Sakshi Education
By P. Mohan Chandran
First, we have to generate ideas on the topic we intend to write on. There are two ways of generating ideas: brainstorming and clustering. In brainstorming, we need to jot down all the related ideas that come to our mind. We need not follow any order of writing the ideas on paper. In clustering, we should take a piece of paper and write the topic of the passage at the centre. Then, we should jot down all the related sub-topics around the central topic in circles. In both cases, we need not write the ideas in full sentences, but can use abbreviations, keywords, pictures, a combination of words and pictures, etc. But, they should be clear enough for us to comprehend later.
Logical Arrangement of Ideas:
In the second stage, we have to put all the ideas we generated into words, order them logically, and make a rough draft of the passage.
Revision & Review of the Draft:
Finally, we need to revise the draft and see if the passage conveys the same idea as we wanted to express. At this stage, we should try to eliminate all the grammatical errors, and substitute inappropriate words with appropriate ones in the context. We should add or delete an idea to support the topical sentence.
Communication skills – that include written skills, too, apart from spoken skills – are not only a prerequisite for success, but also paramount in today’s ultra-competitive world. Good communication skills will not only lead you to a bright career in academics, but also enhance your chances of success in many aspects of life. You can’t communicate effectively, if you are merely able to produce correct sentences. You should be able to form a number of related or connected sentences in real-life situations.
Paragraphs are the smallest units of writing, especially when we are referring to expressing our ideas in writing. Each paragraph expresses an idea, and hence it is the smallest unit of writing. A paragraph is a number of related sentences grouped together that develops a single point. A paragraph is related to one specific topic. There is no rule as to the length of paragraphs, and they may be short or long according to the necessity. The number of paragraphs determines the length of a passage (or essay). The length of a passage, in turn, has an influence on the reader. If the passage is very long, it may put the reader off, and the reader may not attempt to read the passage fully.
Paragraphs are needed to put each bit of information separate, enabling the passage to be comprehended easily. The bit of information may be an idea, a feeling, a problem, an opinion, a view or perspective, etc. It is paragraphing that keeps an idea distinct from another. When there is no demarcation of ideas, the reader finds it difficult to comprehend the passage easily.
ESSENTIALS OF A GOOD PARAGRAPH
A paragraph is not a random or mere combination of selected sentences put together. Each sentence in the paragraph depends upon the other sentences. All the sentences in the paragraph are related to each other – both structurally and semantically. All the sentences in a paragraph bind together to make a sensible paragraph.
Unity:
This is the foremost and most significant principle to be observed in constructing a paragraph. Just as each sentence deals with a single thought, a paragraph should deal with one topic/idea/theme. Every sentence in the paragraph must be closely connected with the main topic of the paragraph. Its unity is seen in the way its sentences hold together in order to express that topic or idea. Sentences should follow a natural sequence.
Very often, the topic, theme, or subject of a paragraph is expressed in one sentence of the paragraph, and especially, the first, or at latest, the second. This sentence is called the topical sentence (since it states the topic) or the key-sentence (because it unlocks or opens the subject to be dealt with in the paragraph). Sometimes, for the sake of variety, the topical sentence may be placed in a different position, i.e., last.
Order:
It is the logical sequence of thought of development of the subject. Events must be related in the order of occurrence, and all ideas should be connected with the leading idea and arranged according to their importance or order.
Variety:
Sentences differing in length and construction make the paragraph interesting and lively and also avoid monotonous reading.
The two most important sentences in the paragraph are the first and the last. The first, as a rule, should be the topical sentence, which should arouse the interest of the reader, while the last should satisfy it. The first or topical sentence states the topic – a statement, a fact, an idea, a proposition, etc. The last sentence should bring the entire paragraph on the topic to a conclusion.
Let’s observe a paragraph below:
“Poetry is the language of the imagination and the passions. It relates to whatever gives immediate pleasure or pain to the human mind. It comes home to the bosoms and businesses of men; for nothing but what comes home to them in the most general and intelligible shape can be a subject for poetry. Poetry is the universal language which the heart holds with nature and itself. He who has contempt for poetry cannot have much respect for himself, or for anything else. Wherever there is a sense of beauty, or power, or harmony, as in a motion of a wave of the sea, in the growth of a flower, there is poetry in its birth.” – William Hazlitt
In the above paragraph, the first sentence is the topical sentence. The sentences that follow restate or emphasize the statement that “poetry is the language of the imagination and the passions.” The concluding sentence reinforces it by showing that poetry exists wherever man feels a sense of beauty, power, or harmony. In the above paragraph, principles of Unity and Order are observed, and so are the rules about the placing of the topical sentences, and summing up of the whole paragraph with a good conclusion.
All good paragraphs have topical sentences in them. However, it is not necessary that a paragraph should have the topical sentence. Sometimes, the idea may be clear from the paragraph itself. Now, observe the following paragraph: I boarded the train to Bangalore at 7 a.m., and made myself comfortable after pushing the luggage under my seat. As the train chugged forward, I realized that I had forgotten my ticket. I didn’t know what to do! I was thinking of getting down at the next local station. The train stopped at the local station and I was about to get down. Suddenly, I saw my wife rushing towards my compartment waving the ticket in her hand.
The above paragraph deals with a single event. There is no topical sentence in the paragraph. Each sentence is connected with the previous one logically. There are sub-events, or sub-actions related to the main event, which appeared in a sequence.
