Module III: Written English
communication
Structure of a Paragraph
A paragraph is a distinct unit in prose writing
that concentrates on a particular idea marked
by an indentation of the first line.
To make our writing structured paragraphing is
essential
In a good paragraph, one sentence leads to
another and it has a logical structure with the
correct arrangement of sentences
Essentials of Paragraph Writing
• Presentation of single idea
• A sequence of well-connected sentences
• Thematic unity within the paragraph
• Conciseness and exactness
What to avoid
• Ambiguous/confusing expressions
• Difficult or high level words
• Mixing of ideas
• Repetition
• Unnecessary proverbs, idioms, and figures of
speech
Techniques and methods of Paragraph
Development
• A paragraph may have variety of sentences,
out of which one is a topic sentence whereas
others are supporting sentences.
Basic requirements for developing a paragraph
• Unity
• Coherence
• Emphasis
Unity
• To achieve unity in your paragraph, the sentences should either
lead to or develop from the topic sentence.
• Topic sentence – it is the sentence which states the main theme of
the paragraph around which the whole paragraph is built.
• All the other sentences in the paragraph are supporting sentences
that support the topic sentence. So, you may……..
• Begin a paragraph with a topic sentence
Or
• Place the topic sentence somewhere within the paragraph, happens
very occasionally
Or
• End the paragraph with a topic sentence, and begin the paragraph
with supporting sentences
Coherence
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It means consistency of speech, thought, ideas, and reasoning to make your expression clear and
easy to understand
Every sentence should be linked to the one that went before.
Also, it should include all necessary information and ideas should be presented in a sensible order.
Look at the example below:
This is to notify all employees that mail cannot be accepted after 4.30 for processing. This policy has
been in effect for over two years. Of course, overnight express mail is still an exception.
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What is the problem with this expression?
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It lacks consistency, as sentences are not properly arranged, so the policy is not clearly explained
regarding outgoing mail.
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In professional writing, every sentence should be linked to the other sentences before and after.
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There are four ways of attaining coherence in your writing:
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Use of pronouns
Synonyms
Repetition
Connectors
Devices for Coherence
• Pronouns – using it as a substitute to nouns to
maintain continuity of thought.
• Repetition – repeating certain words to give
coherence to writing
• Synonyms- to avoid monotony, use similar
meaning words
• Connectors – linking the sentences together,
connectors help achieve coherence. For example,
words like moreover, however, in short, as a
result, etc.
Emphasis
• Emphasis by position – generally the beginning
and the ending of a paragraph are more emphatic
than the middle
• Space and emphasis – giving more space to the
idea being emphasized
• Sentence structure and emphasis – important
points covered in simple and short sentences,
repeating some keywords, or introducing
synonyms of words
• Mechanical means of emphasis – this refers to
usage of underscore, quotation marks, italics,
boldface, capitals.
Methods of developing paragraph
• Inductive order – moving from particular to general, so the paragraph
begins with certain info., concludes with the topic sentence, some
arguments, illustrations are made which lead to conclusion. For exampleRam dies, Sham dies, they are human beings. Hence we can say man is
mortal.
• Deductive order – conclusion is reached by reasoning from general laws to
a particular case, begins with the topic sentence, this gives the paragraph
a direct and straightforward style. For example- Man is mortal. Since ram
and Sham are human beings, they are mortal.
• Question to answer order – beginning a paragraph with a question and
later giving the answer. For example- Is Man mortal?
• Time order – natural order of narration, where one event leads to another.
• Comparison & Contrast – when two or more things are compared or
contrasted. It is used especially at the beginning of the sentence when the
next thing that is mentioned is compared with something in the previous
sentence.
• Enumeration – using words like firstly, secondly, finally, used in narration
• Space order- while describing the location of a place, this order is useful
Methods for developing a Paragraph
• Chronological method –one event leading to another,
documenting time or steps in instructions, for e.g., an
emergency medical technician reporting services provided
during an emergency call. Or for giving instructions, so
points are organized by importance, the more important
ideas should be placed above the less important ones.
• Spatial method – describing the parts of a machine or plot
of ground, so describing what you see as it appears in
space- left to right, top to bottom, inside to outside, etc.
• Linear – it means ‘in lines’ or ‘involving one dimension’. So
one sentence leads to the other and a logical sequence is
followed
• Interrupted – used very less, it involves giving a break to
the line of thought and giving a turn to the ideas to
produce the desired effect
Exercise
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What are the basic requirements of a paragraph?
What is deductive order?
What pattern does the inductive method follow?
What devices are used to achieve coherence?
A sentence which contains the main idea of the paragraph
is called……………..
• The word coherence means…………………
When I come home and want to see the news headlines, latest
football scores or stock – market prices in a hurry, without
waiting for the next news broadcast or I want to see the
local theatre listings, so I punch a few buttons on a small
key-pad and the chosen display flashes on my T.V screen is
flashy eye catching color
1. Find the topic sentence in the paragraph?
2. What order is adopted in this paragraph?