THE PARAGRAPH

Module 2

Characteristics of Effective Paragraphs

Learning Outcomes

Rephrase the definition of the characteristics of a paragraph

Identify the irrelevant sentence in a paragraph
Judge if a paragraph contains the essential characteristics
Write a paragraph observing unity, coherence and emphasis

Brainstorm
To write a paragraph effectively is very essential in communication. To be able to write
an effective paragraph, you must observe the three very important characteristics: unity,
coherence and emphasis. Let us see what these all means and how to achieve them in writing.

Delve Deeper
Unity
In a unified paragraph, all the sentences and pieces of information are related to the
main idea and to each other. Whether a paragraph is independent or part of a whole
composition, it should be a unit. A paragraph possesses unity or oneness when all its parts
contribute to the development of its central thought in the topic sentences. When one or more
sentences are not related to the main idea, the paragraph does not have unity.
Study the following paragraphs which contain irrelevant details; ideas that are not related
to the topic sentence.
Paragraph 1
Why has Chinese food become so popular among Americans today? For one reason, a complete Chinese
meal is often less expensive than the fare in the Italian restaurant next door, the American steak-house across the
street, or that fancy French restaurant across town. Prices of just about everything have risen astronomically. While
being economical, most Chinese dishes are also quite healthful, containing such nutritious standbys as soy, bean
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curd, rice, and many other vegetables. We all know that many Americans worry about their weight. Most enticing
perhaps is the wide variety of edibles provided by any Chinese restaurant. From soups such as egg drop and won
ton to the foo yongs, the sweet and sours, and the gai pans, any dinner can find a choice that he will or she will like.
In fact, so many possibilities make choosing difficult so that many Americans become customers.
Paragraph 2
As part of its mission to provide care for animals, the M.S.P.C.A maintains three hospitals in the state, of
which Angell is by far the largest. The society also runs eight animal shelters, publishes a bimonthly magazine called
Animals, operates a pet cemetery, runs a law-enforcement division, and lobbies the government for the animal
protection cause. Ive always had pets, but I had no idea that the society had its fingers in so many pies. Even though
Angells interests run counter in some ways to the societys formal goal of prevention of cruelty (since the animals are
treated after the injury or illness has occurred), the hospital is by far the most illustrious of the M.S.P.C.A.s
operations, and the most expensive. I know I couldnt afford it for Muffy.

Skill Fixer 1

Score:

Directions: In 5 minutes for the two paragraphs, underline the sentences in the
paragraph that are far from the main idea.
(1) Now that we are older, the lake house lost much of its appeal. My brother Jonathan is the oldest. We
used to love the quiet days far from the noise of the civilization, but now we all need to be involved with civilization.
Brenda likes disco. We were once fascinated by stories of The Swiss Family Robinson, and we pretended that our
lake house was our own creation. Now, however, such fantasies seem silly. Nevertheless, I sometimes miss those
summers at the lake.
(2) Chinese fishers refined the modus operandi of stealing marine resources from Philippine waters. They
are also experts in karate and kung fu. They also have the good reputation when it comes to cooking delicious food.
When they poach, they use cyanide that kills even the smallest fish in the ocean. They even use dynamites that
destroy even the coral reefs. Because Filipinos need to augment their income, they do not report this illegal act by
the Chinese fishers. Instead, they try to make a living out of the ravaged reefs and the small fish that are left from
the poaching and sell them to these illegal poachers when they return to collect what they have left. Aside from that,
these Chinese fishers bribe them with supplies or food and let them watch movies in their fishing vessel.

Coherence
A paragraph has coherence when its sentences hold together and flow easily into each
other. The reader feels there are no gaps or jumps in the thought and that he is reading closely
related sentences, not a collection of separate statements. Coherence in writing is achieved by
a smooth movement from one idea to another and by a clear indication of the relationships
among ideas. Sentences should progress so logically and clearly that readers can follow the
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development of points without confusion or uncertainty. Coherence in writing can be achieved

