Writing Skills

Module II – Building effective sentences (1)

Michelle Smith, Lektorin | Seminar für Anglistik & Amerikanistik

Institut für Sprache, Literatur, und Medien
HG 163 | michelle.smith@uni-flensburg.de
The nested essay structure

Introduction Relate to  Topic

Section 1 Paragraph 1 Sentence 1

Section 2 Paragraph 2 Sentence 2

Section 3 Paragraph 3 Sentence 3

Conclusion Direct to  Climax

Michelle Smith, Lektorin | Seminar für Anglistik & Amerikanistik

Institut für Sprache, Literatur, und Medien
HG 163 | michelle.smith@uni-flensburg.de
Organization on the paragraph level

Topic Sentence
Topic
• Announces intent of paragraph
• Relates paragraph to surrounding
text Sentence 1
Elaboration
• Step-by-step argument of paragraph Sentence 2
• Follows principle of forward dynamics
Climax Sentence 3
• Makes clear the “cognitive gain”
of the paragraph Climax

Michelle Smith, Lektorin | Seminar für Anglistik & Amerikanistik

Institut für Sprache, Literatur, und Medien
HG 163 | michelle.smith@uni-flensburg.de
Elaboration and the climax sentence

1. Spatial elaboration
• Describing some aspect of reality (e.g. location)
2. Temporal elaboration
• Historical evidence in chronological order
• Climax sentence is historical high point
3. Analytical elaboration
• Generalization  examples / specifics
• Climax is provisional conclusion
4. Deductive elaboration
• “Apparent” assertion  consequences  conclusion

Michelle Smith, Lektorin | Seminar für Anglistik & Amerikanistik

Institut für Sprache, Literatur, und Medien
HG 163 | michelle.smith@uni-flensburg.de
Elaboration and the climax sentence

5. Inductive elaboration
• Initial assertion is not immediately apparent
• Evidence builds to prove assertion
6. Dialectical elaboration
• Thesis – proposition to be discussed
• Antithesis – counterargument
• Synthesis – resolution between the two
7. Enumerational elaboration
• Topic sentence serves to quantify following information
• Remainder of paragraph addresses these elaborations in turn
• Typically has no climax sentence

Michelle Smith, Lektorin | Seminar für Anglistik & Amerikanistik

Institut für Sprache, Literatur, und Medien
HG 163 | michelle.smith@uni-flensburg.de
Guidelines for paragraph construction

• Not always purely one of these seven classes

• Paragraph may present an “incomplete” argument
• English academic texts favor paragraphs of even length
• Varying internal structure fosters forward dynamics
• Coherence is of primary importance

Michelle Smith, Lektorin | Seminar für Anglistik & Amerikanistik

Institut für Sprache, Literatur, und Medien
HG 163 | michelle.smith@uni-flensburg.de
Basic issues in sentence construction

Michelle Smith, Lektorin | Seminar für Anglistik & Amerikanistik

Institut für Sprache, Literatur, und Medien
HG 163 | michelle.smith@uni-flensburg.de
What makes a sentence?

Sentence as a rhetorical unit:

“a segment of text comprising one or more units of information

which together constitute a specific and relatively independent
step in fulfilling your communicative aim at the level of the
paragraph.” (86)

• Fragments are rare

• More formal than speaking style
• Almost exclusively statements (not questions or commands)
• Variety in sentence length

Michelle Smith, Lektorin | Seminar für Anglistik & Amerikanistik

Institut für Sprache, Literatur, und Medien
HG 163 | michelle.smith@uni-flensburg.de
Information packaging in clauses

Sentence structure is based on communicative intention:

• Central message follows principle of forward dynamics

• Most important information is immediately apparent

Michelle Smith, Lektorin | Seminar für Anglistik & Amerikanistik

Institut für Sprache, Literatur, und Medien
HG 163 | michelle.smith@uni-flensburg.de
Sentencing – organizing information

• How much information?

