Praise Him!
Introductory Paragraphs
Strategies to Use
Providing relevant background information
Relating briefly an interesting story or anecdote
Giving one or more pertinent—perhaps surprising—statistics
Asking one or more provocative questions
Using an appropriate quotation
Defining a Key Term
Presenting one or more brief examples
Drawing an analogy
Strategies to Avoid
Do not write statements about your purpose (Ex. I am going to discuss…)
Do not apologize (Ex. I am not sure this is right, but…)
Do not use overworked expressions (Ex. Since the dawn of creation…)
Body Paragraphs
Characteristics of Effective Body Paragraphs
Unity: Have you made a clear connection between the main idea of the paragraph and the sentences that support the main idea?
Development: Have you included detailed and sufficient support for the main idea of the paragraph?
Coherence: Have you progressed from one sentence to the next in the paragraph smoothly and logically?
The RENNS Test: Checking for Supporting Details
Reasons
Examples
Names
Numbers
Senses (sight, sound, smell, taste, touch)
Techniques for Achieving Coherence
Appropriate transitional expressions
Pronouns when possible
Deliberate repetition of a key word
Parallel structures
Coherence techniques to create connections between paragraphs
Ways to Arrange Sentences in a Paragraph
By time
By location
From general to specific
From specific to general
From least to most important
From problem to solution
Concluding Paragraphs
Strategies to Try
A strategy adopted from those used for introductory paragraphs—but be careful to choose a different strategy for your introduction and conclusion.
An analogy that summarizes the thesis statement
A summary of the main points, but only if the piece of writing is longer than three to four pages
A statement that urges awareness by the readers.
A statement that looks ahead to the future
A call to readers
Strategies to Avoid
Introducing new ideas or facts that belong in the body of the essay
Rewording your introduction
Announcing what you’ve discussed, as in “In this paper, I have explained…”
Making absolute claims, as in “I have proved that…”
Apologizing, as in “Even though I’m not an expert, I feel…”