using the following devices:
A. Order-order in the paragraph refers primarily to the movement or sequence of
sentences in the paragraph
1. Chronological or Time orderpresents supporting sentences in a time sequence.
The seventeenth century was a period of great advances in science. For example, early in this century
Galileo perfected the telescope and in 1609 published The Sidereal Messenger, in which he reported the results of
his observations of the Milky Way, the moon, and the planet Jupiter. Only a few years later, the Dutch scientist Anton
van Leewenhoek performed pioneering research with the microscope, discovering among other things that weevils,
fleas, and other minute creatures come from eggs rather than being spontaneously generated. Not long after this,
William Harvey, an English physician, discovered the method by which blood circulates in humans and other animals
and in 1628 published his findings in the historic treatise On the Motion of the Heart and Blood in Animals. Finally, in
the 1660s, Isaac Newton discovered the law of gravitational and the laws governing the physics of light, and he also
invented differential calculus.
2. Spatial or Point-of-View Orderarranges details in relation to space: near to far or viceversa, right to left or vice-versa, top to bottom or vice versa, from inside to outside or
vice-versa.
In front of them was the central valley. Across the valley, on the next mountain, dark belted pines climbed
toward the sky. To the right, the clustered lights of the village spread thinner, becoming a line along the valley floor
and finally disappearing in the distance. Beyond either end of the valley there was faint, far glow of lights from larger
towns.
Timothy Houghton, The First Season
3. Logical Orderthis employs either the deductive or the inductive method.
The deductive order (general to particular) is the method that is usually followed in
paragraphs writing. The writer begins with a general statement and gives particular examples to
support the generalization. Thus, the topic sentence is found at or near the beginning of the
paragraph.
The Negroes possess some admirable qualities. They are seldom unjust, and have a greater abhorrence of
injustice than any other people. Their sultan shows no mercy to anyone who is guilty of the least act of it. There is
complete security in their country. Neither traveler nor inhabitant in it has anything to fear from robbers.They do not
confiscate the property of any white man who dies in their country, even if it be uncounted wealth. On the contrary,
they give it into the charge of some trustworthy person among the whites, until the rightful heir takes possession of it.
They are careful to observe the hours of prayer, and assiduous in attending them in congregations, and in bringing up
their children to them. On Fridays, if a man does not go early to the mosque, he cannot find a corner to pray in, on
account of the crowd.
Ibn Battuta, Travels in Asia and Africa, translated BY H.R. Gibbs
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In the inductive order (particular to general), the writer gives a series of specific facts or
particular data which lead to a general statement or conclusion. A paragraph organized in this
way will have the topic sentence near or at the end of the paragraph.
These days, Chinas streets are reverberating to the rap of the salesmans patter. On an evening stroll
down Shanghais busy Wuchang Road, the passersby will be accosted by insistent roadside vendors, some of the
100, 000 or so at work in the city. Other scenes signal the changing temperature on the place. In the evenings the
newly rich turn on their video sets and watch films from Hong Kong. On campuses economists talk about supply and
demand and refer reverently to the price mechanism. And in smoky billiard halls dissolute young men plot criminal
escapades on suddenly mean streets. A normal enough picture, perhaps, but not that fits with anyones idea of
communism.
China: Poised for the Jump, Asiaweek,
4. Order of Importancearranges supporting information from least important (interesting,
expensive, and so on) to most important (interesting, expensive, and so on). Often,
when you are developing a topic sentence with details and examples, one of the
examples is more impressive than the others. Since readers generally remember what
they read last and it is a good idea to leave a good impression on the reader, you should
place the most impressive example at the end of the paragraph.
.
A search through the etymologies will reveal other examples of words which have narrowed in meaning
since their early days. Barbarian was originally a vague designation for a foreigner of any kind; garage, when it was
borrowed from France, meant a place for storage. In the United States lumber has specialized to mean timber or
sawed logs especially prepared for use, but in Britain the word still retains its more general meaning of unused
articles, which are stored, incidentally, in a lumber room. Disease originally meant what its separate parts imply, dis
ease, and referred to any kind of discomfort. The word ghost has specialized to mean a specter or apparition of
some kind. Originally, it generally meant spirit or breath. Perhaps the most startling specialization has taken place
with the word girl; even as late as Chaucers time it was used to mean a young person of either sex.
Richard R. Lodwig and Eugene F. Barrett, The Dictionary and the Language

