PARAGRAPH WRITING:

UNITY & COHERENCE

OBJECTIVESTo revise paragraphs to increase

unity & coherence.

To be able to use transitions effectively.

Good Paragraphs have both unity & coherence

UNITY A paragraph has unity when the connection

between the main idea & the supporting sentences is clear.

COHERENCEA paragraph has coherence when its

sentences relate to each other. Ideas are organized logically and should

flow naturally from one to another.

• "Do not confuse unity and coherence. Coherence involves the clear movement of thought from sentence to sentence or paragraph to paragraph; unity means staying on the topic by staying within the focus.“

(Lee Brandon and Kelly Brandon, Paragraphs and Essays With Integrated Readings, 12th ed. Wadsworth, 2012)

UNITY … achieved by

discussing only one idea in a paragraph.

always staying on the topic in your supporting sentences.

i) Read the paragraphs below and locate the Topic sentence. ii) Circle the Topic & underline the Controlling idea.Iii) There is one sentence that breaks the rule of unity.Find it & cross it out.

Daredevil sports are becoming popular. Young people especially are increasingly willing to risk their lives while mountain biking, bungee jumping, or high-speed skateboarding. Soccer is also popular in the United States now, although football is still more popular. One of the riskiest new sports is sky surfing, in which people jump out of airplanes with boards attached to their feet. Sky surfing rivals skydiving and bungee jumping for the amount of thrills-and risks.

Paragraph 1

ANSWERI. Daredevil sports are becoming popular. II. Daredevil sports are becoming popular.III. Soccer is also popular in the United States

now, although football is still more popular.

Teachers should take steps to prevent students from cheating on exams. To begin with, teachers should stop reusing old tests. Even a test that has been used once is soon known on the student grapevine. Students will check with their friends to find out, for example, what was on Dr. Thompson's biology final last term. They may even manage to get all the answers correct and in the correct sequence for careless Dr. Thompson’s test. Teachers should also take some common sense precautions at test time. They should make students separate themselves--by at least one seat--during an exam, and they should watch the class closely. The best place for the teacher to sit is in the rear of the room, so that a student is never sure if the teacher is looking at him or her. Last of all, teachers must make it clear to students that there will be stiff penalties for cheating. One of the problems with our school systems is a lack of discipline. Anyone caught cheating should immediately receive a zero for the exam. A person even suspected of cheating should be forced to take an alternative exam in the teacher's office. Because cheating is unfair to honest students, it should not be tolerated.

Paragraph 2

ANSWERi) Teachers should take steps to prevent students

from cheating on exams.

ii) Teachers should take steps to prevent students from cheating on exams.

iii) One of the problems with our school systems is a lack of discipline

i) Read the paragraph below and locate the Topic sentence. ii) Circle the Topic & underline the Controlling idea.Iii) There are 2 sentences that break the rule of unity. Find them & cross them out.

• California is a state with every type of geography.It has mountains where you can enjoy the winter sports of sking,snowboarding,and snowshoeing.It has deserts where temperatures can reach 110°F (43°C) in the summer.It has beaches where you can surf,swim and fish.It has forests where the world’s tallest trees grow.Finally,it has farmlands where a lot of the nation’s fruits and vegetables grow.California also has Hollywood and Disneyland,which are world-famous centres of entertainment.California is a popular place to live,so many peolple move there every year.Indeed California has it all: deserts, beaches, and farms.

ANSWERi. California is a state with every type of

geography.ii. California is a state with every type of

geography.iii. California also has Hollywood and

--Disneyland,which are world-famous centres of entertainment.--California is a popular place to live,so many peolple move there every year.Indeed

COHERENCE… achieved by

1.Repeating key nouns2.Using consistent pronouns3.Using appropriate transition

signals 4.Arranging ideas in a logical

order

1.Repeation of Key NounsThe easiest way to achieve

coherence is to repeat key nouns frequently in your paragraph.

E.g. “You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time.”

Abraham Lincoln

2. Use consistent PronounsWhen using pronouns, make sure the

same person and number is used throughout the paragraph.

Don’t change from you or he or she (change of person) or from he to they (change of number)

or from we to I (change in person and number)

Refer to the paragraph in the next slide. How many times are the following key nouns and pronouns repeated?

1. Gold2. It3. Its

In this paragraph nouns are repeated to achieve coherence. Circle the word gold and all the pronouns that refer to it.

Gold, a precious metal ,is prized for two important characteristics. First of all ,gold has a lustrous beauty that is resistant to corrosion. Therefore, it is suitable for jewellery, coins, and ornamental purposes. Gold never needs to be polished and will retain its beauty forever. Another important characteristic of gold is its usefulness to industry and science. For many years, it has been used in hundreds of industrial applications, such as photography and dentistry. The most recent use of gold is in astronauts’ suits. Astronauts use gold-plated heat shields for protection when they go outside spaceships in space. In conclusion, gold is treasured not only for its beauty but also for its utility.

ANSWERYou should have circled the noun ‘gold’ 7

timesThe pronoun ‘it’ twiceThe pronoun ‘its’ 4 times

3. Use Transition signals• Such as “first,” “finally” and “however,”

or phrases such as “in conclusion,” “on the other hand,” and “as a result” among many others

• Transition signals give a paragraph coherence because they guide your reader from one idea to the next.

• Note: Refer to supplementary handouts (“Transitions Chart”) more information on how transitions are used.

