VAN LANG UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF

FOREIGN LANGUAGES 

WRITING 2
(Selected and Compiled)

HCMC 2018
FOR INTERNAL USE ONLY
 Table of Contents

CHAPTER 1: THE ORGANIZATION OF A PARAGRAPH .............. 1-17

PART 1: WHAT IS A PARAGRAPH? …………………………………………..2

PART 2: A PARAGRAPH WRITING PROCESS ……………………………….9

PART 3: MECHANICS ……………………………………………………… ..15

CHAPTER 2: DESCRIPTIVE PARAGRAPHS ………………..……17-24

PART 1: WHAT IS A DESCRIPTIVE PARAGRAPH? ............................................ 18

PART 2: THE ORGANIZATION OF A DESCRIPTIVE PARAGRAPH…… .. 18

PART 3: MECHANICS………………………………………………………….21

PART 4: WRITING TOPICS……………………………………………………24

CHAPTER 3: LISTING -ORDER PARAGRAPHS …………………………26-37

PART 1: WHAT IS A LISTING-ORDER PARAGRAPH? …………………….26

PART 2: THE ORGANIZATION OF A LISTING-ORDER PARAGRAPH… .. 26

PART 3: MECHANICS………………………………………………………….31

PART 4: WRITING TOPICS…………………………………………………….37

CHAPTER 4: "HOW-TO" PARAGRAPHS………………………………….38-46

PART 1: WHAT IS A "HOW-TO" PARAGRAPH? ………………………… .. 39

PART 2: THE ORGANIZATION OF A "HOW-TO" PARAGRAPH………….40

PART 3: MECHANICS…………………………………………………………42

PART 4: WRITING TOPICS……………………………………………………46

CHAPTER 5: OPINION PARAGRAPHS …………………………………...47-55

PART 1: WHAT IS AN OPINION PARAGRAPH? …………………………...48

PART 2: THE ORGANIZATION OF AN OPINION PARAGRAPH………….49

PART 3: MECHANICS………………………………………………………....53

PART 4: WRITING TOPICS…………………………………………………...55

REFERENCES ……………………………………………………………………56

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CHAPTER 1

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PART 1: WHAT IS A PARAGRAPH?

Exercise 1: Read the text below and find out how many sentences there are.

My classmate

My classmate is an interesting person. Her name is Lucie Jenny. She comes from
Michoacan, a small city in Mexico. She arrived in this country two years ago. She is a
single and lives with her best friend from Mexico. They grew up in the same
neighborhood in Michoacan, and their friendship has lasted sixteen years so far. This
semester, Lucie is studying Maths, English, and Physics. After school, she and her
roommate work in a restaurant as waitresses. Lucie likes her job very much. On
weekends, she often goes bicycling or plays volleyball with her friends. She plans to
become an architect. Lucie has an exciting life, and she seems to have a bright future
ahead of her.

Exercise 2: Complete the given outline of My classmate.

Topic sentence (TS): ______________________________________________________

Supporting sentences (SS)

SS1: __________________________________________________________________

SS2:___________________________________________________________________

SS3: __________________________________________________________________

SS4: __________________________________________________________________

SS5: __________________________________________________________________

SS6: __________________________________________________________________

SS7: __________________________________________________________________

SS8: __________________________________________________________________

SS9: __________________________________________________________________

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SS10: _________________________________________________________________

Concluding sentence (CS): _______________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

A paragraph is a group of related sentences about a single topic. The topic of a

paragraph is one, and only one, idea.
What is a paragraph?

In terms of the organization, a paragraph has three main parts:

-Topic sentence: a sentence that names the topic and tells what the paragraph will explain
about the topic. It is often the first sentence.

The topic sentence includes two parts: the topic and the controlling idea.

Eg1, English borrows words from other languages.

Topic Controlling idea

Eg2, English is necessary for many different jobs.

Topic Controlling idea

-Supporting sentences: the middle sentences used to give examples or details about the
topic.

Supporting sentences need to relate to the topic and the controlling idea. If they are
irrelevant, redundant, or overlapped, you are making your paragraph less effective
and poorly organized. In a word, your paragraph must follow the rule of unity.

-Concluding sentence: the last sentence used to end the topic by repeating the topic
sentence in different words or summarizing the main points.

The concluding sentence needs to relate to the topic sentence. The writer can also
develop the topic sentence by expressing relevant personal opinions.

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Exercise 3: For each set of sentences, write TS next to the topic sentence. Write SS
next to the supporting sentences.

1. ______a. The first type of hotel is an airport hotel.

______b. Many airport hotel guests are passengers whose flights were delayed or
cancelled.
______c. There are two types of hotels in most major cities.
______d. The second type of hotel is a downtown hotel.
______e. Guests of downtown hotels include tourists and business people.

2. ______a. The collection includes music from Spain, Ethiopia, and Egypt.
______b. I also enjoy going to concerts by musicians from different countries.
______c. Last month I went to a concert by a famous musician from Korean.
______d. I have a large collection of world music on my MP3 player.
______e. One of my hobbies is listening to international music.

3. ______a. Part-time jobs teach students skills they need for the future.
______b. They also learn about job responsibilities.
______c. Students learn how to be on time.
______d. They learn about working with others.
______e. Students learn about business.

4. ______a. If uniforms are required, students will not wear T-shirts with offensive
messages.
______b. Uniforms prevent students from wearing improper clothing.
______c. All high schools should require their students to wear uniforms.
______d. Students who wear uniforms do not have to worry about the latest
fashions.
______e. Students do not need to worry about matching colors or styles.

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Exercise 4: Find out the topic and concluding sentence in each paragraph. Then
underline any irrelevant, overlapped, or redundant sentences in each.

Paragraph A

Beaches are fun in summer and winter. Everyone likes beaches so much. We can
play with sand and swim in the water. In summer, you can swim and play many other
water sports. If you don’t like water sports, you can play games or relax on the warm
sand. In winter, beaches are less crowded, so they are good places for solitary walks.
Also, on a clear winter night, nothing is more fun than sitting with a group of friends
around a big bonfire, talking, laughing, and singing. Indeed, a beach is a place to have fun
all year.

Paragraph B

English is very necessary nowadays. First, it helps you get a well-paid job. You
can earn a lot of money if you have good English. English helps you become richer.
Second, you can travel around the world without feeling afraid of communication.
Everyone in many parts of the world can communicate in English together. Third, much
of the information on the Internet is written in English. If you know English well, it is
easy to read and understand the news or stories on the Internet. Finally, you can
communicate easily with foreigners when you know English. This helps you much when
you are traveling. In short, if you have good English, you can do many things.

Paragraph C

One way of defining people, which was used by psychologists in the past, was to
divide people into pessimists and optimists. A pessimist is someone who takes a negative
approach to life, but an optimist is someone who approaches life positively. For instance,
a pessimist would view a glass as half empty, yet an optimist would see a glass as half
full. In my opinion, we should become optimists rather than pessimists. From a
psychological perspective, optimists would believe that they have control over their own
life and destiny, while pessimists would feel that they had no control over their own

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destiny. To sum up, optimists are thought to look at the brighter side of everything than
pessimists do.

Exercise 5: Fill in the blank in each of the following paragraphs with an appropriate
topic sentence.

