UNIT 1: INTRODUCTION TO PARAGRAPHS

Lesson focuses:
 Definition of a paragraph
 Formatting a paragraph
 Overview of paragraph structure
Time allocation table: 4 periods

Order Contents Time

1 Definition of a paragraph 1st and 2nd period
Paragraph format
2 Paragraph Structure 3rd and 4th period

1.1. What is a paragraph?([1], p.16,[2], p.2 &[3], p.9)

Activity 1: Read the following passage. Identify its topic and then give it a title.
…………………………………………

My trip was terrible. First of all, I woke up late. On the way to the airport, we had a
flat tire. I almost missed my plane. At the airport I had another problem. I couldn‟t find
my ticket and passport. My trip didn‟t get better on the airplane. Nobody talked to me on
the plane. When we arrived, there was a lot of fog. The plane couldn‟t land. To end my
terrible experience, I couldn‟t find my bags. What a nightmare!

Activity 2: The passage above is an example of a paragraph. Examine it carefully

and then point out what you think are the features of a paragraph.

Activity 3: Among the following groups of sentences, find 3 groups that make a
strong paragraph and the other 5 groups that make a weak paragraph. Write their
letters in the given spaces.

- Strong paragraphs:………………………………………………………………

- Weak paragraphs:……………………………………………………………….
a.
When I need a good place to study, I go to the library. It‟s always quiet there, so I
can concentrate. It‟s easy to find the books I need, and I can search for information on the
internet because there are several computers there. The other people in the library are also
reading or working, so the mood is good for studying. I study better and faster in the
library than in other place.
b.
My family consists of 5 members. They are my parents, my elder brother, my
younger sister and I. We live together in a big which was built many years ago. Though
it is old, it looks very nice. I love my family a lot.
c.
I need to buy a motorbike. With a motorbike, I could get to my job more quickly. It
takes two hours to get to work by train. That‟s very slow. A motorbike is much faster. If I
had a motorbike, I could save a lot of time. Taking the train is not faster for me.
d.
First, insert a blank CD into the computer. Then, select the song list that you want to
copy. You will see the button that says,” Click here to burn.” Click on that button. Then
just wait a few minutes. That‟s all.
e.
I will never forget my first day of secondary school. I was very nervous because I
didn‟t know any of the other students. In my first class, I looked around for someone
friendly. I saw a girl at the front of the room who also looked nervous, so I decided to
make friends with her. Even though I was shy about talking to her, I went up to her and
said, “Don‟t be nervous. I will help you. Do you want to sit with me?” She looked a little
surprised and said, “Actually, I am the new teacher.”
f.
Mobile phones are very popular. They are really convenient. They are small and
light.

g.
Sports instructor is a good part-time job. You can enjoy your favorite activity and
earn money at the same time. Some other jobs pay better. You can also volunteer as an
instructor. I had a difficult time learning to swim because my instructor wasn‟t very good.
My tennis instructor was much better. If you get a lot of experience as a sports instructor,
you can get a job at a gym or as a coach in the future.
h.
When students attend class, they receive the benefit of the teacher‟s knowledge. The
best teachers do more than just go over the material in the class textbook. They draw their
students into discussion of the material. They present opposing points of view. They
provide additional information by inviting guest speakers or showing documentary films.

Activity 4: For each of those 5 weak paragraphs, say why. Choose one or more of
these reasons:
- The sentences are not all about the same topic.
- There are not enough sentences.
- There is no topic sentence.
- Some sentences say the same thing.

Activity 5: Make whatever changes in those 5 weak paragraphs so as to make them

become strong ones.

1.2. Formatting a paragraph ([1], p.3&[3], p.2)

Margins
 Align text to the left( flush-left style)
 Begin 1 inch( 2.5 cm) from the edge of the paper
Spacing
 Be double- spaced
Indenting
 Be indented in the first sentence
Connected Sentences
Length
 At least 5 sentences
Title( optional)
Activity 6: Read the paragraph. Then label the formatting elements of the
paragraph. Use the word in the box.
a. margin b. double spacing c. indent d. title

1…… Red

2…… I love the color red. No other color symbolizes so many

different emotions and experiences. Life would be very boring
3…… without the color red. Fires would not burn in the same way. The
sunset would not be interesting, and blood would not be so
surprisingly beautiful. Red is powerful when it appears in nature, and
4….. it is also powerful when it appears in our emotions. Red is love. Red
is anger. Red is beauty. I like to live life in a strong way, so I think I
will always admire the color red.

Activity 7: Look at these student papers. Tick () the one that is better for an
academic assignment. Sate the reasons for your choice.

a.

