·　　　　 Practice on getting the writing process started.

·　　　　 A greater and reinforced understanding of how to structure paragraphs, especially topic sentences, concluding sentences, and linking statements.

·　　　　 Being able to work with a checklist for writing good paragraphs.

 

I know that many of you have difficulty getting started; in fact, even I sometimes find this the hardest part of writing. The method I am suggesting to you is also helpful in situations where you seem to have reached a dead-end in your writing, and do not know where to go from the point you are.

The method is as follows:

·　 Look at a problem/point for discussion

·　 Write down anything that comes into your mind. These do not have to be sentences.

·　 After you have written a page or so of bullet-points or sentences, look closely at what you have written

·　 From here try and form a topic sentence – what is your general opinion on the matter? What are the interesting points? What do most of the sentences discuss?

·　 After your topic sentence, you should be able to provide some evidence to back up the statement you made in your topic sentence.

·　 Then explain how the evidence proves that the statement you made in your topic sentence is correct.

·　 Then sum up your topic sentence and the paragraph in general.

Below are some points for discussion:

·　 The modern Chinese approach to education compared to the Western approach to education.

·　 The value of Chinese characters/pictograms as compared with the alphabetical system of the Romance languages (English, French, Latin and so on).

·　 The Western idea that the Moon is a block of cheese, and the Chinese idea that the moon is a hook. What are the reasons for these different ideas?

·　 The value of a Ph. D for finding a job

·　 Whether Chinese is a difficult language to learn

·　 Whether English is a difficult language to learn

·　 Anything else which you want to talk about, outside of your area of study

“A paragraph is a group of related sentences, which develop one main idea (the topic sentence). The topic sentence tends to be a general rather than a specific idea. The main idea of the topic sentence controls the rest of the paragraph. Usually it is the first sentence in the paragraph, but not necessarily. It may come after a transition sentence; it may even come at the end of a paragraph.

Topic sentences are not the only way to organise a paragraph, and not all paragraphs need a topic sentence. For example, paragraphs that describe, narrate, or detail the steps in an experiment do not usually need topic sentences. They are useful, however, in paragraphs that analyse and argue. They are particularly useful for writers who have difficulty developing focused, unified paragraphs (i.e. writers who tend to waffle). Topic sentences help these writers develop a main idea for their paragraphs and most importantly stay focused. Topic sentences also help guide the reader through complex arguments.”[1]

 

Please use the information given above to create an appropriate topic sentence that will complete a paragraph using the below supporting sentences.

Exercise 1:

a. Some fires are caused by careless people tossing matches out of car windows.

b. A few are started when lightning strikes a tree.

c. Some result from campers who fail to douse cooking fires.

d. The majority of forest fires are deliberately set by arsonists.

Exercise 2:

a. We had to wait a half hour even though we had reserved a table.

b. Our appetizers and main courses all arrived at the same time.

c. The waiter ignored our requests for more water.

d. The wrong desserts were delivered to us.

Exercise 3:

a. My phone goes dead at certain times of the day.

b. When I talk long distance, I hear conversations in the background.

c. The line to the phone service center is busy for hours.

d. My telephone bill includes three calls I never made.

Adventure Tourism
Adventure tourism is a different way for tourists to see New Zealand. This type of tourism uses the plentiful natural resources - mountains, rivers, lakes, wilderness areas and historical sites to provide adventure, thrills and challenges which are low risk but high in excitement. For example, the coastal areas in New Zealand are great for canoeing and kayaking. White-water rafting is another popular water adventure tour. However, if you would rather keep your feet on the ground, New Zealand has over 100 developed walkways in addition to the tracks in the 12 National Parks. Because more and more tourists are interested in learning about New Zealand by doing exciting and unusual activities, adventure tourism will continue to grow.

 　　  Time Management
No matter how you slice it, there are only 24 hours in a day. To be successful at university, students need to learn good time-management skills. The first skill is not taking on more than you can handle. If you are a working part-time, have a family and are involved in a community organisation, then taking a full course-load at university will be too much. Another time management skill is reasonably estimating the time required to perform each of the tasks at hand. For example, deeply reading a chapter from a course text cannot be completed in between television programmes. Finally, actually doing what needs to be done seems obvious, but is a very difficult skill. You may find that cleaning out your wardrobe becomes vital when you are avoiding study. Procrastination is a time manager's enemy. By learning time management skills your university study will be successful and most importantly enjoyable.  


