Unit Seven Unity
One important feature of an effective paragraph is UNITY: all the sentences within the paragraph must be related to the main point.A unified paragraph is one in which every sentence is devoted to proving the controlling idea in the topic sentence.In short, unity is sticking to your subject.
Unity forms a necessary part of a paragraph.A well-organized paragraph states only one single thought.All the materials used in a unified paragraph—facts, examples and reasons—should help to explain this thought, that is, all the sentences in a paragraph should relate to the controlling idea.Look at this example of a unified paragraph:
In rock music there is a distinct and almost overwhelming beat.No single beat is characteristic of the music today.But each song has an easily recognizable rhythm.As you listen to a song, your foot usually starts to pick up the beat.Before long, your entire body seems to be moving with it.Your head pounds with the beat, and there is no room for thought.Only the surge of the music is important.In its own way, rock music is as dominant as the Rock of Gibraltar.Its message is an overpowering emotional one.
The topic sentence in this paragraph is “In rock music there is a distinct and almost overwhelming beat’’ and the controlling idea “beat”.The writer uses word repetition (“beat”in sentences 2, 4 and 6, “rhythm” and “surge”, synonyms of “beat”, in sentences 3 and 7, and“it”, reference back to “beat”, in sentence 5) to link each sentence to the idea of the beat,which contributes to a tightly unified paragraph.
An irrelevant thought that creeps in will result in the lack of unity in a paragraph, and therefore should be eliminated.Look at this example:
One serious problem facing our school is student absenteeism.Although the problem has many causes, one of the most obvious is the fact that students are not penalized for such absenteeism.They can miss several days of school and suffer no consequences.There is no punishment meted out to them or their parents, even when the absence is unexcused.They often work out in the gym over the weekend.And they are not penalized academically.They still pass despite many absences.A friend of mine, for example, has missed forty-two days of school this year.He likes to work in the chemistry lab, and, I would not be surprised if he slept there.He has not had a single detention and has passed every single subject.
The writer of this paragraph intends to focus on the problem of student absenteeism.In this paragraph, “They often work out in the gym over the weekend.” and “He likes to work in the chemistry lab and I would not be surprised if he slept there.’’ are obviously information which is not related to the controlling idea of “absenteeism” and which has spoiled the unity of the whole paragraph.
Unity is important in writing because it can help the writer to make his explanation clear to his reader.To achieve clarity in your explanation, make sure that every sentence is related to the central idea you want to convey when you are building a paragraph, and that any thought that does not fit in with the controlling idea of a paragraph is to be removed.
To ensure unity, you must remain in firm control of what you say in the paragraph.Cross out any interesting but irrelevant ideas.For example, if you want to discuss the advantages of students’ taking part-time job, you may include points such as earning extra pocket money and gathering a sense of independence.You may want to mention the hardships your parents have gone through in giving you financial support.You should, however, resist the temptation of discussing their difficulties because they are not directly related with the main idea of your paragraph.Mere mention is enough.If you give a detailed description of the wrinkles on your mother’s face or your father’s illness as a result of overwork, your paragraph loses unity.
The following two paragraphs have the same topic sentence putting at the beginning of each them, compare the following two paragraphs and see which one achieve unity and which one does not.
1.Progress is gradually being made in the fight against cancer.(2) In the early 1900s,few cancer patients had any hope of long-term survival.(3) In the 1930s, less than one in five cancer victims lived more than five years.(4) In the 1950s, the ratio was one in four, and in the 1960s, it was one in three.(5) Currently, four of ten patients who get cancer this year will be alive five years from now.(6) The gain from one in four to four in ten represents about 69,000 lives saved each year.
2.Progress is gradually being made in the fight against cancer.(2) In the early 1900s,few cancer patients had any hope of long-term survival.(3) But because of cancers in medical technology, progress has been made so that currently four in ten cancer patients survive.(4) It has been proven that smoking is a direct cause of lung cancer.(5) However, the battle has not yet been won.(6) Although cures for some forms of cancer have been discovered, other forms of cancer are still increasing.(7) Heart disease is also increasing.
Compare the following two paragraphs and see which one achieve unity and which one does not.
