Page 31 - Perfect English Grammar: The Indispensable Guide to Excellent Writing and Speaking

thesis.

PARAGRAPH 3: BODY PARAGRAPH 2
■ Focus on your second-most important argument, reason, or fact.

PARAGRAPH 4: BODY PARAGRAPH 3
■ Focus on your third-most important argument, reason, or fact.

PARAGRAPH 5: CONCLUSION
■ Rephrase your specific statement of purpose.

■ Emphasize why it is important.
■ Refer back to the basic points of each paragraph.

■ Explain how the reader should be feeling about your arguments.
■ Generally wrap it up with a firm, assertive statement.

■ Avoid ending with something trite like The End or That’s all I have to
say.

■ Instead of ending with a question like, “Don’t you agree that X is the
best thing ever?” or “Don’t you think a good person would support Y?”

try restating it as an assertion: “X is the best thing ever.” “A good
person would support Y.”

2.6 Transitions and Coherence

Writers at all levels have a hard time making an argument that flows naturally
from beginning to end—that’s why it’s taught in schools! Good transitions can

help fix that by making it feel more like a story and less like a pile of facts and
opinions.

■ Avoid simply jumping to the next topic.
■ Transitions can appear in topic sentences, concluding sentences, or

both.

Develop a variety of transition techniques and use them without shame.