Writing an Outline for a Paragraph

 

Write the topic sentence

On a piece of notebook paper, write the topic of the paragraph you intend to write. For example, if you wish to write about summer vacation, you could write down "summer vacation was fun" at the top of the paper. Now, lengthen that idea into a complete sentence. Try, "My summer vacation was fun."

List some supporting ideas

List some supporting ideas that strengthen the claim that you make in your topic sentence. If you want to write about your fun summer, you would list some of the exciting things that you did. You might write down words and phrases like "water park," "fireworks," "swimming in the pool," "playing outside with my friends" and "camping." Circle the ideas that you like the most. They will eventually be written in sentence form and become your supporting idea sentences.

Write details for the supporting ideas

Each supporting idea sentence can be followed by details. For example, if you wish to write "One of the best places I went this summer was the water park," you would follow that sentence with a sentence that added detail. It could say something like "It was really fun to ride on the water slides with my cousins Josh and Sara." Details are usually quite specific. Write at least one for each of your supporting idea sentences.

Write a concluding sentence

Think of a sentence that concludes your paragraph and, it could repeats the main idea. If your paragraph is about summer vacation, you might conclude it by writing: "I really had a great time during my summer vacation."

Reference: https://classroom.synonym.com/write-essay-describing-yourself-7194738.html 

Image from: https://www.grammarly.com/blog/how-to-write-outline/

How to Read Graphs

 How to Read Graphs

Line graphs and bar graphs are both visual ways of representing two or more data sets and their interrelation. In other words, graphs are pictures that show you how one thing changes in relation to another. Learning to read graphs properly is a matter of interpreting which pieces of information go together.

Steps for Reading Graphs

1. Identify what the graph represents. Most graphs will have a clearly labeled x-element, spaced along the graph’s horizontal axis, and a clearly labeled y-element, spaced along the graph’s vertical axis.

• The graph’s title should also tell you exactly what it’s about. Good graphs always have titles.

2. Check the scale for each graph element. This applies to both line graphs and bar graphs.

• For example, if you’re looking at a graph that shows how many salmon returned to a given stream over the period of a few months last year, each increment along the graph’s y-axis might represent hundreds, thousands or tens of thousands of salmon returning; you won’t know which scale numbers apply until you check the graph.

3. Locate the graph element you want information on.

• For example, you might want to know how many salmon returned to the stream in question in August of last year. So you’d read across the graph’s horizontal axis until you find “August.”
• Time elements, such as days, weeks, months or years, are almost always listed along the horizontal (“x”) axis. Quantity measurements are almost always listed along the vertical (“y”) axis.

4. Read directly up from “August” until you find a dot or a slanting line, on a line graph, or the top of a bar for a bar graph. Then read straight across to the left until you hit the graph’s labeled y-axis. Whatever quantity that line intersects with is the measurement for salmon return in August.

• So if you read up to the dot, line or top of the bar for salmon in August then read across to the left and hit “10,000,” you know 10,000 salmon returned in August. If you hit a point between any two labeled graph increments, you have to estimate based on where you land between the 2 increments. For example, if you hit a point halfway between 10,000 and 15,000, you can safely estimate that the correct number is about 12,500.

FINAL TIPS

• Line graphs give you 1 piece of explicit information that bar graphs don’t. The steepness of the line connecting each data point on the graph (that is, each dot) indicates the rate of change. A steeply descending line, for example, would show that salmon returns dropped abruptly from 1 month to the next. But a slowly ascending line represents a gradual increase.
• If the graph correlates more than 2 elements, the extra data sets are usually assigned to the x-, or horizontal axis. Often, the additional data sets are graphed in another color to avoid confusion. So if you want to compare the salmon returns over the same months for more than 1 year at a time, you could graph each year’s return on the same graph, but in a different color.

Source: https://courses.lumenlearning.com/waymaker-level1-english-gen/chapter/1-3-2-text-how-to-read-graphs/

Introduction to the Paragraph (Why a paragraph is similar to a well-made burger)

An Introduction to the Paragraph

In many languages, the fundamental unit of composition is the paragraph.  A paragraph consists of several sentences that are grouped together.  This group of sentences together discuss one main subject.   In U.S. formal academic English, paragraphs have three principal parts.  These three parts are the topic sentence, body sentences or supporting sentences, and the concluding sentence.

The Topic Sentence

A topic sentence usually comes at the beginning of a paragraph; meaning, it is usually the first sentence in a formal academic paragraph.  (Sometimes this is not true, but as you practice writing in our class, please keep to this rule unless you are instructed otherwise.)  Not only is a topic sentence the first sentence of a paragraph, but, more importantly, it is the most general sentence in a paragraph.  What does "most general" mean?  It means that there are not many details in the sentence, but that the sentence introduces an overall idea that you want to discuss later in the paragraph. 