PROCESS OF WRITING A PARAGRAPH
There are 3 stages in writing a paragraph:
Paragraphs are the smallest units of writing, especially when we are referring to expressing our ideas in writing. Each paragraph expresses an idea, and hence it is the smallest unit of writing. A paragraph is a number of related sentences grouped together that develops a single point. A paragraph is related to one specific topic. There is no rule as to the length of paragraphs, and they may be short or long according to the necessity. The number of paragraphs determines the length of a passage (or essay). The length of a passage, in turn, has an influence on the reader. If the passage is very long, it may put the reader off, and the reader may not attempt to read the passage fully.
Paragraphs are needed to put each bit of information separate, enabling the passage to be comprehended easily. The bit of information may be an idea, a feeling, a problem, an opinion, a view or perspective, etc. It is paragraphing that keeps an idea distinct from another. When there is no demarcation of ideas, the reader finds it difficult to comprehend the passage easily.
ESSENTIALS OF A GOOD PARAGRAPH
A paragraph is not a random or mere combination of selected sentences put together. Each sentence in the paragraph depends upon the other sentences. All the sentences in the paragraph are related to each other – both structurally and semantically. All the sentences in a paragraph bind together to make a sensible paragraph.
Unity:
This is the foremost and most significant principle to be observed in constructing a paragraph. Just as each sentence deals with a single thought, a paragraph should deal with one topic/idea/theme. Every sentence in the paragraph must be closely connected with the main topic of the paragraph. Its unity is seen in the way its sentences hold together in order to express that topic or idea. Sentences should follow a natural sequence.
Very often, the topic, theme, or subject of a paragraph is expressed in one sentence of the paragraph, and especially, the first, or at latest, the second. This sentence is called the topical sentence (since it states the topic) or the key-sentence (because it unlocks or opens the subject to be dealt with in the paragraph). Sometimes, for the sake of variety, the topical sentence may be placed in a different position, i.e., last.
Order:
It is the logical sequence of thought of development of the subject. Events must be related in the order of occurrence, and all ideas should be connected with the leading idea and arranged according to their importance or order.
Variety:
Sentences differing in length and construction make the paragraph interesting and lively and also avoid monotonous reading.
The two most important sentences in the paragraph are the first and the last. The first, as a rule, should be the topical sentence, which should arouse the interest of the reader, while the last should satisfy it. The first or topical sentence states the topic – a statement, a fact, an idea, a proposition, etc. The last sentence should bring the entire paragraph on the topic to a conclusion.
Let’s observe a paragraph below:
“Poetry is the language of the imagination and the passions. It relates to whatever gives immediate pleasure or pain to the human mind. It comes home to the bosoms and businesses of men; for nothing but what comes home to them in the most general and intelligible shape can be a subject for poetry. Poetry is the universal language which the heart holds with nature and itself. He who has contempt for poetry cannot have much respect for himself, or for anything else. Wherever there is a sense of beauty, or power, or harmony, as in a motion of a wave of the sea, in the growth of a flower, there is poetry in its birth.” – William Hazlitt
In the above paragraph, the first sentence is the topical sentence. The sentences that follow restate or emphasize the statement that “poetry is the language of the imagination and the passions.” The concluding sentence reinforces it by showing that poetry exists wherever man feels a sense of beauty, power, or harmony. In the above paragraph, principles of Unity and Order are observed, and so are the rules about the placing of the topical sentences, and summing up of the whole paragraph with a good conclusion.
All good paragraphs have topical sentences in them. However, it is not necessary that a paragraph should have the topical sentence. Sometimes, the idea may be clear from the paragraph itself. Now, observe the following paragraph: I boarded the train to Bangalore at 7 a.m., and made myself comfortable after pushing the luggage under my seat. As the train chugged forward, I realized that I had forgotten my ticket. I didn’t know what to do! I was thinking of getting down at the next local station. The train stopped at the local station and I was about to get down. Suddenly, I saw my wife rushing towards my compartment waving the ticket in her hand.
The above paragraph deals with a single event. There is no topical sentence in the paragraph. Each sentence is connected with the previous one logically. There are sub-events, or sub-actions related to the main event, which appeared in a sequence.
PROCESS OF WRITING A PARAGRAPH
There are 3 stages in writing a paragraph:
- Generating Ideas
- Logical arrangement of ideas
- Revision and review of the draft
First, we have to generate ideas on the topic we intend to write on. There are two ways of generating ideas: brainstorming and clustering. In brainstorming, we need to jot down all the related ideas that come to our mind. We need not follow any order of writing the ideas on paper. In clustering, we should take a piece of paper and write the topic of the passage at the centre. Then, we should jot down all the related sub-topics around the central topic in circles. In both cases, we need not write the ideas in full sentences, but can use abbreviations, keywords, pictures, a combination of words and pictures, etc. But, they should be clear enough for us to comprehend later.
Logical Arrangement of Ideas:
In the second stage, we have to put all the ideas we generated into words, order them logically, and make a rough draft of the passage.
Revision & Review of the Draft:
Finally, we need to revise the draft and see if the passage conveys the same idea as we wanted to express. At this stage, we should try to eliminate all the grammatical errors, and substitute inappropriate words with appropriate ones in the context. We should add or delete an idea to support the topical sentence.
Published date : 08 Jan 2011 04:33PM
