Page 213 - Wordsmith A Guide to College Writing

Check each paragraph to make sure it flows logically and has
transitional expressions where needed.

Staying on Track: Tips for Unity

Check each paragraph to make sure that every sentence supports

the topic sentence.

Examples and Details: Tips for

Support

Make sure that your language is specific. Have you used words

that create pictures by appealing to the reader’s sense of sight,
hearing, touch, taste, and smell?

Check to see that you have supported your paragraphs with

specific examples. If you are writing on Topic 4, “Discuss your

methods of coping with stress,” you might use a specific example

that describes what happened on a particular occasion (Last
Tuesday, when I was nervous and worried about a job interview

the next day . . .). However, you might also decide to use a typical

example that describes something that customarily occurs (Every

evening when I come home from work, I put on my exercise

clothing . . .).