 　　 Have Heart
The heart weighs about 11 ounces and is the size of a clenched fist. The heart of a man performs at about 60 to 80 beats a minute. In a year it beats some 40 million times. At each beat it takes in nearly a quarter of a pint of blood; in a single day it pumps 2,200 gallons of blood, and in the course of a single lifetime about 56 million gallons. Is there any other engine capable of carrying on such heavy work over such a long period of time without needing to be repaired? Obviously the human heart is a small yet highly efficient piece of equipment.

Thousands of new people are born on our planet every day. The number of inhabitants in the world has already reached over six billion. If the present growth rate remains unchecked, the world may soon face wide-spread starvation, poverty, and serious health problems. __________________________________ (topic sentence).

A) Therefore, it is predicted that the world will face serious health problems in the near future.
B) The rapid growth of the world's human population is the most important problem the world needs to address.
C) One of the burning issues is the population explosion in third world countries.

Factors in success at university

The most important factor is a student's past experience of study. If a student has already developed good study habits, study at university should not be difficult. Good study habits need to be complemented by interest and motivation, factors which are important when competition gets tough. We should however not underestimate the distracting effects of financial and personal difficulties. All students have to grapple with these at some stage of their university life. Beyond the personal factors it has to be said that there is also a certain element of luck involved in success: this includes finding excellent teachers and the subject matter that inspires one to give one's best.

 　　 Genetic engineering: no going back?

Animal breeding for particular features may soon become obsolete with the new-found ability of scientists to work at the level of genes. On the one hand there are those who embrace the new bio-technology: genetic engineering. They argue that many genetic changes will be hugely beneficial and harmless. As long as safeguards are in place, they claim, humans would be foolish not to take advantage of the many benefits genetic engineering has to offer. Others have seen the speed with which gene manipulation can get out of hand, mixing species so that vegetable and animal are no longer distinguishable. They want to wind the clock back. But can they?

 

In this exercise, for both paragraphs, you should identify the concluding sentence, and then comment upon whether it is effective or not.

Paragraph 1
(1) Whales, one of nature's largest mammals, can be divided into two categories. (2) Baleen whales are one kind of whale. (3) Baleen whales have a type of keratin[6] called baleen that hangs in their mouths and sifts food from the ocean waters. (4) Baleen whales can consume up to 9,000 pounds of fish a day. (5) The toothed whale is the other type of whale. (6) The toothed whales have teeth instead of baleen. (7) They gnaw and chew on their meals. (8) Like the baleen whales, the toothed whales consume large portions of food each day. (9) Though many varieties of whales exist in our oceans, they are all categorized according to whether they have baleen or teeth inside their gigantic mouths.

Paragraph 2:
(1) The letters WWW do not stand for the "Wide World of Wrestling" as hooked wrestling fans may guess. (2) Nor do they stand for something, such as widow, related to a world war. (3) The letters WWW refer to the World Wide Web, more commonly referred to simply as the Web. (4) As millions of people worldwide access the Web on a regular basis, the letters ‘WWW’ are typed millions of times on a daily basis. (5) Many web site addresses begin with the letters WWW, which basically indicate to the user that he or she will enter the World Wide Web in order to locate the web address. (6) Technology has made the three letters WWW into possibly the most frequently used and most commonly known letter pattern in the world.

For the exercises on page 8 (“Topic Sentences Exercises”), go through exercises 1, 2, and 3 and, using the topic sentences we have discussed, create a full paragraph. This paragraph should have a topic sentence, logically ordered supporting statements, and concluding sentences.