Skill Fixer 2

Score:

Directions: In 15 minutes, read the paragraphs below and write CO on the blank before the number
if it employs chronological order, SO if spatial order, or LO-D if logical-deductive order or
LO-I if logical-inductive order. Five (5) points for each item.
_____1. There was not a house in sight. Along the left side of the road ran the deep, dry gorge of a stream, the banks
sparsely covered by sun-burned cogon grass. In places, the rocky, waterless bed showed aridly. Farther, beyond the shimmer
of quivering heat waves, rose ancient hills not less blue than the cloud-palisaded sky. On the right stretched a sandy waste of
low rolling dunes. Scattered clumps of hardy ledda relieved the otherwise barren monotony of the landscape. Far away he
could discern a thin indigo line that was the sea.Manuel E. Arguilla,Midsummer

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_____2. While imperialism had a short history in Africa, it left a deep scar. Africans were resentful that their land had
been appropriated. They were not accustomed to the disciplined manual labor involved in mining, building roads,
working as porters, and collecting rubber. They felt humiliated by being forced to do jobs usually done by women and
slaves. The racist policies of the Africaners in Southern Africa led to further humiliation and bitterness. This heritage has
colored modern Africas views toward the West and the world.Fred Burke, Africa
_____3. Pacquaio has a myth of origin equal to that of any Greek or Roman hero. Abandoned by his father and brought
up by a tough-as-nails mother, the poor boy who loves to box is rejected by a local squad but then journeys many
islands away, to the countrys metropolis, Manila, to make it big. Then he leaves the Philippines to make it even bigger,
conquering the world again and again to bring back riches to share with his family and friends. Now in his hometown of
General Santos City on the island of Mindanao, he and his family own commercial buildings, a convenience store,
cafs, and a souvenir shop that sells everything from DVDs of his fights to T-shirts to bobblehead dolls. In Manila, his
children attend one of the most exclusive and expensive private schools. He is generous to a fault, spending thousands
of dollars a day feeding and entertaining guests. For his last fight he distributed $ 800,000 in tickets to friends.
Howard Chua-Eoan and Ishan Tharoor, The Meaning of Manny Time

B. Repetitionthe repetition of words, or ideas in new words is another means of clarifying

related thoughts and achieving coherence within a paragraph. Repetitions, however, to
be helpful should be used judiciously. In excess, they tend to annoy the reader. Look at
the example below.
The proposition is peace. Not peace through the medium of war; not peace to be hunted through the
labyrinth of intricate and endless negotiations; not peace to arise out of universal discord, fomented from principle, in
all parts of the empire; not peace to depend on the juridical determination of perplexing questions, or the precise
marking of the boundary of a complex government. It is simple peace; sought in its natural course; and in its ordinary
haunts. It is peace sought in the spirit of peace, and laid in principles purely pacific.
Edmund Burke, Speech on Criticism
C. Parallelismthis is repetition not of words but of patterns in expressing parallel
meanings. The use of similar pattern helps in achieving coherence in a paragraph. Look
at the example below.
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it
was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it
was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were
all going direct to Heaven, we were all going the going the other wayin short, the period was so far like the present
period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being perceived, for good or foe evil, in the superlative
degree of comparison only.
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Charles Dickens,A Tale of Two Cities

Parallelism uses similarities and repetition to show that ideas belong together and are of
equal rank. In the paragraph below, parallel sentences pile up examples of the main idea.
Almost all of the supporting sentences follow a subject-active verb-prepositional phrase or
complement pattern.
Pompeiis ancient tourists were of every class and social condition. The rich owners of luxurious villas,
which dotted the surrounding countryside like so many domed and pillared villages, visited friends and shopped for
luxuries produced in the citys busy workshops. Merchants arrived with their wares. Itinerant artisans executed
commissions in mosaic, sculpture, stucco, or paint for wealthy clients. Lovers followed their hearts. Traveling troupes
of actors played local engagements. Soldiers, temporarily detached from their units, passed through. The pious
offered sacrifices at urban temples. Citizens of neighboring communities attended games in the amphitheater. Even
slaves from the countryside came to Pompeii to run errands for their masters, who were either prosperous farmers or
the owners of aristocratic villas.
James Packer