Paragraph A

________________________________________________________________________
___________________________. The first type of shopper doesn’t like to waste time.
She knows what she wants to buy and how much she wants to pay. If the store has what
she wants, she buys it and leaves. She is a good kind of customer because she doesn’t take
too much of a salesperson’s time. A second type of shopper comes into a store with a
general idea of what she wants, listens to the salesperson’s suggestions, tries on a few
items, and makes a decision. She is also a good kind of customer. A third kind of shopper
has no idea what she wants. She spends two hours trying on one outfit after another. She
takes up a lot of a salesperson’s time and sometimes doesn’t buy anything. In conclusion,
the first two types of shoppers are a salesperson’s dream, but the third type is a
salesperson’s nightmare.

Paragraph B

________________________________________________________________________
______________________________. My first challenge came when I decided to go to
college. None of my friends decided to go to college, and while I was applying and
preparing to go, we grew apart. During the first year of my master’s program, I changed
jobs, and my wife and I had twins. While I was writing my master thesis, I also had to
deal with a lot of pressure in my new job. While I was working hard to meet all my
targets in my job, and help my wife take care of our children, I completed my master’s
program with top grades. Last year, I completed my Ph.D. When I was walking across the
stage to receive my diploma, I realized with great pride that accomplishing any dream
takes a lot of perseverance and determination. All of this challenged my determination to
succeed very much.

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Paragraph C

________________________________________________________________________
______________________________. First, living in a foreign country helps you learn
another language faster than studying it at school. Second, you can learn directly about
the history, geography, and culture of the country. Third, you become a more tolerant
person because you experience different ways of living. Fourth, living in a foreign
country makes you appreciate your own country better. To sum up, it is beneficial to live
in a foreign country.

Paragraph D

________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________.This is a fear of being in a space you feel you cannot
leave. If somebody with claustrophobia enters a small space such as an elevator, they will
probably panic when the doors close. Many situations, such as traveling in an elevator,
subway train, or airplane, cause claustrophobia people to panic, but in the worst cases,
even closing the door to a room can cause this feeling. In brief, claustrophobia is one of
the most common fears among people.

Exercise 6: Fill in the blank in each of the following paragraphs with an appropriate
concluding sentence.

Paragraph A

In my opinion, public school students should wear uniforms. First of all, students
who wear uniforms behave better. Long Beach, California, which was one of the first
cities in the United States to require uniforms in elementary and middle school, reported
increased attendance and decreased bad behavior. In the first year, school crime decreased
by 36 percent, fighting by 51 percent, and vandalism by 18 percent. A second reason is
that uniforms increase school spirit. According to a survey taken in South Carolina,
middle school students who wear school uniforms have more positive feelings about their
schools than students in schools with no uniforms. Third, schools that require uniforms
erase economic and social differences. Students from wealthy, middle class, and poor

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families all wear the same clothes to school, so parents don’ feel pressure to spend a lot of
money for the latest fashions. Also, students who cannot afford the latest fashions do not
feel self-conscious. ________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________.

Paragraph B

I hate Monday for many reasons. One reason is work. I get up early to go to work
on Monday. After a weekend of fun and relaxation, I do not like to go to work. Another
reason that I do not like Monday is that I have three meetings every Monday. These
meetings last a long time, and they are extremely boring. Traffic is also a big problem on
Monday. There are more cars on the road on Monday. Drivers are in a bad mood, and I
must be more careful than usual. _____________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________.

Paragraph C

Being a part-time hotel receptionist provides many useful work skills for young
people. First, they can learn about working with the public. Hotel receptionists have to
interact with guests every day, and they also answer phone calls and make reservations. In
addition, because travelers are from several different countries, hotel receptionists learn
how to interact with foreigners. They need to learn English, for it is the language that
most international travelers are able to speak. They also learn about others’ cultures,
which is a useful skill for many international jobs in the future. Finally, hotel receptionists
have to deal with the guests’ complaints, so they learn problem-solving skills. ________
_______________________________________________________________________.

Paragraph D

In Vietnam, the best place to spend a honeymoon is the beautiful mountain city in
Dalat. First of all, the city has a pleasant climate all year round because it is high above
the ocean. Sometimes fog comes in, and the city becomes mysterious and private. At
other times, the sun shines, and Dalat city gets cheerful and lively. There are beautiful
gardens and lovely French colonial architecture. Second, young people can walk along

8
the boulevards in the shade of tall pine trees. They can sit on benches in the flower parks.
In addition, Dalat has many facilities for visitors. There are excellent hotels that have
special rooms with candles and beautiful decorations for honeymooners. Also, the city has
many things to do at night. Newlyweds can go out to one of the stylish restaurants that are
open late. The lights are soft, and the music is romantic. The newlyweds can eat delicious
food, listen to music, and meet other young couples. ______________________
_______________________________________________________________________.

PART 2: A PARAGRAPH WRITING PROCESS

The writing process involves these four steps:

• Brainstorm and edit the freewriting

Step 1

• Write the first draft

Step 2

• Check and revise your work

Step 3

• Write the final copy

Step 4

Step 1: Brainstorm and edit the freewriting

In this step, you get as many ideas about the topic as you can. Write anything
necessary to write about the topic. Don’t worry about grammar, spelling, punctuations, or
capitalization in this stage. You can organize your ideas in a mindmap, a diagram, a list or
a piece of freewriting. Keep writing without stopping for about ten minutes or until you
run out of ideas. After that, review your freewriting, choose one main idea for your
paragraph, and cross our irrelevant details.

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Exercise 7: Here is an example of freewriting. It has several mistakes which the
writer will correct in a later draft. Now, edit the freewriting by crossing out
irrelevant sentences and circle the main idea.

Freewriting about my grandmother

My grandmother. She was a good cook. The best cook. Every weekend we have a
big dinner. With big, big bowls of food. Lots of talking. Everybody in the family there.
Every time we eat the same food, but we always love it. Is our favorite meal. She never
mad at us. She always defends us when we are in trouble with our parents. One time I
picked all the roses in her garden. She not even mad then. Grandmother kind and
generous. She gives food to poor people. She never makes them feel bad about taking it.
Makes people feel good, just as she made me feel good when I picked all the roses.
Thanks me for the beautiful bouquet. Mother really angry. Grandmother always forgives.
Forgiving heart.

Step 2: Write the first draft

In this step, your write the paragraph in the rough form without worrying too much about
the errors.

Exercise 8: Make the first draft of Freewriting about my grandmother by writing

every detail left after task 3.

________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

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Step 3: Edit the first draft

In this step, you edit your paragraph more carefully. That is, you have to read it again,
correct any errors.

Firstly, you check the paragraph as a whole. Is the meaning clear?

Secondly, you check the paragraph for a good form, organization, grammar, punctuation,
spelling, capitalization, and so on.

You can edit by yourself or ask your friends or anyone if possible to preview your
paragraph.

Exercise 9: Edit the draft in task 4. Remember to make changes or correct any
errors found.

________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

Step 4: Write the final copy

After you finish editing the draft, you write the final copy. Then you submit it to your
teacher as an assignment.

*KEY NOTES OF PARAGRAPH WRITING

What is a paragraph?

