Paragraph writing

1. Paragraph
Writing

2. Paragraph
 A short part of a text, consisting of at
least one sentence and beginning on a
new line
 It usually deals with a single event,
description, idea, etc.
(from Cambridge Dictionary)
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3. A one sentence paragraph
India currently has three vaccine
candidates — an inactivated virus vaccine
which is being developed by Bharat
Biotech in collaboration with the ICMR
which is currently in Phase 2 of clinical
trials; the second candidate is a DNA
vaccine being developed by Zydus Cadila,
which is also in Phase 2 of clinical trials;
and the third is the Oxford University-
AstraZeneca vaccine, which will be
manufactured in India by the Serum
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4. Parts of a paragraph
Main Idea/Topic Sentence
Supporting Details
Concluding Remark/ Transitional
Sentence
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5. Basic Rule: Unity
 One paragraph, one central idea
 One idea and several bits of supporting
evidence within a single paragraph
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6. Do all the sentences talk about
one main idea?
I live in a flat with my family. We have
two bedrooms and a living room. We
have a garden and we have some
flowers there. In weekdays I arrive home
at five o'clock and I have lunch. Then I
do my homework and go to bed. I had a
computer but now it doesn't work. I have
a brother and a sister and I think I am
very lucky to live with them. Sometimes
our relatives visit us. Our flat becomes
very crowded sometimes but I like it.
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7. See the sentences in red and
green colour:
I live in a flat with my family. We have
two bedrooms and a living room. We
have a garden and we have some
flowers there. In weekdays I arrive
home at five o'clock and I have lunch.
Then I do my homework and go to bed.
I had a computer but now it doesn't
work. I have a brother and a sister and I
think I am very lucky to live with them.
Sometimes our relatives visit us. Our
flat becomes very crowded sometimes
but I like it.
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8. 10/22/2023 8
Coherence and Cohesion are traits which
make a paragraph easily comprehensible.
Logical bridges
(Coherence)
Verbal bridges
(Cohesion)
 The same idea of
a topic is carried
over from
sentence to
sentence
 Successive
sentences can be
constructed in
parallel form
 Repeat key words
 Use synonyms
 Use Pronouns
 Use transition
words to link ideas
from different
sentences
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9. Original
I live in a house in Mumbai. It isn't old or
modern. It's a normal Indian house. We
can say it is near the sea. It takes about
10 minutes to go to the sea side on foot.
We have one bedroom, one living room.
We also have two other rooms, too. We
use them as a dining room. Naturally,
we have a kitchen, a bathroom, and a
toilet. I live with my parents. And our
house has a little garden; my parents
spend their time there to grow
vegetables and fruit.
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10. Edited
I live in a house in Mumbai. It isn't old
or modern; it is a normal Indian house.
It is near the sea; it takes about ten
minutes to go to the seaside. In the
house, there are two bedrooms, one
living room and two other rooms that
we use as dining rooms. Naturally, we
have a kitchen, a bathroom, a toilet,
and a little garden. My parents spend
their time growing vegetables and fruit
there. 10/22/2023 10

11. Original
First of all, a friend mustn't tell lie. He
must always tell me the truth and he
must be honest because if there is
honesty between two friends, their
relationship will last until death. In
addition to honesty, helping or being
near a friend on a bad day is very
important. Another point to consider is
that he must criticize me if I make a
mistake.
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12. Edited
There are three qualities that I need to
see in a good friend. First, a good friend
shouldn't tell lies. I need to trust him so
that I can talk to him. Second, a good
friend should be there when I need him. I
should be able to find him near me when
I am in a bad mood or when I have a
problem. Finally, when necessary, he
should criticize me so that I can change
my undesirable behavior or see where I
am wrong. I think, these three are the
basic qualities in a good friend.
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13. Some useful transition words
(from Diana Hacker’s A Writer’s
Reference)
 To show addition:
again, and, also, besides, equally
important, first (second, etc.), further,
furthermore, in addition, moreover,
etc.
 To give examples:
for example, for instance, in fact,
specifically, that is, to illustrate
 To compare:
in the same manner, likewise, similarly
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14. Cont…
 To contrast:
although, at the same time, but, even
though, however, in contrast, in spite
of, on the contrary, on the other hand,
etc.
 To indicate logical relationship:
accordingly, as a result, because,
consequently, for this reason, hence,
if, otherwise, since, so, then,
therefore, etc. 10/22/2023 14

