Paragraph: unity and coherence

Paragraph: unity and coherence

Paragraph

Group of sentences developing one main idea.

Multiple Choice

How many ideas does a paragraph have?

• only one

• many

• it depends on the number of sentences

• I don't know

Topic sentence

- Introduces the idea of the paragraph

- Determines the idea developed throughout the entire paragraph.

- Usually is at the beginning of the paragraph

Supporting sentences

- Provide EXPLANATION of the topic

- Give examples, tell incidents, or provide reasons

- In other words, give DETAILS of the topic

Fill in the Blank

How many topic sentences does a paragraph have?

Multiple Select

What is the purpose of the supporting sentences?

(check all that apply)

• give details

• provide explanations on the topic

• give reasons

• give examples

• tell incidents

Summarizing sentence

• Restates or emphasize the main idea of the paragraph

• Also called the "clincher"

Multiple Select

What is the purpose of the summarizing sentence?

(check all that apply)

• restate the topic

• emphasize the main idea

• clinch

Unity

Means that every sentence in the paragraph develops the idea stated in the topic sentence.

--> all the sentences belong to the topic

Coherence

Means that the details are in good order and that the relationships between the details are very clear, so the paragraph is easy to understand

--> Use connectors!

Multiple Choice

Unity is the fact that all sentences in the paragraph talk about the main idea

• true

• false

Multiple Choice

Coherence is that the paragraph sounds logical and in disorder.

• true

• false