Paragraph Structure
Review
• Removal of potassium perchlorate was achieved by centrifugation of
the supernatant liquid at 1400 X g for 10 min.
• D1-like receptors exert a permissive or enabling regulation of D2-like
receptors.
• The patients were instructed to eat regular meals, that they should
drink plenty of water, and they should take adequate exercise.
• The mechanical response of heart muscles depends on both the
absolute osmolal increase and on the species studied.
• Total microsphere losses were greater at 34, 64, and 124 min when
compared to 4 min.
• Losses of apolipoprotein A-I during other isolation methods were
smaller in comparison to ultracentrifugation.
• Title: “Blood-Brain Barrier CSF pH Regulation” (CSF=cerebrospinal
fluid)
• Factors influencing primary liver cancer resection survival rate
Grammar Mistakes
• The esophagus, stomach, and duodenum of each rabbit
was examined.
• The tissue was minced and the samples incubated.
• Blood flow was allowed to return to baseline before
proceeding with the next occlusion.
Paragraph Structure
• Even if a paper has perfect word choice and perfect
sentence structure, it can be difficult to understand if the
paragraphs are not clearly constructed. • Each paragraph must be constructed to tell a story.
• Readers should be able to recognize the
message and follow the story of each
paragraph whether or not they
understand the science.
Three Aspects
• For a paragraph to tell a clear story,
– The ideas in the paragraph must be organized.
– The continuity, that is, the relationship between ideas,
must be clear.
– Important ideas must be emphasized.
– Paragraph development
– Continuity
– Emphasis
Paragraph Development
• 先概要，后细节
• Topic sentence first, then supporting sentence.
• Create a expectation, and then fulfill the expectation.
Patterns of the organization
• Least to most importance
• Most to least importance
• Announced order • Chronological order
• Problem-solution
• Funnel
• Pro-con
Continuity
• Continuity is the smooth flow of ideas from sentence to
sentence (and from paragraph to paragraph).
• The essence of continuity is a clear relationship between
every sentence and the sentence before it.
Continuity: five skills
1. Repeat the key terms exactly and early
2. use transitions
3. keep a consistent order
4. keep a consistent point of view
5. signal subtopics within a paragraph
Repeat the key terms
• Key terms are terms that name important ideas in a paper.
• Key terms can be technical terms, such as “G-protein” or
“mitogenesis,” or nontechnical terms such as “increase” or
“function.”
• Repeating key terms from sentence to sentence (and from
paragraph to paragraph) is the strongest technique for
providing continuity.
• Digitalis increases the contractility of the mammalian heart. This change in inotropic state is a result of changes
in calcium flux through the muscle cell membrane.
• Digitalis increases the contractility of the mammalian
heart. Changes in the in calcium flux through the muscle cell membrane cause this increased contractility.
• Digitalis increases the contractility of the mammalian heart. This increased contractility is a result of changes in
calcium flux through the muscle cell membrane.
Q : Compare the three sentences and decide which is the best.
PS: Digitalis 洋地黄，用于治疗心力衰竭
inotropic 肌肉收缩力的
calcium flux 钙通量
Repeat Key Terms Exactly
• The best advice for clear continuity is to repeat key terms
exactly. If a key term is not repeated exactly and instead
another term is used, a mental manipulation is needed to
see the relationship between the two terms. Readers
familiar with the field can usually see the relationship; those
less familiar may not.
Repeat the Key Terms Early
• Continuity is clearest if the key term is repeated early in the
sentence. If the key term is delayed until the end of the
sentence, the continuity is broken and the reader is kept in
suspense temporarily.
• The more delayed the repetition of the key term, the less
obvious the continuity. The reason is that more and more
new key terms are added before the relationship between
the two sentences is clear.
Repeat Key Terms Exactly
• to Avoid “Noise”
• ?? You are taught not to repeat the same word twice in a
sentence, a paragraph, or some other limit. ??
(1) In humans, apo-B100, mainly synthesized in the liver, and apo-B48,
