How To Write A Good Paragraph Without Mistask

Hi, welcome again to www. advantagesbook. blogger.com.  I'm StrongAcher.  Today's lesson is about the paragraph.  It's a writing lesson, and I want to show people what a paragraph is and how to construct one,what to do, what not to do so you can write very clear, very tight paragraphs.  This is especially important for IELTS, TOEFL, SAT students but everybody has to follow the exact same rules.  Now before I even begin, I must say that I'm talking mostly about academic writing or even business writing.

Creative writing like novels or short stories, anything fiction, you can do anything you want.  Only always remember:somebody has to read what you wrote so it has to be clear.  But academic essays, for example, certain rules you have to follow; you have to be very careful about them.  So let's begin.  In terms of like the actual way a paragraph looks: you have to indent or skip a line.  So let me just make sure you understand what an indent is.  This is an indent, the first line a little bit pushed in or you can make sure you skip a line between paragraphs.  But don't do both.  If you skip a line, don't indent. Okay? That's the main thing.

Now, that's in terms of the way it looks. In terms of content -- and this, I can't stress this enough -- very, very, very important:one central idea in one paragraph.  Okay? I've seen many people, I've seen many essays where you start a paragraph talking about one thing, and then you go off on a tangent and talk about something completely unrelated.  So for example: if you start a paragraph and you're talking about apples, continue to talk about apples.  If you go to oranges, that's maybe okay because you're still talking about fruit.  But if you start with apples, go to oranges,go to bananas, and then end up with monkeys in space there's a bit of a problem; the reader has no idea what you're talking about.  One paragraph, one central idea. Now, make sure that you tell the reader what this central idea is.  This is your thesis statement.  Okay? It's a very general sentence.

All it does is introduce the topic of the paragraph, nothing else.  All the details comes after. So speaking of details, we'll talk about details in detail, but all other ideas, all the other sentences, all your sentences with the details must directly relate back to the main idea. So let's say here is your thesis statement; very general, every sentence after must relate back to that thesis statement.  Okay? You can't go off to another idea.  Everything must support this, must talk about the same topic.  Very important.  Okay?How long should your paragraph be? Technically, a paragraph could be one sentence, but in an academic essay that rarely happens.  But it could be any length you want, as long as you're still on that one topic, as long as you still have things to write and things to say about that topic, say it.  If you have four sentences, fine; if you have 10 sentences,also okay.  Again, for IELTS, TOEFL, SAT students: four, five sentences should be your limit. You can't be too long because you don't have time and you're going to start making mistakes. So now, the details.  Very important to have lots of details.  Why is this topic important to your overall idea of your essay? Not only tell me what is the topic, what is the thesis statement of the paragraph, make sure you explain to me why this is important to the general idea of the essay.

Give me your reasons.  Now, why is it important? And then reasons,why you think what you're saying supports this idea.  Examples, always use examples because giving me the reasons is okay; examples make me see exactly what you're trying to say. Very easy for me to understand what you're trying to say. Now, in terms of flow, in terms of the way the reader can approach the paragraph, you have to have bridges.  What is, what do bridges mean? Basically, when you have one idea in this sentence, you must connect it to the next sentence, you must connect it to the next sentence.  Every sentence must have a link to the next sentence.  This creates flow,makes it much easier to read and understand, and it keeps you on the one topic. Now, key terms.  If you're talking about something specific and you have to use a key term, use it as many times as you need to.  Otherwise, avoid repetition. Try not to use the same word more than once in one paragraph.  Okay? For example: if you're using the word "moreover"in the paragraph, don't use it, don't use "moreover" again -- use "in addition to",use "furthermore", "another", etc.  Try to avoid using one word more than once, especially in the same paragraph.  But sometimes you'll get words, like for example you're writing an essay about parents.

