Excerpts from Effective Writing/Writing for ELL, module 4, Paragraphs.

From The Misery of Silence by Maxine Hong Kingston

“When I went to kindergarten and had to speak English for the first time, I became silent. A dumbness – a shame – still cracks my voice in two, even when I want to say ‘hello’ casually, or ask an easy question in front of the check-out counter, or ask directions of a bus driver. I stand frozen, or I hold up the line with the… sentence that comes squeaking out at impossible length. ‘What did you say?’ says the cab driver, or ‘Speak up,’ so I have to perform again, only weaker the second time. A telephone call makes my throat bleed and takes up that day’s courage. It spoils my day with self-disgust when I hear my broken voice… I’m getting better, though. Recently I asked the postman for special-issue stamps; I’ve waited since childhood for postmen to give me some of their own accord. I am making progress, a little every day.” -- Maxine Hong Kingston, The Misery of Silence

Here’s an example of a well-organized paragraph written by an ESL student. Look for the topic sentence as you read. Notice how the writer gives us details that explain how her teacher helped her.

“Having an effective teacher is particularly important when just beginning to learn English as a second language. When I first learned English, my teacher always encouraged me to write in English. In the beginning, I made many grammar mistakes because I used my first language to do the brainstorming … and then I translated the meanings of the words I used into English. When the teacher read my essays, she did not emphasize my grammar mistakes which made me feel better. If I had seen many red ink correction marks on my paper, I probably would have been discouraged. All she told me to do was to write more in English. She even used her leisure time to teach me. Without her enthusiasm and encouragement, I could not have improved that fast. This makes me believe that a dedicated teacher can motivate his or her students, which, in turn, helps them to learnhow to write in English.” -- From Reactions, multi-cultural based reading models, p. 59

  • The topic sentence is the first sentence in the paragraph.
  • The student then writes seven sentences that all connect back to the first sentence. They describe how the teacher helped the student to improve her writing.