Part 5: Understanding the writing point


Task 8: Read the following five key points about writing better paragraphs in English. The paragraph at the end highlights some of these points. 1. Use a range of different sentence types


If you use only one sentence type (see Unit 2) in your writing, it is likely to be quite repetitive, and therefore less interesting to the reader. Therefore, within your paragraphs, you should try to use a range of sentence types in order to keep the paragraph interesting.


2. Increasing cohesion within the paragraph


One common problem when writing paragraphs is that they are not cohesive – that is, they do not link together very well. Sometimes paragraphs can just feel like a collection of bullet points stuck together. In order to make your paragraphs more cohesive, you should try to link the sentences together using connectors such as adverbs (e.g., Interestingly …) and conjunctions (e.g., However …). You can also use phrases such as as noted above to refer backwards to points already made. Demonstrative pronouns (this/that/these/those) can also be used to do this.


3. Ensure that the information is presented in the appropriate order In English, there are two key principles which should, in general, be followed when presenting information: old information comes before new information, and topic (general) comes before comment (specific). In this context, ‘old’ information means information which the reader is already familiar with. This information may already have been discussed in a previous paragraph, or else it may be ‘common knowledge’, and therefore needs no introduction. New information – the information which we are waiting for – comes at the end of the sentence. In terms of ‘topic’ and ‘comment’, we need to understand what the topic is before we move on to making a comment about it. Compare this to looking at a painting in an art gallery: most people would look at the whole painting first – to get an idea of what it is about – before looking at the interesting details.


4. Use the appropriate academic style


When writing a paragraph in an academic text, you need to use an appropriate academic style. This includes, for example:


•


using appropriate academic language rather than informal/slang words (e.g., children not kids).


• using full forms rather than contractions (e.g., she is not she’s). • using one-word verbs instead of two-part verbs (e.g., remove not take away). •


5. Do not use more words than you have to


One common myth about academic writing is that the more words you use, the better your writing is. This is simply not true. You should actually try to be as concise as you possibly can, because this will help people follow your main point. As such, use shorter, simpler phrases wherever possible (e.g., although rather than despite the fact that). Also, delete unnecessary words from phrases which do not add anything (e.g., until such a point in time as).


using third-person pronouns (e.g., it/one) rather than first- or second-person pronouns (you/I).


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