For example, suppose that you want to write a paragraph about the natural landmarks of your hometown.   The first part of your paragraph might look like this:

My hometown is famous for several amazing natural features.  First, it is noted for the Wheaton River, which is very wide and beautiful. Also, on the other side of the town is Wheaton Hill, which is unusual because it is very steep.

(IMPORTANT: Notice how the first sentence begins with "My hometown..." a few spaces to the right of the paragraph edge.  This is an indentation.  All paragraphs in English MUST begin with an indentation.)

Note how the first sentence, My hometown, is famous for several amazing geographical features, is the most general statement. This sentence is different from the two sentences that follow it, since the second and third sentences mention specific details about the town's geography, and are not general statements.

Activity:

Here are some examples of sentences that cannot be used as topic sentences. Can you figure out why they are inappropriate? 
 

My hometown is famous because it is located by Wheaton River, which is very wide, and because it is built near an unusually steep hill called Wheaton Hill.   There are two reasons why some people like to buy cars with automatic transmission and two reasons why others like cars with manual transmission.   Clouds are white.

Explanation:

The problem with sentence #1 is that it contains too many details. Topic sentences are general, and details should appear later in the paragraph. A better topic sentence would be like the one mentioned above, My hometown is famous for several amazing geographical features.

Sentence #2 is not appropriate as a topic sentence because it mentions two topics, not just one. Paragraphs are usually about one main thing and so their topic sentences should also be about only one main thing.

The problem with sentence #3 is that it is too general. It is also very boring! Would you like to read a paragraph with this topic sentence? Most people would not.

We can rewrite sentences #2 and #3 in the following ways to make it better:
 

There are two reasons why some people like to buy cars with automatic transmission. OR (in a different paragraph): There are two reasons why some people like cars with manual transmission.   The shapes of clouds are determined by various factors.

Supporting Sentences

Consider again the above-mentioned, short paragraph:

My hometown, is famous for several amazing natural features.  First, it is noted for the Wheaton River, which is very wide and beautiful. Also, on the other side of the town is Wheaton Hill, which is unusual because it is very steep.

(IMPORTANT: Again, note how this paragraph is indented on the first line, about five or seven spaces in from the left-hand edge of the paragraph. Always remember to indent your paragraphs!)

When a reader reads a topic sentence, such as My hometown, is famous for several amazing natural features, a question should usually appear in the reader's mind.  In this case, the question should be like, "What are the natural features that make Wheaton famous?"   The reader should then expect that the rest of the paragraph will give an answer to this question. 

Now look at the sentences after the topic sentence.  We can see that the second sentence in the paragraph,  First, it is noted for the Wheaton River, which is very wide and beautiful, indeed gives an answer to this question. That is, the second sentence gives some explanation for the fact that Wheaton is a famous town. Similarly, we can see that the third sentence also gives some explanation for the fact that Wheaton is famous by giving another example of an "amazing natural feature," in this case, Wheaton Hill.

The second and third sentences are called supporting sentences.  They are called "supporting" because they "support," or explain, the idea expressed in the topic sentence.  Of course, paragraphs in English often have more than two supporting ideas.   The paragraph above is actually a very short paragraph.  At minimum, you should have at least five to seven sentences in your paragraph.  Here we can see our paragraph about Wheaton with a few more supporting sentences in bold font:
 

My hometown is famous for several amazing natural features.  First, it is noted for the Wheaton River, which is very wide and beautiful. Also, on the other side of the town is Wheaton Hill, which is unusual because it is very steep. The third amazing feature is the Big Old Tree. This tree stands two hundred feet tall and is probably about six hundred years old.

The Concluding Sentence

In formal paragraphs you will sometimes see a sentence at the end of the paragraph which summarizes the information that has been presented.  This is the concluding sentence.  You can think of a concluding sentence as a sort of topic sentence in reverse.

You can understand concluding sentences with this example.  Consider a hamburger that you can buy at a fast-food restaurant. A hamburger has a top bun (a kind of bread), meat, cheese, lettuce, and other elements in the middle of the hamburger, and a bottom bun. Note how the top bun and the bottom bun are very similar.  The top bun, in a way, is like a topic sentence, and the bottom bun is like the concluding sentence.  Both buns "hold" the meat, onions, and so on. 

Similarly, the topic sentence and concluding sentence "hold" the supporting sentences in the paragraph.  Let's see how a concluding sentence (in bold font) might look in our sample paragraph about Wheaton:

{My hometown is famous for several amazing natural features.  First, it is noted for the Wheaton River, which is very wide and beautiful. Also, on the other side of the town is Wheaton Hill, which is unusual because it is very steep. The third amazing feature is the Big Old Tree. This tree stands two hundred feet tall and is probably about six hundred years old. These three landmarks are truly amazing and make my hometown a famous place.}

Notice how the concluding sentence, These three landmarks are truly amazing and make my hometown a famous place,summarizes the information in the paragraph.  Notice also how the concluding sentence is similar to, but not exactly the same as, the topic sentence. 