15. Cont…
 To show time:
after, afterward, as soon as, at last,
before, during, earlier, finally, formerly,
immediately, later, meanwhile, next,
since, shortly, then, thereafter, etc.
 To show place or direction:
above, below, beyond, close,
elsewhere, farther on, here, nearby,
opposite, to the left (north, etc.)
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16. Cont…
 To summarize or conclude:
in conclusion, in other words, in short,
in summary, on the whole, that is,
therefore, to sum up, etc.
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17. Examples
 Original: Raj didn't have enough
money to buy flowers for his mom. He
wasn't old enough to get a job. He felt
sad on Mother's Day.
 With transitions: Raj didn't have
enough money to buy flowers for his
mom because he wasn't old enough
to get a job. Nevertheless, he felt sad
on Mother's Day.
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18. Original
1. We will be here for one more week
so we can finish up our work. We
are staying longer because we do
not want to miss the conference.
2. Roorkee School for the Deaf is
perfectly located. It has a strong
academic program. The school has a
preschool program where both deaf
and hearing children learn together.
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19. Edited
1. We will be here for one more week so
we can finish our work. Another
reason we are staying longer is
because we do not want to miss the
conference.
2. Roorkee School for the Deaf is perfectly
located. Moreover, it has a strong
academic program. For example, the
school has a preschool program where
both deaf and hearing children learn
together. 10/22/2023 19

20. Faulty Start
Do not start with:
1. a nonsense sentence:
e.g. I want to talk about X.
2. a cliché:
e.g. …… is a very important issue
in today's world.
…… is one of the most
burning problems.
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21. A paragraph with faulty start
I want to talk about friendship. Friends can
change your life. So, you must know who is
a real friend. Firstly, your friend must
understand you and of course, you must
understand her, too. I think, another
important point in a friendship is
confidence. You mustn't tell lies to each
other. In addition, you must say everything
about yourself. I think these are important
for a friendship. If you have a friend like
this, you don't break up with her because a
real friend is not found easily.
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22. Edited
Friends play great roles in our lives so
we must know our friends. Firstly, your
friend must understand you and of
course, you must understand her, too. I
think another important point in a
friendship is confidence. You mustn't tell
lies to each other. In addition, you must
say everything about yourself. I think
these are important for a friendship. If
you have a friend like this, you don't
break up with her because a real friend
is not found easily.
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23. Development of Ideas
 Every idea discussed in the paragraph
should be adequately explained and
supported with evidence and
examples
 Use illustrations
 Cite data (facts, statistics, evidence,
details, and others)
 Examine testimony (what people say
such as quotes and paraphrases)
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24. Identify topic sentence, supporting
details and concluding sentence.
Pokhara is an amazing place to visit. First, it is
place known for its scenic beauty. You get to
see the clear views snow-capped mountains
like Annapurna and Dhaulagiri from here. The
scene of the reflection of Machapuchre peak
on the waters of Fewa Lake below is simply
mesmerising. Also, Pokhara offers a range of
adventure activities for the visitors. You can go
hand-gliding, do bungy jumps, or take a
boating trip. In addition, you get to visit exotic
places within the city. You can explore caves
like Mahendra Cave and Bat Cave, visit the
mysterious Devi’s Falls or peer down the eerie
Seti gorge. These features make Pokhara a
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25. Types/Methods/Approaches
See examples at 25 and 26 and discuss the
differences in the way they are structured

