Part 5: Understanding the writing point Task 7: Read the following five key points about writing good paragraphs in English.
1. A paragraph should contain one main idea. If there is more than one main idea, it may be difficult for the reader to follow what you are saying. Planning your essay as a series of paragraphs can be a useful strategy. This will ensure that your work is well planned and that you cover all the points you need to.
2. A paragraph should have a clear structure. The exact details may change depending on the type of writing you are doing, but there are some principles which will be same. For example, the first sentence should give an introduction to the main theme of the paragraph. This is often known as the ‘topic sentence’. The subsequent paragraphs will develop the main theme of the paragraph using supporting detail. The final sentence will often be a summary of the main point.
3. If you are not confident in writing paragraphs, consider using the ‘1–3–1’ structure. That is, the first sentence presents an overview of the paragraph. Three ‘sub-points’ then develop the main theme of the paragraph, in five or six sentences. The final sentence presents a short summary.
4. Just as there should be links between sentences within a paragraph, there should be clear links between different paragraphs. This may be done at the beginning of the paragraph (e.g., using phrases such as Having looked at X) or at the end of the paragraph (e.g., using a phrase such as which will now be examined).
5. A paragraph should not be too long or too short. A good guide length is around 120–160 words. If a paragraph is too long, it may contain too many ideas, and you should consider dividing it up. If your paragraph is too short, you may not be making your point in sufficient detail.
Task 8: The third paragraph from the reading text is given below. Answer the questions about its structure using the information above.
This essay now considers the interesting issue of population growth rate. The World Bank reports that at nearly 10%, this rate is the highest in the world. This is not only caused by the gap of 10 per 1,000 between the birth and death rate, but by immigration. In recent times, the rate of immigration into Lebanon has been extremely high, for various political and social reasons, a situation which ‘if not managed correctly is of serious concern.’ (Wahab 2014: p. 208). Malik (2105) claims that while it may be possible to manage this big increase in population in the short term, in the long term it is going to put a lot of pressure on the Lebanese state in terms of housing, jobs and welfare. Additional regional and international support may be needed in order to provide the economic inputs which are necessary. While the population growth rate is a challenge, it is possible to manage it, so long as the issue is carefully considered.
1. What is the main point of this paragraph? 2. Where did you find this information? 3. Which phrase is used to show a transition from the previous paragraph?
4. Is this paragraph an appropriate length? How many sentences does it have? 5. What is the summary point of this paragraph? Explain in your own words.
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