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UNIT 3
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D E V E L O P I N G T H E PA R A G R A P H
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What general statement does the aggressive driver story illustrate?
Aggressive drivers not only are stressed out and dangerous, but often they save no time
getting where they want to go.
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Note that this narrative follows time order.*
Transitional Expressions
The simplest way to tell your reader that an example is going to follow is to say
so: “For instance, Lebron James . . .” or “The new Carl Sandburg High School is just
one example.” This partial list should help you vary your use of transitional expressions that introduce an illustration:
Transitional Expressions for Illustration
for instance
another instance of
for example
another example of
an illustration of this
another illustration of
a case in point is
here are a few examples
(illustrations, instances)
to illustrate
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©HMCo
Be careful not to use more than two or three of these transitional expressions
in a single paragraph.†
PRACTICE 1
ESL TIP
The word random may be
unfamiliar to your ESL
students. Have them work
with a partner to discuss
new words or retell a
difficult text, which will
deepen their
comprehension.
Read each of the following paragraphs of illustration. Underline each topic sentence. Note in the margin how many examples are provided to illustrate each general statement.
Paragraph 1 (3 examples)
Random acts of kindness are those little sweet or grand lovely things we do
for no reason except that, momentarily, the best of our humanity has sprung . . .
into full bloom. When you spontaneously give an old woman the bouquet of red
carnations you had meant to take home to your own dinner table, when you give
your lunch to the guitar-playing beggar who makes music at the corner between
your two subway stops, when you anonymously put coins in someone else’s
parking meter because you see the red “Expired” medallion signaling to a meter
maid—you are doing not what life requires of you, but what the best of your
human soul invites you to do.
—Daphne Rose Kingma, Random Acts of Kindness
* For more work on time order, see Chapter 4, “Achieving Coherence,” Part A.
† For a complete essay developed by illustration, see “Extreme Makeover Library,” Chapter 15,
Part A.
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
TEACHING TIP
Students enjoy discussing
the random kindness
concept. Note the group
activity and writing
assignment on page 79.