TIẾNG ANH - VIẾT 2 ENGLISH – WRITING 2 Biên soạn: ThS. Đinh Thị Thuỳ Trang ThS. Nguyễn Văn Nguyên July, 2022 1 PREFACE This book is a comprehensive supplementary material for Writing 2 course, which is for English-major students at intermediate level. The Writing 2 course aims at providing learners knowledge of paragraph structure and at the end of the course, learners must be able to write a complete paragraph of approximately 150 words about familiar topics.
However, the current coursebook, Macmillan Writing series – Writing paragraphs, has some limitations. For example, the theory about paragraph writing is not detailed enough and the book also lacks comprehensive tasks for learners to improve their paragraph writing skills. Therefore, the primary goals of English-Writing 2 are to address these gaps. The material provides both theory and practice of paragraph writing in a straightforward manner, using a step-by-step approach.
Clear, relevant models illustrate each step, and varied exercises reinforce each lesson. The first part of the book offers a detailed overview of the components of a paragraph, including topic sentences, supporting sentences, and concluding sentences. The second part of the book introduces four types of paragraphs, as well as exercises to enable learners to write a complete paragraph using suggested vocabulary and ideas. The book could be used along with the main coursebook, Macmillan Writing series – Writing paragraphs in class, for homework assignment or for students’ self- study.
2 TABLE OF CONTENTS SECTION 1: PARAGRAPH STRUCTURE. 4 CHAPTER 1: THE COMPONENTS OF A PARAGRAPH. 6 CHAPTER 2: TOPIC SENTENCES. 11 CHAPTER 3: SUPPORTING SENTENCES.
23 CHAPTER 4: CONCLUDING SENTENCES. 34 CHAPTER 5: COMMON PROBLEMS IN PARAGRAPH WRITING. 38 SECTION 2: DIFFERENT KINDS OF PARAGRAPHS. 43 CHAPTER 6: FUNCTIONAL LANGUAGES FOR PARAGRAPHS.
44 CHAPTER 7: WRITING PRACTICE. Compare and contrast paragraphs. 92 3 SECTION 1: PARAGRAPH STRUCTURE 4 CHAPTER 1: THE COMPONENTS OF A PARAGRAPH I. Definition A paragraph is a fundamental unit of communication.
A paragraph can be any length, although it generally contains at least three sentences to develop a topic or one main idea to some degree. In terms of structure, a paragraph is a separate unit, marked by indenting the first word for the left-hand margin, or by leaving extra space above and below the paragraph. Below is the example of how a paragraph might look like. Title: A paragraph usually has a title which is one word or a group of words that tells what the topic is.
Indenting: The first sentence of a paragraph must be indented from the left margin, which shows the reader that a new paragraph is beginning. Margins: A paragraph must have a margin on the right and a margin on the left. It begins 1 inch or 1 ¼ inches from the edge of the paper. Double spacing 5 II.
Paragraph components Most paragraphs contain one main idea to which all sentences relate. There are generally three parts that make up a paragraph: The topic sentence states the main idea. The body of the paragraph (= the supporting sentences) develops and supports this main idea with facts, details, and examples. The concluding sentence tells the reader that the paragraph is finished, and it completes the picture or story about the topic of the paragraph III.
Practice Exercise 1: Identify the topic sentence, supporting sentence(s) and concluding sentence of the following paragraphs. Jim Thorpe is a controversial sports figure in sports history. He won Olympic gold medals in 1912, but he was not allowed to keep them. In the 1912 Olympics, Thorpe won both the pentathlon (five events) and decathlon (ten events).
However, a month later, the U.S Olympic Committee took away his medals because Thorpe had played baseball for money. An athlete who takes money for sports is called a professional, and at that time, professional athletes were not allowed to take part in any Olympic Games. Olympic Committee reversed this ruling. Seventy years after his achievements, Thorpe’s name was finally returned to the list of 1912 Olympic winners.
The topic sentence: Jim Thorpe is a controversial sports figure in sports history The supporting sentences: He won Olympic gold medals … reversed this ruling. The concluding sentence: Seventy years after his achievements, Thorpe’s name was finally returned to the list of 1912 Olympic winners. A University Professor A university professor has many duties. In the classroom, he or she lectures to the students and answers questions.
During office hours, students are free to visit the professor for help on difficult material or problems. In addition, a professor may often work for many hours in a laboratory doing a research project. Another professor might spend his or her time writing a scholarly paper for a professional journal. Still another one might spend time writing a book.
In conclusion, a professor is always a very busy person. Kids and Pets At some point, most parents have to decide whether or not to allow their children to have pets. Some parents believe that pets teach children a sense of responsibility because children have to learn how to take care of their pets. In addition, many parents believe that pets can be fun for the family.
Pets can also help children become more compassionate because children will develop a special bond with their pets. On the other hand, some parents are afraid that their children might hurt the animals or that these animals might hurt the children. Cats are good pets, but I do not like it when they shed hair on the furniture. Often these parents do not allow their children to have any kind of pet.