 

The organization of your written work includes two elements: (1)the order in which you have chosen to present the different parts of your discussion or argument, and (2) the relationships you construct between these parts. Transitions cannot substitute for good organization, but they can make your organization clearer and easier to follow. Take a look at the following (untrue) example:

You want to argue that New Zealandis not as democratic as the most people say. One way to effectively organize your argument would be to what most people say (the conventional view) and then to provide the reader why you disagree with this view. So, in Paragraph A you would include all the reasons that someone might consider New Zealand to be highly democratic, while in Paragraph B you would argue against these points. The ‘transition’ that would establish the connection between these two elements of your argument. This ‘transition’ indicates to the reader that the information in paragraph B contradicts the information in paragraph A. As a result, you might organize your argument, including the transition that links paragraph A with paragraph B, in the following way:

Paragraph A: points that support the view that New Zealand’s is very democratic.

Transition: Despite the previous arguments, there are many reasons to think New Zealand’s government is not as democratic as typically believed.

Paragraph B: points that contradict the view that New Zealandis very democratic.

In this case, the transition words "Despite the previous arguments," suggest that the reader should not believe paragraph A and instead should consider the writer's reasons for viewing New Zealand’s democracy as suspect.

As the example suggests, transitions can help reinforce the logic of your paper's organization. A transition does this by providing the reader with essential information regarding the relationship between your ideas. In this way, transitions act as the glue that binds the components of your argument or discussion into a unified, coherent, and persuasive whole.

Now that you have a general idea of how to go about developing effective transitions in your writing, let us briefly discuss the types of transitions your writing will use.

There are many types of transitions. A transition can be a single word, a phrase, a sentence, or an entire paragraph. In each case, it functions the same way: first, the transition either directly summarizes the content of a preceding sentence, paragraph, or section, or it implies that summary. Then it helps the reader anticipate or comprehend the new information that you wish to present.

1. Transitions between sections—Particularly in longer works, it may be necessary to include transitional paragraphs that summarize for the reader the information just covered and specify the relevance of this information to the discussion in the following section.
2. Transitions between paragraphs—If you have done a good job of arranging paragraphs so that the content of one leads logically to the next, the transition will highlight a relationship that already exists by summarizing the previous paragraph and suggesting something of the content of the paragraph that follows. A transition between paragraphs can be a word or two (however, for example, similarly), a phrase, or a sentence. Transitions can be at the end of the first paragraph, at the beginning of the second paragraph, or in both places.
3. Transitions within paragraphs—As with transitions between sections and paragraphs, transitions within paragraphs act as cues by helping readers to anticipate what is coming before they read it. Within paragraphs, transitions tend to be single words or short phrases.

Effectively constructing each transition often depends upon your ability to identify words or phrases that will indicate for the reader the kind of logical relationships you want to convey. The table below should make it easier for you to find these words or phrases. Whenever you have trouble finding a word, phrase, or sentence to serve as an effective transition, refer to the information in the table for assistance. Look in the left column of the table for the kind of logical relationship you are trying to express. Then look in the right column of the table for examples of words or phrases that express this logical relationship.

Keep in mind that each of these words or phrases may have a slightly different meaning. Check a dictionary or writer's handbook if you are unsure of the exact meaning of a word or phrase.

 

 

Set 1

For each of the following pairs of sentences, find a transitional word or phrase that connects the ideas in each of the sentences together.

• 1. The plant installed automated machinery. There will be layoffs soon.
• 2. Jay is in love with Daisy. Their relationship is not destined to be long lasting.
• 3. Einstein’s theory was ultimately accepted. He reputation was assured.
• 4. Washington believed in a strong Federal government with far-reaching power. Jefferson believed in preserving the states’ power and minimizing the role the Federal government would have in the new nation.
• 5. Some domesticated animals can provide more than simple companionship. Dogs are commonly trained to assist the visually impaired.

Set 2

For each of the following pairs of sentences, find a transitional word or phrase that connects the ideas in each of the sentences together.

• 1. Robert objected to the city council’s decision. He organized a protest outside town hall.
• 2. Robert rejected the city council’s decision to raise taxes. He knew there was a major budget crisis.
• 3. First Robert organized a protest to object to the city council’s decision. He began a letter-writing campaign.
• 4. Robert believed in minimizing government involvement in economic policies. He rejected all attempts to use taxes to change the public’s behavior.
• 5. After listening to the economist’s speech, Robert became motivated to take action. He organized a protest outside town hall.