D. Transitional Devicesthese are words and phrases that help achieve coherence in a
paragraph by connecting ideas and sentences. Since they signal what is going to follow
in the next sentence, they make the flow of thoughts smooth and continuous. They are
placed at or near the beginning of a sentence or clause to show the relationship between
the preceding sentence and the one following it.
Look at the example below.
There are several things that I do not like about registration. First, it takes too long. The entire process
takes the average students three hours. Second, it is too impersonal. No one knows your name, not even the
counselors who stamp their names on your registration card. Next, I do not like the atmosphere where registration is
held. The constant sound of voices is irritating, and so are the fluorescent lights, which make everyone look a little
sick. Finally, I do not like the way it is organized. First-year students always get in last; consequently, they end up
with classes at inconvenient times.

Order
Chronological
Spatial
Order
of
Importance
Comparison

SOME POSSIBLE ORDERS WITH USEFUL TRANSITIONS

Transitions
after/afterward
final/ finally
last
at last
First
later/ moments later
Before
Formerly
meanwhile
Behind
in front
in the distance/far
Beneath
Inside
to the left (right)
Beyond
Outside
near
Also
First
for one reason
even greater
Second
next
Greatest
Third
moreover
Also
But
in contrast

next
soon
then
under
overhead
underneath
most
final
finally
like

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and
Contrast
Developmental

Besides
Both
Consequently
Indeed
in fact

However
in addition
as a result
along with
Therefore

just asso
on the contrary
for example
for instance
furthermore

too
similarly
also
finally
thus

Skill Fixer 3
Score:

Directions: In five minutes, read and determine the device/s used in each paragraph
to achieve coherence.
1. There was a strange sense of weightlessness. Suddenly I was detached from large absorbing events, from
small personal links, from crowded sensations and emotions, from the sheer sleepless busyness of covering
the story. A door had closed on friends, on familiar places, on the scenes of large and small happenings that
taught important lessons about war, death, power, humanity, self. A chapter had been chopped off in midsentence; a piece of ones life lost, left behind in the fire and smoke.
Device/s used for Coherence: _________________________________________________________________
2. As I watched with seriousness the ten competitors wound the rope on the flat surface of the discus-shaped
Kelanton tops, releasing them on the mound where they are scooped one by one by spatula to a stand on
which they spin for as long as two hours; as I watched the ceremonious preliminaries observed by the
combatants in the dance-like Malay art of self-defense; as I watched the many faces of the people, always the
people, staggered faces in crowd after crowd, I knew that I understood the meaning of release. Release from
the deadening core of day-to-day living, release from routine, release from anonymity!
Amelia Lapena Bonifacio, In Pursuit of the Cultural Heritage of Southeast Asia
Device/s used for Coherence: ______________________________________________________________________

Emphasis
Another vital requirement of a good paragraph is emphasis. A paragraph is emphatic if it
is so constructed that it is shows what is important and what is subordinate in its content.
Emphasis may be achieved by repetition and parallelism, proportion, position and climactic
arrangement.
Repetition and Parallelism
The simplest way to secure emphasis in a paragraph is through the repetition of key
words or phrases or the use of synonyms or pronouns referring to specific antecedents. (See
the examples above.)
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Proportion
Appropriate emphasis is secured when the amounts of space allotted to different ideas
vary according to their relative significance. Thus you have to devote more space to an
important point than to a comparatively minor one. You automatically allot more space to an
idea when you repeat key words or phrases or use synonyms.
In the following paragraph containing points with relatively equal weight, the writer gives
almost equal space to each:
Men have been and are divided by walls, tall and strong. There is the wall of colors, of raceswhite, brown,
yellow, black, red. There is the wall of geography, the natural division provided by mountain ranges, lakes, seas,
oceans, and deserts. There is the mystic wall of religions, of different creeds and system of worship. Finally, there is
the wall of ideologies, of different concepts of how life should be lived and how society be governed.
Andrea Amor Tablan,International Relationship in Philippine Prose and Poetry for Appreciation
Note that the writer allots more spaces to the much expected reconciliation between
North and South Korea in this paragraph.
Across Asia and indeed, the world, political glaciers appear to be receding. Communists are trading with
capitalists, big powers are cosying up while their smaller allies are patching upeverywhere signs of reconciliation
are budding. This ideological thaw even seems to be affecting that coldest of cold wars, the 35-year-old face-off
across letters between law-makers in North and South Korea in recent weeks may be lead to official talks between
the two sides, perhaps as early as this month. But given the enmity between them, no one is yet predicting an early
spring.
New Moves to Break the Ice,Asiaweek