26. The Power of Punctuation
The story of an unknown English
Professor is viral on social media now-a-
days. On the blackboard, the professor
wrote, “A woman without her man is
nothing.” and asked the students to
punctuate the sentence correctly. All the
male students wrote, “A woman, without
her man, is nothing.” All the female
students wrote, “A woman: without her,
man is nothing.” The story teaches how
powerful punctuation is! The place of a
punctuation mark in a sentence decides
the meaning. A wrong or misplaced
punctuation mark may result in a horrible
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27. The Power of Punctuation
The place of a punctuation mark in a
sentence decides the meaning. A wrong
or misplaced punctuation mark may
result in a horrible interpretation. If “Are
you going to eat, Rohan?” becomes ‘Are
you going to eat Rohan’, aren’t you a
man-eater? Would you do such a
horrible thing as to eat Rohan, a human
being? This suggests that care must be
taken while using a punctuation mark in
a sentence. 10/22/2023 27

28. 25 or 26?
 Evidence/Sub-claim 1
↓
Example of Sub-claim 1
↓
Evidence/Sub-claim 2
↓
Evidence/Sub-claim 3
↓
Conclusion/Claim
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29. 25 or 26?
Topic sentence/Claim
↓
Elaboration/Example/Sub-claim 1 &2
↓
Elaboration/ Example/Sub-claim 3
↓
Elaboration/Example/Sub-claim 4
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30. Inductive Approach
 Begins with either evidence or
reasons leading to the statement of
the Writer’s claim at the end of the
paragraph
 Conclusion-oriented
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31. Deductive Approach
 The claim is usually provided in the
first sentence of the paragraph
 The rest of the paragraph provides
evidence and reasoning supporting
the initial claim
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32. Exercise: Deductive or
Inductive?
Disruptions to instructional time in the
classroom can have a severe impact on a
child's ability to learn. The impact can be
worse when the poor and marginalised
children are out of school. They may not
have facilities to access online education
and many may not return to classrooms if
they don't restart. Being out of school
increases the risk of abuse, child marriage,
violence and other threats. It disrupts
immunisation, nutritious meals, and mental
health and psychosocial support.
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33. Exercise: Deductive or
Inductive?
 The New Education Policy (NEP) 2020 was
announced last week. It replaces the earlier policy
introduced 34 years ago, and envisages major
reforms in the education system. It focuses a great
deal on technology use and integration. NEP
recognises that India is a global leader in information
and communication tech and other cutting edge
domains, such as space. The Digital India campaign
is helping to transform the entire nation into a
digitally empowered society and knowledge
economy. While education will play a critical role in
this transformation, technology itself will play an
important role in the improvement of educational
processes and outcomes; thus, the relationship
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34. Chronological Order
 Refers to time
 Describe the subject by starting at the
moment it began and working forward
until present day
 You could start by describing it as it is
now, then working backwards until the
moment it began
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35. In the relatively short span of sixty years, there
has been an incredible evolution in the size and
capabilities of computer. Today, computer chips
smaller than the tip of your fingernail have the
same capabilities as the room-sized machines of
years ago. The computers of 1940s were so large
that they required special air-conditioned rooms.
About twenty years later, in the 1960s, desk-
sized computers were developed. This
represented a gigantic advance. Before the end
of that same decade, however, a third generation
of computer, which used simple integrated circuits
and which were even smaller and faster, had
appeared. In 1971, the first microprocessor, less
than one square centimeter in size, was
developed. Today’s microprocessors are much
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36. Spatial order of paragraph
 Refers to space or layout
 Describe the setting in some sort
of order based on location
◦ For example:
• You may choose a clockwise direction,
starting at the front and go to the back or
you may describe from top to bottom
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37. On the far right corner of my study
table, there is a five-layer drawer with
a faded Mickey Mouse as its design.
On its right sat my sibling’s dusty pink
dollhouse. A two-foot black electric fan
is placed just beside the dollhouse. My
functioning black laptop is located just
next to it, in a vain effort to cool off the
device. My phone enclosed in a blue
protective case and a black fine-
toothed comb are nearby. My
unzipped gray laptop is leaning on a
row of books like a rag doll.
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38. Any doubt?
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