ENGL 121Howard Community College

Paragraphs and Transitions

What is it?

A paragraph is a collection of related sentences dealing with a single topic.

Purdue University OWL

Paragraphs: Basic Rule

Keep One Idea to One Paragraph

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Elements of a ParagraphUnity: The entire paragraph should concern

itself with a single focus. Coherence: Build bridges throughout

paragraph A topic sentence: A topic sentence is a

sentence that indicates in a general way what idea or thesis the paragraph is going to deal with.

Adequate development: next slide Transitions: more later

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Adequate Development of ParagraphUse examples and illustrations Cite data (facts, statistics, evidence, details, and

others) Examine testimony (what other people say such as

quotes and paraphrases) Use an anecdote or story Define terms in the paragraph Compare and contrast Evaluate causes and reasons Examine effects and consequences Analyze the topic Describe the topic Offer a chronology of an event (time segments)

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When do I start a new paragraph?When you begin a new idea or point. To contrast information or ideas. When your readers need a pause. When you are ending your

introduction or starting your conclusion.

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Transitions bridges between parts of your paper

Don’t try this at home!DanzitionsUrban Dictionary says… “term was coined

from The Soup's host Joel McHale as a way to describe the awkward transitions on The Tony Danza show”

Example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBqny_xQ0IE

How do transitions help the writer?help you carry over a thought from one

sentence to another, from one idea to another, or from one paragraph to another with words or phrases.

transitional devices link your sentences and paragraphs together smoothly

How do they help the reader?They are cues that help the reader to

interpret ideas in the way that you, as a writer, want them to understand.

You need transitions if…Your instructor has written comments like

"choppy," "jumpy," "abrupt," "flow," "need signposts," or "how is this related?" on your papers.

Your readers (instructors, friends, or classmates) tell you that they had trouble following your organization or train of thought.

You tend to write the way you think—and your brain often jumps from one idea to another pretty quickly.

You wrote your paper in several discrete "chunks" and then pasted them together.

http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/transitions.html

Examples To

Compare/Contrast:whereas, but, yet, on the other hand, however, nevertheless, on the other hand, on the contrary, by comparison, where, compared to, up against, balanced against, but, although, conversely, meanwhile, after all, in contrast, although this may be true

To Add:and, again, and then, besides, equally important, finally, further, furthermore, nor, too, next, lastly, what's more, moreover, in addition, first (second, etc.)

Examples

To Give an Example:for example, for instance, in this case, in another case, on this occasion, in this situation, take the case of, to demonstrate, to illustrate, as an illustration, to illustrate

To Show Exception:yet, still, however, nevertheless, in spite of, despite, of course, once in a while, sometimes

You try!Example 1:

I have seven pairs of red shoes. I don’t have any purple shoes. I do not need to buy more shoes. There’s no money in the bank.

Example 2:Going back to college will be difficult. I have not been in school for over 10 years. I am married with four children. I will try my best to balance work, family, and school.