaned quickly with water and tissue at the wearer’s
convenience.
—Heather Martin, student
4h WRITING PARAGRAPHS
A. A combination of cries from exotic animals and laughter and gasps from
children fills the air along with the aroma of popcorn and peanuts. A hungry
lion bellows for dinner, his roar breaking through the confusing chatter of
other animals. Birds of all kinds chirp endlessly at curious children.
Monkeys swing from limb to limb, performing gymnastics for gawking
20 onlookers. A comedy routine by orangutans employing old shoes and
garments incites squeals of amusement. Reptiles sleep peacefully behind
glass windows, yet they send shivers down the spines of those who
remember the quick death many of these reptiles can induce. The
sights and sounds and smells of the zoo inform and entertain children of
all ages.
—Deborah Harris, student
B. No one even agrees anymore on what “old” is. Not long ago, 30 was
middle-aged and 60 was old. Now, more and more people are living into
21 their 70s, 80s and beyond—and many of them are living well, without any
incapacitating mental or physical decline. Today, old age is defined not
simply by chronological years, but by degree of health and well-being.
B OX 4 - 7 S U M M A RY
Writing a narrative
Narrative writing is a rhetorical strategy that tells a story. A narration relates
what is happening or what has happened. Paragraph 23 is an example.
Gordon Parks speculates that he might have spent his life as a waiter
on the North Coast Limited train if he hadn’t strolled into one particular
movie house during a stopover in Chicago. It was shortly before World
War II began, and on the screen was a hair-raising newsreel of Japanese
planes attacking a gunboat. When it was over the camera operator came
23 out on stage and the audience cheered. From that moment on Parks was
determined to become a photographer. During his next stopover, in Seat-
tle, he went into a pawnshop and purchased his first camera for $7.50.
With that small sum, Parks later proclaimed, “I had bought what was to
become my weapon against poverty and racism.” Eleven years later, he
became the first black photographer at Life magazine.
—Susan Howard, “Depth of Field”
63
TROYMC01_09_0131889567.QXD 1/27/06 6:08 PM Page 64
4i WRITING PARAGRAPHS
Writing a description
Writing a description is a rhetorical strategy that appeals to a reader’s sens-
es—sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch. Descriptive writing paints a picture
in words. Paragraph 24 is an example.
Walking to the ranch house from the shed, we saw the Northern
Lights. They looked like talcum powder fallen from a woman’s face.
24 Rouge and blue eye shadow streaked the spires of a white light which
exploded, then pulsated, shaking the colors down—like lives—until they
faded from sight.
—Gretel Ehrlich, “Other Lives”
He was one of the greatest scientists the world has ever known, yet if
I had to convey the essence of Albert Einstein in a single word, I would
choose simplicity. Perhaps an anecdote will help. Once, caught in a
downpour, he took off his hat and held it under his coat. Asked why, he
28
explained, with admirable logic, that the rain would damage the hat, but
his hair would be none the worse for its wetting. This knack of going
instinctively to the heart of the matter was the secret of his major scien-
tific discoveries—this and his extraordinary feeling for beauty.
4i WRITING PARAGRAPHS
such substances as glass, wool, iron, sulfur, and clay, as the materials out
of which they are made, are what it studies. Chemistry is concerned not
only with the composition of such substances, but also with their inner
structure.
—John Arrend Timm, General Chemistry
My husband and I constantly marvel at the fact that our two sons,
born of the same parents and only two years apart in age, are such com-
pletely different human beings. The most obvious differences became
apparent at their births. Our firstborn, Mark, was big and bold—his
intense, already wise eyes, broad shoulders, huge and heavy hands, and
powerful, chunky legs gave us the impression he could have walked out
of the delivery room on his own. Our second son, Wayne, was delight-
32 fully different. Rather than having the football physique that Mark was
born with, Wayne came into the world with a long, slim, wiry body more
suited to running, jumping, and contorting. Wayne’s eyes, rather than
being intense like Mark’s, were impish and innocent. When Mark was
delivered, he cried only momentarily, and then seemed to settle into a
state of intense concentration, as if trying to absorb everything he could
about the strange, new environment he found himself in. Conversely,
Wayne screamed from the moment he first appeared. There was noth-
ing helpless or pathetic about his cry either—he was darn angry!