A paragraph is a collection of related sentences dealing with a single topic.

Learning to write good paragraphs will help you as a writer stay on track during your

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drafting and revision stages. Good paragraphing also greatly assists your readers in
following a piece of writing. You can have fantastic ideas, but if those ideas aren't
presented in an organized fashion, you will lose your readers (and fail to achieve your
goals in writing).

The Basic Rule: Keep one idea to one paragraph

The basic rule of thumb with paragraphing is to keep one idea to one paragraph. If
you begin to transition into a new idea, it belongs in a new paragraph. There are some
simple ways to tell if you are on the same topic or a new one. You can have one idea and
several bits of supporting evidence within a single paragraph. You can also have several
points in a single paragraph as long as they relate to the overall topic of the paragraph. If
the single points start to get long, then perhaps elaborating on each of them and placing
them in their own paragraphs is the route to go.

Elements of a paragraph

To be as effective as possible, a paragraph should contain each of the following:

Unity, Coherence, A Topic Sentence, and Adequate Development. As you will see, all
of these traits overlap. Using and adapting them to your individual purposes will help you
construct effective paragraphs.

Unity

The entire paragraph should concern itself with a single focus. If it begins with
one focus or major point of discussion, it should not end with another or wander within
different ideas.

Coherence

Coherence is the trait that makes the paragraph easily understandable to a reader.
You can help create coherence in your paragraphs by creating logical bridges and verbal
bridges.

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Logical bridges

 The same idea of a topic is carried over from sentence to sentence

 Successive sentences can be constructed in parallel form

Verbal bridges

 Key words can be repeated in several sentences

 Synonymous words can be repeated in several sentences
 Pronouns can refer to nouns in previous sentences
 Transition words can be used to link ideas from different sentences

A topic sentence

A topic sentence is a sentence that indicates in a general way what idea or thesis
the paragraph is going to deal with. Although not all paragraphs have clear-cut topic
sentences, and despite the fact that topic sentences can occur anywhere in the paragraph
(as the first sentence, the last sentence, or somewhere in the middle), an easy way to make
sure your reader understands the topic of the paragraph is to put your topic sentence near
the beginning of the paragraph. (This is a good general rule for less experienced writers,
although it is not the only way to do it). Regardless of whether you include an explicit
topic sentence or not, you should be able to easily summarize what the paragraph is about.

Adequate development

The topic (which is introduced by the topic sentence) should be discussed fully
and adequately. Again, this varies from paragraph to paragraph, depending on the author's
purpose, but writers should be wary of paragraphs that only have two or three sentences.
It's a pretty good bet that the paragraph is not fully developed if it is that short.

Some methods to make sure that your paragraph is well-developed:

➢ Use examples and illustrations

➢ Cite data (facts, statistics, evidence, details, and others)

13
 ➢ Examine testimony (what other people say such as quotes and paraphrases)
➢ Use an anecdote or story
➢ Define terms in the paragraph
➢ Compare and contrast
➢ Evaluate causes and reasons
➢ Examine effects and consequences
➢ Analyze the topic
➢ Describe the topic
➢ Offer a chronology of an event (time segments)

PART 3: MECHANICS

3.1. SOME CAPITALIZATION RULES

In English, there are many rules for using capital letters. Here are six important ones.

Rules Examples
Capitalize:
1. The first word in a sentence. My neighbor is an engineer.
2. The pronoun I My friends and I often study together.
3. Names of people and their titles Queen Elizabeth II
President Obama
Mr. and Mrs. Homer Simpson

BUT NOT a title without a name He’s a king.

Have you met your math professor?

Exception: A title without a name is The President of the United States had
sometimes capitalized if it refers to a dinner with the Emperor of Japan.
specific person.
4. Nationalites, languages, religions, and English Swedish Christian
ethinic groups. Asian Native American

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5. Names of school courses with numbers Physics 102

Note: Don’t capitalize school subjects history Vietnamese history

except names of nationalities, languages, biology History 101
religions, and college classes with numbers.
6. Specific places you could find on a map Lake Lochness Amazon River
Times Square England

Exercise 10: Change the small letters to capital letters wherever necessary in the
following paragraph.

N M

nelson mandela

(1) my name is nelson mandela, and I have had an unusual life. (2) I have been
both a prisoner and a president in my country. (3) I was born in 1918 in a small
village in south africa. (4) my father, henry mandela, was the chief of our tribe. (5)
as a child, i took care of the family’s cattle and goats. (6) when i grew up, i decided
to become a lawyer. (7) this seemed to be a good way to help my people. (8) after i
became a lawyer, i became the leader of a group of young africans who wanted to
change the system of discrimination in our country. (9) because of my political
activities, i went to prison for twenty-seven years. (10) the prison was on a cold,
windy island in the atlantic ocean. (11) however, the world didn’t forget about me.
(12) i received important visitors, awards, and university degrees from all over the
world. (13) i also learned afrikaans, which is the language of white south africans.
(14) of course, I also speak english and xhosa, which is the language of my tribe.
(15) in 1990, i was set free. (16) i became the president of south africa in 1994. (17)
during my time in office, i tried to bring peace, democracy, and prosperity to all of
my country’s people. (18) now i am retired.

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3.2. SOME COMMON SPELLING ERRORS

Learners of English tend to mispell many English words. Practice writing them
regularly can help avoid spelling errors.

Exercise 11: Fill in the blanks with missing letters to give complete words.

1. s u __ __ e_ _ ful 9. di_ _er_ _ ces 17. wri_ _ _n

2. su_ _ e_d 10. discr_ _ _ _ cies 18. wri_ _ng
3. enthu_ _ _ _tic 11. di_ _ _cult 19. a_ _om_ _ish
4. enthu_ _ _ _ m 12. ad_ _s_ 20. a_ _re_ _
5. qu_ _t 13. ad_ _c_ 21. sign_ _ _can_
6. qu_ t_ 14. al_ _ _ _ _h 22. ne _e_ _ ary
7. a_ _ ect 15. thou_ _ _ 23. dil_ _ _a
8. e_ _ect 16. bu _in_ _ _ 24. app_ _ _ria_ _

Exercise 12: Write in either ie or ei to complete the words below.

1. h___r 26. ach____ve

2. h___ght 27. bel___f
3. l___sure 28. br___f
4. p___r 29. c___ling
5. pr___st 30. conc___t
6. rec___ve 31. dec___ve
7. s___zure 32. for___gn
8. financ___r 33. financ___r
9. misch___vous 34. misch___vous
10. sh___k 35. n___ghbor
11. st___n 36. n___ther
12. surv___llance 37. p___ce
13. th___f 38. perc___ve
14. v___n 39. rec___pt
15. w___ght 40. rel___ve

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16. w___rd 41. rev___w

17. sc___nce 42. sh___ld

18. consc___nce 43. shr___k

19. counterf___t 44. v___l

20. forf___t 45. y___ld

21. spec___s 46. cash___r

22. suffic___nt 47. ch___f

23. dec___ve 48. f___ld

24. fr___nd 49. fr___ght

25. f___ry 50. bel___ve

CHAPTER 2

17
PART 1: WHAT IS A DESCRIPTIVE PARAGRAPH?

A descriptive paragraph is a paragraph used to describe a person, a thing, an

object, or a place so that the readers can almost see it in their minds. In a descriptive
paragraph, the writer uses words that create an image. The writer helps the reader see,
touch, feel, smell, or taste the topic.

