 |
|
| |
|
| |
LEARNING
TO WRITE IN ENGLISH: Paragraphs
|
| |
Paragraph Development by Combination
|
| |
|
| |
Very often, a single paragraph will contain development by a combination of methods. It may begin with a brief comparison, for example, and move on to provide detailed descriptions of the subjects being compared. A process analysis might include a brief history of the process in question. Many paragraphs include lists of examples:
The broad range of positive characteristics used to define males could be used to define females too, but they are not. At its entry for woman Webster's Third provides a list of "qualities considered distinctive of womanhood": "Gentleness, affection, and domesticity or on the other hand fickleness, superficiality, and folly." Among the "qualities considered distinctive of manhood" listed in the entry for man, no negative attributes detract from the "courage, strength, and vigor" the definers associate with males. According to this dictionary, womanish means "unsuitable to a man or to a strong character of either sex."
This paragraph is a good example of one, which combines a comparison, and contrast of contemporary notions of "manliness" and "womanliness" with an extended list of examples.
Now let's take a closer look at how topic sentences help structure and control a paragraph by focusing discussion to one topic or theme at a time.
|
|
|
|
