Building Effective Paragraphs:
Focus on the main point. Make sure the point is clear to readers and all sentences in the paragraph relate to it.
Topic Sentences:
Stating the main point is your topic sentence. A good topic sentence is one that is a one sentence summary of the paragraphs main point.
Sticking to the point: Sentences that do not support the topic sentence destroy the unity of a paragraph. If the paragraph is well focused you can simply delete offending sentences.
Develop the main point: Make sure you have enough evidence to support the readers, even skeptical readers.
Choosing a Suitable pattern of Organization: Either examples and illustrations, narration, description, process, comparison and contrast, analogy, cause and affect, classification and division, and definition.
Examples and illustrations: An example is a selected instance. They are enough to suggest the truth of many topic sentences. Illustrations are extended examples, frequently presented in story form.
Narration is a paragraph a story tells or a part of a story. It is usually arranged in chronilogical order.
Description: A descriptive paragraph sketches a portrait of a person, place, or thing by using concrete and specific details that appeal to one or more or our senses; sight, sound, smell, taste and touch.
Process: A process paragraph is one that is structured in chronological order. It may be a pattern to show how something is made or done or to explain to readers step by step how to do something.
Comparison and Contrast: To draw attention to their similarities, although the word compare also has a broader meaning that includes the consideratin of the differences. To contrast is to focus only on differences.
Analogy: Draw comparisons between items that appear to have little in common. Writeres tend to make the unfamiliar seem familiar. Writers turn to analogy for many reasons; to argue a point, or provoke fresh thoughts or changed feelings about a subject.
Cause and Affect: Ususally cause and affects are a matter of argument, but if a writer wishes to describe a cause and effect relationship that is generally accepted, then the effect may be stated in the topic sentence, with the causes listed in the body of the paragraph.
Classification and division: Classisfication is the grouping of items into categories according to some consistent principle. Division takes one items and divides it into parts.
Repeating key words: Repeating key words is an important technique for gaining coherence. Try using variation of words to prevent becoming dull such as: hike, hiker and hiking.
Using Parallel Structures: Parallel structures are frequently used within sentences to show the similar information. They may also be used to bind together series of sentences expressing similar information.
Maintaining Consistency: Combine some of the original sentences. This way you can avoid excessive repitition for pronoun.
Providing Transition: Transitions are bridges between what has been read and what is about to be read. Transitions help readers move from sentences to sentence. They also alert readers to more global connections of ideas between paragraphs or even larger blocks of text.
If necessary, adjusts paragraph length. Shorter paragraphs force too much starting and stopping, and longer ones.
In the future, I plan on making sure my sentences are complete. Also, sticking to the point is very hard for me because my mind tends to wander. So, this is where my most energy will be put to focus on. I tend to write a "buffet essay" because I have a hard time staying focused. So, I am going to try and stay focused and making sure I am stating sentences that are based on my main point. This is my biggest issue and I think if I just stayed focused on the main point all the other stuff will come into play when I am doing my final draft.
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