CEL 2103 WRITING ACADEMIC TEXTS

SEMESTER 2, 2020/2021

CLASS MATERIAL WEEK 3 – 4

Components of Introductory Paragraph

The introductory paragraph, or opening paragraph, is the first paragraph of your essay. It
introduces the main idea of your essay, captures the interest of your readers and tells why
your topic is important.

Activity 1
Write the four components in an introductory paragraph of an argumentative essay in the
space provided.
a. General statement

b. Importance of issue

c. Opposing view

d. Thesis statement (topic, main points, stance)

Activity 2
Match the components of an introductory paragraph in Activity 1 to the definitions below.

No Definition Component

Acknowledges the opposing view in presenting the arguments. This

1 c
will strengthen the writer’s own points in arguing the issue.

Provides background on the topic and context on the argument

2 presented in the text. This would allow for a better understanding of a
the issue being presented.

Presents the writer’s position on the argument in relation to the

3 topic. It also provides a preview of the content of the text and its d
organisation.

Emphasises on the importance of the issue that would increase the

4 b
credibility of the writer’s argument.

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Activity 3
Identify the components of an introductory paragraph in the text below and label them
accordingly.

Introductory paragraph 1
The issue of whether marine parks should be allowed to stay open has been widely debated
in our community recently. It is an important issue because it concerns the fundamental
moral and economic questions about the way the society uses native wildlife. A variety of
different arguments have been put forward regarding this issue. Despite the different views
provided, it is important to acknowledge the reasons for the introduction of laws which
prohibit these unnecessary and cruel institutions.

Introductory Paragraph 2
For many years, children growing up in a single parent family have been viewed as
different. Being raised by only one parent seems impossible to many, yet over the decades it
has become more prevalent. In today’s society many children have grown up to become
emotionally stable and successful whether they had one or two parents to show them the
rocky path that life bestows upon all human beings. The problem lies in the difference of
children raised by single parents versus children raised by both a mother and a father. Does
a child need both parents? Does a young boy need a father figure around? Does the
government provide help for single parents? What role do step-parents and step-siblings
play? With much speculation, this topic has become a very intriguing argument. What people
must understand is that properly raising a child does not rely on the structure of a family but
should be more focused on the process or values that are taught to these children as they
learn to mature. Children of single parents can be just as progressive with emotional, social
and behavioural skills as those with two parents.

Activity 4
Identify the missing component in the introductory paragraphs below. Write the missing
component in the space provided to complete the paragraph.

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Introductory paragraph 1
Many cultures believe in arranged marriages. Arranged marriages encompass a wide variety
of procedures, cultural customs, length of courtship, as well as the practical and spiritual
reasons for the matching of the partners. This practice has been widely spread in the United
States, and a large number of American youths are forced into marriages with people whom
they do not love. As a result, the liberty to choose their spouse has been neglected and it
also concerns the fundamentals of human’s right. However, regardless of the justifications
provided, arranged marriages should not be a practice in the United States due to social and
economic reasons.

Missing component: ___Variety of opinions____

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

Introductory paragraph 2
Television has remained the predominant medium used by companies for their advertising
and marketing strategies despite the availability of new marketing and advertising media
such as the Internet. This is because almost every home has at least one television. As a
result, a majority of adolescents are exposed to TV commercials not just at home but also in
schools. Most people think that advertising on the television is harmless and does not play a
significant impact.

Missing component: ________Thesis statement____________

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

Introductory Paragraph 3
The period for the middle school students aged between 12 to 14 years old are known to be
the “tough years”. These are the years when the different rates of girls’ and boys’ physical,

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emotional and cognitive development are most noticeable. Educators debate whether the
separation of boys and girls into single-sex classes might improve students’ academic
performance. Single sex classes were against the law in public schools until several years
ago, but now they have become more common (Bonner & Hollingsworth, 2012). Although
some parents, educators, and civil liberties groups continue to oppose single-sex classes,
there are some evidence that show separating boys and girls in middle school produces
positive results.

Missing component: __________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

Grammar: Tenses

Activity 5

Which tense would you use in the following situations?

Situation Tense
A general principle Simple present
What happened in an experiment
Ideas that were held in the past
Something that has changed over time
Someone’s opinion
The results of an experiment
A habitual action in the present Simple present
Recent research and its present impact
A theory
A claim
A fact

Activity 6

Fill in the blanks with the correct tenses (simple present / simple past / present perfect) of
the verbs in the parenthesis.

