UNIT 2

THE FIVE-PARAGRAPH ESSAY (cont.)

Dau Thi Le Hieu, M.A.

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 WARMING UP

Look at the picture and find out what it means to writing.

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 WARMING UP

Any writing work needs to have UNITY & COHERENCE.

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 OBJECTIVES

After this lesson, students will be able to:

• Consolidate their understanding of coherence and unity in paragraphs and essays
• Recognise some sentence problems and fix them
• Recognise and use sentence and clause structures correctly

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 OVERVIEW

2.1 Unity and coherence

2.2 Editing your writing

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 2.1. UNITY AND COHERENCE

2.1.1. Unity within a paragraph 2.1.2. Unity within an essay

2.1.3. Coherence

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 2.1.1. UNITY WITHIN A PARAGRAPH

• A paragraph has unity when all the sentences support the topic sentence, the main idea of the paragraph.
Without unity, the paragraph loses focus.
• The topic sentence of the paragraph should focus on one topic and controlling idea.
• The supporting details of the paragraph must support the topic and controlling idea of the topic sentence.
If they do not, they will be irrelevant and destroy the unity of the essay.

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 2.1.1. UNITY WITHIN A PARAGRAPH (cont.)

Exercise 1
Identify the number(s) of the sentences that are not relevant and should be crossed out.

(1) Jay Gatsby was my favorite character in the novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott
Fitzgerald. (2) This is a classic American novel. (3) One of the qualities I valued most
about him was his generosity and loyalty to his friends and neighbors. (4) For example, he
gave many extravagant parties and never thought about the cost. (5) He invited anyone
he knew and liked regardless of their social status. (6) His large home was situated on the
wafer on Long Island. (7) In fact, he befriended a struggling young man and offered to
help him earn more money. (8) This book is required reading in many college courses
because.it-.reveals the lifestyles of the 1920s. (9) Although this young man remained
faithful to Gatsby, others took advantage of his good nature.

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 2.1.1. UNITY WITHIN A PARAGRAPH (cont.)

Exercise 1: Answer
Identify the number(s) of the sentences that are not relevant and should be crossed out.

(1) Jay Gatsby was my favorite character in the novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott
Fitzgerald. (2) This is a classic American novel. (3) One of the qualities I valued most
about him was his generosity and loyalty to his friends and neighbors. (4) For example, he
gave many extravagant parties and never thought about the cost. (5) He invited anyone
he knew and liked regardless of their social status. (6) His large home was situated on
the wafer on Long Island. (7) In fact, he befriended a struggling young man and offered
to help him earn more money. (8) This book is required reading in many college
courses because.it-.reveals the lifestyles of the 1920s. (9) Although this young man
remained faithful to Gatsby, others took advantage of his good nature.

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 2.1.2. UNITY WITHIN AN ESSAY

• An essay has unity when all the body paragraphs contain a topic sentence and supporting sentences that
reinforce the thesis of the essay. Without unity, the essay loses focus and goes off the topic.
• Example
Thesis statement:
My wedding day was the most thrilling day of my life.
Topic sentence 1
This sentence supports the thesis
Having my friends and family together at my wedding
statement.
was an amazing experience.
Topic sentence 2
This sentence supports the thesis
The band we hired played music that the guests
statement.
loved, and we danced for hours.
This sentence does not support the
Topic sentence 3
thesis statement because it does not
The preparations for the wedding were exhausting.
write about the wedding day itself.

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 2.1.3. COHERENCE

• Coherence in a paragraph means that all the ideas fit together in a logical flow. In a coherent paragraph,
the relationship between ideas is clear, and one idea connects logically to the next.
• Coherence can be achieved by using transition expressions, logical order, pronouns, and parallel
forms.
Using Transition Expressions for Coherence
Transition expressions show how one sentence relates to another and create a logical flow. The example
below shows how the transition expression “however” serves to set up two contrasting ideas.
She likes to read novels. However, she does not enjoy biographies.
Transition expressions are separated from the rest of the sentence by commas.
I enjoy writing in my journal. However, I do not like writing letters.
I enjoy writing in my journal. I do not like writing letters, however.

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 2.1.3. COHERENCE (cont.)

Transition expressions can be used with a semicolon and a comma to form a compound sentence.
His first novel was not a success; however, his second work became a bestseller.
Below is a list of some transition words and their use.

Use Transition expressions

Example for instance, to demonstrate, for example, in some cases

Additional idea moreover, furthermore, in addition

Contrast however, in contrast, on the contrary, nevertheless, nonetheless

Cause as a result, therefore, thus, consequently

Emphasis indeed, in fact, obviously

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 2.1.3. COHERENCE (cont.)

Ordering ideas for coherence

One way to achieve coherence in an essay is to arrange ideas in a logical order, such as chronological order or
order of importance.
• When arranging ideas in chronological order, use language such as in the beginning, next, then, first,
second, or finally .
E.g. First, I went to the bank. Next, I visited my mother in the hospital.
• When arranging ideas in order of importance, you order items from the most important to the least important
or vice versa. Use language such as the most/least important thing, the next priority/most important
thing, or the third/final priority/goal.
E.g. The most important thing for me was to understand the assigned topic before attempting my
first draft.

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 2.1.3. COHERENCE (cont.)

Using Pronoun Reference for Coherence

A pronoun is a word that can replace a noun. I, you , he, it, this, that, those, and these are some examples of
pronouns. Pronouns can be used to create coherence in an essay.
E.g. What is revision and why is it necessary?
Pronouns can also replace whole phrases or ideas.
E.g. I left my expensive dictionary in the library. I do not know how I did that.
Pronouns must agree in number and gender with the noun they refer to.
E.g. I have a younger brother. He is a lawyer.
I have a younger brother. She is a lawyer, (incorrect)

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 2.1.3. COHERENCE (cont.)

