Chapter II: The Paragraph

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Learn to Write
Chapter II The Paragraph
Lecture Two Building a paragraph
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Paragraph
1. Narration 2. Description 3. Argument 4.
Exemplification 5. Listing 6. Process 7.
Classification 8. Cause effect 9. Comparison
contrast
1. Narration 2. Description 3. Argumentation

4. Exposition
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Lecture Two Building a Paragraph

• Exemplification
• Listing
• Process
• Classification
• Narration

6. Description 7. Argument 8. Cause effect 9.
Comparison contrast
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1. Exemplification

Different people have different ideal
careers. For example, some people wish to, while
others may hope that
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Class work exemplification
Some rules and regulations are unfair.
Some rules and regulations are unfair. For
example, mobile phone companies change items of
service without informing their customers.
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2. Listing
The ATM has many disadvantages. First, .
Second, . Third, . Last, .
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Class work listing
I take this course for two reasons.
I take this course for two reasons. First
of all, Im interested in the course. Second, .
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3. Process
To make coffee, follow these steps. First,
. And then ., Next .,
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Class work process
Recycling is easy if you follow these
steps.
Recycling is easy if you follow these
steps. First, you need to know what can be
recycled and what cannot. Second, put recyclable
things in different containers.
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4. Classification
A drink may be classified according to
whether or not it contains alcohol. Therefore,
basically, there are two types of drinks
alcoholic and non-alcoholic. Alcoholic drinks are
spirits, wine, beer. Non-alcoholic drinks may be
sub-divided into hot drinks and cold drinks. Hot
drinks are drinks like tea and .
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Class work classification
All my friends can be classified into two
kinds.
All my friends can be classified into two
kinds. With some of them I can talk about
anything, but with some I can only talk about my
study.
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5. Narration
Being born on the exact day as my country
I thought I was really great. Every Fourth of
July, I had a birthday party and all my friends
would come over with birthday presents and wed
put on silly hats and blow the horns my dad
brought home from A P. Wed eat lots of ice
cream and watermelon and Ild open up all the
presents and blow out the candles on the big red,
white, and blue birthday cake and then wed all
sing Happy Birthday and .
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Class work narration
One event made me realize that I was no
longer as young as I thought.
One event made me realize that I was no
longer as young as I thought. The other day, I
helped a little girl. She said to me Thank you,
uncle.
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6. Description
The subway is an assault on your senses.
You walk down the steep, smelly staircase onto
the subway platform. On the far right wall, a
broken clock shows that the time is four-thirty.
You wonder how long it has been broken. A mother
and her crying child are standing to your left.
She is trying to clean dried chocolate syrup off
the childs face. Farther to the left, two old
men are arguing about the recent tax increase.
You can see paper trash roll by like a soccer
ball.
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Class work description
After the rainstorm, everything in the
city seemed clean and new.
After the rainstorm, everything in the
city seemed clean and new. The leaves and lawn
looked fresh and greener. The mountain range
became visible from the distance.
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7. Argument
. Why should we stop smoking?
There are many reasons for this, but the most
important one is that it is harmful. First, it is
harmful to the smokers themselves. Medical
records indicate strong correlation between
smoking and many diseases. Second, it is harmful
to people around smokers. The latter are called
second-hand smokers, who are also victims of
smoking. Finally, smoking harms the environment
by polluting the air indoor and outdoor with a
bad smell hanging around.
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Class work argument

Sitting up late for study may cause many
problems.
Sitting up late for study may cause many
problems. Next morning, you might be late for
class. And in class, you might drop off and thus
be blamed by the teacher. Whats more, you might
feel drowsy and listless all the day. In a word,
sitting up late screws up your biological rhythm
of the day.

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8. Cause and effect
Good health is affected by a balanced
diet. For instance, if our diet lacks Vitamin A,
blindness may result. Many problems affecting the
skin and the teeth are due to a lack of Vitamin
C. When our diet contains recommended amounts of
Vitamin A and C, however, our ability to fight
diseases like cancer is greatly affected. So it
makes sense to go on a balanced diet because this
results in a longer and healthier life.
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Class work cause effect
To be suitably dressed can affect the result
of an interview. If the interviewee is dressed
formally, it will impress the interviewer that
the former is serious about it. For any
applicant, floppy and baggy apparels may make the
interviewer regard him as an irresponsible and
radical person.
To be suitably dressed can affect the result
of an interview.
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9. Comparison and contrast
point-by-point comparison A1-B1, A2-B2, A3-B3
My hometown and my college town have
several things in common. First, both are small
rural communities. My hometown has a population
of only about 10,000 people. Similarly, my
college town consists of about 11,000 people. A
second way in which these two towns are similar
is that they are both located in rural areas. My
hometown is surrounded by many acres of farmland.
In the same way, my college town lies in the
center of farmland. Thirdly, .
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9. Comparison and contrast
subj.-by-subj. comparison A1,2,3 B1,2,3
My hometown and my college town have
several things in common. My hometown is a small
rural community with a population of only about
10,000 people, and it is surrounded by many acres
of farmland. Similarly, my college town consists
of about 11,000 people, and it lies in the
center of farmland.
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9. Comparison and contrast
point-by-point contrast A1-B1, A2-B2, A3-B3
Two of my college instructors have very
different teaching styles. Professor Zhang is
humorous while Professor Smith is serious.
Professor Zhang often asks us to have discussions
and Professor Smith likes to ask us to give oral
presentations. Professor Zhang likes to make full
use of multimedia teaching aids but Professor
Smith prefers to use chalk and blackboard.
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9. Comparison and contrast
subj.-by-subj. contrast A1,2,3 B1,2,3
Two of my college instructors have very
different teaching styles. Professor Zhang is
humorous. He often asks us to have discussions
and likes to make full use of multimedia teaching
aids. Professor Smith, however, is serious. He
likes to ask us to give oral presentations and
prefers to use chalk and blackboard.
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Class work comparison contrast
My mother and I are very much alike.
My mother and I are very much alike. First,
both of us like shopping. We go shopping almost
every weekend. Second, we all like making little
cute things with pearls and jewels, some of which
we often send to our friends as presents. .
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Homework assignment
1. Readings pp. 29-35 2. Work in the text
book pp. 112-119 Ex. 2-2 3 Ex. 4-2 3
Ex. 8-3 Ex. 10-3 Ex. 13-2
3 3. For consideration pp. 112-119 Ex. 1-1
Ex. 3-1 Ex. 7-2 Ex. 9-1 Ex.
14-1 4. For submission p. 119 Ex.18- 2
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About the last homework

• I. Underline the topic sentences
• Not all paragraphs have topic sentences, esp. the
  first and the last one.
• The first paragraph usually has a thesis
  statement.
• The last paragraph usually is a conclusion, which
  may repeat the thesis statement or the title.

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About the last homework

• II. About the outline for Stop Smoking
• Thought about too much for a CET-4 essay
• Deviation Remember the title?
• Why people smoke
• The current situation of smoking
• The methods to stop smoking
• My opinion about smoking
• What can I do
• Popularity of smoking
• The large population of smokers

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About the last homework

• Poor vocabulary
• bad, badness, harmful, disadvantages, the
  body or health? People die of smoking? Or die of
  smoking-related diseases? Bedness?
• Sample for reference
• Stop Smoking
• 1. Harmful to the smokers
• 2. Harmful to people around smokers
• 3. Harmful to the environment