The children smiled and waved at us. f.
Compound Sentence A compound sentence, or “double,” sentence is made up of
two or more simple sentences. The two complete statements in a compound sentence are usually connected by a comma
plus a joining word and, but, for, or, nor, so, yet. For example:
The rain increased, so the officials canceled the game. Martha wanted to go shopping, but Fred refused to
drive her. g.
Complex Sentence A complex sentence is made up of a simple sentence a
complete statement and a statement that begins with a dependent words such as, after, as, because, etc. For
example:
Because I forgot the time, I missed the final exam. h.
Compound-Complex Sentence A compound-complex sentence s made up of two or more
simple sentences and one or more dependent statements. For example:
When the power line snapped, Jack was listening to the stereo, and Linda was reading in bed.
C. Writing Paragraph
1. The Definition of Paragraph
Considering the facts that everyone has hisher own opinion and view about something, many writing experts also give their opinion and
view in a paragraph. A paragraph can be defined in many ways; it depends on the one who will give the definition. Reid says that a paragraph is a
series of sentences about one idea called the topic. A paragraph usually consists of four to eight sentences about a single topic. Usually, a
paragraph begins with a general sentence that introduces the topic, begins with an indentation.
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While Oshima in her book Writing Academic English states that a paragraph is a basic unit of organization in writing in which a group of
related sentences develops one main idea. A paragraph can be as short as
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Joy M. Reid, The Process of Paragraph Writing, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc, 1994, p. 29.
one sentence or as long as ten sentences. The number of sentences is unimportant; however, the paragraph should be long enough to develop
the main idea clearly, and a paragraph may stand by itself.
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Bob Brannan says in his book A Writer’s Workshop Crafting Paragraph, Building
Essays that a paragraph is a collection of related sentences that are clearly
connected to one another and that make some point. There is no set length for a paragraph, the kind of writing and audience for it usually determining
the number of sentences.
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Gorrell writes in his book Modern English Handbook that a paragraph is the conventional working unit for
developing an idea with more detail and more precision than a sentence allows.
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While John Langan states that a paragraph is a series of sentences about one main idea, or point. A paragraph typically starts with a point,
and the rest of the paragraph provides specific details to support and develop that point.
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And then Donald Hall and Sven Birkerts express their thoughts in their book entitled Writing Well that a paragraph is small
box of sentences, making a whole shape that is at the same time part of another whole. It is a miniature essay itself, with its own variable
structure. The paragraph within the essay makes a sign for the reader; it alerts the reader to the part structure of an essay. Paragraphs give signals
and directions and help to connect writers with audiences. Paragraphs are partly arbitrary, and they will vary in length and purpose according to the
essay’s occasion.
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Margaret Pogemiller Coffey states that a paragraph is a group of sentences that clearly and concisely express one basic idea. The
97
Alice Oshima, Ann Hogue, Writing Academic English. 3
rd
Edition , London: Longman,
1999, p. 16.
98
Brannan, A Writer’s..., p. 35.
99
Gorrel, Laird, Modern English..., p. 52
100
Langan, Sentence Skills…, p. 11.
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Hall, Birkerts, Writing Well..., p 183.
paragraph can be complete in itself, or it can be a part of an essay, a research report, a book, and so on. Indent leave a space at the beginning
of every paragraph. Also leave a margin a column of space on both the left- and right- hand sides of the page.
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In written form, English divided into paragraph to distinguish one main idea from other main ideas. A paragraph is a series of sentences
about one idea. The paragraph is the basic unit of composition. A paragraph is a group of sentences which develop one central idea,
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as conventionally defined a paragraph contains a topic sentence and
supporting material; it begins with capital letter, the first line is indented, and it concludes with an end stop.
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The first sentence of a paragraph is always indented so that that the reader will know a new subject or a different aspect of the same subject is
being dealt with, the writer does this by leaving a blank space at the beginning of the paragraph. The student should think of indentation as
simply another kind of punctuation. Just as a sentence ends with a period, so each new paragraph begins with an indentation.
Cowan stated, “Paragraph is composed of a sentence or chunk of sentences which the writer has grouped some definite reasons”.
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The definition above can be concluded that the paragraph is a group of
sentences developed based on a subject that has related statements and definite reason, which begins by indenting the first word from the left-
hand margin, or by leaving extra space.
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Margaret Pogemiller Coffey, Communicating Through Writing, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall Regents, Englewood Cliffs, 1987, p. 2.
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Martin L. Arnaudet and Marry E. Barrett, Paragraph Development, New jersey: Prentice Hall, Inc, 1981, p. 1.
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William D. Baker, Reading and Writing Skills, I USA: McGraw-Hill, 1971, p. 294.
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Elizabeth Cowan, Writing Brief Edition, Glenview: Scott, Foresman and Company, 1983, p. 119.
In order to make statements with paragraphs, a writer must be able to construct good ones. The paragraph must have unity, and for unity,
heshe often requires a topic sentence. The paragraph must have coherence within itself, and a series of paragraphs must cohere to form the essay. So
once a writer understands precisely what a paragraph does and how it does it, heshe will be able to check and revise the writing for smoothness.
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Finally, a writer must learn to develop the paragraph until it is adequate in its fullness and in its length, and until it presents its material in
the best possible order.
2. The Basic Parts of Paragraph
