PARAGRAPH UNITY AND COHERENCE

PARAGRAPH UNITY AND COHERENCE

    Paragraphs should have both coherence and unity. A paragraph with unity develops a single idea thoroughly and links it to the rest of the paper. Paragraph coherence is achieved when sentences are ordered in a logical manner and when clear transitions linksentences.

Paragraph unity:

• Develop a paragraph around a major idea. Express this idea in the topic sentence.
• Make the relationship between the main idea of the paragraph and the thesis of the paper clear Don’t assume that the reader will “get it.” Spell it out for him/her.
• Support the main idea of the paragraph with details.
• Vreate separate paragraphs for those details that explore your topic from different perspectives.
• Eliminate sentences that do not support the main idea. Alternately, you may revise the main idea to include those sentences.

Look at the following examples from a paper that has the thesis: “Despite the amount of for military purposes.”

Example 1 (without unity)

Robert Bee wrote, “The Zeeland massacre illustrates the need for greater control and vigilance.” This is related to the thesis. Some 20,000 people disappeared from the villages. Financial mishandling can lead to great misfortune. Corruption in the government was exposed repeatedly to no avail. A police force, under orders to liminate suspected terrorists, grabbed political dissidents and their families.

Example 2 (unified)

The pogrom of May 3, 1987 exemplifies how foreign aid funds were appropriated for repressive rather than social development purposes. On that day, some 20,000 people were abducted from villages in the countryside, charged as traitors and summarily executed. Then governor-for-life Zeely Zeelafsun had recently used $5 billion in aid to create a standing paramilitary police force. Without some restrictive control over the aid, human rights organizations were unable to prevent the buildup and unleashing of this disaster. Robert Bee, the director of the Development as Freedom Foundation wrote, “The Zeeland massacre illustrates the need for greater control and vigilance.”

In the first paragraph it is hard to tell what the topic sentence is, let alone how all the sentences belong together. The reader is not informed who Robert Bee is. The words “related to” in the second sentence don’t give the reader any sense of what the relationship is. The second paragraph provides a tight topic sentence that links the main idea of the paragraph to the central argument of the paper. It eliminates details that do not fall under the topic and adds details that are relevant to the reader’s understanding of the events and their relation to foreign aid.  

Paragraph Coherence:

Decide on an order for your sentences that will best develop the paragraph’s main idea.  Your supporting sentences are raw materials.  They will not make sense to a reader unless they are put in order. 

This order could be based on several factors:

• Chronological sequence. This is useful for describing a sequence of events. 
• Modified chronology. Sometimes a major idea presented early in a paragraph can be supplemented with necessary background information. 
• Spatial position of different objects. This method is useful for description.
• ‘Conversation’ between different experts. By moving between a series of key positions, a writer can establish a sense of dialogue and develop a complex argument. 
• Logical form of argument. Some form of logical proof, like a syllogism, can serve as the basis for order. 

Once you have put your sentences in order, express the connections between them with transitional words or phrases.  Think of these as signposts to guide the reader through your paragraph.  They should be clear. 

Examples (transitions in bold):

 1) Chronological sequence 

Topic sentence:  Our journey was filled with misfortune and luck.

•  After the car broke, we had to walk several miles.
•  Having eaten little for lunch, we were soon wearied.
• While we wanted to continue toward town, we had to rest.
• It was at that moment that a trucker offered us a ride.

2) Expert Conversation 

Topic sentence:  Karl Marx and Michel Foucault produced influential and  superficially similar but ultimately conflicting understandings of the way that  power struggles determine truth.

• Marx, writing in the mid-nineteenth century, asserted that truth was the product of conflicts between classes, or groups of people positioned differently in historical economic power arrangements.
• While agreeing with Marx’s recognition of the way that power struggles and history alter truth, Foucault was more skeptical about Marx’s identification of classes as the primary actors in the struggle.
• Instead, Foucault suggested that an examination of the claims made about sexuality and appropriate punishments revealed a complex give and take between various social groups and interests, all of which sought to establish dominance by controlling meaning. 
• Marxist critics of Foucault argue in response that removing the focus from class eliminates a broad view of social conflict necessary to seeing how economic and political changes shape our everyday understanding.

Paragraph : Definition, Types and Structure

DEFINITION OF PARAGHRAPH :

A paragraph is a basic unit of organization in which a group of ralated sentences develops one main idea

TYPES OF PARAGRAPH :

Based on the purposes, here are the basic types of paragraphs:

• expository: informative or persuasive
• narative
• descriptiv

1. Expository Writing

    There are two kinds of expository writing. 