Using Parallel Forms for Coherence

Another strategy to achieve coherence is by using parallel forms. This means that all items in a list have the
same grammatical form.
E.g. I like playing tennis, swimming, and dancing.
I like playing tennis, swimming, and to dance. (incorrect)
-> I like playing tennis, swimming, and dancing. (correct)

She cooked dinner, set the table, and arranged the flowers.
She cooked dinner, set the table, and the flowers were arranged. (incorrect)
-> She cooked dinner, set the table, and arranged the flowers. (correct)

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 2.2. EDITING YOUR WRITING

2.2.1. Clauses 2.2.3. Sentence fragments

2.2.2. Run-on sentences 2.2.4. Verb tense consistency

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 2.2.1. CLAUSES

Every clause in English must have a subject and a verb. There are two types of clauses: main clauses and
dependent clauses.
Main clauses
A main clause contains a complete idea and can stand alone as a sentence.
E.g. I read my speech at graduation.
Dependent Clauses
A dependent clause does not contain a complete idea and cannot stand alone as a complete sentence. A
dependent clause often starts with a subordinating conjunction such as after, before, although, because,
since, when, or while. A dependent clause can be attached to a main clause in order to form a complex
sentence. A dependent clause can come before or after the main clause, but the punctuation is different.

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 2.2.1. CLAUSES (cont.)

• When the dependent clause begins the sentence, place a comma after it.
dependent clause main clause
When I read my speech at graduation, all my friends and family were amazed.
• When the independent clause comes at the end of the sentence, omit the comma.
main clause dependent clause
All my friends and family were amazed when I read my speech at graduation.

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 2.2.2. RUN-ON SENTENCES

Run-on sentences are incorrect sentences. Run-on sentence errors occur when two main clauses occur
together with no connector or punctuation between them:
E.g. Langston Hughes was an important poet of the Harlem Renaissance he also wrote very fine
short stories. (incorrect)
Run-on sentence errors can also occur when two main clauses are separated by a comma.
E.g. Langston Hughes was an important poet of the Harlem Renaissance, he also wrote very fine
short stories. (incorrect)

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 2.2.2. RUN-ON SENTENCES (cont.)

A run-on sentence can be corrected in several ways.

• You can change one of the main clauses to a dependent clause by adding a subordinating conjunction such
as because, when, before, or although.
E.g. Although Langston Hughes was an important poet of the Harlem Renaissance, he also wrote
very fine short stories.
• You can use a coordinating conjunctions such as and, but, yet, so, or, or for to connect the two clauses and
to form a compound sentence. Use a comma before the coordinating conjunction.
E.g. Although Langston Hughes was an important poet of the Harlem Renaissance, but he also wrote
very fine short stories.
• You can also use punctuation to correct a run-on sentence. Use a period between two main clauses that
contain two separate and distinct ideas. Use a semicolon between the clauses that are very close in
meaning.
E.g. Langston Hughes was an important poet of the Harlem Renaissance; his first poem was one of
his most famous.

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 2.2.3. SENTENCE FRAGMENTS

Look at the sentence fragment below.

When I first started college, (incorrect)
Avoid sentence fragments by ensuring that each dependent clause follows or precedes a main clause.

dependent clause main clause

When I first started college, I was excited about facing the challenge.

main clause dependent clause

She found out because I told her.

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 2.2.4. VERB TENSE CONSISTENCY

When writing an essay, it is important to be consistent in the use of verb tense.

• When describing facts and habits, use the present tense.
Tourists visit the Alamo and enjoy its history and beauty.
• When telling a story, use the past tense.
On our trip to San Antonio, Texas, we visited the famous Alamo and toured the old Spanish
missions.
• You may only shift from the past to the present tense if there is a logical reason for doing so. Look at the
example below. The writer shifts from the past to the present tense to make a comparison between the past
and the present.
In the 19th century, the Alamo was used as a fortress. However, today, it is a popular tourist
attraction.

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 SUMMARY

Rhetorical focus
• Unity within a paragraph and an essay
• Coherence
▪ Using Transition Expressions for Coherence
▪ Ordering ideas for coherence
▪ Using Pronoun Reference for Coherence
▪ Using Parallel Forms for Coherence
Language focus
• Clauses
• Run-on sentences
• Sentence fragments
• Verb tense consistency

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 GLOSSARY

1. Unity means a paragraph/essay focuses on one topic and one controlling idea.
2. Coherence means that all the ideas fit together in a logical flow.
3. Transition expressions are used to show how one sentence relates to another and create a logical flow.
4. Parallel forms means that all items in a list have the same grammatical form.
5. Run-on sentence errors occur when two main clauses occur together with no connector or punctuation
between them.

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 FAQ - Frequently asked questions

1. Q: What makes a paragraph have unity?

A: The topic sentence has ONE topic and controlling idea. Supporting details should be about that topic and
controlling idea. The conclusion should also restate the topic and controlling idea.
2. Q: How do you organise ideas to make an essay coherent?
A: Ideas should be organized according to one specific pattern (time order, spatial order, or order of importance).
3. Q: How can we write a sentence to make it coherent?
A: Sentences should be written in parallel forms. Pronouns should be used correctly to refer to nouns used in
previous sentences.
4. Q: How can we avoid sentence fragments?
A: We need to check if a sentence has a complete structure with at least a subject and a verb. Main clauses can
stand alone. Dependent clauses should not stand alone.
5. Q: How can we avoid run-on sentences?
A: We need to use subordinating conjunction and coordinating conjunctions with correct punctuation marks.

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