Becoming an Academic Writer: 50 Exercises for Paced, Productive, and Powerful Writing by Goodson Patricia

Author:Goodson Patricia [Patricia, Goodson]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Published: 2016-02-29T23:00:00+00:00

Can you see how this example represents a poorly structured and loosely coupled paragraph? What affects its structure and makes it “loose”? The ideas do seem to flow, don’t they? They appear to flow because each sentence connects to the previous one. Yet the paragraph lacks structure because not all sentences are tied to the original key idea.

KEY IDEA: A paragraph “should complete three functions in order.”

TRANSITION: “A paragraph should also be consistent in structure.”

SENTENCE #2: “First, the paragraph should open with a transition.” This sentence does tie directly to the key idea because it develops the notion of functions a bit more.

SENTENCE #3: “Transitions are essential for connecting the current paragraph to the previous one(s), and without transitions authors may lose their readers as the paragraphs begin to read like bulleted lists of ideas.” As I begin to discuss transitions (the idea in Sentence #2), notice how I drift away from the key idea in the paragraph (the idea of completing three functions). I’ve also begun to introduce new concepts I didn’t develop previously: losing readers, readers not liking to read bulleted lists of ideas.

SENTENCE #4: “Bulleted lists might be very useful in certain parts of the text, but they aren’t fully developed text.” Again, notice how far I’ve moved away from the key idea in the paragraph (that of a paragraph’s structure completing three functions). Now, I’m having my reader focus on something very different from what I proposed to talk about in the beginning of the paragraph.

SENTENCE #5: “Many readers don’t appreciate bulleted lists.” When you ask yourself “Does Sentence #5 develop, clarify, or provide an example/evidence for the key idea in the paragraph (the idea of completing three functions)?” you will notice how far removed from the main idea this sentence really is!

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