The Paragraph
Before you learn how to write a paragraph you have to know what the parts of a paragraph are:
1. Topic Sentence:
-It is the first sentence in a paragraph. -It introduces the main idea of the paragraph you can write one by summarizing the main idea of your paragraph and indicating to the reader what your paragraph will be about.
2. Supporting Details:
-They come after the topic sentence making up the body of a paragraph they give details and facts to develop and support the main idea of the paragraph.
3. Closing Sentence:
-It restates the main idea of your paragraph by using different words.
4. Prewriting Stage:
*Six Prewriting Steps: 1. Think carefully about what you are going to write. 2. Ask yourself what question am I going to answer in this paragraph and how can I best… 3. …Answer this question. 4. Collect facts related to your paragraph. 5. Write down your own ideas. 6. Organize your facts and ideas in a way that develops your main idea.
5. Writing Stage:
-Write clear and simple sentences to express your meaning. -Use the dictionary to help you find additional words.
6. Editing Paragraphs: -Check your spelling. -Check your grammar. -Read your essay again. -Check that all your sentences focus on the main idea. -See if your paragraph is interesting.
The Essay
Parts of an Essay
Essentially an essay consists of three major parts:
1. The introduction
2. The main body
3. The conclusion
Each of these parts has a function.
The introduction is intended to lead the reader into the topic and clarify what the essay will specifically deal with. It usually consists of one paragraph, but this depends on the length of the essay and the amount of background information the context requires. The introduction will contain a key sentence (or, if necessary, more than one) that represents the thread running through the whole essay. This sentence is called the thesis statement.
The main body deals with the major ideas that support the thesis statement. Each main idea is presented in a separate paragraph ("one notion, one paragraph") and developed with supporting ideas in the form of explanations, definitions, or similar, and illustrated with examples where appropriate or necessary.
The conclusion brings the reader back to the purpose of the essay and draws all the points together before making a final comment on the result of the discussion/ argument. Often this final comment will point towards some consequence the discussion may have for the future or make some observation about what the discussion has revealed on a general level.
All in all an essay will show a progression from a general level (in the introduction) down to the specific (thesis statement and body) and back up to the general level again (conclusion). The reader will be expecting this. So, it gives your essay a sense of completion.
General (Introduction)
Specific (Body)
General (Conclusion)
Samples:
My home town
Ouarzazate, my home town, is a small beautiful city which I like due to many reasons. First, its geographical place makes of it a good place to live in. Since it is located in the south of Morocco, the weather is often sunny and warm during the whole year. Second, it is a very calm and clean city as it is small. Its streets are not that crowded which makes you feel at ease when you go out either by car, for example, or on foot. Besides, the air and water, for instance, are so clean. Finally, it is one of the safest cities in the country. People there are so kind, nice, friendly, helpful and hospitable. Thus, I feel safe when going out alone even at a late hour at night. My home town is a wonderful place to live in for it is attracting more and more people thanks to the many advantages it has.
Smoking
Smoking is among the worst habits so many people suffer from. It just makes the smokers lives worse and worse for the so many drawbacks it has. First, smoking badly affects our health as it destroys it gradually by the diseases it causes. To illustrate, throat cancer, chest cancer and lips cancer are among the most well-known cancers that the majority of smokers do suffer from nowadays. Second, all the smokers do waste more and more money on the cigarettes they smoke every now and then. For instance, an ordinary smoker may waste at least one euro and a half per day to buy a package of cigarettes. So can you imagine the amount of money wasted on cigarettes each year by one smoker person? Finally, the smokers usually suffer from social problems and obstacles. For example, all smokers are considered disturbing elements wherever and whenever they are as they annoy the other non-smokers by their smoke. Consequently, a lot of people try to avoid them and get away from them. Smokers risk their lives because of the serious danger that smoking causes.
