10.3 WRITING GUIDE
10.3.1 Title
Choosing the title of your article will be one of the most important decisions you will make.You need to take your time，when it comes for you to select an article title and it will require you to do some brainstorming.
An article should have a short，straightforward title directed at the general reader.Lengthy systematic names and complicated and numerous chemical formulae should therefore be avoided where possible.The use of non-standard abbreviations and symbols in a title is not encouraged.Brevity in a title，though desirable，should be balanced against its accuracy and usefulness.
China Becomes the Second Largest Auto Parts Exporter to the U.S.
This is the title of an article published by Agence France-Presse.It mirrors the message of the article and is thus a good title.
10.3.2 Introduction
An appropriate introduction to the article encourages a reader to continue reading.You have competition for the reader's time，so let them know right away what they will get if they read your piece.Try to stay at most with three sentences in your opening paragraph.For example，
China Becomes the Second Largest Auto Parts Exporter to the U.S.
June 8，2007—China replaced Germany in the first quarter as the second largest auto parts exporter to the U.S.，Chinese state media said.In the first three months of the year，China exported＄1.936 billion worth of auto parts to the United States，up 27.4%one year，the Shanghai Securities News reported，citing figures from the U.S.Department of Commerce.
10.3.3 ABody of Paragraphs and Topic Sentences
A paragraph is a series of sentences that are organized and coherent，and are all related to a single topic.Almost every piece of writing you do that is longer than a few sentences should be organized into paragraphs.This is because paragraphs show a reader where the subdivisions of an essay begin and end，and thus help the reader see the organization of the essay and grasp its main points.
Paragraphs can contain many different kinds of information.A paragraph could contain a series of brief examples or a single long illustration of a general point.It might describe a place，character，or process；narrate a series of events；compare or contrast two or more things；classify items into categories；or describe causes and effects.Regardless of the kind of information they contain，all paragraphs share certain characteristics.One of the most important of these is a topic sentence.
A well-organized paragraph supports or develops a single controlling idea，which is expressed in a sentence called the topic sentence.A topic sentence has several important functions：it substantiates or supports an essay's thesis statement；it unifies the content of a paragraph and directs the order of the sentences；and it advises the reader of the subject to be discussed and how the paragraph will discuss it.Readers generally look at the first few sentences in a paragraph to determine the subject and perspective of the paragraph.That's why it's often best to put the topic sentence at the very beginning of the paragraph.In some cases，however，it's more effective to place another sentence before the topic sentence—for example，a sentence linking the current paragraph to the previous one，or one providing background information.
The following paragraph illustrates this pattern of organization.In this paragraph the topic sentence and concluding sentence（capitalized）both help the reader keep the paragraph's main point in mind.
SCIENTISTSHAVELEARNED TO SUPPLEMENT THESENSEOFSIGHT IN NUMEROUSWAYS.In front of the tiny pupil of the eye they put，on Mount Palomar，a great monocle 200 inches in diameter，and with it see 2，000 times farther into the depths of space.Or they look through a small pair of lenses arranged as a microscope into a drop of water or blood，and magnify by as much as 2，000 diameters the living creatures there，many of which are among man's most dangerous enemies.Or，if we want to see distant happenings on earth，they use some of the previously wasted electromagnetic waves to carry television images which they re-create as light by whipping tiny crystals on a screen with electrons in a vacuum.Or they can bring happenings of long ago and far away as colored motion pictures，by arranging silver atoms and color-absorbing molecules to force light waves into the patterns of original reality.Or if we want to see into the center of a steel casting or the chest of an injured child，they send the information on a beam of penetrating short-wave Xrays，and then convert it back into images we can see on a screen or photograph.THUS ALMOST EVERY TYPEOFELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION YET DISCOVERED HASBEEN USED TO EXTEND OUR SENSEOF SIGHT IN SOMEWAY.(https://www.daowen.com)
Although most paragraphs should have a topic sentence，there are a few situations when a paragraph might not need a topic sentence.For example，you might be able to omit a topic sentence in a paragraph that narrates a series of events，if a paragraph continues developing an idea that you introduced（with a topic sentence）in the previous paragraph，or if all the sentences and details in a paragraph clearly refer—perhaps indirectly—to a main point.The vast majority of your paragraphs，however，should have a topic sentence.
10.3.4 Conclusion
This should be easy because you are re-capping what you just wrote about.If you are promoting a product or service，we find that leaving a question，or giving the reader a teaser of something more is very helpful.We know it isn't proper“etiquette”，but it helps in leaving the reader wanting more.
China Becomes the Second Largest Auto Parts Exporter to the U.S.
June 8，2007—China replaced Germany in the first quarter as the second largest auto parts exporter to the US，Chinese state media said.In the first three months of the year，China exported＄1.936 billion worth of auto parts to the United States，up 27.4%one year，the Shanghai Securities News reported，citing figures from the USDepartment of Commerce.
That is two million dollars more than exports from Germany，but still a distant second Japan with＄3.57 billion，the report said.
In the first four months this year，China exported a total of＄3.6 billion worth of auto parts globally，a surge of 34.8%year on year，and imports stood at＄3.5 billion，up 25.9%.
However，analysts argued higher exports did not necessarily translate into stronger competitiveness as profit margins of German-made auto parts were much larger than Chinese products.
The robust growth of China's auto parts exports has been bolstered mainly by cheaper labor costs，lower raw material prices and looser environmental restrictions，according to a previous report by The New York Times.But these advantages may not be sustainable as wages are rising and the government tightens controls on pollution and exports of resources，the newspaper said.
10.3.5 Techniques for Coherent Paragraphs
A number of techniques that you can use to establish coherence in paragraphs are described below.
Repeat key words or phrases.Particularly in paragraphs in which you define or identify an important idea or theory，be consistent in how you refer to it.This consistency and repetition will bind the paragraphs together and help your reader understand your definition or description.
Create parallel structures.Parallel structures are created by constructing two or more phrases or sentences that have the same grammatical structure and use the same parts of speech.By creating parallel structures you make your sentences clearer and easier to read.In addition，repeating a pattern in a series of consecutive sentences helps your reader see the connections between ideas.In the paragraph above about scientists and the sense of sight，several sentences in the body of the paragraph have been constructed in a parallel way.The parallel structures（which have been emphasized）help the reader see that the paragraph is organized as a set of examples of a general statement.
Be consistent in point of view，verb tense，and number.Consistency in point of view，verb tense，and number is a subtle but important aspect of coherence.If you shift from the more personal“you”to the impersonal“one”，from past to present tense，or from“a man”to“they”，for example，you make your paragraph less coherent.Such inconsistencies can also confuse your reader and make your argument more difficult to follow.
Use transitional words or phrases between sentences and between paragraphs.Transitional expressions emphasize the relationships between ideas，so they help readers follow your train of thought or see connections that they might otherwise miss or misunderstand.