Here is an example of a descriptive paragraph. Its use is to describe a shared refrigerator.

The shared refrigerator

(1) My roommate and I share a refrigerator. (2) My roommate’s half of our

refrigerator is very neat. (3) On the top shelf is a carton of milk, a pitcher of orange
juice, and a bottle of mineral water. (4) These are arranged in the straight line of the
shelf. (5) On the next shelf are cans of soda. (6) These are carefully lined up in
rows. (7) Orange soda is in the first row, cola in the second, and lemon line in the
third. (8) On the third shelf, she keeps dairy foods, such as butter, cheese, eggs, and
yogurt. (9) On the bottom shelf sit plastic containers of leftovers. (10) These are
neatly arranged by size. (11) The large ones are in the back, and the small ones are
in the front. (11) There are two drawers in the bottom of the refrigerator. (12) In her
drawer, my roommate keeps vegetable and fruit. (13) Each item is in a separate
plastic bag in the drawer. (14) In conclusion, everything in my roommate’s half of
refrigerator is well-organized, which makes me admire her.

PART 2: THE ORGANIZATION OF A DESCRIPTIVE PARAGRAPH

Exercise 1: Read The shared refrigerator again. Answer these following questions.

1. What is the topic sentence of the paragraph The shared refrigerator?

_________________________________________________________________
2. How many parts of the refrigerator are described?
_________________________________________________________________

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 3. Which part of the refrigerator is firstly described?
_________________________________________________________________
4. Which part of the refrigerator is finally described?
_________________________________________________________________
5. Which transitional words or conjunctions are used?
_________________________________________________________________
6. Does the concluding sentence relate to the topic sentences? In what way?
_________________________________________________________________
7. How do you feel or think about this refrigerator after you read the paragraph?
_________________________________________________________________

Hence, when you write a descriptive paragraph, you often follow spatial order to
organize your description and use many descriptive details.

+The topic sentence usually names the person, place, or thing that you want to describe.
It may also include the writer’s general feeling or opinion about the item.

+Supporting sentences give readers more descriptive details, such as the background
information, the looks, smells, sounds, or tastes. In this part, for some topics, writers can
select one of or a combination of some kinds of space order, such as

top to bottom bottom to top right to left left to right

far to near near to far outside to inside inside to outside

The supporting sentences also include the writer’s feeling about the item.

+The concluding sentence may repeat the topic sentence or may also express the writer’s
opinion or feeling about the topic. If the topic sentence is repeated, it is better for it to be
paraphrased (rewritten in another way with similar meaning)

Exercise 2: Should spatial order be used in each of the following topics? If yes, what
is it?

1. describe a friend _______________________________

2. describe a family member _______________________________

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 3. describe a book
4. describe a movie
5. describe your hometown
6. describe a city
7. describe a country
8. describe a type of food
9. describe a type of drink
10. describe a mountain
_______________________________
_______________________________
_______________________________
_______________________________
_______________________________
_______________________________
_______________________________
_______________________________

Exercise 3: Read the paragraph Stories of Nepal and answer the questions below.

Stories of Nepal

(1) My mother grew up in a creative and interesting family in Nepal. (2) Her
father was an astronomer who worked for the King of Nepal. (3) Very often my
grandfather would take my mother to work with him, so she could look through a
telescope and see the planets and stars. (4) Then she would play in the planetarium
until her older brother came to pick her up. (5) On the walk home, her brother
would tell her stories. (6) Sometimes he would point to someone on the street or
standing in a doorway and begin a new story about the person. (7) My
grandmother was also interesting. (8) She liked to paint portraits of children.
(9) She painted many beautiful portraits of my mother although my mother said it
was difficult to sit still. (10) After my mother left Nepal, she studied computer
programming in Wisconsin. (11) I love to remember my mother’s stories, and now
I enjoy telling my own daughter about her grandmother’s life in Nepal.

Questions

1. Which is the topic sentence of the paragraph?

_________________________________________________________________
2. Write the controlling idea from the topic sentence in your own words.
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________

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 3. Which sentence in the paragraph is irrelevant?
_________________________________________________________________
4. Why is the sentence irrelevant?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
5. Which is the concluding sentence of the paragraph?
__________________________________________________________________

PART 3: MECHANICS

3.1. ORDER OF ADJECTIVES

When you write several adjectives in a row, sometimes you must put them in a particular
order, and sometimes you can choose your own order depending on the kind of adjective.
One kind is called cumulative adjective, and the other is called coordinate adjective.

Cumulative adjective Coordinate adjective

The poor little black dog The wet, cold, (and) hungry dog

The cold, wet, (and) hungry dog

3.1.1. Cumulative adjectives

Cumulative adjectives always go before a noun. They must be in a particular order. For
instance, you cannot write the little black poor dog, you must write the poor little black
dog. Do not put commas between cumulative adjectives.

The following list shows you the order of cumulative adjectives.

1. Articles, demonstrative pronouns, and possessives

Eg, a, an, the, this, that, these, those, her, their, my, your, his, its, our, Mary’s, etc.
2. Quantity
Eg, three, fifty, some, many, a few, etc.
3. Opinion
Eg, poor, beautiful, exciting, cheerful, expensive, etc.

21
 4. Appearance
Eg, Size: big, little, etc.
Shape/ Length: round, square, short, long, etc.
Condition: rusty, broken, hungry, wet, cold, etc.
5. Age, color
Eg, -old, new, young, etc.
-red, blue, blond, etc.
6. Nationality, religion
Eg, -Asian, Japanese, European, Mexican, etc. -
Buddhist, Catholic, Muslim, Protestant, etc.
7. Material, purpose
Eg, -silk, wood, cotton, gold, metal, etc. -
swimming, cooking, reading, hiking, etc.
8. Noun used as an adjective
Eg, shoe (as in shoe store), wedding (as in wedding dress, etc.)

Exercise 4: Correct the use of cumulative adjectives in the paragraph below.

My Tall Nephew

The first thing you notice about my nephew is that he is extremely tall-two meters,
eleven centimeters all, to be exact. His head sticks up almost two hundred centimeters
above everyone else’s. He has black short hair and brown big eyes. He also has straight
big nose. He often smiles. His casual clothes are typical of young people everywhere: a T-
shirt and jeans. On the front of his shirt, you can read the name of his school in red and
blue letters. As your eyes move down to his long legs, you notice that his jeans are little
too short. On his feet, he usually wears blue big nice sneakers. Maybe his sneakers are
easy to get old. Despite his casual clothes, he is a strong friendly tall man.

3.1.2. Coordinate adjectives

Coordinate adjectives can go before a noun and after a linking verb. You can write
coordinate adjective in any order, and you separate them from each other with commas.
Also, you don’t have to add the word and before the last adjective when the adjectives are

22
put before a noun. However, the word and is a must when the adjectives are placed after
the linking verb.

Eg1, A fairy-tale princess is never short, fat, and ugly.