Position
The beginning and ending are the most prominent parts of a paragraph. A good practice
then is to put the ideas which you wish to emphasize at the beginning or at the end. The less
important sentences are in the middle where they are used to supply the details. Sometimes the
last sentence is a recapitulation or a restatement of the main thought or topic.
Taiwan came a long way from the poor Third World country to a respected, industrial giant. It has the
biggest, international reserves, $ 69 billion, next only to Japan. It has seen no strikes since the 50s; provides the
highest wages for labor on this part of the globe. It is perhaps the only country in the world where nobody is
unemployed.
There are other developing countries that achieved an economic miracle. Prosperous Hongkong attained
progress under British administration. Singapore is a dot of a city. South Korea is too far north, with different climate,
products, and culture. But Taiwan is the ideal model for the others, particularly the Philippines.
N .G. Rama Lesson: from Taiwan, Philippine Panorama
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Climactic Order
Emphasis may also be secured in a paragraph through the ordering of sentences in
climactic order. This arrangement not only achieves stylistic effectiveness but also lures the
reader to read on eagerly until he reaches the dramatic idea at the end. Note the climactic
arrangement of details in the following paragraph:
During my lifetime I have dedicated myself to this struggle of the African people. I have thought against
white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free
society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live
for and to see realized. But if need be, my Lord, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.
Nelson Mandela, Student Action on Apertheid in South Africa
Score:

Skill Fixer 4

Directions: In five minutes, read and determine the device/s used in the paragraph to
achieve emphasis.
There in the mist, enormous, majestic, silent, and terrible, stood the Great Wall of China. Solitarily, with the
indifference of nature herself, it crept up the mountain side and slipped down to the depth of the valley. Menacingly, the
grim watch towers, stark and four-square, at due intervals stood at their posts. Ruthlessly, for it was built at the cost of a
million lives and each one of those grey stones has been stained with the bloody tears of the captive and the outcast, it
forged its dark way through a sea of rugged mountains. Fearlessly, it went on its endless journey league upon league to
the furthermost regions of Asia, in utter solitude, mysterious like the great empire it guarded. There in the mist, enormous,
majestic, silent and terrible, stood the Great Wall of China.
W. Somerset Maugham, On a Chinese Screen
Device/s used to achieve emphasis: __________________________________________________

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Score:

Mnemosynes Challenge
Directions: Match the terms in column A with their meanings in column B by writing
the letter on the blank.
Column A
___ 1. Unity
___ 2. Coherence
___ 3. Emphasis
___ 4. Order
___ 5. Repetition
___ 6. Parallelism
___ 7. Proportion
___ 8. Position
___ 9. Climactic Order
___ 10. Transitional Devices

Column B
a. restatement of the same words or
sentences again in the paragraph
b. the stress given to ideas according to their importance
c. words and phrases that links ideas or
sentences in a paragraph
d. putting ideas at the beginning or
at the end of the paragraph
e. smooth flow of ideas in the paragraph
f. consistency of grammatical structure of
sentences in a paragraph
g. arrangement of ideas from least important
to most important
h. oneness of ideas in the paragraph
i. the amounts of space allotted to ideas
based on their importance
j. refers to the movement or sequence of sentences
k. repetition of patterns of expression in a paragraph

Relax, Think and Answer

Score:
Directions: Explain each item below briefly.
1. chronological order
___________________________________________________________________________
2. spatial order
___________________________________________________________________________
3. logical order
___________________________________________________________________________
4. deductive order
___________________________________________________________________________
5. inductive order
___________________________________________________________________________

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Dip Your Pen

Directions: Write a paragraph about any favorite thing that you have applying the devices you
have learned to achieve unity, coherence and emphasis.

My Favorite _________________________
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Prepared by: franztatel

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