Intro to the paragraph.
Remember that it is your responsibility to have the materials ready for class. If you have any problems, questions or comments, then leave them in the comment section.
The document is in Word 2007, if you can't deal with that then I'm posting the materials below the jump so you can cut and paste it into printable form.
AN INTRODUCTION TO THE ENGLISH PARAGRAPH
The conventions of formal and semi-formal writing in English differ a great deal from traditional Polish models of writing. As a general rule, Polish speakers value elaborate language, with complicated sentence structure and flowery vocabulary, which helps them to impress the reader and engage them in something like a dialogue and they use a variety of tactics in order to ensure that they achieve that end. Alternately, some writers in Polish seek to educate the reader and make a point of thoroughly examining the subjects of their writing from a variety of different sides and present a lot of background information that will hopefully lead to a consensus position that the reader will agree with.
The situation in English is very different. English speakers value plain language and short sentences. Also, English writers try to inform readers (“this is what I think”) rather than engage them (“what should we think?”). In English writing, it’s also not usually necessary to examine both sides of an issue. The author’s job is present their opinion. Presenting the other side of an argument is a job for the other side. It is possible and sometimes advisable to present (and critique) different viewpoints, but this is not always necessary.
In other words, readers of different languages have different expectations about what they read. English written style would be inappropriate in Polish and might be perceived as being too simplistic or boring. Some Polish readers might even think the author is insulting them by writing in a style that seems too simple to convey important information. Similarly, the Polish style of writing is inappropriate in English and the reader might become impatient with long complicated sentences that do not state the author’s point of view clearly. The writer's job is to present information in the format the reader is used to.
The basic model of writing in English remains the same regardless of length. It always involves presenting information in terms of a topic, point-of-view and supporting-information.
The topic indicates what the author is writing about.
The point-of-view (pov) delimits the topic; it indicates how the author views the topic. Most importantly, it limits the scope of the topic. For the purposes of this class it should not be a simple fact but rather an opinion about the topic or some quality of the topic.
The supporting-details support the point-of-view. They indicate why the author has that particular point-of-view or further develops the point-of-view. Information that contradicts or is unrelated to the point-of-view should not be included.
In simple terms, these three parts can be understood in the following manner.
Topic what you're writing about
Point-of-view how you approach the topic
Supporting details why you have that point-of-view
There are three basic kinds of points of view. If Poznan is the topic of our paragraph, then the point-of-view can be either:
a noun phrase that says what the topic is,
Poznan is a capital of business. Poznan is a city of contrasts.
an adjective phrase that says what the topic is like,
Poznan is unique among Polish cities. Poznan is always exciting.
a verb phrase that says what the topic has done, does or will do.
Poznan retains its Prussian heritage. Poznan will continue to thrive.
For the purposes of this class, it's generally a good idea to make both the topic and point-of-view shorter rather than longer.
Another, optional, element of the topic sentence is a quantifier. A quantifier is word that expresses a number or amount. Quantifiers often help give a clear structure to paragraphs.
Poznan is unique in many ways. Poznan will continue to thrive for three reasons.
The paragraph has up to four different parts. In the following, the elements in bold are required of all paragraphs:
INTRODUCTION (one – two sentences)
The introduction should lead naturally to the topic sentence. There are many ways of doing this. If the introduction is well written, the reader won't be surprised when they read the topic sentence.
TOPIC SENTENCE (one sentence)
There are two elements required for a good topic sentence. The first is the topic. It informs the reader what the paragraph is about. The second is the point-of-view (pov), which indicates how the topic will be discussed. The point-of-view should indicate one particular aspect of the topic, which will be illustrated in the paragraph. A third element, a quantifier, is not required, but it can help give the paragraph a clear structure.
SUPPORTING DETAILS (two – four sentences)
Supporting details should support the point-of-view (of the topic sentence). They should not include irrelevant information that departs from the point-of-view. They should be presented according to some kind of plan or in some order and not randomly.
CONCLUSION (one sentence)
The conclusion should not just repeat information that has already been given. It should be based on the supporting details. Good conclusions often lead the reader to the next paragraph.
Sample paragraph:
Every written language has its own style created over generations and reflecting the values of native speakers. English written style is based on a model of the paragraph, which has several parts. The most important part of the paragraph is the topic sentence, which has two required elements. The first of these is the topic, which indicates what is being written about and the second is the point-of-view, which restricts the scope of the topic. Supporting details should reinforce or elaborate on the point-of-view. The conclusion is based on the supporting details and should look ahead. Mastering English written style is not that difficult, but it does take some practice.
ESSAYS
The structure of larger essays is very similar to that of the paragraph. But in essays the units are paragraphs rather than sentences. Each of the essays done in this class will have:
INTRODUCTION (one paragraph)
TOPIC PARAGRAPH (one paragraph)
SUPPORTING PARAGRAPHS (between two and four paragraphs)
CONCLUSION (one paragraph – not a summary)
Brak komentarzy:
Prześlij komentarz