Reading a book or watching a film
Lots of people enjoy their recreation activities like watching TV or reading a book. I personally prefer the latter for the many benefits it gives. First, spending some time in reading a book enriches my vocabulary. For instance, a person reading one single book may learn thousands of new vocabularies which they may need later, for example, in writing and speaking skills. Second, reading a book activates my mind and makes it work more and more. To illustrate, reading a short story in a book helps my mind imagine and film the events from different angles. Finally, reading a book is an easy task to do, how? It simply requires taking a book with you wherever and whenever you are. It is not heavy and does not take much space. One can learn many things by simply choosing a good activity to do during free time; reading a book is a good example.
NB: This is an alternative topic sentence for text 3: (Watching TV and reading a book are two recreation activities that lots of people enjoy. I personally prefer reading a book rather than watching TV for the many benefits it has.)
Essay Topics:
1. Students often take part in some voluntary work as an act of citizenship. Write a report about an activity you participated in or heard about to your school, neighborhood or city.
These suggestions may help you:
-The kind of activity (planting trees, helping old people, campaigns about smoking, road accidents)
-People involved (students, teachers, administrators, experts…)
-The benefits of the activity- your feelings/attitude –voluntary work as an aspect of good citizenship.
2. One of your relatives or neighbors was illiterate, but he/she benefited a lot from literacy classes organized by a local NGO. Tell the story of that person describing his/her feelings and what he/she gained as a person and as a member of the community
These suggestions might help you:
-Who the person is (name, age, etc)
-What the NGO has contributed to success of these classes.
-How has he/she known about and joined the literacy classes
-Where and where these classes were given
-Why were these classes important to him/her
-What he/she gained from these classes (socially, financially and personally)
-Your personal View about how to encourage literacy classes.
3. Mobile phones are now used by millions of people.Write an article for your school magazine to state the advantages and the disadvantages of mobile phones.
These cues may help you:
-Advantages: (communicate freely, texting, taking pictures, sending messages,…etc)
-Disadvantages: (dangerous when driving, no face-to-face communication,.. etc)
-Your opinion.
4. Environmentalists warn that water pollution is a real danger to humanity and nature. Write an article for your school magazine describing the causes of this phenomenon and suggesting some practical solutions.
5. Write an email to your friend describing the best place you have ever visited.
Here are some cues to help you:
-Name of the place (city, village, countryside, forest, beach…)
-Time of the visit (weekend, Sunday, holiday, summer)
-Characteristics (attractive, nice, interesting, modern, traditional...)
-Your feelings (happy, satisfied, unforgettable, memorable)
6. People in your area complain about problems of the environment. Write and article for “Environment” magazine to explain the problems in your city, town or village and suggest solutions to solve them.
These clues may help you:
Problems of the environments in your area
Causes of these problems
Consequences of these problems
Solutions
…etc
7. Nowadays, education plays a crucial role in development. Write an essay to a magazine about the importance of girls’ education in Morocco.
8. Some students leave school earlier for different reasons. Write an article to your school magazine stating some of these reasons and the effects of dropping out of school.
These clues may help you:
Some reasons:
School far from home
No motivation to learn
Family problems
…etc
Some effects:
Poor knowledge (languages, literacy skills,…)
No ,proper education
No good job in the future
…etc
9. Write and a letter to your friend describing the best place you have ever visited.
Here are some clues to help you:
Name of the place (city, village, countryside, forest, beach, …)
Time of the visit (weekend, Sunday, holidays, summer,..)
Characteristics (attractive, nice, interesting, modern, traditional,…)
Your feelings (happy, satisfied, unforgettable, memorable, …)
10. Your school organized a party to celebrate the end of the school year. Write a short article for your school magazine to describe this event.
These clues may help you:
When did the party take place?
Who participated?
What activities were there?
How did you feel about it?
….etc
Abi Bakr Essediq High School School year 2010 - 2011
Subject: English 2nd Baccalaureate – All Streams
Writing 1st Baccalaureate – All Streams
Teacher: Yassine AIT HAMMOU
Ouarzazate
English Writing by teacher Yassine A.H
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