to be a link between one paragraph and the paragraph that follows or precedes
it. It is necessary to link all paragraphs in this way to ensure that the text
conveys the overall structure that the writer wants to portray. Techniques for
linking paragraphs include all those for linking sentences, applied of course
with appropriate modifications. These are discussed above.
They also include two additions. One consists of a linking or transitional
sentence, while the other consists of headings (and subheadings).
Transitional Sentences
Transitional sentences
create a flow from paragraph to paragraph. They point
in two directions. They point back to the preceding paragraph to show how
they flow from it and forward to their own content to show where the text is
now heading. Within the transitional sentence the back and forward links may
be made with the choice of words, the making of a phrase or the construction
of a clause. In many cases a transitional sentence is best placed at or near the
commencement of the paragraph, but this may not be necessary or even ideal.
Headings
A heading tells the reader the nature and content of the text situated beneath
the heading. Using successive headings that are connected obviously connects
the ideas
that appear under the headings, without the need for connecting
words, phrases or comments in the text itself. This actually translates into
advice on drafting headings. Do it in such a way that the headings on their own
reveal the structure of the text. A good way to ensure this is to skim the text
looking just at the headings to check whether they indicate a coherent flow of
meaning.
Level 6: Overall Structure
Level 6 Overall Structure
Create an overall structure so that the text flows coherently.
Introduction
The whole of Gaul is divided into three parts.
99
The major imperative of clear writing is to portray correctly the overall
structure of the subject. As the King put it so neatly in Alice in Wonderland:
“Begin at the beginning, and go on until you come to the end then stop”.
100
Overall structure brings to writing the most important quality of all, clarity –
___________________
99
This is the opening sentence to the first book of Julius Caesar's Gallic Wars.
In the original Latin it is: Gallia est omnis divisa in tres partes: Julius Caesar De Bello
Gallico 1:i.
100
Lewis Carroll Alice in Wonderland Chapter 1
 |
 |
 |