—Rosanne Labonte, student
Paragraph 33 uses the block pattern for comparison and contrast.
The writer first discusses games and then business (each key word is in
boldface).
Games are of limited duration, take place on or in fixed and finite sites,
and are governed by openly promulgated rules that are enforced on the
spot by neutral professionals. Moreover, they’re performed by relatively
evenly matched teams that are counseled and led through every move by
seasoned hands. Scores are kept, and at the end of the game, a winner is
33 declared. Business is usually a little different. In fact, if there is anyone out
there who can say that the business is of limited duration, takes place on a
fixed site, is governed by openly promulgated rules that are enforced on the
spot by neutral professionals, competes only on relatively even terms, and
performs in a way that can be measured in runs or points, then that per-
son is either extraordinarily lucky or seriously deluded.
—Warren Bennis, “Time to Hang Up
the Old Sports Clichés”
67
TROYMC01_09_0131889567.QXD 1/27/06 6:08 PM Page 68
4i WRITING PARAGRAPHS
B. I retain only one confused impression from my earliest years: it’s all
red, and black, and warm. Our apartment was red: the upholstery was of
red moquette, the Renaissance dining-room was red, the figured silk
hangings over the stained-glass doors were red, and the velvet curtains in
Papa’s study were red too. The furniture in this awful sanctum was made
37
of black pear wood; I used to creep into the kneehole under the desk and
envelop myself in its dusty glooms; it was dark and warm, and the red of
the carpet rejoiced my eyes. That is how I seem to have passed the early
days of infancy. Safely ensconced, I watched, I touched, I took stock of
the world.
—Simone de Beauvoir, Memoirs of a Dutiful Daughter
C. In the case of wool, very hot water can actually cause some structural
changes within the fiber, but the resulting shrinkage is minor. The
fundamental cause of shrinkage in wool is felting, in which the fibers
38 scrunch together in a tighter bunch, and the yarn, fabric, and garment follow
suit. Wool fibers are curly and rough-surfaced, and when squished together
under the lubricating influence of water, the fibers wind around each other,
like two springs interlocking. Because of their rough surfaces, they stick
together and can’t be pulled apart.
D. After our lunch, we drove to the Liverpool public library, where I was
scheduled to read. By then, we were forty-five minutes late, and on arrival we
saw five middle-aged white women heading away toward an old car across the
street. When they recognized me, the women came over and apologized: They
were really sorry, they said, but they had to leave or they’d get in trouble on
39 the job. I looked at them. Every one of them was wearing an inexpensive,
faded housedress and, over that, a cheap and shapeless cardigan sweater.
I felt honored by their open-mindedness in having wanted to come and listen
to my poetry. I thought and I said that it was I who should apologize: I was
late. It was I who felt, moreover, unprepared: What in my work, to date,
deserves the open-minded attention of blue-collar white women terrified by
the prospect of overstaying a union-guaranteed hour for lunch?
4k WRITING PARAGRAPHS
70
TROYMC01_09_0131889567.QXD 1/27/06 6:08 PM Page 71
B OX 4 - 8 S U M M A RY
Strategies to Avoid
■ Introducing new ideas or facts that belong in the body of the essay
■ Rewording your introduction
■ Announcing what you’ve discussed, as in “In this paper, I have
explained why oil prices have dropped.”
■ Making absolute claims, as in “I have proved that oil prices don’t always
affect gasoline prices.”
■ Apologizing, as in “Even though I’m not an expert, I feel my position is
correct.”
71
TROYMC01_09_0131889567.QXD 1/27/06 6:08 PM Page 72
CHAPTER 5