Composition

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…”