Four Techniques for Paragraph Writing
Paragraph Writing: a paragraph is a distinct block of text which tells one coherent story. It consists of several sentences carefully arranged to convey your thoughts and ideas. You can think of paragraphs as the blocks that connect your essays. Two large topic areas make up a paragraph: the introduction and conclusion and your thesis statement. You should clearly outline each section in your mind before you write, and each should serve a specific purpose.
The introduction starts off the paragraph with a statement that introduces your thesis statement and gives readers a sense of what they will learn from this paragraph. The thesis statement is the main point of your paragraph. It should be stated clearly and help readers understand why this topic is important.
For example, suppose you are writing about the role of women in society. In that case, a thesis statement might be: “Women have always played an important role in society, but they were often overlooked or not respected for their contributions.” The conclusion summarizes the paragraph by explaining how you got to your final point or restating your thesis statement for emphasis.
The secret behind effective writing is reading skills as it is said that writers should be keen readers, so focus on your reading skills as much as is possible.
What Makes a Good Paragraph?
Following are the four techniques for paragraph writing. By taking the help from these techniques, you can write a good paragraph.
Unity in paragraph writing
The most important factor of any paragraph is unity, which means that it has one idea or point. In a paragraph, this point should be clear and strong enough to support the rest of the sentence. If a paragraph has two or more ideas, it is not unified. For example, you could say, “My friends and I like to play basketball.” This does not make sense because you are talking about two things: playing basketball and being friends.
To achieve unity in your paragraphs, start by reading each sentence out loud before you write it down so you can listen how it sounds when spoken aloud. Then read the last sentence first because it will help ensure everything flows correctly and makes sense grammatically.
Another way to check for unity is by looking at each sentence as a stand-alone statement on its own (without reading anything immediately before or after it). If any word does not fit in the sentence, it needs to be removed; otherwise, it may damage the sense of the context.
Infuse cohesion and coherence
Coherence is the glue that holds the arguments together, and when your essay has no coherence, you are left with just a series of detached thoughts. Coherence is not just about finding links between ideas; it is also about ensuring that each part of your argument contributes in building a case for your overall conclusion.
To strengthen your writing, consider these questions:
Does each section of your essay have a single focus? If you have started with a general idea and broken it into subtopics, ensure each follows naturally from the previous topic. Have you established your point of view?
You must state what you believe assertively, so readers can understand where you stand on one issue. The key element for coherence is the relationship between each item in a sentence or paragraph. The whole sentence or paragraph should have a logical connection and lead reasonably from one point to another.
Coherence can be achieved through word choice, grammar, and sentence structure. A coherent text will make sense to the reader using relevant words and phrases that convey meaning. A good example would be “the cat sat on the mat.” Sentence structure also plays an important role in coherence; complex sentences are harder to read because they are more difficult to follow than simple sentences with short clauses.
Grammatical unity is called cohesion which ensures connectivity of sentences at grammar level. So cohesion and coherence both play a significant role in good paragraph writing.
Use effective language in paragraph writing
A good paragraph comprises a topic sentence (or key sentence), relevant supporting sentences, and a closing (or transition) sentence. This structure is key to keeping your paragraph focused on the main idea and creating a clear and concise image.
The role of good language in paragraph writing can be seen through vocabulary, sentence structure, and punctuation. The writer should choose words carefully to convey their meanings accurately. If a word is not important enough to be included in the sentence, it should be omitted. Redundant (used twice) or unnecessary words should be removed.
The writer should also use subject-verb agreement: “I am going to buy a new car.” “You are doing your own work.”
Also, avoid passive voice: instead of writing this sentence, “The ball was hit by a player”, write this, “A player hit the ball.” The writer can also add variety with alliteration (using the same letter group repeatedly): “Sophisticated software,” not just “software sophisticated.”
Apply variety of structure
A variety of structures in paragraph writing is an important technique among four techniques for paragraph writing that should be handled properly. The role of variety of using structures in paragraph writing is to make the reader focus on the different parts of the paragraph and keep reading to find out the crux.
A variety of structures is needed in paragraph writing. It is mandatory to use more than one structure in a paragraph. Different types of sentences can be used in a paragraph as it would give the reader an impression that your paragraphs are organized, and that you have a clear idea about your topic.
A paragraph consists of several sentences, but sentences mostly should not be too long or too short. You should make sure that every sentence has its own place and importance and does not repeat the idea. If you keep repeating words in the sentences, some confusion may appear in your mind.
The main purpose of using a variety of structures in paragraph writing is to avoid repetition and confusion in the reader’s mind. It helps to keep the reader interested in the contents of your document and prevents him from getting bored due to the lack of variety in your document (Paragraph).
Sub Editor: Muhammad Umer
Chief Editor: Prof Ajmal Dass Jaipal
