Paragraph writing
A paragraph is a series of sentences developing one topic.
Every sentence in a paragraph should be closely related to the topic!
A paragraph is a unit. Any sentence in a paragraph which does not relate to the topic of that paragraph
spoils the unity and should be taken out.
EXERCISE
In each of the following paragraphs, there is one sentence that is not closely related to the topic.
Find this sentence, and copy it on your paper.
Like the singer of the song "Manana", Robert is a procrastinator1. When the roof leaks, he says, "I'll fix
it, after the rain stops." lf the yard needs mowing, Robert uses the morning dew as an excuse for delay;
in the afternoon, he complains of the hot sun and murmurs, "I'll get at that mowing later, maybe tomorrow."
Worst of all, however, was his procrastination last, spring, when armies of fleas invaded his block.
Everyone else in the neighborhood quickly got rid of the invading fleas, but not Robert! Robert's
guests, swatting at the nipping fleas, begged him to spray the house immediately, not "later." After a
lazy yawn, Robert responded, "Oh, there's no hurry. Sure, the fleas hop on you, but in a little while
they hop off. What's the rush about spraying?" Of course, as everyone knows, Robert has many admirable
qualities; for instance, he is unusually charming and generous.
1. procrastinator - Zauderer; jemand, der Dinge gerne verschiebt
2
There is hardly a more exciting way to travel than by ship.
Perhaps it is the complete isolation from land or the feeling of
living in another world inhabited only by the passengers on
board which makes one so ready for adventure. Of course,
sometimes I get bored because every day is alike; it is as monotonous as
riding a train across barren wastelands. What a thrill
it is to wake early in the morning and go up on deck to see
nothing but water sparkling in the morning air! It's fun to sight
an occasional gray hump of land away in the distance. All day
the ship breaks through the water with a burst of foam, and
although her journey seems endless, there are no tracks in front
of or behind her. At night the ocean around becomes a dark
world with only one moonlit path to nowhere.
3
Yesterday Ann, Jean, and I went to the beach. Arriving about two o'clock, we parked the car, flung open
the door, and leaped out, running over the sand with our bare feet. Then we spread out a large blanket
and sprawled out side by side to let the hot rays of the sun turn our white skins to golden red. In a
little while, Jean, by far the smallest girl in the group, jumped up and bellowed, "Let's take a dip!
Last one in is a rotten egg!" Of course, Jean was the rotten egg. Lately Jean has been dieting; she eats
very few sweets and starches. In the water, we dived for shells and pretended that we were graceful
ballet dancers. At five o'clock, when we were exhausted, it was moved and seconded that we leave the
beach and go eat.
4
Even though they know that speed is a major cause of traffic accidents, many Americans persist in racing
toward death on the highway. Rather than be late for a round of golf or a week's visit with relatives,
drivers speed around sharp curves, pass other cars on steep hills, and squeeze in and out of a line of
cars. Frequently the oncoming drivers, taken by surprise, must swerve to the shoulder of the road or
crash headlong into a speeding automobile on the wrong side of the road. Newspapers are filled with
the gory details of mangled bodies found in car wrecks that occur because of slick highways, faulty
brakes, or drivers falling asleep at the wheel. The speeder is a daredevil who gambles that he will
not become a statistic in the files of the state highway department. A menace to society, he must
"make good time," even though he risks his own life and endangers the lives of others who must share
the highway with him.
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