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Self Study 2

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Nhi Trúc
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28 views

Self Study 2

Uploaded by

Nhi Trúc
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Unity within a paragraph

A paragraph has unity when all the sentences support one single idea.
The paragraph must have one controlling idea in the topic sentence. Otherwise, the paragraph
loses focus.
The supporting sentences must support, demonstrate, prove, or develop the main idea in the topic
sentence. If they do not, they will be irrelevant or off-topic and destroy the unity of the
paragraph.
The concluding sentence should restate the idea in the topic sentence to reinforce the main idea
for the reader.

Task 1: Read the paragraph. Underline the sentences that are irrelevant.

I love to watch the pelicans in Galveston. I usually go in the winter. The weather is not warm
enough for swimming, so I usually do not see many people on the beach. Pelicans are not
elegant, but they are interesting to watch. They remind me of prehistoric birds from my school
textbook on dinosaurs. I studied dinosaurs a lot when I was young, and I am very fond of them.
The pelicans have large grayish-brown wings that bend sharply when they are flying, and their
beaks are long, so their faces look peculiar and old. My brother also really likes pelicans. They
are also graceful in their own way. A flock of pelicans will fly along the coastline just outside the
waves, and when they see a good fishing spot, they stop, then turn, and dive straight down into
the water. Sometimes there is an oil rig or a cargo ship in the water, too. Sometimes several
pelicans will fish in the same spot for a while before moving down the beach and out of sight.

Task 2: These sentences form a narrative of a personal experience with death. Read the sentences

and number them from 1 to 7 to indicate the best order.

------ a. at 7: 18 the next morning, a severe earthquake measuring 8.1 on the Richter scale hit
Mexico City. I was asleep, but the violent side-to-side movement of my bed woke me
up. Then I could hear the rumble of the building as it was shaking.

------ b. As I was trying to stand up, I could hear the stucco walls of the building cracking. I was
on the third floor of a six-story building, and I thought the building was going to collapse.

I really believed that I was going to die.

------ c. I flew to Mexico City on September 17. The first two days were uneventful.

------ d. My trip to Mexico City in September 1985 was not my first visit there, but this
unforgettable trip helped me realize something about life.

------ e. I visited a few friends and did a little sightseeing. On the evening of the eighteenth, I had

a late dinner with some friends that I had not seen in several years. After a very peaceful
evening, I returned to my hotel and quickly fell asleep.
----- f. In the end, approximately 5,000 people died in this terrible tragedy, but I was lucky
enough not to be among them. This unexpected disaster taught me that life can be over at
any minute, so it is important for us to live every day as if it is our last.

----- g. When I looked at my room, I could see that the floor was moving up and down like water
in the ocean. Because the doorway is often the strongest part of a building, I tried to stand

up in the doorway of the bathroom.

Task 3: Write a 150-word paragraph on one of the following topics.

1. Your wonderful day at the beach.

2. A worst day in your life.

3. Your experience in a natural disaster.

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