In this exercise, you must attempt to fill in the gaps with words, phrases or whole sentences that indicate transitions. The transitions you use must be logical

In theory, tourism brings substantial economic benefits to a country. In recent times tour operators have brought large numbers of tourists to the Cook Islands to enjoy their beauty and the traditional life style. Local people meet this demand in the form of profit generation. Tourism is also promoted as creating jobs and fostering social relations, and in particular a better understanding between nations. ______ there is, according to one researcher, "a growing body of empirical evidence that the so-called 'benefits' of tourism are often greatly outweighed by the substantial long-term social and environmental costs incurred" (Mercer, 1994, p. 127). This essay will argue that in the case of the Cook Islands, tourism's economic and social benefits are unfortunately unrealised ideals and that instead it has put stresses and strains on both the country's economic wellbeing and its social values.

________ to the alleged economic benefits of tourism, we can see that in the case of the Cook Islands, there is a variety of sources of income from tourist receipts. According to a 1991 visitor survey (Tourism Council of the South Pacific, 1991), after beach activities and natural scenery (62%), visitors to the Cook Islands are looking for entertainment and folklore and culture experiences (27%). Tourists contribute to the local economy by spending money on travel to and around the country, as well as on accommodation, food, entertainment and souvenirs. Results from this same survey, for example, revealed that in the survey period (October 1991 to February 1992) close to 90% of tourists surveyed stayed in hotels or similar accommodation. _________, close to 70% of total tourist spending was on accommodation, restaurants and bars, with a further 16% on transport, tours and entertainment (Tourism Council of the South Pacific, 1991). Tourists are _______ helping to create jobs which are based on making them feel welcome and at the same time they put cash into the economy directly by paying for services.

_________. The Cook Islands does not have the capacity to own and maintain businesses such as large airline companies or tourist hotels. They are owned by other countries such as New Zealand or large companies. The cost of travel and accommodation, which makes upa large part of a tourist's spending, goes directly to the foreign-owned airlines and hotels. These outside interests draw most of the profit they create out of the country. Little of it reaches the local economy. According to Milne (1987), overseas operators receive approximately 60% of all tourist receipts, while local Europeans receive 23%, with the remaining 17% flowing to Cook Islands owned enterprises. It is likely that these disproportionate shares of control of the tourist dollar will have spin off effects on the social fabric. As Milne claims "the crucial factor in determining the level of negative social impacts is the degree to which local participation in the ownership and control of the industry is undermined" (Milne, 1987, p. 120). Tourism in the Cook Islands in the late eighties appears to have provided overwhelming economic benefit to foreigners rather than the local population. This may well have impacted negatively on the social fabric. It is beyond the scope of the essay to examine this, but Milne's claim seems a reasonable one.

The creation of jobs is often claimed to be one of the positive side effects of tourism. _________, according Milne (1987, p.134) "Despite totalling 95% of the population, Cook Island Maoris only fill 53% of the managerial or supervisory positions in the industry. Europeans on the other hand, fill 47% of these positions, _________, comprising less than 5% of the country's population". _________, there is clearly an imbalance between local and non-local participation in the economic benefits of tourism in terms of who does what job. This mirrors the imbalance in ownership of operator resources described in the previous paragraph. Another unintended negative effect is that tourism employment is seen as easy money when compared to traditional island occupations like farming. It takes labour away from farming, another important source of income for the economy. _________Cook Islanders appear mainly to receive economic benefit via mostly non-managerial wages and at the same time the labour force is drawn away from other important areas of economic activity.

_________ supposed social benefits of tourism, we can also see some discrepancies beneath the surface ideals. To take advantage of any other money the tourists are prepared to spend, Cook Islanders attract tourists with their own enterprises. _________ tourists have their own set of images about the culture before they even set foot in the country, and when they arrive they seek to affirm these images. Tourists usually only want to see what is pleasant and enjoyable whether or not they are experiencing truly authentic features of a society. This explains for example the popularity of the 'traditional' CookIsland tapa cloths and lava lavas which are imported from a factory in New Zealand. The cost in cultural terms is _________ by another reality lying behind the ideal. Tourism is claimed to draw different cultures together. However, what often results from this cultural mixing of first and third world populations is cultural envy (Milne, 1987, p. 127). With increased exposure to western lifestyles local people start to emulate aspects of western culture such as consumerism and the consumption of alcohol, with the expected negative results. All of these less than ideal realities beneath a positive surface indicate that as far as the Cook Islands are concerned, for the relatively low financial return that tourism offers to the local population, the social costs are too high.

