Greetings,

Paragraphs are usually longer in formal writing than in informal writing; and while there is no rule about the length of a paragraph (how long is a piece of string?), six to ten lines would seem to be a nice number!

But - remember the importance of variety. This applies to the length of both sentences and paragraphs - have a mix of long and short.

The Topic Sentence should contain the main idea or point being made in the paragraph. It is usually, but not always, the first sentence in a paragraph. It certainly makes it easier on your reader if he or she can just skim over the first sentence in each paragraph and get the gist of the whole. It also makes it easier on you - when you're starting 'serious' writing - since it is much easier to organise your ideas if you put the first thing first (strange but true!).

The Body of the Paragraph needs to develop this key point. It can do this in one or more (or a combination), of the following ways:

 

• giving examples

 

• listing things

 

• classifying

 

• comparing

 

• contrasting

 

• defining

EVERY sentence must be RELEVANT to the topic sentence i.e. don't include details about clothes in a paragraph on recycling sewerage (just as an example ...)

The last sentence in each paragraph should lead into the following paragraph (if there is one).

Makes sense, doesn't it? But it's surprising how many writers forget this simple structure.

Past participles and past tense often cause problems - write the first person, singular past tense and the past participle for each of the following (first person, singular present tense):

e.g. I throw; I threw; I have thrown

1. I swing

2. I teach

3. I write

4. I shrink

5. I freeze

6. I mow

7. I slay

8. I break

9. I arise

10.I begin

Last week's quiz:

Write one word from the list that is closest in meaning to the terms below:

Quixotic, gourmet, loquacious, hereditary, anachronous, insomnia, gregarious, polytheism, philatelist, diagnosis

1. loves company - GREGARIOUS

2. inability to sleep - INSOMNIA

3. determining cause - DIAGNOSIS

4. extravagantly chivalrous - QUIXOTIC

5. a stamp collector - PHILATELIST

6. talks a lot- LOQUACIOUS

7. belief in many gods - POLYTHEISM

8. received from parents - HEREDITARY

9. out of time - ANACHRONOUS

10.likes good food - GOURMET

~ * ~

Have you ever gnashed your teeth with frustration about our crazy spelling? This may reassure you (thanks to Sandra for sending this one in):

The European Commission has just announced an agreement that English

will be the official language of the European Community (EU) - rather

than German (the other possibility).

As part of the negotiations, Her Majesty's Government conceded that

English spelling had some room for improvement, and has accepted a

5-year phase-in of new rules that would apply to the language and

reclassify it as EuroEnglish. The agreed plan is as follows:

In year 1, the soft 'c' would be replaced by 's'. Sertainly, this

will make the sivil servants jump with joy.

The hard 'c' will be replased by 'k'. This should klear up konfusion

and keyboards kan now have one less letter.

There will be growing publik enthusiasm in the sekond year when the

troublesome 'ph' is replased by 'f'. This will reduse "fotograf' by 20%.

In the 3rd year, publik akseptanse of the new spelling kan be

expekted to reach the stage where more komplikated changes are possible.

Governments will enkourage the removal of double letters, which have

always ben a deterent to akurate speling. Also, al wil agre that the

horible mes of the silent 'e's in the language is disgrasful, and they

should eliminat them.

By year 4, peopl wil be reseptiv to lingwistik korektions such as

replasing 'th' with 'z' and 'w' with 'v' (saving mor keyboard spas).

During ze fifz year, ze unesesary 'o' kan be dropd from vords

kontaining 'ou' and similar changes vud of kors be aplid to ozer

kombinations of leters.

After zis fifz year, ve vil hav a reli sensibil riten styl. Zer vil

be no mor trubls or difikultis and evrivun vil find it ezi to understand

ech ozer.

ZE DREM VIL FINALI KUM TRU!!!

Tautology of the week: They passed an interim measure in the meantime, until they could find a permanent solution.

And a Latin phrase to add a touch of class to some Old Rockers:

Nullae satisfactionis potiri non possum ... (I can't get no satisfaction ...)

 Regards,

Jennifer

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