Not many words you can replace for "parents" so if you have to say "parents", "parents", "parents", "parents", so be it, do that.  Once in a while: "mom and dad", "mother and father" but you don't want to add like "mother and father" three words,"parents" one word.  Shorter is better, so keep that in mind. At the end of your paragraph when you're coming to the end, if this is part of your body -- means there's another paragraph coming -- leave me some sort of bridge to the next paragraph. Or if you can't do that, then just conclude the paragraph, make sure it's a very clear statement that this idea is finished; I'm done talking about this idea and then start your next paragraph with some bridge to the previous one.  So one paragraph connects to the next paragraph.  Same idea with flow: sentence connects to sentence, paragraph connects to paragraph.  Okay? Now of course the easiest way to understand all this is to look at an actual paragraph and see all these points in it.  Okay? So let's do that. Okay, don't be scared.

This is a paragraph.  Okay? First, before we do anything, let me read it to you so in case you can't see it clearly. "Great changes require a powerful hand to guide them and push them forward.  Governments have the power and influence of the law to support them.  Moreover, they have access to means with which to enforce the law and punish offenders.  Individuals and corporations that pollute our air and waters will not stop doing so as long as they can profit from this action and do not fear consequences.  A steel producer, for instance, will not cease dumping waste in a nearby river if it does not affect its bottom line.  Taxing this company, on the other hand, might make it change its way of doing business.  Yet, it is this very question of costs that limits anyone but the government to act against pollution. "Okay, here's my paragraph.  First of all, let me back up a little bit.  My essay, what is my essay about? General topic: pollution.  What is the question? Who is responsible to fix it? I say government is responsible to fix it.  I suggested three reasons in my introduction:power, cost, credibility.  Okay? This is my first body paragraph.

I listed three reasons:power, cost, credibility.  My first paragraph will also be my first reason mentioned. I mentioned power in my introduction, I will talk about power in my first paragraph.  Okay?So first of all, I have my indent, okay? I prefer indent, some people prefer spacing. But to be honest, figure out what style guide your professor or your company or whoever is asking you to use.  There is MLA, APA, Chicago Manual of Style, each of them will tell you how to do this; to indent or to leave a line, etc. , capitalization.  Style guides are actually very good sources of learning English.  Very boring books, but very useful books. Okay.  Oh sorry, let me just mention also: OWL, OWL at Per due is a very good website;lots of information to help you with writing.  Okay, so I have my indent.  Now, "Great changes require a powerful hand to guide them and push them forward. " Have I said anything here?No.  All I did was talk about change because that's what my general topic of the essay is, and power because that's my first focus, I'm going to talk about the power.  Okay? Very,very general.  "Governments have the power and influence of the law", so now here we go, I had. . .  Where'd I go? "Powerful" and I'm still talking about power.  I'm connecting the two sentences.

Next, I introduce a new idea: "the law".  Much more specific.  Where does their power come from? It comes from the law.  ". . . influence of the law to support them.  Moreover," now, I'm not going to a new idea; I'm adding to this idea that I just mentioned.  ". . . they have access to means" - means ways of doing things - "with which to enforce the law".  So here, again, another idea.  Enforce means put into effect, make sure that it actually happens.  ". . . enforce the law and punish offenders. "So they have the power of the law, with this power they can enforce and punish.  Everything,I'm connecting everything to everything.  Offenders, now here I'm talking about offenders. "Individuals and corporations that pollute", these are the offenders.  So one sentence flows into the next sentence, into the next sentence.  ". . . pollute our air and waters will not stop doing so as long as they can profit".  Okay? So here's my next idea.

They will not stop polluting because we're still talking about pollution.  Okay? They will not, as long as they can profit, as long as they're making money.  Why do people pollute? Because it pays to pollute.  ". . . action and do not fear consequences. " So they don't fear punishment and the law doesn't scare them.  Okay? And again, we're still talking about pollution. "A steel producer, for instance," I'm introducing an example.  Okay? If you can introduce a real example like the name of the steel company, even better.  But I don't want to offend anyone;I'm keeping it a little bit more general.  "The steel producer will not cease", now before. . . Here's the word "stop", I don't want to use the word "stop" again.  Why? Because I have other words.  I have the word "cease", "cease" means "stop".  Okay? Vocabulary variety very important.  ". . . will not cease dumping" - it means throwing in or throwing away - "waste in a nearby river" - waste, pollution, I'm still on the same topic - ". . . if it does not affect its bottom line. " Now I'm not sure if everybody knows what "bottom line" is,but "bottom line" basically means "profit".

