Tiếng Anh - Writing the paragraph

WRITING THE PARAGRAPH
Writing the parts of a paragraph 
Writing the topic sentence: 
 Topic controlling idea
My wedding day was the most thrilling day of my life.
Characteristics of a good thesis statement:
A good thesis is restricted: The topic of the thesis statement should not be too general.
E.g. The world is in a terrible mess. Poor 
 Trade barriers contribute to international tensions. Better 
 People are too selfish. Poor 
 Human selfishness is seen at its worst during rush hour. Better 
A good thesis is unified: The thesis expresses one major idea about its subject. A good thesis may sometimes include a secondary idea if it is strictly subordinated to the major one.
E.g. Poor
The new health program is excellent, but it has several drawbacks, and it should be run only on experimental basis for two or three years. 
Better 
The new health program should be run only on experimental basis for two or three years. 
Despite its general excellence, the new health program should be run only on an experimental basis for two or three years.
A good thesis is specific: The controlling ideas should not be vague. 
 E.g. Drug addiction is a big problem. Poor
 Drug addiction has caused a dramatic increase in crimes of violence. Good
A good statement should inform readers the basic structure of the writing.
Writing the supporting sentences: 
All the supporting sentences in a paragraph must clearly relate to the topic sentence. They can be reasons, explanation, examples, description, definitions, statistics, or quotations etc. 
Writing the concluding sentence: 
signals the end of the paragraph and leave reader with important point to remmermber
 Summary main points of the paragraph
Writer’s comment: This can be done by
+ Giving advice or a warning.
+ Making a prediction or asking a question.
+ Providing new insights and discoveries that the writer has gained through writing the essay.
Useful language
Academic language
Formal words: Academic writing prefers formal vocabulary to informal one. The table below provides several instances of informal, neutral and formal words:
Informal (Avoid)
Neutral (Spoken)
Formal (Written)
Stuff
Things
Items, Possessions
Kids (younger)
Babies, Children
Infants, Offspring
Kids (older)
Teenagers
Adolescents, Youths
Guy
Man
Male
Crooks
Criminals
Offenders, Lawbreakers
OK, Alright
Fine
Acceptable, Satisfactory
Awesome
Good
Preferable, Desirable
Rubbish, Useless
Bad, Poor
Unsatisfactory, Unacceptable
-
Sad (person)
Regretful, Distressed
-
Sad (situation)
Regrettable, Distressing
-
Rich (country)
Wealthy, Developed
-
Rich (person)
Wealthy, Privileged
Normalization: Formal written English uses nouns more than verbs. For example, "judgment" rather than "judge", "development" rather than "develop", "admiration" rather than "admire". Changing a verb or other word into a noun is called nominalization.
 E.g. This information enables us to formulate precise questions.
 => This information enables the formulation of precise questions.
Complex phrases: Academic writing uses many noun phrases.
Determiner
Pre modifier
head
post modifier
A
Complicated
solution
to the problem
E.g. Many factors must be considered in explaining how fast the population has grown in the developing countries.
=> Many factors must be considered in explaining the rapid growth of population in the developing countries.
Sentence structures: These following sentences structures are favored in academic essays 
Passive voice
Complex sentences
Conditional sentences
Relative clauses
Emphatic sentences
Inversions 
Avoid:
+ Contractions: can’t, couldn’t, doesn’t, didn’t, I’ve, he’d, etc
+ Two-word verb: put off, go up, bring up, etc
E.g. A primary education system was set up throughout Ireland as early as 1831.
 => established 
 + Words of objectivity: I, me, myself, personal examples
Guided practice
Exercises 1: Write the equivalent formal or informal words.
Informal
Formal
In the end
At once
Mainly
Next
Whole
Wrong
Enough
Better
Informal
Formal
Initially 
Repeatedly
Therefore
Opportunity
Insane
Fortunate
Occupation
Enormous 
.
Exercise 3: Complete the following topic sentences by adding subtopics to them.
A computer is necessary for students for three reasons:  ...	
A generation gap exists in my home because of
To survive a major disaster such as an earthquake requires .
Poverty creates negative consequences for society such as..
My two sisters are as different as day and night not only in.
but also in
Exercise 4: Write a paragraph on one of the following topics
Should grades in school be given? Why or why not? 
What are the differences between long-time friends and new acquaintances? 
What are the 3 most important characteristics of a leader?