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 Have men ever wondered why their right brain and left brain _____were created_____

(create) equal in size? One does not outsize the other. Apart from ensuring it fits our skull

and head nicely, there must be reasons behind it.

In general, humans ___are relying___ (rely) so much on their left brain in living their

life. They _____understand______ (understand) that the left brain is responsible for logic,

and they _____used______ (use) it most of the time. Humans go through life based on

what is there in front of them. Everything is as it is, and they take calculated risk to ensure

their life is in order or how they expect it to be.

The right brain, on the other hand, ________allows_______ (allow) humans to be

creative and appreciate matters that are intangible; something which is there but may not

always be transparent to their naked eye. In its unique way, it ______connects_____

(connect) humans to their voice within; the voice that only they could hear.

What humans may not realise is that the right brain is the door to their inner voice;

referred to as our intuition, or the ability to understand something instinctively without the

need for conscious reasoning. This may not be agreeable by the left brain, and they might

question themselves why they even bother listening to this ‘voice’. This has no logical

sense whatsoever, but should they ignore this option in deciding what they determine to

do in life?

Nonetheless, do not dismiss the left brain entirely. What they need to do in any

particular moment is to switch on their “left brain-dimmer switch” so that they can discover

the ‘whisper’. Once the unnecessary noise _____is controlled______ (control), they might

be able to decisively open the door to endless possibilities in navigating life guided by this

voice within.

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 To enhance this ability, try meditation. Many studies and articles __have been

conducted___ (conduct) and _____written____ (write) about the relation between

meditation and how it _____affects______ (affect) the brain. There __have been

studies__ (study) suggesting that the corpus callosum and other white matter structures in

the brain ______grow_______ (grow) physically more massive due to mindfulness

training. This corpus callosum is an enormous bundle of white matter fibers that

______connect______ (connect) the right and left halves of the brain.

Let’s acknowledge the potential of the right brain for opening the portal to mankind to

be guided by intuition. This ‘gut-feeling’ is arguably a trustworthy source in navigating life,

although the left brain might disagree. Humans _______need_______ (need) to believe

and have unwavering faith to what it has to say.

Adapted from Izwan Ishak (2019), The Whisper Within, retrieved from

https://medium.com/afwp/the-whisper-within-ace25903d0b7

Constructing Effective Thesis Statement for Argumentative Essays

Activity 7
What is the purpose of a thesis statement in an argumentative essay?

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To present a preview of our point of views and also to establish our stance on the topic.

Activity 8
Write the characteristics of a good thesis statement for an argumentative essay.

1. Writer’s stance

2. Specific topic or issue

3. Main points of the writer

4. To show clear connection to the opposing view (transition of signals)

Activity 9
Underline the thesis statements in the introductory paragraphs below.

Introductory paragraph 1
Television has remained the predominant medium used by companies for their advertising
and marketing strategies despite the availability of new marketing and advertising media
such as the Internet. This is because almost every home has at least one television. As a
result, a majority of adolescents are exposed to TV commercials not just at home but also in
schools. Most people think that advertising on the television is harmless and does not play a
significant impact. However, the extreme exposure of adolescents to television, specifically
to commercials shown in television has become a growing concern to many experts since
evidence shows that advertising has a negative effect on adolescents in reference to their
self-perception, eating habits and relationships with their parents.

Introductory paragraph 2
The period for the middle school students aged between 12 to 14 years old are known to be
the “tough years”. These are the years when the different rates of girls’ and boys’ physical,
emotional and cognitive development are most noticeable. Educators debate whether the
separation of boys and girls into single-sex classes might improve students’ academic
performance. Single sex classes were against the law in public schools until several years
ago, but now they have become more common (Bonner & Hollingsworth, 2012). Although
some parents, educators, and civil liberties groups continue to oppose single-sex classes,
there are some evidence that show separating boys and girls in middle school produces
positive results.
Transition Signals of Contrast in Thesis Statement for Argumentative Essays

The thesis statement in an argumentative essay states clearly which sides the writer stands
for. However, it is also necessary to present the opposing view together with the writer’s own
point of view in a cohesive sentence. This can be achieved with the use of an appropriate
transition signal of contrast.

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Activity 10
Rewrite the following thesis statements in the table below.

Example:
A section of the American public feels that the United States should have a national health
care plan like Canada’s; however, the government should leave the management of the
nation’s healthcare industry to private enterprises.

