Second meeting "Descriptive paragraph"

A good paragraph is a mini-essay. It should demonstrate three components:

1.      Introduction, i.e., a topic sentence

2.      Body, i.e., supporting details

3.      Conclusion or a transitional sentence to the paragraph that follows.

A good paragraph is characterized by unity, coherence, and adequate development.

ü Unity:
State the main idea of the paragraph in a clearly constructed topic sentence. Make sure each sentence is related to the central thought.

ü Coherence:
Arrange ideas in a clear, logical order. Provide appropriate transitions to the subsequent paragraph.

ü Adequate development:
Develop your paragraphs with specific details and examples.

1. Strategies for adequate and inadequate unity development:

ü Elaborate:
Spell out the details by defining, or by clarifying and adding relevant, pertinent information.

ü  Illustrate:
Paint a verbal picture that helps make or clarify your point(s). Well illustrated pieces are easier to read and follow than those on a high level of abstraction.

ü Argue:
Give the reasons, justifications, and rationales for the position or view you have taken in the topic sentence. Draw inferences for the reader and explain the significance of assertions or claims being made.

ü  Narrate:
Relate the historical development of the phenomenon at issue.

ü  Process:
Describe how something works.

ü  Describe:
Observe without preconceived categories.

ü  Classify:
Organize phenomena or ideas into larger categories that share common characteristics.

ü  Analyze:
Divide phenomena or ideas into elements.

ü  Compare and Contrast:
Show similarities and differences between two or more phenomena or ideas.

ü  Relate:
Show correlations and causes (beware of logical fallacies, however!)

2.  Coherence

                        The word coherence in this context is solid. All of the sentences in one paragraph have to be hold together  with appropriate transitions. Coherence is one of the two criteria of good paragraph. Another good criteria of the paragraph is unity. Unity means that a paragraph discusses one and only one main idea from the begining to end. One main idea can be developed into specific topic what is called topic sentence. In the topic sentence there are two parts : a topic and a controlling idea. Supposed you have a main idea that is education, you can make it into a good education than make “good education” into topic sentence : a good educationhas three characteristic. A good education is a topic and three characteristic is controlling idea. All in all, coherence and unity mean that a paragraph has one main idea and all the supporting sentences and detail are hold together with appropriate transitions.

“This one is about me”

Well, this paragraph will describe all of about me. My name, age, hobby, and etc. If  you want to know deeply about me, just read this paragraphs correctly and carefully.  (introducing) My name is Atika dwiyanti, my nick name is atika. Now I’m 19 years old. I’m a student of  english study program in muhammadiyah university of metro. Now I’m in 4th semester.  I’m a simple girl, humble with other people esspecially with my best friends. I live in Raman utara east lampung with my belove parents and my old brother. But now, I stay in a boarding house with my friends. ( identification) and about my physic, Iam not tall but not short, around 150 cm and my body is slim because my weight just likes 40 kg, because my parents are not too tall and not too big. I enjoy have slim body because I dont want my body be fat.  I have beautiful black long hairs, Iam very love it so much. My eyes color are black and my skin color light brown. I have a flat nose, and I hope someday it can be pointed nose. One of the best thing about me is love, I heve so much love in my life. Especially for my parents, my friends and for all of the people who have given me love too. I have some hobbies, they are listening music and watching movies. First, I like pop music, usually I listen indonesia and western pop music. I love listening music because it can change my feeling directly. When I feel sad, I play it and directly my problem lose. Second, I like watcing movies especially romance. Usually I watch movies that the actor is handsome, because he can make the movies be interesting. When I have free time and my assignments are so many, usually I just do it until it done well. But if there is no assignment Usually I play or go to somewhere with my best friends, usually we go to shopping, look for a new beautiful place for eat together, or go to karaoke to refresh our mind. (description). So, you can call me Atika, I’m humble and have a lot of love for each other. And all of that I heve, I really grateful to the god. (concluding).