• Combination of old and new information
• Too much or too little?
• Appropriate combination of information?
• What is central idea?
• How do supporting ideas relate?
• How much weight to give to different ideas?
• More important information in main clauses
• Less important information in subordinate clauses
• Does the idea warrant its own sentence?

Michelle Smith, Lektorin | Seminar für Anglistik & Amerikanistik

Institut für Sprache, Literatur, und Medien
HG 163 | michelle.smith@uni-flensburg.de
Sentencing and coherence

The Rijksmuseum houses a collection which has justifiably

attained world renown. It contains the largest art collection in
the Netherlands. The Painting Section represents the most
important collection of Dutch painting from the 15th up to the
19th century […]. A separate room is devoted to Italian, Spanish
and other artists. The Print Room contains approximately one
million prints and drawings. Alternating exhibitions of this rich
and varied collection are continually being held.
(WiE 90)

Michelle Smith, Lektorin | Seminar für Anglistik & Amerikanistik

Institut für Sprache, Literatur, und Medien
HG 163 | michelle.smith@uni-flensburg.de
Sentencing and coherence

The Rijksmuseum houses a collection which has justifiably

attained world renown. It contains the largest art collection in
the Netherlands. The Painting Section represents the most
important collection of Dutch painting from the 15th up to the
19th century […]. A separate room is devoted to Italian, Spanish
and other artists. The Print Room contains approximately one
million prints and drawings. Alternating exhibitions of this rich
and varied collection are continually being held.
(WiE 90)

Michelle Smith, Lektorin | Seminar für Anglistik & Amerikanistik

Institut für Sprache, Literatur, und Medien
HG 163 | michelle.smith@uni-flensburg.de
Sentencing and coherence

The Rijksmuseum houses a collection which has justifiably

attained world renown. It contains the largest art collection in
the Netherlands. The Painting Section represents the most
important collection of Dutch painting from the 15th up to the
19th century […]. A separate room is devoted to Italian, Spanish
and other artists. The Print Room contains approximately one
million prints and drawings. Alternating exhibitions of this rich
and varied collection are continually being held.
(WiE 90)

Michelle Smith, Lektorin | Seminar für Anglistik & Amerikanistik

Institut für Sprache, Literatur, und Medien
HG 163 | michelle.smith@uni-flensburg.de
Sentencing and coherence

The Rijksmuseum houses a collection which has justifiably

attained world renown. It contains the largest art collection in
the Netherlands. The Painting Section represents the most
important collection of Dutch painting from the 15th up to the
19th century […]. A separate room is devoted to Italian, Spanish
and other artists. The Print Room contains approximately one
million prints and drawings. Alternating exhibitions of this rich
and varied collection are continually being held.
(WiE 90)

Michelle Smith, Lektorin | Seminar für Anglistik & Amerikanistik

Institut für Sprache, Literatur, und Medien
HG 163 | michelle.smith@uni-flensburg.de
Sentencing and coherence

The Rijksmuseum houses a collection which has justifiably

attained world renown. It contains the largest art collection in
the Netherlands. The Painting Section represents the most
important collection of Dutch painting from the 15th up to the
19th century […]. A separate room is devoted to Italian, Spanish
and other artists. The Print Room contains approximately one
million prints and drawings. Alternating exhibitions of this rich
and varied collection are continually being held.
(WiE 90)

Michelle Smith, Lektorin | Seminar für Anglistik & Amerikanistik

Institut für Sprache, Literatur, und Medien
HG 163 | michelle.smith@uni-flensburg.de
Sentencing and coherence

The Rijksmuseum houses a collection which has justifiably

attained world renown. It contains the largest art collection in
the Netherlands. The Painting Section represents the most
important collection of Dutch painting from the 15th up to the
19th century […]. A separate room is devoted to Italian, Spanish
and other artists. The Print Room contains approximately one
million prints and drawings. Alternating exhibitions of this rich
and varied collection are continually being held.
(WiE 90)