It is worth considering what economic benefits might be found in less socially damaging and economically more effective forms of the industry. Tuara (1990) for example contains a detailed discussion of an appropriate model for sustainable tourism development based on the experience of Barbados, and in a recent discussion of the role of ecotourism in the Pacific, Hall concludes: "to neglect the social dimension of development and people's relationship to their environment is in opposition to the principles of sustainable development" (1994, p. 154). He cites a study of ecotourism in the Solomon Islands (Rudkin, 1994), where "development proposals served only to reinforce the power and wealth of 'big men' at the expense of the wider indigenous community". The Cook Islands could perhaps avoid the reinforcement of similar existing power relations if tourist planning was more under the control of those affected by it. Control of the Cook Islands tourism industry by local people, training of local people and advice from those outsiders working alongside in a partnership mode could mean that tourism brings many more benefits and fewer costs.

1145 words

References

Hall, C.M. (1994). Ecotourism in Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific: Appropriate tourism or a new form of ecological imperialism? In E. Carter & G.Lowman (Eds.), Ecotourism: A sustainable option? (pp. 137-157). Chichester: John Wiley & Sons.

Mercer, D. (1994). Native peoples and tourism: Conflict and compromise. In W.Theobold (Ed.), Global tourism: The next decade (pp.124-145). Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann.

Milne, S. (1987). The Cook Islands' tourist industry: Ownership and planning. Pacific Viewpoint, 28 (2), 119-138.

Rudkin, B. (1994). Ecotourism: Passage to sustainable development? Unpublished master's thesis, MasseyUniversity, Palmerston North, New Zealand.

Tourism Council of the South Pacific. (1991). Cook Islands Visitor Survey 1991: Survey Report No. 13. Suva: Tourism Council of the South Pacific.

Tuara, P.N. (1990). Towards sustainable tourism development in the Cook Islands: Lessons in experience from Barbados. Unpublished master's thesis, DalhousieUniversity, Halifax, Canada.

 

 

This exercise has NO linking words/transition statements in it. Put them in wherever you think it is necessary.

 

Eating and exercise habits affect a person’s health. Heredity plays a part in determining a person’s longevity. Some scientists believe stress affects a person’s health,they are trying to determining why people are under more stress today than they were a generation ago. They are trying to find a way to alleviate that stress. I feel that stress grows as civilization progresses, other researchers do not embrace my view.

There are more people in the world today than there ever have been. This is one cause for the increasing level of stress. Information moves faster than it ever has, there is more of it. Civilization cannot progress without people and information.

The interaction of people and information will be important in the future.

Studies show that we can be overloaded with information, and this makes people anxious, even violent. We should seek solutions to these problems.

 

This checklist, adapted from about.com, provides a good approach

1. Does the paragraph have a clear and concise main idea? Is this idea made clear to the reader early in the paragraph?
2. Does the paragraph have a specific purpose (such as to explain, entertain, evaluate, or persuade)? Have you made this purpose clear to the reader?
3. Does the paragraph develop logically from the previous one?
4. Is the paragraph clearly related to the main idea of the essay?
5. Is the main point of the paragraph adequately and clearly supported with specific details?
6. Is there a clear transition from one paragraph to the next? Have key words and ideas been given proper emphasis in the sentences and paragraphs?
7. Are the sentences clear and direct? Can they be understood on the first reading? Are the sentences varied in length and structure? Could any sentences be improved by combining or restructuring them?
8. Are the words in the essay clear and precise? Does the paragraph maintain a consistent tone? Is it consistent with what else you have written?
9. Does the paragraph have an effective conclusion--one that emphasizes the main idea of the paragraph and provides a sense of completeness?