Unity, coherence, and emphasis

Paragraph's

Main CHARACTERISTICs

Unity, Coherence, and emphasis

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ViDEO review

A good paragraph has the characteristics of unity, coherence, and emphasis

What is unity coherence and emphasis?

unity

coherence

emphasis

unity

Only one main idea is discussed.

Every supporting sentence must directly explain or prove the main idea that is stated in the topic sentence.

Practice

Paragraph I Adventure travel is the hot trend ill the tourism industry. Ordinary people are no longer content to spend their two weeks away from the office resting on a sunny beach in Hawaii. More and more often, they are choosing to spend their vacations rafting down wild rivers, hiking through steamy rain forests, climbing the world's highest mountains, or traversing slippery glaciers. People of all ages are choosing educational study tours for their vacations.

Paragraph 2 Daredevil sports are also becoming popular. Young people especially are increasingly willing to risk life and limb while mountain biking, backcountry snowboarding, or high-speed skateboarding. Soccer is also becoming popular in the United States, where it was not well known until recently. One of the riskiest new sports is skysurfing, in which people jump out of airplanes with graphite boards attached to their feet. Skysurfing rivals -skydiving and bungee jumping for the amount of thrills- and risk.

Coherence

You make your paragraph coherent by connecting ideas to one another.

#2

#3

#4

#1

Repetition of Key Nouns

Gold Gold, is a precious metal, is prized for two important characteristics. First of all, gold has a lustrous beauty that is resistant to corrosion. Therefore, it is suitable for jewelry, coins, and ornamental purposes. Gold never needs to be polished and will remain beautiful forever: For example. a Macedonian coin remains as untarnished today as the day it was minted twenty-three centuries ago. Another Important characteristic of gold is its usefulness to industry and science. For many years, it has been used in hundreds of industrial applications. The most recent use of gold is in astronauts' suits. Astronauts wear gold-plated heat shields for protection outside spaceships. In conclusion, gold is treasured not only for its beauty but also for its utility.

The easiest way to achieve coherence is to repeat key nouns frequently in your paragraph.

Use of Consistent Pronouns

Olympic Athletes Olympic athletes must be strong both physically and mentally. First of all, if you hope to compete in an Olympic sport, you must be physically strong. Furthermore, aspiring Olympians must train rigorously for many years. For the most demanding sports, they train several hours a day, five or six days a week., for ten or more years. In addition to being physically strong, he or she must also be mentally tough. This means that you have to be totally dedicated to your sport, often giving up a normal school, family, and Social life. Being mentally strong also means that he or she must be able to withstand the intense pressure of international competition with its attendant's media coverage. Finally, not everyone can win a medal, so they must possess the inner strength to live with defeat.

When you use pronouns instead of key nouns, make sure that you use the same person and number throughout your paragraph.

Transition Signals

They tell the reader when you are giving a similar idea (similarly. moreover. furthermore, in addition). an opposite idea (on the other hand, however, in contrast), an example (for example). a result (as a result), or a conclusion (in conclusion).

Compare the two paragraphs

Another difference among the world's seas and oceans is that the salinity varies in different climate zones. For example. the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe is only one-fourth as saline as the Red Sea in the Middle East. There are two reasons for this. First of all, in warm climate zones, water evaporates rapidly; therefore, the concentration of salt is greater. Second, the surrounding land is dry and, consequently, does not contribute much fresh water to dilute the salty sea water. In cold climate zones, on the other hand, water evaporates slowly. Furthermore, the runoff created by melting snow adds a considerable amount of fresh water to dilute the saline sea water.

A difference among the world's seas and oceans is that the salinity varies in different climate zones. The Baltic Sea in Northern Europe is only one-fourth as saline as the Red Sea in the Middle East. There are reasons for this. In warm climates, water evaporates rapidly. The concentration of salt is greater. The surrounding land is dry and does not contribute much fresh water to dilute the salty sea water. In cold climate zones, water evaporates slowly. The runoff created by melting snow adds a considerable amount of fresh water to dilute the saline sea water.

VS

Emphasis

Two positions in a clause or sentence are more emphatic than any others — the opening and the closing.

EMPHASIS BY POSITION

EMPHASIS BY PAUSE

EMPHASIS BY PROPORTION

EXAMPLES

We can also de-emphasize something, even hide it, by burying it in the middle of a paragraph: The candidate wanted voters to see him as a populist friend of the working man. But he voted 17 times against measures to raise the minimum wage. His stump speech always concluded, “Vote for me, vote for yourself, vote for Joe Sixpack.” Or we can emphasize his voting record by putting it at the end: The candidate wanted voters to see him as a populist friend of the working man. His stump speech always concluded: “Vote for me, vote for yourself, vote for Joe Sixpack.” But on measures to raise the minimum wage, 17 times he voted no.

References

Benito, A. (2018, 26 mayo). Paragraph unity and coherence. SlideShare. https://www.slideshare.net/Alexanderperez41/paragraph-unity-and-coherence-98903534Oshima, A. & Hogue, A. Writing academic English I. 3rd ed. p. cm Time4Writing. (2020, 31 marzo). The Secrets to Good Paragraph Writing: https://www.time4writing.com/writing-resources/paragraph-writing-secrets/

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