     -  Informative

   The informative is used when you have only facts to communicate. Informative expository writing deals with facts only. If you write a set of instructions for cleaning your automatic coffeepot, you are using informative writing. If you write the facts about a city, you are doing informative writing. Informative writing is very important in the world of work. Much of the writing that takes place in an office is informative: a letter ordering stationery, a report on a work-related accident, a memo about contributions to the social fund.

    When writing informative material make sure the introductory sentence clearly identifies the topic and gives general idea of the facts the reader is about to learn. For example, Cleaning an electric coffee maker is a five step process.

-  Persuasive

Persuasive is sometimes referred to as argumentative. Persuasive expository writing is used to persuade the reader to change his/her mind or to accept your point of view. Persuasive writing allows you to express an opinion and then support it with convincing reasons. 

 2.  Narrative Writing

    Narrative writing is the way to present a story that consists of events that happen one after the other. The story you tell can be true or fictional. Any time you relate actions that take place over a period of time you are writing a narrative.

Here are some of the requirements for writing a narrative.

1.    Use the writing process, just as you did for expository writing.

2.    The incident you tell should have a point to it (e.g. a story about a car accident might focus on what real fear is like).

3.    Use a narrator to tell the story.

4.    Include lots of specific details. Give people and places names. (e.g. My friend Susan and I were driving to Lake Simcoe when...)

     5.    Use quotations (dialogue) if it will make the story seem more real and believable. 

3. Descriptive Writing

   The last kind of writing is descriptive. Descriptive writing is like painting a still life picture. The writer has a picture in his/her mind that he/she wants to communicate to the reader. The writer describes that picture by presenting specific details in an organized way (as viewed from right to left, or back to front, or top to bottom, etc.) Descriptive writing requires the use of specific details and vocabulary that carries a strong meaning. For example, an old man in a worn-out bathrobe could be described as "a scarecrow draped with a tattered teal-blue bathrobe that hung from his bony shoulders like a rag."

STRUCTURE OD PARAGRAPH :

      The structure of a paragraph parallels the structure of an essay in order as well as content.  Both contain a coherent argument, supporting evidence/analysis, and a conclusion.  Specifically, the contents of a paragraph are as follows:

• The Topic Sentence serves two functions: first, it functions as the thesis of your paragraph; second, it pushes the thesis of your essay forward and presents an arguable point.  The topic sentence is usually the first or second sentence of a paragraph.  Occasionally, you may find it interesting or necessary to place the topic sentence at the end of the paragraph, but don’t make a habit of it!
• Supporting Evidence/Analysis makes your claim digestible.  You need to find a balance between evidence you provide (facts, quotations, summary of events/plot, etc.) and analysis (interpretation of evidence).  If your paragraph is evidence-heavy, you haven’t presented an argument; if it is analysis-heavy, you haven’t adequately supported your claim.
• The Concluding Observation closes your paragraph with an observation that is more than just summary of the contents of the paragraph.  The concluding observation provides a final idea that leads to the next step in your argument.  The observation is usually the last or second-to-last sentence in the paragraph.

COMPLEX SENTENCE WITH NOUN CLAUSES

Definition of Noun Clauses :

        A noun clause is a dependent clause that functions as a noun. Noun clauses are often part of an independent clause.  A noun clause can function as the subject, object or a subject complement. The most common position of a noun clause is after the verb of the main (independent) sentence.

         A noun clause has a subject and verb. It is used as the subject or object in a sentence.

A noun clause is a dependent clause that works like a noun. You can find it as a subject or object. 

Ex :

 I read what she wrote.

What she wrote is interesting.

LOCATIONS OF THAT CLAUSES :

▪After the independent clause verb:

They said that four million workers stayed at home to protest against the tax

▪After certain adjetives:

  I’m sure (that) you’ll know a lot of people there.

▪After certain nouns:

  He is also having intensive treatment in the hope that he will be able to train on Friday.

▪At the beginning of a sentence:

  That Earth is getting warmer is certain.

Example of Noun Clauses : 

1. The person whom i like ha a pair of blue eyes`
2. A country which lcates near indonesia is Australia.
3. The student listened to what the teacher said. 

Complex Sentence with Adverb Clauses

Type Of Complex sentences :

1. Adverbial Clauses

2. Relative Clauses

3. Noun Clauses In the following sections

Here, we will Learn about Complex Sentence with Adverbial Clauses !

A. Definition Of Adverb Clauses : 

    It is a dependent clause that functions as an adverb; that is, the entire clause modifies a verb, an adjective, or another adverb. As with all clauses it contains a subject and predicate, although the subject as well as the (predicate) verb may sometimes be omitted and implied. It is usually, but not always, fronted by a subordinate conjunction sometimes called a trigger word. Adverbial clauses are divided into several groups according to the actions or senses of their conjunctions. 