1.My father’s face is rough.His complexion is leathery and wrinkled.There are large pores in the skin that covers his nose and cheeks.His nose, broken twice in his life, makes him look like a boxer who has lost too many fights.His mouth, unless he smiles, looks hard and threatening.His chin is massive and angular.Shaved or not, my father’s face is rugged.
2.I want to talk about my father.He is strict with his children, especially me.He won’t let me out of the house unless I’ve done all my homework.He is tall and rather shinny man.Some people say he is good-looking.He has a nice streak of gray in his hair.He laughs a lot and enjoys life.My father has a sense of humor.
Check the following paragraphs for unity.Underline the topic sentence and cross out irrelevant sentences.
1.Many TV commercials imply that a woman’s self-esteem depends on her cleaning ability.In one commercial, we see a woman terribly upset because her guests find spots on her glassware.In another, a young wife wins her husband’s heart with fried chicken.Countless other commercials blur out the message that a woman will pass muster as a person if her kitchen floor gleams and her toilet bowl is blue.This idiocy must work, because the images of women scrubbing, mopping, waxing and smiling keep on coming over the air.
2.Collecting stamps is her hobby.Nearly every day she would go to the post office, and return with some stamps, which she would carefully arrange in her albums.These albums were yellow, blue and red.She had bought some of them in Beijing, some of them in Shanghai, and she got the most expensive one from her father, who visited the United States as a visiting scholar for two years.He was an outstanding scientist.She would keep some rare stamps in her jewelry box, and appreciate them whenever she has time.
3.Different people spend their weekends in different ways.Some enjoying going to the mountains to hike, ski, or just relax.Water skiing is much more difficult than snow skiing.Others prefer going to the beach to enjoying the seashore activities and to get a suntan.Some of these people work very hard during the week; others have rather relaxing jobs, still others like to relax by staying home and reading a good book.
4.An effective topic sentence has three characteristics.In other words, since each paragraph should be a separated unit of thought, you will need to decide in advance what idea you are expressing in the paragraph.First, it should be complete, that is to say, it should contain its own subject and controlling.Second, it should be appropriate, not too long nor too short, not too general nor too limited to be developed.And finally it should be very clear, no dubious idea allowed.
5.The recent water shortage in California forced changes in Californian’s lifestyles.When water as rationed, Californians learned to conserve water.They didn’t water their lawns or gardens or wash their automobiles.They took fewer showers and bathes.The water shortage lasted two years.Californians also learned to recycle water.For example, they used the rinse water from their washing machines’ to water their house plants and gardens.
6.Chinese food is popular everywhere in the world.Most people would agree that Chinese cuisine is especially flavorful, varied, and healthful.Not even the best French chefs can equal the imaginative combination of ingredients and delicious blend of flavors of Chinese cooking.Japanese food is more beautiful to look at than Chinese food.
7.The reader enjoys the experience of being in another world.While he reads, he forgets that he is in his own room.The book has served as a magic carpet to transport him to India, or Africa, or Sweden, or even to the cities and areas of his own country where he has never been.The modern literature of Sweden is not extensively known, although many countries are familiar with the writings of Selma Lagerl.It has also transported him into the lives of people with different experiences and problems, form which he can learn to solve his own problems of the future.
8.We had a short spring this year.The weather was cold through March and into April due to storms moving down from Canada.There was still snow on the mountains in late April,although it was usually gone by the end of March.We had only two nice weeks in May with the temperatures in the low 70s.The winter was unusually mild, however.But by mid-May,temperatures were in the 90s, and it was hot from then on.
9.Pearls are gathered by men known as pearl divers.Actually, these men do not dive.They are lowered by a rope to the bottom of the sea.Many tourists to Japan enjoy shopping for cultured pearls.Pearl gatherers work in pairs, with one remaining at the surface to help the other return from his dive.An experienced pearl dive can stay down about a minute and a half and can often make as many as thirty dives in one day.
10.Ordinary People is a movie about the problems faced by a family.Before the film opens, one of the teenage sons has drowned in a boating accident.The other son attempted suicide and was hospitalized.Unable to forget her dead son, the mother has difficulty communicating wither surviving child.This lack of communication eventually leads to the break of the family.The U.S.Coast Guard offers courses in boating safety that helps to prevent accidents.