Wearing Uniforms

Wearing school uniforms is not welcoming to students. Most of the uniforms are
not attractive due to the color and style. Moreover, students usually like to express their
personalities by choosing their own clothes. Those things make students feel bad when
they are wearing the uniforms. So it is advisable that schools get students‟ ideas on the
uniform design before having it made.
b.
Wearing Uniforms
 Wearing school uniforms is not welcoming to students. Most of the uniforms are
not attractive due to the color and style. Moreover, students usually like to express their
personalities by choosing their own clothes

Activity 8: Give each of the 8 groups of sentences in Activity 3 a title.

1.3. Paragraph Structure([1], p.17, [2], p.5)

Activity 9: Examine the paragraph organization.

Read the following paragraph and do the following tasks:

Part-time jobs and Secondary school

1
Secondary school students should not have part-time jobs. 2Secondary School is a
very important time for a student, and students are very busy. 3 Students have to study
hard to enter a good university. 4 Many secondary school students also play sports and
they practice before and after school. 5Secondary school students also spend time with
friends of the same age. 6Those friendship can be important for the rest of their lives. 7A
part-time job takes time away from studying, playing sports, and making friends. 8 People
work for most of their adult lives. 9 When they are in school, it is important for them to
just be students.
1. Circle which of the following that best describes the topic of the paragraph
a. Useful secondary school subjects
b. Working and studying at the same time
c. How much money a part-time job pays
2. State the sentence that tells the writer‟s most important idea.
3. Decide which of the following is right to the function of the sentences 3, 4 and 5.
a. They show new ideas.
b. They give examples.
c. They show different opinions to explain the stated main idea.
4. Find the sentence in which the writer summarize his mentioned opinions and the
sentence in which he gives his final thought.
5. Say how many parts a paragraph consists of. Locate them in the paragraph by naming
the numbers of the sentences belonging to each part.

Activity 10: Read this paragraph about a student’s first job.

1. State what is the paragraph about?
a. Working in a laboratory
b. Getting my first job
 c. What my first job taught me

Learning Responsibility
My first job was a sales assistant in a small clothes shop. It wasn‟t a difficult job,
and it wasn‟t really a very interesting job. My best friend had a more exciting job. Every
weekend I had to open the shop at 10.00 a.m. I couldn‟t be late. Now at weekends I like
to sleep late. I helped customers find clothes, and I kept the shop clean and tidy. My
parents‟ house was very clean, too. I used the cash register and handled credit cards, so I
had to be very careful. These things all taught me responsibility. Now, I work in a
research laboratory. I don‟t work with clothes anymore, but I still use that important skill
I learnt in my first job.
1 The paragraph is not strong. Find the reason for this fact.
2 Try making it strong with proper changes in the content.

Activity 11: Arrange the following sentences in a logical order so as to create a

meaningful paragraph.

Part-time jobs in secondary school

1. They can learn many things that are not usually taught in a classroom.
2. They also get experiences with the business world.
3. For example, they can learn how to work with older people.
4. Having a part-time job is a valuable experience for secondary school students.
5. Having a part-time job gives students a sense of independence because they can
earn money to use for university.
6. Those experiences are equally necessary to their lives now and in future.


1. What is the difference between a group of sentences and a paragraph?
2. What is the typical formatting feature of a paragraph?
3. How many parts does a paragraph consist of? Name them.

 HOME WORK

Give each of the following passage a suitable title that can summarize its main idea.
 NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION
Languages studies traditionally have emphasized verbal and written language, but
recently have begun consider communication that takes place without words. In some
types of communication people express more nonverbally than verbally. If you ask an
obviously depressed person, ”What‟s wrong?”, and he answers, ” Nothing. I am fine,”
you probably won‟t believe him. When an angry person says, “Let‟s forget this subject, I
don‟t want to talk about it anymore!” you know that he hasn‟t stopped communicating.
His silence and withdrawal continue to convey emotional meaning.
One study done in the United States showed that in communication of attitudes, 93
percent of the message was transmitted by the tone of the voice and by facial expressions,
whereas only 7 percent of the speaker‟s attitude was transmitted by words. Apparently,
we express our emotions and attitudes more nonverbally than verbally.
(1)……………………………………………………………………………
Nonverbal communication expresses meaning or feeling without words. Universal
emotions, such as happiness, fear, and sadness, are expressed in a similar nonverbal way
throughout the world. There are, however, nonverbal differences across cultures that may
be a source of confusion for foreigners. For example, feelings of friendship exist
everywhere, but their expression varies. It may be acceptable in some countries for men
to embrace each other and for women to hold hands; in other countries these displays of
affection may be shocking. What is acceptable in one culture may be completely
unacceptable in another. One culture may determine that snapping fingers to call a waiter
is appropriate; another may consider this gesture rude. We are often not aware of how
gestures, facial expressions, eye-contact, and the use of space affect communication. In
order to correctly interpret another culture‟s style of communication, it is necessary to
study the “silent language” of that culture.

