Learning Journal on 10/23/2007

As I try to compose a paragraph, I should look up words in a dictionary even if I have already known the words because I couldn’t be familiar with the use of vocabulary. I think that it is a terribly serious problem in my writing. I cannot quit this bad habit. That does trouble me a lot. I am afraid that I cannot write the documents in English fluently in time by myself in the future. Perhaps I will lose my job due to the lack of the ability.
Today I fill out a questionnaire about writing in English in class. By this opportunity, I make a self-examination. I reflect that I ought to organize my paragraph carefully in addition to pay attention to the spelling as well as the grammar. Lacking one of them can make my paragraph defective. If I am capable of keeping an eye on the details, my paragraph may tend perfect. I should make a practice of noticing all the segments in my composition gradually.

Learning Journal on 10/16/2007

We talked about “The Parts of Paragraph”. A composition should have a title. The title introduces the reader to the composition, so it should give a clue to the main point of the composition. As we start a paragraph, indent the first line of each paragraph about an inch. A paragraph generally has three parts: a topic sentence, support, and a conclusion. First, the topic sentence is the main–idea sentence. Second, the support in a paragraph explains or develops the topic sentence. Finally, the conclusion of a paragraph summarizes or comments on the main idea.
There are three characteristics in a paragraph. One characteristic of a paragraph is “unity”. In a unified paragraph, all the sentences relate to the topic and develop the controlling idea. Another important characteristic of a good paragraph is “coherence”. In a coherent paragraph, the ideas are arranged logically. The ideas and sentences are in an order that makes sense to the reader. The reader will be able to follow a paragraph easily if the paragraph has a smooth flow. Smooth flow means that one sentence leads easily into the next sentence; the sentences are well–connected. This characteristic of a paragraph is called “cohesion”. One of the methods of cohesion is “connecting words”. Connecting words are words and phrases that show the relationship between ideas. There are four kinds of connecting words: key words in sentences, coordinators, transitional words, subordinators. All off the above are the main content in class.

Learning Journal on 10/09/2007

Miss Chen introduced us the contents of the textbook the day before yesterday. We will learn how to write a paragraph this semester. As I flipped through the pages of my book, I felt surprised that a paragraph could be too long to believe. I thought that a paragraph was extremely short, brief and concise before. Then, we taught chapter one. First, we talked about “Writing off Stress”. In my opinion, I approve that writing is able to help people prevent or heal the sick because it could help people reduce stress. Next, we discussed the article from page five to six. On account of time limiting, we were able to read only one paragraph in class. Finally, we had a test of composition around thirty minutes in order to make our teacher realize our level in English.