Eg2, At the left corner of the street, there is a hungry, cold, (and) crazy old man.

Exercise 5: Correct the use of coordinate adjectives and the verb to be in the
following paragraph.

My First Car

My first car old and broken, but I loved it anyway. Its main paint color black, but
it also had blue green yellow white and red paint in different places. The body was in
terrible condition. It had several big dents. The lock on the hood old broken, so I had to
tie it down with a strong rope. Also, the back bumper was rusty, and the front window
was cracked. The inside of the car was also in terrible condition. The passenger door
handle scratched distorted, so it very difficult to open the passenger door from the inside.
The seats had at least ten large holes in them. Also, there broken gas gauge. It always
showed “full”, so I often ran out of gas. There was also a broken speedometer, so I never
knew how fast I was driving. Like a first love, my old VW had a few faults, but in my
mind it perfect beautiful.

Exercise 6: Add two or three adjectives to each sentence to improve the description.

1. My umbrella is like a friend.

_________________________________________________________________
2. I love my motorbike.
_________________________________________________________________
3. No one understands why I still wear my jeans.
_________________________________________________________________
4. If I could only save one thing from a fire, it would be my chair.
_________________________________________________________________

23
 5. The piano in my parents’ house is located in the room.
_________________________________________________________________
6. My mother gave me her ring.
_________________________________________________________________
7. I have a plant and a cat.
_________________________________________________________________
8. There is a tree next to the house.
_________________________________________________________________
9. I like this book.
________________________________________________________________
10. We like to visit this city.
_________________________________________________________________

PART 4: WRITING TOPICS

Choose one of the following topics to write a paragraph of 100-120 words.

1. Describe your beloved family member

2. Describe your favorite book
3. Describe your hometown
4. Describe your close friend
5. Describe your house or accommodation
6. Describe your favorite tourist attraction
7. Describe your old school
8. Describe your favorite pet

24
CHAPTER 3

25
PART 1: WHAT IS A LISTING-ORDER PARAGRAPH?

In a listing-order paragraph, the writer divides the topic sentences into many
different points. The writer discusses one point after another.

Here is an example of a listing-order paragraph.

There are two reasons why I love big cities. First of all, big cities are alive 24/7.
You can go shopping, see a movie, exercise at a gym, get something to eat, or go roller
skating at any time of the day or night. Second, I love big cities because of their
anonymity. You can be completely invisible in big cities. No one watches your daily
comings and goings. Neighbors don’t bother you as long as you don’t bother them. You
can stay all night or stay home all day, and no one cares. In brief, I love big cities because
of their energy and anonymity.

Exercise 1: After you read the example paragraph, answer the following questions.

1. Is the main purpose of the writer to introduce or describe big cities? If no, what is
the real purpose of the writer?
__________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
2. What is the main difference between descriptive and listing-order paragraph?
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
3. What are the two reasons why the writer loves big cities? Which signal words help
you find out them?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________

PART 2: THE ORGANIZATION OF A LISTING-ORDER PARAGRAPH

A listing-order paragraph, as other types, also consists of three parts –topic sentence,
supporting sentences, and the concluding sentence. However, there is a subtle difference.

a. The topic sentence names your topic and claims that it has several points.

26
 b. Focus on each point separately. Examples can be given to each point; they need to
be appropriate.
c. The concluding sentence reminds the reader about the points you have discussed.

Exercise 2: Add two different controlling ideas to these topics to make complete
topic sentences.

1. Sports
Different sports are played at different times of the year.
Each country has its own favorite sport.
2. Transportation
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
3. Business
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
4. Tourism
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
5. Education
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
6. Hollywood movies
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________

Transition signals

A transition signal is a word or phrase that shows how one iea is related to another idea.
In a listing-oder paragraph, there are some listing-order transitions signals.

27
 -First/ Firstly/ First of all,

-Second/ Secondly

-Third/ Thirdly

-In adition/ Moreover/ Furthermore/ Also

-Finally

There are also some conclusion signals, such as

To conclude, To sum up, In brief,

In conlusion To summarize, In short,

In summary Indeed,

Exercise 3: Provide supporting sentences for each of the following topic sentences.

1. Good roommates have four characteristics.

a. are neat, tidy
b. are cheerful
c. share housework
d. pay their share of the rent on time
2. College students take many kinds of tests.
a.______________________________
b.______________________________
c.______________________________
3. Living independently has certain advantages.
a.______________________________
b.______________________________
c.______________________________
4. Studying English is necessary for everyone for four reasons.
a.______________________________
b.______________________________

28
 c.______________________________
d.______________________________
5. Arguments are sometimes better than peace for three reasons.
a.______________________________
b.______________________________
c.______________________________
6. Eating much junk food causes damage to our health in three ways.
a.______________________________
b.______________________________
c.______________________________

Exercise 4: Write a concluding sentence for each of the topic sentences in task 3.
Your sentences must start with a conclusion signal.
1. Topic sentence 1
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
2. Topic sentence 2
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
3. Topic sentence 3
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
4. Topic sentence 4
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
5. Topic sentence 5
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
6. Topic sentence 6
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________

29
Exercise 5: Complete each of the following paragraphs by your own words.

Paragraph A

I like studying English for these four reasons. Firstly, I want to communicate with
many foreigners to learn about their culture. ___________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________.
To sum up, English is very necessary for my life and future career, so it is true to choose
it as my hobby.

Paragraph B

________________________________________________________________.
First, he or she needs to be enthusiastic and patient in teaching. For instance, when
students do not know the lessons very well and asks many questions, the teacher has to
listen carefully and help them answer. Second, a good teacher needs to be humorous.
Being able to tell jokes or funny stories to students is necessary to help them overcome
boredom and sleepliness. __________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________

Exercise 6: Read the paragraph Important Rules for Acting on Stage and answer
the questions below.

Important Rules for Acting on Stage

(1) For people who would like to act in the theatre, there are several important
rules to remember. (2) One rule is to make sure you face your audience when you

30
 are on stage. (3) If you turn away from the audience, they cannot see your facial
expressions. (4) The next rule is that you must make sure that you speak loudly
enough. (5) If your audience has difficulty hearing you, they will quickly lose
interest. (6) Another important point is to memorize your lines. (7) Rehearse them
often –on the train, in the mirror, or on the way to class –so that you remember
them. (8) Perhaps the most important rule of all is to remain calm on stage if you
forget your lines. (9) Don’t panic and stop speaking because the audience will
notice. (10) Instead, make up something to say until you remember your next line.
(11) As long as you continue speaking and appear relaxed, the audience will
probably not realize that you have made a mistake. (12) In conclusion, following
these rules will help ensure a successful stage performance.

Questions

1. Which is the topic sentence of the paragraph?

_______________________________________________________________
2. What should an actor or actress do if he or she forgets his lines?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
3. What is the pattern or organization of the paragraph? From less important to
more important or vice versa?
_______________________________________________________________
4. Which is the concluding sentence?
_______________________________________________________________

PART 3: MECHANICS

3.1. Fragment sentences

A fragment sentence is an incomplete sentence or a piece of a sentence.

Eg, on the table, because she fell to the ground, played in the yard, etc.

31
3.2. Run-on sentences

Run-on sentences are independent clauses that have been combined incorrectly.

