Effective Sentences
Effective Sentences
Effective sentences are unity, coherence, and emphasis.
A. Unity * Unity is the first quality of an effective sentence. A unified sentence expresses a single complete thought. It does not contain ideas that are not related, nor does it express a "[T]he essential quality of a paragraph should be unity. A paragraph is supposed to have a central idea, and everything in the paragraph relates to and develops that idea. The reader finds no surprises, and every sentence fits with the others. Moreover, the sentences follow each other in logical order so that one could not move the sentences around at random: each one needs to be in its particular place to advance the internal development of the paragraph."
* "A good check on unity is to ask yourself if everything in your paragraph or essay is subordinate to and derived from the controlling idea. Make sure that your controlling idea--the topic sentence or thesis--indicates the subject and the focus on that subject. . . .
"Do not confuse unity and coherence. Coherence involves the clear movement of thought from sentence to sentence or paragraph to paragraph; unity means staying on the topic by staying within the focus.
* "Paragraphs may not have a topic sentence, but they must have unity and purpose. All the ideas in a paragraph should relate to a clear point readers will easily understand.
* Rules of Thumb for Writing Unified Paragraphs
* Be sure your paragraphs focus on one idea and state that idea in a topic sentence. * Place your topic sentence effectively within your paragraph. Let the purpose of your paragraph and the nature of your evidence guide you. * Let your paragraph's evidence--the selected details, the examples--illustrate or clarify the idea expressed in your topic sentence. * Make sure you explain the relationship between your evidence and your idea so that it is clear to readers. * Think about unity among paragraphs
Effective sentences are unity, coherence, and emphasis.
A. Unity * Unity is the first quality of an effective sentence. A unified sentence expresses a single complete thought. It does not contain ideas that are not related, nor does it express a "[T]he essential quality of a paragraph should be unity. A paragraph is supposed to have a central idea, and everything in the paragraph relates to and develops that idea. The reader finds no surprises, and every sentence fits with the others. Moreover, the sentences follow each other in logical order so that one could not move the sentences around at random: each one needs to be in its particular place to advance the internal development of the paragraph."
* "A good check on unity is to ask yourself if everything in your paragraph or essay is subordinate to and derived from the controlling idea. Make sure that your controlling idea--the topic sentence or thesis--indicates the subject and the focus on that subject. . . .
"Do not confuse unity and coherence. Coherence involves the clear movement of thought from sentence to sentence or paragraph to paragraph; unity means staying on the topic by staying within the focus.
* "Paragraphs may not have a topic sentence, but they must have unity and purpose. All the ideas in a paragraph should relate to a clear point readers will easily understand.
* Rules of Thumb for Writing Unified Paragraphs
* Be sure your paragraphs focus on one idea and state that idea in a topic sentence. * Place your topic sentence effectively within your paragraph. Let the purpose of your paragraph and the nature of your evidence guide you. * Let your paragraph's evidence--the selected details, the examples--illustrate or clarify the idea expressed in your topic sentence. * Make sure you explain the relationship between your evidence and your idea so that it is clear to readers. * Think about unity among paragraphs