Michelle Smith, Lektorin | Seminar für Anglistik & Amerikanistik

Institut für Sprache, Literatur, und Medien
HG 163 | michelle.smith@uni-flensburg.de
Sentencing and coherence

The Rijksmuseum houses a collection which has justifiably

attained world renown. It contains the largest art collection in
the Netherlands. The Painting Section represents the most
important collection of Dutch painting from the 15th up to the
19th century […]. A separate room is devoted to Italian, Spanish
and other artists. The Print Room contains approximately one
million prints and drawings. Alternating exhibitions of this rich
and varied collection are continually being held.
(WiE 90)

Michelle Smith, Lektorin | Seminar für Anglistik & Amerikanistik

Institut für Sprache, Literatur, und Medien
HG 163 | michelle.smith@uni-flensburg.de
Sentencing and coherence

The Rijksmuseum houses a collection which has justifiably

attained world renown. It contains the largest art collection in
the Netherlands. The Painting Section represents the most
important collection of Dutch painting from the 15th up to the
19th century […]. A separate room is devoted to Italian, Spanish
and other artists. The Print Room contains approximately one
million prints and drawings. Alternating exhibitions of this rich
and varied collection are continually being held.
(WiE 90)

Michelle Smith, Lektorin | Seminar für Anglistik & Amerikanistik

Institut für Sprache, Literatur, und Medien
HG 163 | michelle.smith@uni-flensburg.de
Sentencing and coherence

The Rijksmuseum houses a collection which has justifiably

attained world renown. It contains the largest art collection in
the Netherlands. The Painting Section represents the most
important collection of Dutch painting from the 15th up to the
19th century […]. Italian, Spanish and other artists are exhibited
in a separate room. The Print Room contains approximately
one million prints and drawings. Alternating exhibitions of this
rich and varied collection are continually being held.
(WiE 90)

Michelle Smith, Lektorin | Seminar für Anglistik & Amerikanistik

Institut für Sprache, Literatur, und Medien
HG 163 | michelle.smith@uni-flensburg.de
Information Packaging

Michelle Smith, Lektorin | Seminar für Anglistik & Amerikanistik

Institut für Sprache, Literatur, und Medien
HG 163 | michelle.smith@uni-flensburg.de
Basic English grammatical mould: the clause

English strongly favors a subject-first clausal construction:

The dog bites the boy.

The dog is a vicious animal.

Michelle Smith, Lektorin | Seminar für Anglistik & Amerikanistik

Institut für Sprache, Literatur, und Medien
HG 163 | michelle.smith@uni-flensburg.de
Basic English grammatical mould: the clause

English strongly favors a subject-first clausal construction:

Sarah Smith discusses the new interest in spelling.

Attention to detail is a significant feature of Ian McEwan’s style.

Michelle Smith, Lektorin | Seminar für Anglistik & Amerikanistik

Institut für Sprache, Literatur, und Medien
HG 163 | michelle.smith@uni-flensburg.de
 Basic English grammatical mould: the clause

Adverbials may be added to either end to extend the pattern:

In this week’s number, Sarah Smith discusses the new interest in spelling.

Sarah Smith discusses the new interest in spelling in this week’s number.

Michelle Smith, Lektorin | Seminar für Anglistik & Amerikanistik

Institut für Sprache, Literatur, und Medien
HG 163 | michelle.smith@uni-flensburg.de
Special-purpose mould: the inverted main clause

Typical of question forms

How did the novel gain so much power?

And other inverted constructions

Not until 2002 did Dryden’s experiment come to public light.

Michelle Smith, Lektorin | Seminar für Anglistik & Amerikanistik

Institut für Sprache, Literatur, und Medien
HG 163 | michelle.smith@uni-flensburg.de
Special-purpose mould: the presentative

Also known as “fronting”

Underlying this argument are a number of important assumptions.

