Developing Relationships between Ideas
Read this article about connecting sentences within a paragraph in a meaningful way. Complete the practice activities, in which you will identify the relationships between ideas in a paragraph and practice developing a paragraph that connects ideas. You will continue to develop these skills throughout the course.
Developing the Relationship Between Ideas Activity
Answer Key
Practice 1 Answer: Your paragraph should look like this:
Jamal is good at math and chemistry (1). However, he is not good at history (2). Yesterday some of his friends came over to help him find a job (3). Because Jamal is good at math, Lee thought he should apply to be a cashier at a coffee stand (4). However, Jamal really hates the smell of coffee, so he thought he'd rather work at the hot dog stand (5). In the end, they agreed that it would be best to apply at many stores to increase his chances of getting hired (6).
As you can see, it is not necessary for every sentence to contain a word that establishes a relationship. In the example above, sentence 3 does not, but the sentence is still related to the rest of the paragraph.
Practice 2 Answer: Your paragraph should look like this:
Sherlock Holmes solved the mystery of 'The Red-Headed League' by using deductive reasoning. Deductive reasoning is when you take pieces of information and then draw a conclusion from that information. His friend, Dr. Watson, has the same information, yet he cannot solve the mysteries. He is smart; however, Sherlock Holmes has a unique talent. Another way Holmes can solve mysteries is through the notes and journals he keeps to track information. In the end, it is clear that Sherlock Holmes is the best crime solver.
Practice 3 Sample Responses:
The Sherlock Holmes stories take place in the late 1800s in England. People then had to do things differently than they do today. For example, they used horse-drawn cabs instead of cars. However, the streets were narrow, and therefore it took longer to get around. Few people had access to electricity and telephones, and of course, there were no computers back then. Therefore, Holmes kept journals to track information. In sum, it would have been fun to live at that time.
The Sherlock Holmes stories take place in the late 1800s in England. People then had to do things differently than they do today, such as using horse-drawn cabs instead of cars. The streets were narrow, and it took longer to get around as a result. In addition, few people had access to electricity and telephones. Of course, there were no computers back then; however, Holmes kept journals to track information. It would have been fun to live at that time, in the end.