Corporación Universitaria del Caribe “CECAR”

Bachelor in Education
Teaching English as a Foreign Language
Subject: English Literature Analysis
Writing a paragraph
In this section you are going to plan, write, revise and edit descriptive paragraphs on the
following Topic:

¬ Describe two things that improved the quality of life in

your city or a city you know. ¬
Writing Descriptive Paragraphs

1. Brainstorming: Think of a city you know well that is better to live in now than it used to be.
What was it like in the past? What is it like now? Think about architecture, environmental
issues, public transportation job opportunities, etc.

Complete the Chart with your ideas:

City: Without a doubt, here in Colombia, the city of eternal spring and
capital of Antioquia is the best to live in today
In the past: Today:
 Insecurity in Medellin.  The integrated mass
 Lack of work. transportation system
 Disproportionate (Metro, Metrocable,
increase in the Metroplus).
population.  Parks-library.,
 Growth in the  The Moravian Cultural
unemployment rate. Center.
 Expansion of the  The escalators of commune
poverty belt. 13.
 Institutional weakness  Public bikes.,
and corruption.  Reducing crime rates.,
 Drug trafficking boom.  The Public Companies of
Medellin and their
contribution to city and
education projects.

2. Applying: Write about past conditions in the city you thought about in your brainstorming
notes. Write the affirmative sentences and two negative sentences. Use simple past and used to.

Affirmative:
1. The lack of companies had a healthier environment.
2. The artistic monuments that began to be created in the commune 13.

Negative:
1. Security in Medellin was horrible, there was a lot of violence, wars and problems from drug
trafficking.
2. There were no more jobs, but it was drugs, money laundering and criminal acts.

3. Planning: Follow the steps to make notes for your paragraphs

Author: Diana Margarita Araque

Adapted by: Rubén Mauricio Muñoz
This study source was downloaded by 100000831428961 from CourseHero.com on 08-22-2022 12:35:41 GMT -05:00

https://www.coursehero.com/file/132901381/Writing-a-paragraphdocx/
 Corporación Universitaria del Caribe “CECAR”
Bachelor in Education
Teaching English as a Foreign Language
Subject: English Literature Analysis
Writing a paragraph
Step 1. Write the name of the city you are going to discuss in the chart below. Look at your
brainstorming notes and choose the most important things that make this city a better place to
live today. Write these two things in the outline.

Step 2. Complete the thesis statement in the outline

Step 3. Write topic sentences for each of your body paragraphs. In your topic sentences, use
the key words in the reasons that you circled in your thesis statement.
Step 4. Now write two (or more) examples or details for the supporting ideas in each body
paragraph.
Step 5. Think of some general information about your city where is it located? How many people
live there? What do most people know about there? Include this information in the paragraphs to
support your ideas.

3. Make a Draft: Complete the following chart with your ideas from the previous steps.

City:
"THE ETERNAL SPRING" MEDELLIN COLOMBIA

Two things that make it a better place to live:

1. The integrated mass transportation system (Metro, Metrocable, Metroplus).
2. The reduction of crime rates.

Thesis statement: The quality of life in _Medellin__ is better today than it was in the past
because _there is not as much crime and __there is an improvement in the public transportation
system_________.

Body paragraph 1: Topic sentence: _The integrated mass transportation

system________________ is one thing that has improved life in_in Medellin.___________.

Supporting idea 1: Reducing crime rates is one thing that has improved life in Medellin.__

Supporting idea 2: The use of public bikes is one thing that has improved life in Medellin.

Supporting idea 3: The Public Companies of Medellin and their contribution to city and education
projects is one thing that has improved life in Medellin.

Body paragraph 2: Topic sentence: _ Parks-library________________ has also improved life in_in
Medellin. ___________.

Supporting idea 1: The Moravian Cultural Center has also improved life in Medellin.

 Supporting idea 2: The escalator of commune 13 has also improved life in Medellin.

Supporting idea 3:

Ideas for introduction:

Author: Diana Margarita Araque
Adapted by: Rubén Mauricio Muñoz
This study source was downloaded by 100000831428961 from CourseHero.com on 08-22-2022 12:35:41 GMT -05:00

https://www.coursehero.com/file/132901381/Writing-a-paragraphdocx/
 Corporación Universitaria del Caribe “CECAR”
Bachelor in Education
Teaching English as a Foreign Language
Subject: English Literature Analysis
Writing a paragraph
 Medellín is located in north western Colombia on the central mountain range with an
average altitude of 1,495 meters above sea level. Located in the Aburrá Valley, it is
surrounded by mountains and is known as the "City of Eternal Spring" for its climate,
which averages 24°C throughout the year.
 Around 2,569 million people live in Medellin.
 Well, what almost everyone knows, Medellín has had a great change and that is that in the
1980s and 1990s people lived in great fear due to all the wars with drug trafficking.
 In addition, Medellin is one of the best cities in Colombia.

4. Writing and revising: Use the previous draft to answer in the following chart the given
questions, and then revise you writing using the editing checklist below.

 Medellin is located in north western Colombia on the central mountain range with an
average altitude of 1,495 meters above sea level. Located in the Aburrá Valley, it is
surrounded by mountains and is known as the "City of Eternal Spring" for its climate,
which averages 24°C throughout the year.
 Around 2,569 million people live in Medellin.
 Well, what almost everyone knows, Medellín has had a great change and that is that in
the 1980s and 1990s people lived in great fear due to all the wars with drug trafficking.
 In addition, Medellin is one of the best cities in Colombia.

Author: Diana Margarita Araque

Adapted by: Rubén Mauricio Muñoz
This study source was downloaded by 100000831428961 from CourseHero.com on 08-22-2022 12:35:41 GMT -05:00

https://www.coursehero.com/file/132901381/Writing-a-paragraphdocx/
 Corporación Universitaria del Caribe “CECAR”
Bachelor in Education
Teaching English as a Foreign Language
Subject: English Literature Analysis
Writing a paragraph

Editing Checklist YES NO

Are all the words spelled correctly? x
Is the first word of every sentence capitalized? x
Does every sentence end with the correct x
punctuation?
Do your subjects and verbs agree? x
Did you use the simple past and used to correctly?
Are other verb tenses correct?

Author: Diana Margarita Araque

Adapted by: Rubén Mauricio Muñoz
This study source was downloaded by 100000831428961 from CourseHero.com on 08-22-2022 12:35:41 GMT -05:00

https://www.coursehero.com/file/132901381/Writing-a-paragraphdocx/

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