Module III: Written English communication

1. Module III: Written English communication Structure of a Paragraph A paragraph is a distinct unit in prose writing that concentrates on a particular idea marked by an indentation of the first line. To make our writing structured paragraphing is essential In a good paragraph, one sentence leads to another and it has a logical structure with the correct arrangement of sentences

2. Essentials of Paragraph Writing • Presentation of single idea • A sequence of well-connected sentences • Thematic unity within the paragraph • Conciseness and exactness What to avoid • Ambiguous/confusing expressions • Difficult or high level words • Mixing of ideas • Repetition • Unnecessary proverbs, idioms, and figures of speech

3. Techniques and methods of Paragraph Development • A paragraph may have variety of sentences, out of which one is a topic sentence whereas others are supporting sentences. Basic requirements for developing a paragraph • Unity • Coherence • Emphasis

4. Unity • To achieve unity in your paragraph, the sentences should either lead to or develop from the topic sentence. • Topic sentence – it is the sentence which states the main theme of the paragraph around which the whole paragraph is built. • All the other sentences in the paragraph are supporting sentences that support the topic sentence. So, you may…….. • Begin a paragraph with a topic sentence Or • Place the topic sentence somewhere within the paragraph, happens very occasionally Or • End the paragraph with a topic sentence, and begin the paragraph with supporting sentences

5. Coherence • It means consistency of speech, thought, ideas, and reasoning to make your expression clear and easy to understand • Every sentence should be linked to the one that went before. • Also, it should include all necessary information and ideas should be presented in a sensible order. • Look at the example below: • This is to notify all employees that mail cannot be accepted after 4.30 for processing. This policy has been in effect for over two years. Of course, overnight express mail is still an exception. • What is the problem with this expression? • It lacks consistency, as sentences are not properly arranged, so the policy is not clearly explained regarding outgoing mail. • In professional writing, every sentence should be linked to the other sentences before and after. • There are four ways of attaining coherence in your writing: • Use of pronouns • Synonyms • Repetition • Connectors

6. Devices for Coherence • Pronouns – using it as a substitute to nouns to maintain continuity of thought. • Repetition – repeating certain words to give coherence to writing • Synonyms- to avoid monotony, use similar meaning words • Connectors – linking the sentences together, connectors help achieve coherence. For example, words like moreover, however, in short, as a result, etc.

7. Emphasis • Emphasis by position – generally the beginning and the ending of a paragraph are more emphatic than the middle • Space and emphasis – giving more space to the idea being emphasized • Sentence structure and emphasis – important points covered in simple and short sentences, repeating some keywords, or introducing synonyms of words • Mechanical means of emphasis – this refers to usage of underscore, quotation marks, italics, boldface, capitals.

8. Methods of developing paragraph • Inductive order – moving from particular to general, so the paragraph begins with certain info., concludes with the topic sentence, some arguments, illustrations are made which lead to conclusion. For example- Ram dies, Sham dies, they are human beings. Hence we can say man is mortal. • Deductive order – conclusion is reached by reasoning from general laws to a particular case, begins with the topic sentence, this gives the paragraph a direct and straightforward style. For example- Man is mortal. Since ram and Sham are human beings, they are mortal. • Question to answer order – beginning a paragraph with a question and later giving the answer. For example- Is Man mortal? • Time order – natural order of narration, where one event leads to another. • Comparison & Contrast – when two or more things are compared or contrasted. It is used especially at the beginning of the sentence when the next thing that is mentioned is compared with something in the previous sentence. • Enumeration – using words like firstly, secondly, finally, used in narration • Space order- while describing the location of a place, this order is useful

9. Methods for developing a Paragraph • Chronological method –one event leading to another, documenting time or steps in instructions, for e.g., an emergency medical technician reporting services provided during an emergency call. Or for giving instructions, so points are organized by importance, the more important ideas should be placed above the less important ones. • Spatial method – describing the parts of a machine or plot of ground, so describing what you see as it appears in space- left to right, top to bottom, inside to outside, etc. • Linear – it means ‘in lines’ or ‘involving one dimension’. So one sentence leads to the other and a logical sequence is followed • Interrupted – used very less, it involves giving a break to the line of thought and giving a turn to the ideas to produce the desired effect

10. Exercise • What are the basic requirements of a paragraph? • What is deductive order? • What pattern does the inductive method follow? • What devices are used to achieve coherence? • A sentence which contains the main idea of the paragraph is called…………….. • The word coherence means………………… When I come home and want to see the news headlines, latest football scores or stock – market prices in a hurry, without waiting for the next news broadcast or I want to see the local theatre listings, so I punch a few buttons on a small key-pad and the chosen display flashes on my T.V screen is flashy eye catching color 1. Find the topic sentence in the paragraph? 2. What order is adopted in this paragraph?