Fluent Essays

EXERCISE 6 Which of these paragraphs is better developed? Do both paragraphs have enough support for an academic essay? If not, how can they be improved? 1. People who form close relationships with other people tend to be happier than those who do not. The number of friends a person has is not important. When it comes to happiness, what matters most is the quality of the relationships. Close relationships are ones that usually involve the sharing of feelings, mutual respect, acceptance, trust, fun and empathy. As long as the relationships are deep, a person will experience greater levels of happiness. 2. People who exercise regularly are usually happier than people who avoid exercising. People with good exercise routines are always improving both their physical and mental well-being. In fact, research has shown that exercise can be as effective as medication in treating depression. EXERCISE 7 What kinds of support could be used to write a paragraph about the following topics? Use the types from the list above. Remember that most paragraphs use more than one type of support. 1. The bravest moment of your life Type(s) support: _________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ 2. Taking an amazing photograph Type(s) support: _________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ Discuss your answers with a partner. Why did you choose the types of support that you did? Concluding sentences Typically, the last sentence in a paragraph is the concluding sentence, and its job is to help the reader feel that the writer has expressed a complete and finished idea. It closes the paragraph by helping the reader move from the small details of the supporting sentences back to the big picture of the topic sentence, or controlling idea. There are many simple and creative ways to end a paragraph. The concluding sentence can…. 1. give advice or make a suggestion about the topic to the reader 1. make a prediction or offer hope for the future 1. give the writer’s feelings or opinion about the topic 1. restate the main idea from the topic sentence 1. summarize the main points from the supporting sentences EXERCISE 8 Look back at the two paragraphs in Exercise 6. Does each paragraph have a concluding sentence? Paragraph 1. yes / no Paragraph 2. yes / no EXERCISE 9 Look again at the concluding sentence in the paragraph in Exercise 5. With careful consideration, buying a house can be one of the best investments a person can make in their future. Does the above concluding sentence…(check ✓ all that apply) ❐ … give advice or a suggestion ❐ … make a prediction or offer hope ❐ … give the writer’s feelings or opinion ❐ … restate the main idea ❐ … summarize the main points EXERCISE 10 Choose the best concluding sentence for each paragraph. It is not always the influence of other people or the media that results in a person getting a tattoo. Many people decide to wear tattoos in order to express their artistic nature, their beliefs, or their feelings; in other words, they get a tattoo to show and express their individuality. A musician in a rock band may get a tattoo of a guitar on the arm. Some environmentalists may tattoo pictures of endangered animals on their shoulders. Lovers may tattoo each other’s' names over their hearts. _______________________________. A. A person’s friends and the media will affect their decision to get a tattoo. 1. The unfortunate fact about tattoos is that they are impossible to remove. 1. A tattoo can be a public sign to show what is important in a person's life. The human brain is very mysterious and only partially understood. Many questions about the brain have not yet been answered. For example, why do we need to sleep or why do we dream? There is a lot about the brain that we do not yet understand. In fact, people used to think of the brain as useless stuffing. Of course, scientists now know the brain is our control center. Scientists also know about the basic functions of the different parts of the brain. The surface of the brain is called the cerebral cortex. It is the part of the brain that makes us intelligent, and it consists of four parts called lobes. The front lobe is where much of our thinking and feeling happens. The top lobe processes information which is coming from parts of our bodies, such as our skin and muscles. The side lobe plays an important role in hearing, speech and long-term memories while the back lobe processes images from our eyes. __________________________________________________. Write two different concluding sentences for the paragraph about the brain. a) (restate the main idea from the topic sentence) ____________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ b) (make a prediction about the brain) _____________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ EXERCISE 11 Put these sentences in order (1-9) to make a paragraph. Pay attention to transitions and connections that show logical order. The Process of Writing a Paragraph ____ Once you have chosen a topic, you should brainstorm as much as you can on that topic in order to narrow it down to your main idea. ____ First, you must choose a topic. __1_ For many students writing is one of the most difficult subjects, but by following some simple steps, it doesn’t have to be painful. ____ Then you should organize your thoughts by outlining a topic sentence with a few phrases of support information that you will expand upon in a first draft. ____ If you feel stuck while writing your first draft, stop and do something else to clear your mind. ____ Use your outline to help you to write a first draft. Don’t forget to provide details for your support! ____ Sometimes your instructor will assign the topic, and sometimes you will have a few choices. ____ By following these simple steps, you will find that writing an essay is a piece of cake. ____ As soon as you have a finished draft, ask a friend or a tutor to read your paper before you give it to your teacher.