Relationships
between
Sentences in
a
Paragraph
1 Why
are low-calorie diets dangerous?
2
Basically, they prevent us from getting all the nutrients we need.
3 When
we reduce our intake of food, we also cut back on essential vitamins and
minerals needed to stay healthy.
4 One
recent survey of a dozen popular diets found all of them deficient in the U.S.
Recommended Daily Allowances for thirteen vitamins and minerals.
3 Even
though vitamin supplements may correct some nutritional deficiencies, dieters
may not notice that they are also getting less fiber and water than they were
before.
______________________________________________________________________________
1 The
process of learning is essential to our lives.
2
All higher animals seek it deliberately.
3 They
are inquisitive and they experiment.
4 An
experiment is a sort of harmless trial run of some action which we shall have to
make in the real world, whether it is made in the laboratory by scientists or by
fox-cubs outside their earth den.
5 The
scientist experiments and the cub plays; both are learning to correct their
errors of judgment in a setting in which errors are not fatal.
6 Perhaps
this is what gives them both their air of happiness and freedom in these
activities.
______________________________________________________________________________
2
If the wind becomes gusty suddenly after being calm, you may need to
start looking for shelter.
2
If you see clouds becoming darker, you may need shelter right away.
2
Naturally, you know that thunder and lightning mean a storm is coming.
3 Keep
in mind that bright lightning doesn’t mean a storm is coming.
3 The
number of lightning flashes is important, though.
4 The
more lightning flashes, the worse the storm is likely to be.
1 The
signs of a thunderstorm are many, and being able to understand them can be
important.
2
Dark green, leafy vegetables such as kale and spinach are good sources of
vitamin C and
iron.
2
Carrots, squash, and sweet potatoes are good sources of carotene, which
the body changes to vitamin A.
1
All vegetables are good for us because they provide important vitamins
and minerals that build cells and keep us healthy.
2
Vitamin C, for example, builds strong teeth and helps us resist
infections.
2
Vitamin A keeps skin healthy and protects our eyes.
2
Iron, also
an important part of vegetables, builds red blood cells.
Cohesive
Paragraphs: Indicate the proper
order of the sentences by placing a number in the space provided.
___It
is applied with equal honor to a painter, tailor, barber, printer, carpenter,
mechanic, bricklayer, window washer, ditch digger, or bootblack if his ability
merits it.
___Whether
he is or not is of no importance.
___If
he is a shoemaker, for example, he can design, cut, and finish any kind of shoe
he is asked for.
___That
is a maestro.
___Calling
him a maestro hurts no one.
___Whenever
a man is referred to as a maestro, it
means that he is master of whatever trade, art, or folly he practices.
___If
he is a thief, he steals thousands, for he would not damn his soul by taking
dimes.
___Of
course, when a man is graying and has no apparent trade or usefulness, out of
courtesy people may forget he is a loafer and call him a maestro.
___If
he is a musician, he knows composition, direction, execution, and thereby plays
Viennese waltzes as well as the bolero.
Thesis
Statements/Main Points
Paragraphs
should be unified around a main point. The
point should be clear to the reader, and all the sentences in the paragraph must
relate to it. In the following
exercises, learn how a main point functions within a paragraph and how details
and examples provide support for that main point.
#1:
Choose three sentences from the following examples and write three
separate paragraphs that use the sentences as main points.
Use specific details and examples to develop the topic.
1.
Although we are all members of many different groups (families, sports
teams, schools, clubs), few of us can work effectively in a group.
2.
The imagination has three great functions:
(1) to originate, (2) to re-create; and (3) to relate diverse elements of
life to each other
3.
Every day, each of us encounters customs, actions, beliefs, or values
that seem different from our own.
4.
With its famous forecourt filled with footprints of stars preserved
forever in cement, Mann’s Chinese Theatre is the largest tourist attraction on
Hollywood Boulevard.
5.
A growing body of people are concerned with the rising number of hate
crimes occurring on college campuses today.
6.
The 1960s and ‘70s marked a dramatic change in laws governing the
commitment of the non-criminal mentally ill.
7.
Ours is certainly an audiovisual society.
8.
Studies show that people who write well and speak well have wider choices
in the job market and greater chances for promotion and salary increases.
9.
Often in discussions, words fly around, but no one listens very closely
or remembers exactly what is said.
10.
You may, at times, feel cut off from national, local, or private events,
powerless to change or influence the actions and thoughts of others.
#2:
Construct
ten “thesis” statements, or sentences, based upon the topic list we
generated in class. Be sure to make
the sentences specific and stay away from generalities.
#3: Now, choose your three strongest sentences and write three separate paragraphs that use your sentences as the main points and that provide details, evidence, and examples to support them.