Remember: Independent clauses cannot be combined without some kinds of punctuation.

Eg1, We brought the lunch they brought the music.

Eg2, We love each other, we broke up with each other.

Eg3, Studying abroad broadens our knowledge but not many students succeed in a new
country.

Here are six common ways to edit run-on sentences

a. Separate independent clauses from each other by a full stop

Eg, We brought the lunch. They brought the music.
b. Separate independent clauses from each other by a full stop, and then add
an adverbial conjunction before the second clause
Eg, We brought the lunch. Also, they brought the music.
c. Use a comma and one of FANBOYS
Eg, We love each other, yet we broke up with each other.
d. Use a semicolon, an adverbial conjunction and a comma
Eg, We love each other; however, we broke up with each other.
e. Use a semicolon
Eg, We love each other; we broke up with each other.
f. Make a complex sentence using subordinating conjunction Eg,
Although we love each other, we broke up with each other.

Exercise 7: Edit fragment and run-on sentences in the following paragraph by

rewriting it.

We started on our road trip thinking we would go to the Grand Canyon but then
we found ourselves completely lost on a little road so we decided to see where it led to
and after a few hours of breathtaking scenery we found ourselves in a charming little

32
town called Jerome, Arizona. It was an old silver mining town. That had become an
artist’s colony and we would never have found it. If we hadn’t gotten lost.

________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

Exercise 8: Follow the given hints to edit each of the following run-on sentences.

1. Examinations are one way to measure knowledge they are not always the best
method.
Two simple sentences:
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
Two kinds of compound sentences:
a. _______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
b. _______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________

Complex sentence:
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________

2. Alcohol and tobacco are dangerous to health they should be abolished.

Two simple sentences:
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________

33
 Two kinds of compound sentences:
a. _______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
b. _______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________

Complex sentence:
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________

3. Reading broadens your mind you should read every day.

Two simple sentences:
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
Two kinds of compound sentences:
a. _______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
b. _______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________

Complex sentence:
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________

4. Students should not spend much time doing part-time jobs they could ignore their
study.
Two simple sentences:
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
Two kinds of compound sentences:
a. _______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________

34
 b. _______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________

Complex sentence:
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________

3.3. Making pronouns, possessive adjectives and antecedents agree

Remember: When we use a pronoun or a possessive adjective in writing, it must refer to a

word used previously in the text. This word is called the antecedent.

Eg, The pool was crowded. It was a popular place on a hot summer day.

➔
In this example, it refers to the pool, so the pool is the antecedent of the pronoun
it.

Exercise 9: Edit the pronoun or possessive adjective usage in each of the following
sentences.

1. When a business does not computerize its functions, they pay a price in lost
business.
_________________________________________________________________
2. A female graduate has more job options available to them than in the past.
_________________________________________________________________
3. If the hikers expect to sleep tonight, each one should put up their tent.
_________________________________________________________________
4. Each of the students look forward to their summer break.
_________________________________________________________________
5. The teacher gave the girl her pen.
_________________________________________________________________
6. We do not enjoy the daily newspaper anymore because they have become too
sensational.
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________

35
7. In the newspaper, it says the heat wave will continue for at least another week.
_________________________________________________________________
8. In the magazine, it says you must return the entry form before the end of the
month.
_________________________________________________________________
9. Everybody wants their own dreams fulfilled.
_________________________________________________________________
10. If one wants to get a seat, you have to be there early.
_________________________________________________________________
11. The iron scorched the shirt, so it had to be thrown away.
_________________________________________________________________
12. Every student must have their I.D. card to use the library.
_________________________________________________________________
13. Everyone wants their salary increased.
_________________________________________________________________
14. In the article, it said that nicotine is a carcinogen.
_________________________________________________________________
15. Girls must bring your gym clothes on Tuesdays and Thursday.
_________________________________________________________________
16. Him and me enjoyed our camping trip.
_________________________________________________________________
17. They love going to Paul’s English class because you can always get up and sing.
_________________________________________________________________
18. Amy told Nancy that she did not like her shoes.
_________________________________________________________________
19. His career choice in music is more lucrative than she.
_________________________________________________________________
20. Unfortunately, their competing report was just as attractive as us.
_________________________________________________________________

36
PART 4: WRITING TOPICS

Choose one of the following topics to write a paragraph of 100-120 words.

1. Benefits of studying English

2. Benefits of playing a specific sport
3. Benefits of reading books
4. Disadvantages of online games
5. Disadvantages of sleep deprivation
6. Disadvantages of overeating junk food
7. Characteristics of a good friend
8. Do you like living with your parents or on your own? Why?

37
CHAPTER 4

38
PART 1: WHAT IS A “HOW TO” PARAGRAPH?

A “how to” paragraph is a paragraph that gives instructions to the readers on how to make
something or how to do something.

Eg, how to change a flat tire, how to play basketball, etc.

Here is an example of a “how to” paragraph.

Something Easy to Cook

(1) One of the quickest and easiest meals to prepare is linguine with tomato sauce.
(2) First, fill a large pot about three-quarters full of water. (3) Bring water to a boil and
add about eight ounces of your favorite linguine. (4) It will take about ten minutes for
the pasta to cook thoroughly. (5) While the pasta is cooking, heat a large skillet with
about two tablespoons of olive oil. (6) Slice three or four cloves of garlic and add them
to the skillet. (7) Stir frequently until the garlic cloves become a
golden color. (8) Add a large can of tomato sauce to the garlic and oil.
(9) Then add a pinch of salt and pepper. (10) When the linguine is done, strain it in
a colander and put the linguine in the skillet. (11) Add some grated parmesan
cheese and some chopped basil. (12) Your delicious linguine dinner is ready.

Exercise 1: Answer these following questions based on the information of the

paragraph.

1. Which is the topic sentence of the paragraph?

_________________________________________________________________
2. How many steps are there to make the dinner?
_________________________________________________________________
3. Which pattern of organization does the author use? Time order or space order?
_________________________________________________________________
4. Which transition signals does the author use to introduce steps of the recipe?
_________________________________________________________________
5. Which is the concluding sentence of the paragraph?
_________________________________________________________________

39
PART 2: THE ORGANIZATION OF A “HOW TO” PARAGRAPH

There are five keys to writing a clear “how to” paragraph

1. Begin with a topic sentence that names the topic and says the paragraph will give
instructions about it.
2. Divide the instructions into a series of steps. For some topics, you will put the
steps in order by time and time-order transition signals to show the order.
First, do this. Next, do that.
For some other topics, you can use listing order.
3. Explain each step one by one.
4. Use transition signals to introduce easch new step.
5. End your paragraph by a conclusion that relates to the topic and reminds the
readers of the final product after the instructions.

Here are some common listing-order signals and time-order signals

Listing-order signals Time-order signals

1. First, 1. First 2. before a test
First of all, First of all, in the morning
Second, Second, during a flight
Third, Third,
In addition, Next,
Also, After that,
Finally, Then
Finally,

Writer’s tip: Do not put a transition signal at the beginning of every sentence in a
“how to” paragraph. A pararaph with too many transition signals is just as
confusing to the reader as a paragraph with none! Use a transition signal with
important steps, not with every step.

