Paragraph Coherence
Revise each of the following opening paragraphs so that each one has a clear topic. Use
subordinate clauses and parallel construction as needed.
(1) There are many different varieties of apples. Some of the best-known are Granny
Smith, Spartan, McIntosh and Red Delicious. Some hybrids, such as Gala, are fast
gaining popularity. I would rather eat an orange, though.
(2) My Uncle Ben was quite a character. I didn’t get to know him while he was in
prison. He always brought me presents when I was little. How was I to know the
Mercedes he gave me for my high school graduation was stolen?
(3) English is hard. I like some stories. Some poems mean something, and some don’t
mean very much. Most poems were written a long time ago. That’s about all I
have to say on this very wordy subject.
Paragraph Coherence
Revise each of the following opening paragraphs so that each one has a clear topic. Use
subordinate clauses and parallel construction as needed.
(1) Some monsters in science fiction stories have tentacles like octopi, while some
look more human. The word “monster” comes from a Latin verb meaning “to
warn,” and it means anything strange, unusual or unnatural, outside the norm.
Discrimination is unfair. Serial killers don’t always look unusual.
(2) Throughout history, people have tried to bring the dead back to life. That’s
creepy, and it should be illegal. My grandparents passed away in the 1990s. Death
is a serious topic.
(3) Frankenstein was written by Mary, daughter of Mary Wollstonecraft, who wrote
A Vindication of the Rights of Women, and died of childbed fever. Mary Junior
married Percy Shelley, and outlived him by many years. Frankenstein is her most
famous novel. It is about a student of “natural philosophy” who creates a new
being in his laboratory. There are many horror novels about monsters.