I'm still connecting the ideas using different words.  "Taxing this company", so taxing is a form of punishment for companies especially.  "Taxing this company, on the other hand," - so now I'm giving the other side of the situation - "might make it change its way of doing business. "Again, what is business? Business is all about making money, costs.  "Yet, it is this very question of costs" - and I'm connecting it.  Where? Sorry, to business - "that limits anyone but the government to act against pollution. " I bring it right back to government acting against pollution.  This is my overall thesis: governments must act to stop pollution.  Right?So remember: the paragraph, everything must connect to itself, but the paragraph must connect to the essay, to the whole idea.  Now, what else did I do here? I introduced the topic of "costs".

What is my next paragraph going to be? Remember: I had three reasons for thinking government must act; power, costs, credibility.  My next paragraph is costs.  I've already introduced this idea, I've started the bridge.  In the next paragraph, I will end the bridge, get into my new topic.  Costs and power are two different ideas.  One paragraph:power, one paragraph: cost, one paragraph: credibility, and then of course your conclusion. Okay? So you have all these things, everything connects, sentence variety.  Make sure that you're sticking to one topic, make sure you're preparing the reader for the next topic, and make sure that everything connects to the overall idea of the essay.  Okay?If you need some more help with this and you have some more questions, go to www. advantagesbook.blogspot. com. You can leave me a comment and I will get back to you.  There will also be a little bit of a quiz there to make sure you understand all this.Thank you.

How to give the BEST speech or presentation in English

Do you have to make a speech or do a presentation? Are you nervous? Do you need some help? I can help you.  Hello.  My name is Ronnie. I'm going to teach you a couple of tips and a couple of ways to help you when you have to do a scary presentation or speech.

When I was younger, I had to do speeches every year in elementary school and high school -- I don't remember.  I don't remember high school, okay? I do remember,specifically, in elementary school, every year, we had to do speeches.  Guess what, ladies sand gentlemen.  You are looking at the grade 3 speech champion of Memorial school.  Thank you.  Thank you.  Look what I am today. So when I was in grade 3, I made the best speech in my class.  I went on to do the speech in the auditorium or the gymnasium.  I won first place.  Oh, yeah.  I won a book.  I don't like books.

I was like, "I got a book.  Thanks. " I was eight years old.  I wrote a speech.  I delivered the speech, and I won.  I'm going to teach you what I know.  This isn't a foolproof way, but this is how I to it.  And maybe, this will work for you. How to make a speech or presentation.  Speeches and presentation are, of course, different. Speeches are more what you want to tell people about an interesting topic.  And presentations are usually more work-based.  But sometimes, they overlap.  Sometimes, in schools, you have to do a speech, and also you will probably have to make a presentation about maybe a boring topic that the teacher gives you like World War II.  How mundane. So the very first thing that I'm going to tell you is how to actually form or make a decent speech.  Sometimes, this is unavoidable.  But maybe, if you can, choose a good or interesting topic.  When I say interesting or good, the only person that needs to think this is interesting is you -- me -- you.  If you have a wide-open topic, for example, your history teacher goes,"World War II. " You go, "oh, god.  Okay.  Well, I know the history of World War II and the terrible Hitler, and all this stuff went down. " So what you're going to do is you're going to try to choose a different angle, a different topic or a different way to present the information that no one's heard about before. So if you have the opportunity to choose your own topic and the teacher doesn't give it to you, wide-open spaces.  Choose what you like.  What's your hobby? What's your passion?What do you like to talk about? Choose that -- bam.