Opposing view A section of the American public feels that the United States
should have a national health care plan like Canada’s

Transition signal of however

contrast

Rebuttal argument the government should leave the management of the

nation’s healthcare industry to private enterprises.

1. Although many people think that genetically engineered crops are a threat to the
environment, such crops can alleviate world hunger and malnutrition.

Opposing view Although many people think that genetically

engineered crops are a threat to the environment

Transition signal of contrast

Rebuttal argument such crops can alleviate world hunger and malnutrition

2. Human rights advocates argue that smokers should have the right to smoke in public
despite various findings that show second hand smokers could suffer more from the
effects of smoking.

Opposing view Human rights advocates argue that smokers should

have the right to smoke in public

Transition signal of contrast despite

Rebuttal argument various findings that show second hand smokers could
suffer more from the effects of smoking.

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Activity 11
Write the thesis statements for the topics below.

Example:

Topic : Vaccination should be made compulsory in Malaysia.

Thesis statement : Some parents refuse vaccination to their children due to sanitary,
religious, and political objections; however, vaccination should be
made compulsory in Malaysia as it prevents the spread of fatal
illnesses and saves future medical cost.

1. Doctors should be allowed to stop the treatment of terminally ill patients.

Thesis Statement:
Some people think that doctors should be allowed to stop treating patients due to some
patients’ right for wishing physician-assisted death and also due to the possibility of no
cure; however, doctors should not be allowed to stop the treatment as it is the doctor’s
responsibility to treat patients of all kind of diseases and all patients should be equally
treated regardless of the seriousness of the disease.

2. The sales of music containing lyrics that degrade women should be prohibited.
Thesis Statement:

Some people would oppose the prohibition of sales of music that contain degrading lyrics
towards women due to free speech and creative control, on the contrary, prohibition is
necessary as it can prevent the normalisation of degrading women and also maintaining
or strengthening the integrity of social morality in a society.

3. Social media can play a role in providing an effective learning experience.

Thesis Statement:
Despite the reasonable and often used point of views of why social media cannot play a
role for effective learning experience.due to it being a distraction, social media can
effectively play a role in learning experience due to its capability of accessing wide library
of information on the Internet and also the recent developments of online learning tools
or applications.

4. School uniforms should not be abolished.

Thesis Statement:
A majority of early education workforce agrees that school uniforms should not be
abolished because it can reduce the difference between rich and poor students;
however, school uniforms should be abolished because many studies show that school
uniforms are hard to come by for the extremely poor and the difference in the uniforms in
school forms a social hierarchy among the students.

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 Grammar: Subject-Verb Agreement

Activity 12

Read the paragraphs below. Circle the subjects and underline the verbs. If the sentence has
a subject-verb agreement error, cross out the incorrect verb and write the correct verb form
above it.

Text 1
When millions of people around the world sleeps with a hungry stomach every day, the

siren should be wailing; there is a crisis. While food security and sustainability continues to

be some of the world’s most pressing issues, the only logical answer seems to resort to

the use of GMOs. Since food shortage appears to be one of the causes of the hunger

crisis, many people believe that in order to increase food production GMO expansion are

is vital. However, the argument that biotechnology will help feed the world at all levels is a

deception.

Text 2
Genetic engineering, also known as genetic modification, is the direct human manipulation

of an organism’s genome used in modern DNA technology to be used in a good way. This

is an important issue as it concerns the use of genetic technology for the welfare of the

society, particularly in understanding more about genes. Although some argues that

genetic engineering have not contributed much to the society, others is are grateful for the

advanced genetic technology and opportunities. Nevertheless, despite the different

opinions, it is important to acknowledge the huge amount of progress that genetic

engineering have brought to the society.

Text 3
People claim that the only way for children to gain full emotional and behavioral skills are

is to be raised by both a mother and a father. When a topic such as this one have a broad

amount of variable, it is impossible to simply link these problems to only having one

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parent. Maginnis (2014) stated, “Children from single-parent families is are more likely to

have behaviour problems because they tends to lack economic security and adequate

time with parents”. The simple statement that raw criminals is are products of single-

parent adolescence are absurd. What this writer must understand is that it can be

extremely difficult for one parent to raise a child by themselves for many reasons. A

single-parent must work full time so that they is are able to afford to provide for

themselves and their child. They must also be able to still have time to offer an exuberant

amount of emotional time for the wellbeing of their child. However, though this seems

impossible, it can be done.

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