CHAPTER 13
THE SENTENCE AND PARAGRAPH WRITING
Specific instructional aims
Students
understand and able to describe the concept of sentence and the components of a
paragraph.
Sub topics
·
definition
of sentence
·
paragraph writing (topic sentence, controlling ideas, conclusion)
The sentence
What is a sentence? A sentence is a group of words consisting of
at least a subject and a predicate, and expresses a complete idea. The subject of a sentence may consists of only
one word or a word with modifiers, and the predicate may contain a verb alone
or a verb with modifiers. Thus, a
sentence may be very brief, consisting only of the subject-verb unit, or it can
be amplified by modifiers. No matter how
long it is, a sentence must have a subject and a predicate (verb) and expresses
a complete thought. However, sometimes a
group of words may look like a sentence, but it is not, because it may not have
a subject or the main verb (predicate), or both.
In the following examples, the “a”
statement is a sentence, while the “b” statement it not a sentence. In the sentence, the subject is in boldface
and the predicate is in italic.
1. a. Many people are waiting in line
to buy fertilizers, pesticides, and seeds.
b. Many people waiting in line to buy fertilizers,
pesticides, and seeds.
2. a. The information is important for
vegetable growers planning for the intercropping practice in their garden.
b. Important for vegetable growers planning for
the intercropping practice in their garden.
3. a. He is giving instructions to the
students doing field works near the glasshouse.
b. To the students doing field works near the
glasshouse.
4. a. The cassava and sweet potato grow
very well on sandy soils with adequate water supply.
b. On sandy soils with adequate water supply.
5. a. Recently the cucurbits are classified
into vegetable group.
b. Recently the cucurbits classified into vegetable
group.
Paragraph writing
What is a paragraph? A paragraph is a group of sentences that has
a topic sentence, a controlling idea with a list of ideas, and a conclusion,
and the main objective is to convey the central idea clearly and
effectively. In order to write a
paragraph clearly, you should connect the sentences smoothly and logically, and
in order to write a paragraph effectively, you should pinpoint (focus) the
central idea. Therefore, knowing your
sentences thoroughly is very important first step because the sentences are the
basic elements to construct a paragraph.
How could we focus the central
idea? One of the ways to pinpoint the central idea is to avoid a central idea
that is too broad. To do this, you must
go into details of the subject matter you are writing about. For instance, if you are going to write about
the use of pesticides in plant protection programme, you’ll find that
this topic is too broad to be written in a single paragraph. It is not a controlling or central idea. It is a topic which many scientists have
written books or papers.
In order to write a paragraph on
the subject of pesticide use in plant protection programme, you must focus on
one aspect of pesticide use only. Thus,
you can limit the central idea for your paragraph by writing: It is important to consider the hazards
which can occur because of pesticide use.
The following is an example of how a central idea is developed in a
clear and precise details.
Disadvantages of Pesticides
In a
discussion of pesticides it is necessary to consider the hazards which can occur because of their use. Pesticides regularly strike at non-target
species as well as the species for which they are intended. Moreover, the pesticide applications that are
generally practiced by farmers can not always be confined to the intended
area. Also, their effectiveness which
can last a relatively long time, dose not cease after the pest population has
been sufficiently reduced. Often there
are unpredicted results. These
characteristics of pesticides enlarge the inherent risk that is associated with using toxic chemicals and give rise to the controversies which
surround their use. To the
environmentalist who is always concerned with clean air, normal
pesticide use poses two major difficulties.
First, the broad spectrum activity of these chemicals which certainly
contain poisonous elements assures that non-target organisms will be
affected as well as target organism.
This aspect of pesticide use produces many practical problems. One difficulty can arise from a reduction in
the organisms that normal aid in pest control.
Heavy and continuous use of pesticide often virtually eliminate the
pest’s natural competitors. Normally, this problem occurs within a single
growing season and is generally viewed as a short-term
problem that may arise. Other short-term
problems include hazards to farm workers and other people who apply the
pesticides. Unfortunately, most cases of
people who are poisoned occur with those who are careless and ignorant.
(Source: Rangkuti-Hasibuan, S. 1990.
English for Specific Purposes: Agriculture. PT. Gramedia Pustaka Utama, Jakarta, p. 214).
The structure of a paragraph
A paragraph should contain three
main parts, i.e. the topic sentence, list of ideas, and a conclusion. A topic sentence is a sentence showing what
the paragraph is about. A good topic
sentence will control the whole paragraph because it does not only clarify what
the paragraph is about, but also points out what the paragraph is not about.
A topic sentence normally is placed
at the beginning of the paragraph, and it is often the first sentence in the
paragraph. However, for advanced writers
it is not necessary to put the topic sentence at the beginning of
paragraph. The topic sentence could be
at the end, or it is not stated but rather suggested in other parts of the
paragraph.
