Paragraph writing for TOEFL

WRITING Good Body Paragraphs Instructor: Nguyen Thi Thanh Mai : 

WRITING Good Body Paragraph s Instructor: Nguyen Thi Thanh Mai

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The purpose of a paragraph is to express one point, idea or opinion. For example: Students require more recreational time in order to better focus on lessons in class. This main idea is expressed through three sections of a paragraph : End - Make your point again, transition to next paragraph. Middle - Explain your idea. Beginning - Introduce your idea.

Here is a paragraph taken from an essay on various strategies required for an overall improvement of student performance:: 

Students require more recreational time in order to better focus on lessons in class. If students enjoyed a recess of more than 15 minutes, they would consistently score better on tests immediately following the recess period. Furthermore, physical activities during the recess greatly improve the ability to focus on their learning. Long periods of recess are clearly required to allow students the best possible chances of success in their studies. Here is a paragraph taken from an essay on various strategies required for an overall improvement of student performance:

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TECHNIQUES : Tree sentence types used to construct a paragraph : NOTE: Notice the strong verb 'require' which is a call to action. A weaker form of this sentence might be: I think students probably need more recreational time ... This weaker form is inappropriate for a topic sentence. 1. Topic sentence: One sentence which states your idea, point, or opinion. This sentence should use a strong verb and make a bold statement. Example: Students require more recreational time in order to better focus on lessons in class.

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2. Supporting sentences : ( notice the plural) provide explanations and support for the topic sentence (main idea) of your paragraph . NOTE: Suppor -ting sentences provide the evidence for your topic sentence. Supporting sentences that include solutions and results are much more convincing than simple statements of opinion. Example: If students enjoyed a recess of more than 15 minutes, they would consistently score better on tests immediately following the recess period. Furthermore, physical activities during the recess greatly improve the ability to focus on their learning.

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Example : Long periods of recess are clearly required to allow students the best possible chances of success in their studies . NOTE: Concluding sentences repeat the main idea of your paragraph in different words. 3. Concluding sentence: The concluding sentence restates the main idea (found in your topic sentence) and reinforces the point or opinion.

Characteristics of the Paragraph!!: 

Characteristics of the Paragraph!! Clearly states the main idea in the topic sentence . Supports the main idea with at least two sentences. The sentences in a paragraph are related and connected. The writer uses vivid ( clear ) adjectives, strong verbs, and exact nouns.

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5) The paragraph should include solutions, and results that support the main idea. 6) The concluding sentence restates the main idea and brings the paragraph to a definite close. 7) The writer uses appropriate vocabulary. 8) The sentence structure is varied. 9) The paragraph contains correct spelling, grammar, capitalization, and punctuation.

Practice: 

Practice How can we make our city a better place to live in?

Suggested ideas: 

Suggested ideas Heavy traffic Air pollution Litter Solve the most serious problems

A SAMPLE ESSAY: 

A SAMPLE ESSAY Heavy traffic, air pollution and litter are among the most serious problems modern cities face nowadays. Ours is no exception. What can we do, then, to help make our city more pleasant to its residents? First of all, it would be a good idea to encourage people to use public transport instead of their cars, especially when commuting to work. The result would be fewer cars on the roads, and therefore fewer traffic jams. Secondly, steps should be taken in order to solve the problem of air pollution. The situation could be improved if factories were moved out of the city. If this happened, the air would not be so polluted. Finally, efforts should be made to make our city a cleaner and healthier place to live. A useful suggestion would be to put more litter bins in the streets. If this was done, people would stop dropping their rubbish on the ground, and our city would be cleaner. There are many ways to make our city a better place to live. Adopting some of these measures would definitely result in better conditions for everyone.