B. Type of Clauses :

•     Adverbial Clause of Time

-        Such as : when, before, after, since, while, as, as long as, till, until, etc

-       Function : These clauses say when something happens by referring to a period or point of time, or to another event.

-        Ex : We barely had gotten there when mighty Casey struck out.

•        Adverbial Clause of  Condition

-          Such as : if, unless, lest

-          Function : Talk about a possible or counterfactual situation and its consequences.

-          Ex : If they lose weight during an illness, they soon regain it afterwards.

•        Adverbial Clause of  Purpose

-          Such as : in order to, so that, in order that

-          Function : Indicate the purpose of an action

-          Ex : They had to take some of his land so that they could extend the chuch yard

•        Adverbial Clause of  Cause/Reason/ Result

-        Such as : because, since, as, given, so...that, such...that

-        Function : Indicate the reason for somethin and Indicate the result(s) of an act or event.

-   Ex : I couldn't feel anger against him because I liked him too much, My suitcase had  become so damaged that the lid would not stay closed.

•        Adverbial Clause of  Concession

-        Such as : although, though, while

-   Function : Make two statements, one of which contrasts with the other or makes it seem surprising.

-     Ex : She is a better cook than I

•        Adverbial Clause of Place

-          Such as : Answering the question "where?": where, wherever, anywhere, everywhere, etc.

-          Function : Talk about the location or position of something.

-          Ex : He said he was happy where he was

•        Adverbial Clause of Manner

-          Such as : Answering the question, "how"?: as, like, the way

-          Function : Talk about someone's behavior or the way something is done.

-          Ex : I was never allowed to do things as I wanted to do them.

Complex Sentence

Definition Of Complex Sentence :

A complex sentence is a sentence with an independent clause and at least one dependent clause. The dependent clause is introduced by either a subordinate conjunction (such as although, while, or because) or a relative pronoun (such as who or which). A complex sentence is very different from a simple sentence or a compound sentence because it makes clear which ideas are most important.

Example Of Complex Sentence :

1. Although Tom reads novels, Jack reads comics.
2. When he was younger, Mike had many dogs.
3. Many people enjoyed the movie however, William did not. 

Subordinating Conjunctions :

1. Time : After, before, when, while, since,until.
2. Cause & Effect : Because,  since, now that, as, in order that, so                                  
3. Opposition :  Although, though, even though,where as, while                                           
4. Conditions :  If , unless, only if, whether or not, even if, in case (that)

Compound sentence

Compound Sentence 

      A compound sentence is a sentence that contains two complete ideas (called clauses) that are related. These two clauses are usually connected in a compound sentence by conjunction. The conjunctions are "and", "but", "for", "or", "nor", "yet", or "so".In a compound sentence, two independent clauses can be joined by a comma and a conjunction. And to be used to to add information, but and yet to be used to to state it contras. Or to be used  to state it a choice or to give a alternative. For same its mean with because, that is to to show because or evidence from a statement. So to be used to to state it consequence.

Ex : I want to go to the circus, and I want to ride a pony

       A small kitten followed me home, so I gave it a bowl of milk

    In compound sentences the equivalent of each independent clause has a subject, and each subject has a verb or predicate. Compound sentence consists of clauses The main expressing different thoughts. From examples given sentence we can see that each of the main clauses has a subject and predicate.

Sentence

Definition of Sentence :

    A Sentence is Collection of words assembled in such an order that present a complete thought or idea.  A sentence must contain a subject and a verbs.

4 Types of English Sentence :

1. Declarative Sentence (Statement) An statement which can give us more information about something. Ex : This Bag is made of Crocodile skin.
2. Interrogative Sentence (Question) An sentence for Ask a question. Ussually this sentence is marked with a question mark (?) at the end of the sentence. Ex : How about your homework?
3. Imperative Sentence (Command) An sentence for give a command and ask request. Ex : Don’t Stop Here! and Wait a minutes.
4. Exlamatory Sentence (Expresses) An exlamatory sentence convesy a strong emotion and ends with an exclamation Mark (!) Ex : I’m Really going to miss this place!

4 Types of Sentence structure :  

1. Simple sentence consists of one independent clauses. Ex : I like Banana.
2. Coumpound Sentence is two or more independent clauses joined by a conjunction. Ex : i don't want to eat and i don't want to drink.
3. Complex Sentence consists of an independent clauses plus a dependent clause. Ex : Siska is popular because she is smart.
4. Coumpound - Complex Sentence consist of a least two independent clauses and one or more dependent clauses. Ex : Siska didn't come because she was ill so Nurul was not happy.