In the following paragraph, choose an appropriate transition signal from those listed after each blank.

Have you ever wondered how those big ocean storms called hurricanes or typhoons get their name? Who decides to name a hurricane “Anne” or “Barbara” or “Bill”? The way hurricane and typhoons are named has changed over the years, and it is an interesting story. Originally, weather forecasters described them by their position in degrees of latitude and longitude 1. (in addition, for example, since) typhoons might be called “21.20 north, 157.52 west”

2.(Then, however ,moreover) this method was confusing, because storms do not stay in the same place 3.(thus ,therefore ,in brief) people developed other ways to identify them. In the Caribbean Sea, hurricanes were named after the Catholic saint’s days 4.(thus, for example, moreover) a hurricane that struck an island in the Caribbean on Saint Ann’s Day was named “Santa Anna”. A weather forecaster in Australia used to name typhoons after politicians whom he disliked 5.(because, for example, however) he wanted to make forecasts such as “Typhoon Smith is on a very destructive path” or “Typhoon Jones is very weak and is not moving in any direction.”

6.(In addition, Later, As a result) during World War I, hurricanes and typhoons were named according to the military alphabet: Able, Baker, Charlie etc. 7.(then, later, furthermore) during World War II, women' names began to be used 8.(so, therefore, and) for the next thirty years ,weather forecasters talked about “Typhoon Alice” and “Hurricane Betsy.9.(However, Then, In addition) in the 1970s, the women’s liberation movement came along and forced weather forecasters to use men’s names too .10.(Thus, For example, Finally) since 1975, a storm could be named “Gertrude” or “George”.11. (In short, So, As a result) the way hurricanes and typhoons are named has changed over the years and will undoubtedly change again.

Example of a paragraph that uses transitions to achieve coherence

To get the most out of reference books and textbooks, a college student should carefully follow several steps. First of all, she should rapidly browse through each book to get a general idea of the contents of the book. Secondly, she should read the book carefully for greater understanding and formulate relevant questions in her mind as she reads. After that, she should make notes of the important points..

This paragraph lacks coherence.. This paragraph lacks coherence.. Make the necessary changes.Make the necessary changes.

A student who knows a few Latin and Greek roots and prefixes has an advantage over as student who does not know them. They can often guess the meaning of new words. If, for example, you know that the prefix omni means ‘all.’ you have a better chance of guessing the meanings of words such as omnibus, and omnipotent, and omnidirectional. Furthermore a student who knows that the root sci- comes from scire, “to know” can guess that omniscient means “all knowing”

Note the changes made for consistency

• Students who know a few Latin and Greek roots and prefixes have an advantage over students who do not know them. They can often guess the meaning of new words. If, for example, students know that the prefix omni means ‘all.’ they have a better chance of guessing the meanings of words such as omnibus, and omnipotent, and omnidirectional. Furthermore students who know that the root sci- comes from scire, “to know” can guess that omniscient means “all knowing”

Transition in Action

The next four slides contains a brief essay that will take you on a little journey. Transition markers are provided but ideas are not.

Have fun!

The word “ghost” brings fear to many people of all ages. In other words, _____________________. However, for as many people who shiver at the thought, there are as many who cannot seem to get enough of this topic. This essay presents reasons why the idea of ghosts has come to affect us so significantly.

The idea of ghosts, to begin with, is frightening. This could be because ghosts are often pictured as terrifying figures with sharp fangs, red eyes and long hair. They are also portrayed as being fond of disturbing people by doing things such as _________________. As a result, many even complain of recurring nightmares of these spectres that leave them chilled to the bone even after waking up. One would think that this only affects children but ____________. It could be summarised, therefore, that ________________________.

Furthermore, the folk tales of most cultures are full of ghosts and spirits. Although _____________________________, they still love to read and listen to stories about them, especially around campfires where stories are exchanged late into the night.. This is probably because ____________________. This mystery that surrounds ghosts is actually what interests people. They are curious about these entities so ___________________. It comes as no surprise, therefore, that curiousity has _____________

In conclusion, while the terror that lurks around the commonly accepted ideas of ghosts continues to terrify people, the mysterious nature of ghosts keeps people _____________.

The word “ghost” brings fear to many people of all ages. In other words, people are terrified of them. However, for as many people who shiver at the thought, there are as many who cannot seem to get enough of this topic. This essay presents reasons why the idea of ghosts has come to affect us so significantly.

The idea of ghosts, to begin with, is frightening. This could be because ghosts are often pictured as terrifying figures with sharp fangs, red eyes and long hair. They are also portrayed as being fond of disturbing people by doing things such as making strange noises and doing their homework for them As a result, many even complain of recurring nightmares of these spectres that leave them chilled to the bone even after waking up. One would think that this only affects children but adults suffer the condition, too. It could be summarised, therefore, that people of all ages are affected by ghosts.

Furthermore, the folk tales of most cultures are full of ghosts and spirits. Although people are afraid of them,they still love to read and listen to stories about them, especially around campfires where stories are exchanged late into the night. This is probably because they are captivated by the unknown.This mystery that surrounds ghosts is actually what interests people. They are curious about these entities so they do not mind feeling scared.It comes as no surprise, therefore, that curiousity has brought so much attention to ghosts.

In conclusion, while the terror that lurks around the commonly accepted ideas of ghosts continues to terrify people, the mysterious nature of ghosts keeps people coming back for more.