Special conditions:
• Cannot be a single word
• Must link to preceding content

Michelle Smith, Lektorin | Seminar für Anglistik & Amerikanistik

Institut für Sprache, Literatur, und Medien
HG 163 | michelle.smith@uni-flensburg.de
Variations to the basic mould

(A) – S – V – O/C – (A)

• Find the best way to map your message onto the mould.
• Grammatically correct =/ appropriate in context
• Compare sentences on page 101

Michelle Smith, Lektorin | Seminar für Anglistik & Amerikanistik

Institut für Sprache, Literatur, und Medien
HG 163 | michelle.smith@uni-flensburg.de
Effective information ordering in sentences

Front of the clause End of the clause

Accessible as possible Most important information
• Previous information • New information
• Readily inferable from • Primary Stress
context or general info
• Grounded or anchored

Principle of End Focus

Michelle Smith, Lektorin | Seminar für Anglistik & Amerikanistik

Institut für Sprache, Literatur, und Medien
HG 163 | michelle.smith@uni-flensburg.de
Effective information ordering in sentences

Front of clause sets up context for end of clause,

which presents most important information.

Starting High
Middle
Point Point

Michelle Smith, Lektorin | Seminar für Anglistik & Amerikanistik

Institut für Sprache, Literatur, und Medien
HG 163 | michelle.smith@uni-flensburg.de
Effective information ordering in sentences

Preceding Sentence fits into logical flow Subsequent

Context of surrounding sentences. Context

Starting High
Middle
Point Point

Michelle Smith, Lektorin | Seminar für Anglistik & Amerikanistik

Institut für Sprache, Literatur, und Medien
HG 163 | michelle.smith@uni-flensburg.de
Organizing the starting point

Passive constructions
This tendency is discussed by O’Connor in his recent article.
Inversion
At no point did the author consider an alternative.
Hardly did his critics expect him to continue.
Fronting
But arguments like these the government refused to take
into account.
His critics hardly expected him to continue, but continue he
did.

Michelle Smith, Lektorin | Seminar für Anglistik & Amerikanistik

Institut für Sprache, Literatur, und Medien
HG 163 | michelle.smith@uni-flensburg.de
Organizing the starting point

Cleft / Pseudo-cleft constructions

It is… / It was… (It-cleft)
Steiner’s bold use of metaphor is most striking.
It is Steiner’s bold use of metaphor that is most striking.
What… (Pseudo-cleft)
What is most striking is Steiner’s bold use of metaphor.

Michelle Smith, Lektorin | Seminar für Anglistik & Amerikanistik

Institut für Sprache, Literatur, und Medien
HG 163 | michelle.smith@uni-flensburg.de
Organizing the starting point

The th-wh construction

The scientist comes into his own at this point.
This is where the scientist comes into his own.
This is the point where the scientist comes into his own.
Linguistics is so important for that reason.
That is why linguistics is so important.
That is the reason linguistics is so important.

Non-agent subjects
Boswith discusses this problem in his new book.
Boswith’s new book discusses this problem.

Michelle Smith, Lektorin | Seminar für Anglistik & Amerikanistik

Institut für Sprache, Literatur, und Medien
HG 163 | michelle.smith@uni-flensburg.de
Organizing the starting point

Adverbial framing

• Circumstantial
For a very long period the Howards had dominated the
political life of the town.
• Conjunctive
Nevertheless, the Howards had dominated the political life of
the town for a very long time.
• Stance
According to legend, the Howards had dominated the
political life of the town for a very long time.

Michelle Smith, Lektorin | Seminar für Anglistik & Amerikanistik

Institut für Sprache, Literatur, und Medien
HG 163 | michelle.smith@uni-flensburg.de
Homework

• Continue Module II

Extra Practice on Moodle:

• EAP Same-or-different
• Academic Paragraph worksheet
• Sentence Type worksheet
• Emphasis exercises from Advanced Grammar in Use
(Cambridge)

Michelle Smith, Lektorin | Seminar für Anglistik & Amerikanistik

Institut für Sprache, Literatur, und Medien
HG 163 | michelle.smith@uni-flensburg.de