Academic Writing

Part 1:
The Writing Process
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(b) Underline the phrase used to link the paragraph to the previous one.
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(c) Underline the words and phrases used to link the sentences together.
5 Introducing paragraphs and linking them together
In order to begin a new topic, you may use phrases such as:
Turning to the issue of . . .
Rates of infection must also be examined . . .
. . . is another area for consideration.
Paragraphs can also be introduced with adverbs:
Traditionally, few examples were . . .
Finally, the performance of . . .
Currently, there is little evidence of . . .
Originally, most families were . . .
Topic sentence
Definition
Result 1
Result 2
Result 3
Conclusion
All these claims were challenged by the economic
crash of 2008, which was largely caused by defaults
on American sub-prime mortgages.

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In the example paragraphs above, each new paragraph begins with a phrase that links it to the

previous paragraph, in order to maintain continuity of argument:
Despite this (i.e. the lack of a conclusive link)
All these claims (i.e. arguments in favour of home ownership)
6 Practice B
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Use the information below to write a paragraph about Bill Gates.
1955
Bill Gates was born, the second child in a middle-class Seattle family
1968
At age 13, he became interested in writing computer programmes
1975
Gates and his school friend Allen started a programming business called Micro-Soft
1980
IBM asked Microsoft to write an operating system (called MS-DOS) for its new PC
1985
Microsoft launched Windows operating system
1995
Gates became the richest man in world
2006
He stepped down from working at Microsoft to focus on his charitable foundation
7 Practice C
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Use the notes below to write two paragraphs on the subject of ‘trams’. Use
conjunctions to organise the paragraphs, and a suitable phrase to introduce and link
the paragraphs together.
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Trams (streetcars in the USA) were first developed in the late nineteenth century
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They provided cheap and convenient mass transport in many cities
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Rail-based systems were expensive to maintain
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Fixed tracks meant that system was inflexible
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During the 1950s–1960s, many European and Asian cities closed tram systems
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Today, trams are becoming popular again
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Some cities (e.g. Paris and Manchester) are building new systems
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Trams are less polluting than cars and cheaper to operate
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Problems remain with construction costs and traffic congestion blocking tracks
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Expense of building modern tramways means that they remain controversial
1.10: Organising Paragraphs
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