40
Exercise 2: Decide which order you will use for each of the following topics.

1. how to get higher score for a test,e.g, IELTS test _______________________

2. how to get fit __________________
3. how to impress your manager ________________
4. how to dress in a party _________________
5. how to make a birthday cake ____________________
6. how to change a flat tire ___________________
7. how to change the oil in a motorbike _____________
8. how to save up every month ______________
9. how to buy a good laptop _______________
10. how to study English better _________________
11. how to tie a tie _________________________
12. how to gain more weight ____________________

Exercise 3: Complete the paragraph below with an appropriate topic sentence.

Improve Your English More Quickly
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________. First, you should practice speaking
English regularly. It will help improve your fluency. Second, you should also make
friends with a native speaker. Then you can talk to your new friend in English all the
time. They can correct your mistakes because they know the language well. Third,
you should read a lot in English. This will improve your vocabulary. Finally, you
should keep a daily journal. This will give you English writing practice. In short,
these suggestions can help your English get better more rapidly.

41
Exercise 4: Number the steps in the following process according to how they
should be followed. Use the time-order words to help you decide the correct
order.

It is easy to have a good dinner celebration if you follow some easy steps.
______a. Next, make a list of people whom you would like to invite.
______b. After your house is clean, go shopping for food, flowers, and
decorations.
______c. Then make a funny or pretty invitation and email it to your friends.
______d. Finally, turn on the music, and wait for the guests to arrive.
______e. Before the guests arrive, decorate the house, set the table, and take a
shower.
______f. After you have everything you need, plan a meal. Make sure you can
cook most of it before your guests arrive.
______g. A few days before the dinner, start cleaning your house.
__1___h. First, choose an appropriate date at least two weeks before the dinner.

PART 3: MECHANICS

3.1.Misplaced modifiers
3.1.1. What are modifiers?
-Modifiers are words or groups of words that function as adjective or adverbs.
Eg, my only brother
the marine who is my brother
-A modifier must be placed close to the word, phrase, or clause that it modifies
in order to be understood by the reader.

3.1.2. What is a misplaced modifier?

A misplaced modifier is a modifier that is put in a wrong place in a

sentence, which makes the sentence misunderstood or ambiguous.

Here are some common misplaced modifiers.

42
 almost just nearly scarcely exactly even hardly merely only simply

Eg, The salesperson sold the used car to the customer that needed extensive
body work.

➔
The salesperson sold the customer the used car that needed extensive body work.

Exercise 5: Find out the meaning changes in each of the following sentences.

1. Only Charlene telephoned my brother yesterday.

2. Charlene only telephoned my brother yesterday.
3. Charlene telephoned only my brother yesterday.
4. Charlene telephoned my only brother yesterday.
5. Charlene telephoned my brother only yesterday.

3.2. Dangling modifiers

A dangling modifier is a modifier without a word, phrase, or clause that
the modifier can describe.
Eg, Working on the car’s engine, the dog barked all afternoon.
➔
Working on the car’s engine, I heard the dog barking all afternoon.

Exercise 6: Revise the sentences below so that there are no misplaced

and dangling modifiers.

1. Maurice fed the baby holding his bowling ball in one hand.
_______________________________________________________________
2. Reading the newspaper, the chipmunk scurried across the patio.
_______________________________________________________________
3. When cooking spaghetti, a strainer helps.
_______________________________________________________________
4. Moved by his words, tears came to my eyes.
_______________________________________________________________

43
 5. Taking the math test, my answers were done in ink rather than pencil.
______________________________________________________________
6. A tick was found in my leg that had to be pulled out.
_______________________________________________________________
7. After painting the house all day, the dip in the pool was refreshed.
________________________________________________________________
8. Found in the park, the police returned the purse to the owner.
_______________________________________________________________
9. An overdue book was found in my closet that needed to be returned to
the library.
_______________________________________________________________
10. Diana fed the bird wearing her evening gown.
_______________________________________________________________
11. Hiking on the trail, his sadness vanished.
_______________________________________________________________
12. A variety of plant life was discovered in the Amazon that had been
thought extinct.
_______________________________________________________________

3.3.Parallelism
Which one of the following sentences achieves a better balanced structure?
a. His hobbies are playing the trumpet, listening to jazz, and to go to concerts.
b. His hobbies are playing the trumpet, listening to jazz, and going to concerts.
When you write sentences in English, parallelism should be considered. You
can make words, phrases, and even independent clauses in a series of parallel.
a. Word in a series should be the same parts of speech:
Eg, The town was small, quiet, and peaceful.
b. Phrases in a series should be the same kinds of phrases (infinitive phrases,
prepositional phrases, verb phrases, noun phrases, participial phrases).

44
 Eg, Her lost assignment is in her closet, on the floor, and under a pile of
clothes.
c. Clauses in a series should be parallel.
Eg, One clerk polished the antique spoons; they were placed into the display case
by the other clerk.
➔
One clerk polished the antique spoons; the other clerk placed them in the
display case.

Exercise 7: Revise the following sentences that lack parallelism.

1. The Stephen King book was exciting, startling, and made me terrified.
__________________________________________________________________
2. The house was empty and without any sign of life.
__________________________________________________________________
3. The journalist researched the story, wrote the first draft, and taking it to the editor
for changes.
__________________________________________________________________
4. The movie was expensive, too long, and I was bored.
__________________________________________________________________
5. I would rather watch television than doing homework.
__________________________________________________________________
6. Aruba is always breezy and has sunny weather.
__________________________________________________________________
7. The table was solid oak, carved with beautiful details, and I’m thinking the
price is right.
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
8. For his first date with Malinda, Dennis bought not only a dozen roses but he also
purchased a box of chocolates.
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________

45
 9. They went biking in Italy, hiked in England, and pick grapes in France.
___________________________________________________________________
10. The child’s demeanor, his actions, and whenever he talked amused me.
__________________________________________________________________

PART 4: WRITING TOPICS

Choose one of the following topics to write a paragraph of 100-120 words.

1. how to make a favorite dish

2. how to look more beautiful
3. how to improve English writing skills
4. how to improve English speaking skills
5. how to choose a good laptop
6. how to release from stress
7. how to stay healthy
8. how to choose a good book

46
CHAPTER 5

47
PART 1: WHAT IS AN OPINION PARAGRAPH?

In an opinion paragraph, the writer expresses and supports an opinion on a

particular topic or issue. The writer must give reasons that help persuade the readers to
agree with him or her.

Here is an example opinion paragraph.

Video Games and Violence

(1) In my opinion, violent video games are harmful to young people. (2) First of
all, playing these games can cause changes in the behavior of young people.
(3) According to studies by psychologists, frequent players have poorer grades in
school. (4) They are also more hostile and act more aggressively toward their
teachers and classmates. (5) A second reason that violent video games are harmful
to young people is that they make young people less sensitive to violence in the real
world. (6) The games make it fun to shoot and kill, and the line between play
violence and real violence becomes very thin or disappears entirely. (7) Thirteen-
year-old Noah Wilson was stabbed to death by a friend who often played the violent
game “Mortal Kombat”. (8) Noah’s mother said, “The boy who stabbed him was
acting out the part of Cyrex,” who is a character in the game. (9) A third reason that
violent video games are harmful to young people is that they teach players to use
violence to solve problems. (10) If classmates tease you, don’t try to work it out –
bring a gun to school and shoot them. (11) An extreme example of this kind of
thinking resulted in the Columbine High School massacre. (12) Two students shot
and killed twelve classmates. (13) The two young killers were fans of the games
“Doom” and “Wolfenstein 3DTM.” (14) For these three reasons, I feel that violent
video games are harmful to young people and should be controlled –or, even better,
banned.