(2)……………………………………………………………………
Gestures refer to specific body movements that carry meaning. Hands can convey
many meanings: ”That‟s expensive,” ”Come here,” ”Go away,” and “It‟s OK” can be
expressed nonverbally using only hands. The gestures for these phrases may differ among
languages. As children we imitate and learn these nonverbal movements and often use
them to accompany or replace words. When travelling to another country, foreign visitors
soon learn that not all gestures are universal. The “OK” gesture in the American culture is
a symbol for money in Japan. The same gesture is obscene in come Latin American
countries.(This is why the editors of a Latin American newspaper enjoyed publishing a
picture of former President Nixon giving the OK symbol with both hands!)
(3) …………………………………………………………………………
Facial expressions carry meaning determined by contexts and relationships. For
instance, the smile which is typically an expression of pleasure has many functions. A
man‟s smile at a policeman who is about to give him a ticket does not carry the same
meaning as the smile he gives to a young child. A smile may show affection, convey
politeness, or disguise true feelings. Pain is conveyed by a grimace, which also signifies
disgust or disapproval. Surprise, shock, or disbelief can be shown by raising the
eyebrows. A wink given to a friend may mean “You and I have a secret” or “I am just
kidding.” Between a man and a woman, a wink can be flirtatious. Our faces easily reveal
emotions and attitudes.
(4) ………………………………………………………………………
The degree of facial expressiveness also varies among individuals and cultures.
The fact that members of one culture do not express their emotions as openly as members
of another does not mean they do not experience emotions. Rather, there are cultures
restrains on the amount of nonverbal expressiveness permitted. Given individuals
differences, it is difficult to make generalizations about a cultural style of
communication. Americans express themselves facially in varying degrees. People from
certain ethnic backgrounds in the United States may use their hands, bodies, and faces
more them other Americans. There are no fixed rules, although it is considered negative
or suspicious to have a “deadpan” expression or a “poker face.” Some people can be
“read like a book”; others are difficult to read.
(5)……………………………………………………………………….
Eye contact is important because insufficient or excessive eye contact may create
communication barriers. It is important in relationships because it serves to show
intimacy, attention, and influence. As with facial expressions, there are no specific rules
governing eye behavior except that it is considered rude to stare, especially at strangers. It
is, however, common for two strangers to walk toward each other, make eye contact,
smile, and perhaps even say “HI.” The strangers may immediately look away and forget
that they even had any contact. This type of glance does not mean much; it is simply a
way of acknowledging another person„s presence. In a conversation too little eye contact
may be seen negatively because it conveys lack of interest, inattention, or even mistrust.
The relationship between mistrust and lack of eye contact is stated directly in the
expression, “Never trust a person who cannot look you in the eyes.”
(6)…………………………………………………………………………
Unconsciously, we all carry with us what have been called” body bubbles.” These
bubbles are like invisible walls which define our personal space. The amount of space
changes depending on the interpersonal relationship. For example, we are usually more
comfortable standing closer to family members than to strangers. Personality also
determines the size of this space. Introverts often prefer to interact with others at a greater
distance than extroverts. Cultural styles are important too. A Japanese employer and
employee usually stand father apart while talking than their American counterparts. Latin
Americans and Arabs tend to stand closer together than Americans when talking. For
Americans, distance in social conversation is about an arm‟s length to four feet. Less
space in the American culture may be associated with greater intimacy or aggressive
behavior. The common practice of saying “Excuse me,” or “Pardon me” for the slightest
accidental touching of another person reveals an American attitude about personal space.
Thus, when a person‟s “space” is intruded upon by someone, he or she may feel
threatened and react defensively. In cultures where close physical contact is acceptable
and desirable, Americans may be perceived as cold and distant.
 Culture does not always determine the messages that our body movements convey.
Contexts, personalities, and relationships also influence them. Therefore, no two people
in any one society have the same nonverbal behavior. However, like verbal language,
nonverbal communication cannot be completely separated from culture. Whether we
emphasize differences or similarities, the” silent language” is much louder than it first
appears.
Deena R. Levine
Mara B. Adelman

References:
[1]Oshima, A.&Hogue,A. Introduction to Academic Writing.(2nded). Longman. 1997
[2]Savage.A.& Shafield, M. Effective Academic Writing 1: The Paragraph. Oxford
University Press. 2007
[3] Zemach, D.E & Islam, C. Writing in Paragraphs. MacMillan. 2006