Make a really interesting presentation or speech.  If you're excited about topic, then the other people will also feel you enthusiasm or feel your excitement, and it will be a good speech or presentation.  So one, choose a good or interesting topic if you can. No.  2, this is really important.  If you are given a topic, I know it might be boring. Know your topic, or know your content.  Nowadays, you can just go on the web, the good old website-- the Internet -- and you can blob the information off of Wikipedia or off of any kind of webpage that you want, throw together the speech, stand up in front of everyone staring at you,yabber, yabber, yabber, jabber, jabber jabber.  Then, at the end of it -- thank god it's over-- someone's going to ask you a question.  "Oh, god.  I don't know the answer" -- because you didn't research it.  You just copied and pasted off the Internet.  You can do that,whisk through it, ask a question, "I don't know. " Speech is done.  But if you have to do this for work, if your boss gives you a presentation or a speech to do for work, this is really important.  Know your stuff.  Know, maybe, what the people are going to ask you.

Think of questions you would ask someone giving the same speech.  As long as you know the information,your confidence is going to go like I this.  Your nervousness or your anxiety is going to go like this.  If you're confident, you know the topic, you know in and out everything about it, you're going to be the expert on it, and it's going to rock.  Okay?Next one.  Know your audience.  Who are you talking to? Are you going to be speaking to people from other countries? Does everyone know and understand your language? Or are some people from different countries and have a hard time knowing your language or don't really know.  Or you have to make a presentation in English, and English is not your first language.  Cool.  Don't worry about it.  Relax.  Take your time.  But know who you're talking to.  If you have to do a speech to people who are children, you have to use vocabulary and language that the children know.  You also have to talk to them in a way where they understand and respect you.  If you're doing a business presentation and it has to be really, really formal, so do you.  You have to know what you want the people to get out of it, and you have to know who the people are.  Really important.

Next one.  Just to make it more interesting, just so nobody falls asleep, starts drooling,use, if you can, props.  So "props" are things like -- oh, I don't know -- some paper towel. Or a lot of the times when you're doing presentations, you have a beautiful computer.  Use some slides. Use some pictures.  Anything to hold the person's interest during the speech or during the presentation. If there is one person just talking, guess what? I'm going to turn off.  I'm going to be so bored, and I'm not going to listen anymore.  Try and make the content with pictures or slides or props or something.  Something to make it different from other people. Next one.  Do you like making presentations? No? What about speeches? Do you like speeches?No? Okay.  One way to maybe start a speech or start a presentation, grab the audience's attention -- don't grab the audience; grab their attention -- is to start your speech or start your presentation with a question.  It's kind of an old technique, but it works every time.  Instead of going up to the front and going, "Today, I'm going to talk about elephants. " You're going to go, "Hey! Do you like elephants? Have you ever ridden on an elephants? No? Go ride an elephant. " If you grab the audience's attention at first, the more people are going to like it, they're going to listen to it, and it's just going to be more fun.  Problem. You've written this amazing speech.  Okay? You've got a great topic.  You know all the information.  Someone's going to ask you a question; you've got the answer.  You know the people.  You've got some slides.  You've got some props.  You've got it.  Awesome.  But oh, my god, you are so nervous.  Okay? You're anxious.  You can't sleep the night before.

During the presentation, before the presentation, you're really nervous.  You're shaking.  That's normal.  Don't worry.  The more presentations you make, the more speeches you do, this nervousness and this anxiety will hopefully lessen, go away, dissipate.  I remember the very first time that I got to be a teacher.  When I was teaching before, I was in a tiny classroom,four people.  And I'll never forget the time I walked into a classroom and everyone was staring at me.  Was I nervous? Oh, yeah.  Was I anxious? Not really -- because I knew my stuff.  I know what these people want.  I know what they need.  I know what I have to give them. So you are nervous? That's cool.  Tips to combat nervousness.  Don't drink a lot of coffee. If you drink a lot of coffee before the presentation, you're going to be moving.  The coffee's going to make you seem nervous.  Maybe you're calm, but the coffee gets you moving more.  People have always said, when you're making a speech or a presentation, do not move around too much.  I disagree.  I remember I was making a presentation in high school, and I stood-- strange.

