Improving Paragraphs for Academic Writing
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Transcript of Improving Paragraphs for Academic Writing
UABUNIVERSITY WRITING CENTER
Improving Paragraphs for Academic Writing
Basic Features of Strong Paragraphs
Clarity – the focus of the paragraph is clear, not ambiguous; content is unified
Concise – each sentence in the paragraph has purpose and power; no unnecessary repetition
Coherent – the paragraph is clearly connected to the rest of the essay and to the thesis
Emphasis – the paragraph is situated within the essay in a way that clearly indicates its degree of importance within the essay
Engaging – the paragraph keeps the reader interested in the content
Topic Sentences – the paragraph mini-thesis
Importance: Establishes unity Key to coherence Must be clear
Function – Explicitly states the focus of the paragraph: the
specific subpoint extension of the main thesis to be developed in the paragraph
Placement – Often the first sentence of the paragraph May follow a transitional sentence Occasionally delayed until end of paragraph
Developing Body Paragraphs
One Basic Format: Topic sentence that states focus/mini-claim or states a
synthesized concept Sentence that expands or explains
focus/mini-claim/synthesis Sentences that support the
explanation/mini-claim/synthesis (cited research) Commentary on the cited research Wrap-up sentence that connects research to overall
focus of essay or next paragraph
Strategies to Improve Overall Coherence
1. Repeat key terms or phrases2. Reinforce key concepts by using synonyms3. Use words that express the relationships
between paragraphs and among sentences within the paragraphs
Ex. Additionally, researchers have found that the production of biofuels may actually improve soil quality, rather than deplete it.
Ex. However, opponents of biofuels argue that grain-based biofuels may be detrimental to under-developed countries who rely on grains to offset food supplies.
Improve Coherence through Parallelism
Parallelism: Related ideas or ideas joined in a list should be presented in the same grammatical structure (i.e. nouns, phrases, clauses)
Not parallel: The study participants were asked about how much weight they had gained recently, exercising habits, current health status and history, and if they had seen a medical doctor recently.
Parallel: The study participants were questioned about current weight fluctuations, exercise habits, health status, health history, and recent doctor visits.
Improve Engagement through Variety
Purposefully, vary sentence length within a paragraph. For example, contrasting several long sentences with a short sentence creates emphasis and draws attention to the point made.
Underline the sentence openers. Vary occasionally.
Vary the sentence patterns used within the paragraph: simple, compound, complex, compound-complex.
Basic Sentence Patterns
Simple – one subject and one verb. Over-used produces choppy and often bland style. Very straightforward; often preferred in medical writing
Compound – two simple sentences combined by a conjunction (i.e. and, but, therefore) or a semicolon.
Complex – a simple sentence combined with one or more dependent clauses; preferred in humanities
Compound-complex – two or more joined simple sentences combined with one or more dependent clauses; frequently used in academic writing
Creating Emphasis through Paragraph Order
Some paragraph order is constrained by the discipline/genre, i.e. sciences, social sciences
In other disciplines, writers are generally expected to create a logical framework that readers can follow: General to specific (deductive reasoning) Specific to general (inductive reasoning) Old information to new information Least important to most important (or vice versa) Chronological sequences Cause/Effect Warrant, Reason, Claim