48
PART 2: THE ORGANIZATION OF AN OPINION PARAGRAPH

Exercise 1: Complete the outline of the paragraph Video Games and Violence by
filling in the blanks of the following diagram.

Topic sentence: _____________________________________.

Reason 1 Reason 2 Reason 3

……………………… ……………………… …………………

……………………… ………………………
………………….
……………………… ………………………
……………………… ……………………… ………………….
……………………… ……………………… …………………

Examples Examples Examples

________________ _________________ ________________

________________ _________________ _______________
________________ _________________ ________________

Conclusion: Violent video games are harmful to young people and

should be controlled.

49
 In an opinion paragraph, the writer presents an opinion and tries to
persuade readers to agree with the opinion.

Topic sentence

The topic sentence introduces the topic and states the writer’s opinion.

Supporting sentences

-The middle sentences give reasons that support the writer’s opinion.

-Writers often use facts, explanations, and personal experiences to support

their opinions.

Concluding sentence

-The last sentence restates the writer’s opinion in different words.

-It also comments on the opinion in some way.

-The concluding sentence sometimes asks readers to take some action.

Exercise 2: Read each opinion and the reasons that support it. Write F for fact,
E1 for explanation, or E2 for experience next to each reason.

1. Tokyo is the most technologically advanced city in Asia.

__________a. In Tokyo, most people have cell phones, and many buildings
are equipped with wireless technology.
__________b. People’s daily lives come to a halt if there is a blackout in Tokyo.
__________c. I rode the subway in Tokyo for many years, and it never broke
down.
__________d. Some subway stations in Tokyo can handle more than a million
passengers a day because of the use of computers.

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2. Hawaii has the best surfing beaches in the United States.
__________a. If you have never surfed in the Hawaiian Islands, you cannot be a
world-class surfer because Hawaii is the benchmark by which
other beaches are evaluated.
__________b. The winner waves in Oahu are higher than the summer waves, so
serious surfers tend to spend time there during the winter months.
__________c. I have been surfing all over the world, but I still prefer surfing in
Hawaii.
__________d. Storm waves can rise as high as 20 feet with a face of up to 50 feet.

3. There is no better city to visit than Istanbul.

__________a. People in Istanbul are friendly and always willing to help their
neighbors.
__________b. Both women and men can visit the beautiful Blue Mosque in
the city’s historic area.
__________c. I had the best meal of my life in a small café in Istanbul.
__________d. Istanbul has a historically important location as a port city on
the only route between the Mediterranean and the Black Sea.

Exercise 3: Complete each sentence with the name of a city or place that you
know. Then support your opinion by answering the question “How do you
know?” with a fact, explanation, or experience.

1. __________has a high cost of living.

How do you know?
Fact: __________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
Explanation: ____________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
Experience: _____________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________

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2. _____________has the most beautiful beaches.
How do you know?
Fact: __________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
Explanation: ____________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
Experience: _____________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________

3. ______________is the most popular tourist destination in my country.

How do you know?
Fact: __________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
Explanation: ____________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
Experience: _____________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________

4. _______________is a great place to raise a

family. How do you know?
Fact: __________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
Explanation: ____________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
Experience: _____________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________

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 Exercise 4: Complete each of the following paragraphs with an
appropriate concluding sentence.

Paragraph A

People should try visiting a new country. First, they can see beautiful
interesting and distant places. For example, they can visit a Kremlin and Red
Square in Moscow. Another reason to travel is that they can eat new types of food.
If you visit Thailand, you can drink jasmine tea, and you can eat coconut-flavored
rice. Finally, you can meet new people who live in these exotic countries. You can
also talk to people and learn more about their likes and dislikes.
__________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________.

Paragraph B

Trees can help make a healthy city. First of all, trees add to the beauty of a
city and provide shade in hot summers. They also help clean the air. Community
gardens bring people together and provide nutritious food. People can save money
by growing their own food. They can also share what they grow or sell it for
income. Community parks also improve life in cities. They provide places for
people to meet and for children to play. ___________________________________
__________________________________________________________________.

PART 3: MECHANICS

3.1. Wordiness

When you write a paragraph, try to avoid repeat words many times and lengthen your
sentences inappropriately. Do not make your sentences become too long, for yours
will confuse the readers.

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Exercise 5: Here are some lengthy sentences. Edit them to make them shorter
and clearer.

1. The cliff dropped to reefs seventy-five feet below. The reefs below the steep cliff
were barely visible through the fog.
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
2. Their car is gassed up. It is ready for the long drive. The drive will take all night.
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
3. Sometimes Stan went running with Blanche. She was a good athlete. She was
on the track team at school.
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
4. Taylor brought some candy back from Europe. It wasn't shaped like
American candy. The candy tasted kind of strange to him.
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________

5. Government leaders like to mention the creation of new jobs. They claim that
these new jobs indicate a strong economy. They don't mention that low-wage
jobs without benefits and security have replaced many good jobs.
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
6. He dropped out of school on account of the fact that it was necessary for him to
help support his family.
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
7. It is expected that the new schedule will be announced by the bus company
within the next few days.

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 ________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
8. There are many ways in which a student who is interested in meeting
foreign students may come to know one.
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
9. It is very unusual to find someone who has never told a deliberate lie
on purpose.
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
10. The subjects that are considered most important by students are those that have
been shown to be useful to them after graduation.
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________

PART 4: WRITING TOPICS

Write a paragraph of 100-120 words to answer one of the following questions.

1. Do you think that college students should have love at school? Why or why not?
2. Do you think that using Facebook can have negative impacts on the language of
young Vietnamese people? Why or why not?
3. Do you like living in Ho Chi Minh city? Why or why not?
4. Do you think that living independently is beneficial? Why or why not?
5. Do you think that playing sports is beneficial? Why or why not?
6. Do you think that using the Internet is useful for everyone? Why or why not?
7. Do you think that harsher punishments for criminals are better than lenient ones?
8. Do you think that college students should do part-time jobs while they are still
studying at school? Why or why not?

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REFERENCES

Folse,K.S., Muchmore-Vokoun,A., & Solomon,E.V.(2010).Great Sentences for Great

Pargraphs. MA: Henile Cengage Learning.

Hogue,A.(2008).First Steps in Academic Writing,(2nd ed.).NY: Pearson Education.

Rogers,L.,& Wilkin, J.(2013).Skillful Reading and Writing, Student’s book 2. London:

Macmillan.

Savage,A., & Shafiei,M.(2012).Effective Academic Writing, (2nd, ed.), Student’s book 1.

NY: Oxford University Press.

Savage, A., & Mayer,P.(2012).Effective Academic Writing, (2nd, ed.), Student’s book 2.
NY: Oxford University Press.

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