A topic sentence must fulfill two
requirements: 1) it must have a subject,
i.e. what we are talking about, and 2) it must have a controlling idea, i.e.
what we are saying about the subject.
After making the topic sentence,
the next step is to make an outline. In
the outline, you simply write down a list of ideas which support the
controlling idea. The last step is to
write down the conclusion, i.e. the restatement of the topic sentence in different words. Observe the examples below (the subject is in
boldface, and the controlling idea is in italic).
Example 1.
Topic sentence : Irrigation system help farmers in
rural areas.
List of ideas : · opening
employment opportunities
· farmer’s utilization of land to its maximum capacity
· two or three harvests a year
· not dependent on seasons
· simultaneous planting season to fight insects
Conclusion : Therefore, irrigation is, indeed, beneficial
to farmers.
Example 2.
Topic sentence : A crop can be protected from parasite by several methods.
List of ideas : · by plant
quarantine
· use of clean seed
· rotating annual crops
· destroying the sources of infection, “Slash and Burn”
· chemical attack on the parasite
Conclusion : As you can see, these methods have worked well
to protect the crops.
Forms and organization of paragraph
The discussion above shows you how
to make a topic sentence and an outline.
In the outline you simply write down a list of ideas that will be
developed to support the topic sentence.
Thus, a paragraph has three parts: a topic sentence or introduction, a
discussion, which contains the development of the controlling idea to support
the topic sentence, and a conclusion, which is a restatement of the topic
sentence in different words. In the
following example, the organization pattern is shown to you.
Sun-drying of Wet Paddy
Topic sentence:
Sun-drying of wet paddy is inexpensive. Discussion: In many villages in Indonesia sun-drying
of wet paddy is common. In the method of
sun-drying, members of the family can help with the work. Very simple things are needed: a wide open
space, some mats to spread the paddy over, several rakes or tools that can function as rakes. This method of sun-drying is generally done
in the back or front yard of the house.
No skilled laborers or sophisticated machines are needed.
Even children can participate to keep away neighboring chickens from
eating the wet paddy. Conclusion: Thus, this simple means has made
sun-drying cheap. Therefore, it appeals
to the farmers.
(Source: Rangkuti-Hasibuan, S. 1990.
English for Specific Purposes: Agriculture. PT. Gramedia Pustaka Utama, Jakarta, p. 107).
Students’ activity
Assignment 1
In the following, you are given the
outline for a paragraph. Read carefully
and construct a paragraph based on the information given.
Topic Sentence: Rubber has helped to create our
present day modern civilization.
Outline: - rubber is used in transportation and
electricity.
- eighty percent of the component of automotive
industry is rubber.
- rubber is used in transmission, conveyer belts
and tires.
- rubber is used in footwear and cable
insulation.
- rubber is used in coated fabrics to obtain
waterproof properties.
Conclusion: Thus, it can be said that we owe much of our present
modern life to rubber.
Assignment 2
As it has been discussed earlier
that there are three divisions of a paragraph:
the introduction (topic sentence), the list of ideas (discussion) and
the concluding sentence (conclusion).
Indicate these three divisions in the following paragraph.
Rubber
The rubber industry in Indonesia is facing a
difficult situation due to competition among rubber manufaturers. In Indonesia, tire production has developed
quite rapidly and is apparently running at an excess capacity. Further increases in the tire manufacture may
face several basic handicaps. On the
average, the content of natural rubber is 30 to 40% of the tire weight and more
ironically the value of that rubber content is merely 20% of the tire price. Local tire industries face heavy competition
in the export market from overseas.
Excessive expenditure for research and development is required to
maintain a competitive position to match the progress in tire technology
developed by large corporate research organization. Moreover, a few multinational companies
dominate tire production with strict technical control from their
headquarters. There is less chance to
incorporate a larger proportion of natural rubber into locally made tires
unless authorized by the corporate management.
Consequently, this situation has made Indonesian rubber industry in its
way to collapse.
(Source (with
modifications): Rangkuti-Hasibuan,
S. 1990.
English for Specific Purposes: Agriculture. PT. Gramedia Pustaka Utama, Jakarta, p. 129).
Vocabulary list
Cucurbit = tanaman Cucurbitaceae
Environmentalist = pemerhati lingkungan
Growing season = musim tanam
Hazards = bahaya
Inherent risk = resiko turun-temurun
Intercropping = tumpang sari
Natural competitors = pesaing alami
Parasite = parasit
Poisonous elements = unsur beracun
Rakes = garu
Sandy soils = tanah berpasir
Slash and Burn = pangkas dan bakar
Sophisticated machines = mesin-mesin canggih
Sun-drying = pengeringan dengan bantuan panas matahari
Toxic chemicals = bahan kimia beracun
penulis : Prof.Dr.H.Zulkarnain
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