Other families do not have the extra time or money that pets require. In brief, although many children want a pet, parents are divided on this issue for a number of significant reasons. Student Use of Computers Computers are excellent machines to help students. Before computers, students had to do their schoolwork on typewriters.
Typewriters did not allow students to make 7 major changes easily, so they had to use special correction fluid to fix mistakes. Today computers let students move information around without retyping it and correct errors with little effort. Computers also make research more convenient for students. For example, before computers, students had to go to the library.
Many times, they would read for four or five hours in several sources before finding useful information. However, students can now use the Internet from their home to obtain the information that they need much more quickly. Some computers are very expensive. My friend bought a computer that cost almost their thousand dollars.
Computers have certainly made students’ lives much easier. Simon Bolivar Simon Bolivar (1783 – 1830) was one of South America’s greatest generals and one of the most powerful people in world political history. In Spanish, Simon Bolivar is often called El Liberator, which means “The Liberator”. Spanish is the main language in at least twenty-two countries.
This nickname is a very good one because his planning and military actions helped to gain independence from Spain for six countries: Bolivia (1809), Colombia (1819), Ecuador (1820), Panama (1821), Peru (1821), and Venezuela (1811). In fact, Bolivia is named for Bolivar, making him one of the few people to have a country named for him. These six countries are approximately the same size as modern Europe, so the independence of such a large area was an amazing military and political feat. Although Bolivar’s name is not as well-known outside Latin America, people there remember him as perhaps the most important person in their history.
8 Why I Avoid Breakfast Like many people, I prefer to skip breakfast. I’m not a “morning person,” so it is very hard for me to wake up and then prepare breakfast. In addition, I do not like to eat breakfast because it makes me feel full the rest of the morning. With this uncomfortable feeling in my stomach, it is difficult for me to do my work well.
Finally, I am very concerned about my health, so I avoid fatty kinds of breakfast foods, such as scrambled eggs, buttered toast, or fried sausage. Although others may not agree with my decision, I choose to skip breakfast most of the time. 9 CHAPTER 2: TOPIC SENTENCES I. Definition The topic sentence is usually the first sentence of a paragraph.
Sometimes, it occurs elsewhere in the paragraph, for example, the second sentence after an introduction, or the last sentence (which is also equivalent to the concluding sentence). The topic sentence presents a topic and states the main idea (or the controlling idea) which is developed or supported by other sentences in the paragraph. My friend is an honest person. => Topic: My friend; Main idea: is an honest person My friend is the funniest person I know.
=> Topic: My friend; Main idea: is the funniest person I know My friend has a terribly dangerous job. => Topic: My friend; Main idea: has a terribly dangerous job A good topic sentence has the following features: TOPIC SENTENCE: • containing a specific topic • not a simple statement of fact – a fact does not need to be developed • being a statement of intent or an opinion (i. containing a specific controlling idea) E. We celebrate Christmas on December 25.
=> fact = weak topic sentence 10 2. Playing sports is good. => broad topic (Playing sports); vague controlling idea (good – in what way is it good?) => weak topic sentence II. Practice Exercise 2: Circle the topic and underline the main idea in each topic sentence below.
Another way to reduce the rate of inflation is to balance the federal budget. This year, our Instagram marketing program outperformed our other social media campaigns. My uncle had a frightening experience as a young man. Text messaging had become popular among teenagers.
Effective time management requires four easy steps. Every college student should take a computer course. It is difficult to quit smoking for three reasons. One of the most recent technical advances in the use of water is the development of hydroelectric power.
In addition to being unhealthy, smoking can be offensive. Registration at Greenhills College is a frustrating experience. Physical exercise is good for a person’s mental health. Exercise 3: Identify the topic sentences.
For each set of sentences below, write TS (topic sentence) next to the topic sentence E. Mosquitoes are attracted to heat. Mosquitoes will fly several miles to find food. Only the female mosquito bites.
Mosquitoes are interesting insects. Topic sentence: Mosquitoes are interesting insects. => Topic: Mosquitoes; main idea: are interesting insects) 3. Another important change was that people had the freedom to live and work wherever they wanted.
The earliest significant change was for farming families, who were no longer isolated. The final major change brought by the automobile was the building of superhighways, suburbs, huge shopping centers, and theme parks such as Disney World in Florida. The automobile enabled them to drive to towns and cities comfortably and conveniently. In fact, people could work in a busy metropolitan city and drive home to the quiet suburbs.
In time, this melted part rises as magma. The formation of a volcanic eruption is a dramatic series of events. As the plate sinks, friction and Earth’s heat cause part of it to melt. The magma produces heat, steam, and pressure.
First of all, most volcanoes are formed where two plates collide. Then one of the plates is forced under the other and sinks. When the heat, steam, and pressure from the magma finally reach the surface of Earth, a volcanic eruption occurs. One of my hobbies is listening to international music.
I have a large collection of world music recordings. My friends and I like to introduce each other to new international artists we discover. I enjoy going to concerts by musicians from different countries. I like the way people decorate their homes and stores.