I stood in a strange position, and I stood on my foot, and I fell over.  It was hilarious.  I fell.  I almost hit my head on the board.  The whole class was like, "Are you okay?" I thought it was funny.  Who got extra marks? Me.  Because I was able to laugh at it and continue going.  Bad things might happen.  You might fall over.  But if you deliver a speech like this and are a statue and don't move, it's boring.  Body movement is essential when you're making a speech.  You want the person to look at you.  You want to make sure that they're not sleeping.  You want to move around.  Okay?Also, it hides your nervousness.  The reason why I was doing this when I was in class was because I was nervous and I was playing with my feet, and I fell.  I do a little dance if I'm nervous.  I listen to music before I do my presentation so that I'm not as nervous. I think about a song, and I play it. The only concrete way that I can tell you to really, really, really stop your nervousness is to practice.  You've got this beautiful speech, but you don't know it; you have not remembered it.  It's impossible to memorize everything.  But the more you practice your speech, the more comfortable you're going to be presenting it to other people.  If you go up to the front and you read off a piece of paper, your voice is going to be like a robot.

It's going to be terrible.  So you need to practice it so you can remember quite alot of it.  The more you practice, the more you know, the more comfortable you become with yourself saying it.  And because you know your topic, because you know your audience,because you've practiced your speech, nothing can go wrong.  Maybe you forget a word.  That's cool.  You keep on going because you've practiced it. When it comes the time to make the speech, please speak loud enough so that everyone can hear you.  And please speak clearly.  When you're speaking to people, you have to slowdown.  One problem I have when I'm nervous is I talk really quickly and I mumble, which means I don't say the words clearly.  That's the nervous factor.  Usually, when I start,I talk really, really fast.  But by the end of it, you pace yourself, and your speech becomes clearer.  That's natural; that's cool.  But try and concentrate on having a loud voice and saying the words clearly. This is really important.
If someone was giving you a presentation or a speech and they stared directly at one person -- let's say the one person was you -- how would you feel? I'd feel nervous.  So when you're making a speech or presentation, it's really important to maintain eye contact -- not with one person, not with the floor, not with your paper, with everyone.  Really, really important to look at every single person that you're talking to.  Do a little room sweep.  Go, "Hey, Bob.  Yeah.  What's up?" Pretend that you're individually looking at all the people.  Don't stare at one person.  That's weird.  Don't stare at two people.  It's like you're playing ping-pong.  Are you guys playing ping-pong? Don't do that. That's strange.  Don't stare straight ahead.  Don't stare at the ceiling.  Look at the people. Look at their eyes.  Okay? Look at the people's eyes.  Make sure they're looking at you.  If someone's sleeping or someone's not paying attention to you, if you look at them, they're like, "Oh, hey.  Yeah. " Very important, eye contact. Sometimes, like I said, you've got your speech.  You're nervous.  You've practiced.  You've practiced. But of course, you think, "Oh, my god.  What if I forget or blank out or -- I just can't do it.  What am I going to do?" Well, solution -- cue cards.  Cue cards are little pieces of paper or cardboard that you write down your main points of your presentation or your speech.

So you do not want to read or write down all of the speech because you're like this, "Yesterday, I saw a really cool elephant.  It was -- it was -- gray.  It was gray. " If you write down all the speech, your eyes have to read it really quickly and it stops the flow of your speech.  So write down the main points of the cue cards.  Maybe on one cue card, you could have the main point and three points to help you.  So maybe you're reading something or you're speaking, and you forget something.  That's cool.  "Oh, yeah.  That part. "Okay? And say to the people -- just say, "Hold on.  Good. " There's no problem forgetting something,but if there's a long silence or you're awkward about it, there's a problem.  Apologize.  Look it up.  Everyone's cool.  Don't worry about it. So during your presentation, make eye contact; speak loudly; speak clearly; try and remember your speech.  Practice, practice, practice.  It's going to reduce your nervousness and your anxiety.  Before you make the speech, make sure it's pretty interesting.  To help you more with this, there's a really, really cool website called www. PresentationPrep. com. If you're finding that you have to do a lot of presentations for work or for school or for anything, check out this website.  It will help you just like this did. Good luck in your speeches.  Adios.