WRITE A SUITABLE CLINCHER SENTENCE FOR THE FOLLOWING PARAG...
EXERCISE 2. Write a suitable clincher sentence for the following paragraph. Again,
be prepared to defend it.
Some people just do not return things that they borrow. Of course, I do
not care about little, unimportant borrowings. For example, people often
ask, “May I borrow a sheet of paper?” or “May I borrow a paper clip?”
What they really mean is “Will you give me a sheet of paper or a paper
clip?” They have no intention of giving it back, and I really do not expect
them to. The same is true of pencils. How often has a teacher asked, “Will
you lend so-and-so a pencil?” and how rarely has the thing been returned!
But other things are more important. Once I lent someone my history notes
when I needed them myself to study for a test. After two weeks, I practi-
cally had to beg the person to return them to me.
CLINCHER SENTENCE
:
T H E C L I N C H E R S E N T E N C E 243Lesson 32 Developing a
Paragraph with
Reasons
The previous lessons in Part Four have emphasized how a paragraph must have unity.
It is not always so easy, however, to achieve that unity. Fortunately, there are a couple of
practical methods that can help. In this lesson, we look at one of these methods, the use of
reasons, as a way to develop paragraphs.
For example, you have just written this topic sentence:
One improvement that our community needs is better bus service.
You are trying to develop this topic sentence into a paragraph, but you cannot write an-
other word. You sit and stare at your paper or computer screen.
Has this ever happened to you? If so, it will be less likely to happen again—once you
have learned the method of giving reasons.
The following paragraph shows how to develop a topic sentence by giving reasons.
Model Paragraph
1
One improvement that our community needs is better bus service.
2
At
present, all we have are four old buses running between the railroad station
and the community park.
3
These buses are very crowded, and they are
rarely on time.
4
After 8
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M
. there is no bus service at all, even though a
number of shops and the library are open until 9.
5
Recently, because gaso-
line costs have remained high, more people have been riding the buses, and
the overcrowding is worse than ever.
6
The aging buses are being strained to
the limit.
7
Breakdowns are becoming more frequent.
8
Unless new buses are
put into service soon, we are going to have a real transportation crisis in
this town.
Comments on the Model Paragraph
S1 (the topic sentence) states: One improvement that our community needs is better
bus service.
S2–S7 (the body of the paragraph) support this statement with reasons:
old buses (S2)
crowding and lateness (S3)
lack of service after 8
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. (S4)
recent increases in ridership and overcrowding (S5)
overtaxing of the buses (S6)
breakdowns (S7)
S8 (the clincher sentence) sums up the paragraph and restates the idea of the topic sen-
tence with greater emphasis.
Arranging the Reasons
The following paragraph is the same as the one you have just read, except that some of
the reasons appear in a different order.
Question:Is the following paragraph better than the one we have just read? Why?
rarely on time.
4
Recently, because of the high cost of gasoline, more people
have been riding the buses, and the overcrowding is worse than ever.
5
The
aging buses are being strained to the limit.
6
Breakdowns are becoming
more frequent.
7
After 8
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.
M
. there is no bus service at all, even though a
number of shops and the library are open until 9.
8
Unless new buses are put
into service soon, we are going to have a real transportation crisis in this
town.
Answer:The above paragraph is not as good as the first one because it presents
its reasons in the following order:
recent increases in ridership and overcrowding (S4)
overtaxing of the buses (S5)
breakdowns (S6)
lack of service after 8
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. (S7)
This is not the most effective order.
The most compelling reasons are the recent increases in ridership,
overtaxing of the buses, and, most important of all, breakdowns. In
the original paragraph these reasons are given just before the clincher
sentence.
But what do we find in the important position just before the clincher sen-
tence in the second version of the paragraph? We find a much weaker
reason—lack of service after 8
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