Not all academic paragraphs contain concluding sentences, especially if the paragraph is very short.  However, if your paragraph is very long, it is a good idea to use a concluding sentence.

Reference:

http://lrs.ed.uiuc.edu/students/fwalters/para.html

Picture from: kirstenclement.wordpress.com
 

Introduction to Writing a Sentence

A sentence is a collection of words that convey sense or meaning and is formed according to the logic of grammar.  Clear, short sentences are preferable, and more effective, than long, complex ones.

Read more at: https://www.skillsyouneed.com/write/grammar1.html

The simplest sentence consists only of a noun, a naming word, and a verb or action word.  For example, in the sentence “The woman walked”, “Woman”is the  noun and walked is the verb.

Quick activity:

---

Write two examples of nouns and verbs, and then combine them to form sentences.

---

“Woman” is the noun in the example sentence above but can be substituted in following sentences by the pronoun she.   A pronoun is a word that can be used instead of a noun when a noun has already been mentioned.  Other pronouns are he, we, they and it. You can also use a proper noun instead. A proper noun is used for specific names, or places, and starts with a capital letter.

Quick activity:

---

Write a sentence using a proper noun.  Then write another using a pronoun.

---

Most sentences have a subject noun and an object noun.  For example, consider the sentence “Mary walked towards the hotel”.  Mary is the subject noun (a person or thing performing the action of walking), and the hotel is the object noun (a person or thing towards which the action is directed).

Quick activity:

---

Write two sentences using a subject noun and an object noun.

---

Adjectives describe nouns. Adjectives usually come before the noun.

They are sometimes known as 'describing words'.  When two adjectives are used to describe one noun, they are set apart with the use of a comma. 

For example:

The lazy dog dozed.

                    

The hairy, lazy dog dozed.

Adverbs describe verbs.  The adverb should always follow the verb.

For example:

Mary walked slowly. or Peter ran away quickly.

Activity: Write a few sentences using adjectives and adverbs.

Read more at: https://www.skillsyouneed.com/write/grammar1.html

Words that are both nouns and verbs

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/wordlist/nounandverb.shtml

Words That Are Both Nouns And Verbs Vocabulary Word List

A

access ache

act address

aim alert

answer arrest

attack auction

B

back bail balance balloon ban bandage bank

bare bargain battle beam bear beat bend

benefit blame blast bleach block bloom blow

board bomb bother bounce bow box bread

break breed broadcast brush bump burn buy

C

cake call camp care catch cause challenge change

chant charge cheat check cheer chip claim clip

cloud clue coach color comb comfort contrast control

cook coop copy cost count cover crack crash

crate credit crush cure curl curve cut cycle

D

dam damage dance deal decay decrease

delay delight demand design dial die

dislike display dive divorce dock double

doubt drain draw dream dress drill

drink drive duck dump dust dye

E

echo email end

escape esteem

estimate exchange

excuse exhibit

experience eye

F

face fall favor fax fear feel

fight file fill film finish fish

fix flap flash float flood floss

flow flower fly fold fool force

form frame freeze frown function

G

garden gaze gel

glue grate grease

grill grimace grin

grip guarantee guard

guess guide

H

hammer hand handle harm

harness hate head heap

heat help hide highlight hike

hit hold hop hope hose

hug humor hunt hurry

I

ice impact

inch increase

influence insult

interest iron

itch

J

jail

jam

joke

judge

jump

K

keep kick

kiss knit

knock knot

L

label land last

laugh lead leap level

license lie lift light

limit link load loan

lock look love

M

mail make man

march mark match mate

matter mean measure milk

mind mine miss mistake

moor move mug

N

nail name

need nest

notch note

notice number

O

object

offer

oil

order

P

pack pad paddle paint park part pass paste pause

pat pay pedal peel pelt permit phone photograph

pick pine place plan plane plant play plow

plug point poke pop post practice praise present

process produce promise protest pull pump punch push

Q

question

quilt

quiz

R

race rain raise rant

rate reach reason record reign

rent repair reply report request

rhyme ring riot risk rock

roll row ruin rule run

S

sail sand saw scare scratch screw search season sense shampoo shape share shelter shock

shop show sign signal silence sin sip skate sketch ski slice slide slip

smell smile smirk smoke snack snow sound span spot spray sprout squash stain

stamp stand star start state steer step sting stop store storm stress strip

stroke struggle study stuff stunt suit supply support surf surprise swap swing swivel

T

tack talk taste tear tease telephone test

thunder thought tick tie time tip

tire toast touch tour tow trace track

trade train transport trap travel treat trick

trim trust tug turn twist type

U

upstage

use

V

vacuum

value

visit

voice

vote

W

walk waltz wake watch

water wave wear whip

whisper whistle wick wink

wire wish work

worry wrap wreck

Y

yawn

yield

Z

zone