Demonstration on the Main Idea Elaboration

The basic ways to elaborate on a main idea are using "wh-" questions and also giving some examples.

Here, I will demonstrate how I elaborate using the methods.

1. Smoking is hazardous to health.

Why is smoking hazardous?
> A cigarette contains numerous harmful chemical substances.
> Even the smoke given out from the burning of the tobacco in a cigarette consists of detrimental chemical elements.

What are the chemical substances in the cigarette and the detrimental elements in the smoke? / Giving some examples.
> (in the cigarette) Nicotines and tars
> (in the smoke) Benzene and carbon monoxide

How do these chemical substances affect our health?
> Nicotines can make a smoker addict to smoking; whereas tars can blacken lungs.
> Benzene is carcinogenic and carbon monoxide, if inhaled in large amount, can lead to fatality.

Now, place all the points in a paragraph, it will be written as:

Smoking is hazardous to health, because a cigarette contains numerous chemical substances, such as nicotines and tars. Nicotines can make a smoker addict to smoking; whereas tars can blacken lungs. Even the smoke given out from the burning of the tobacco cause health problems to the people around the smoker, because the smoke consists of detrimental elements like benzene and carbon monoxide. Benzene is carcinogenic and carbon monoxide, if inhaled in a large amount, can lead to fatality.

For the next two main ideas, I will elaborate each of them in the form of paragraph only.

2. Deforestation can cause global warming.

Deforestation can cause global warming. Global warming takes place due to the increase of the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, as carbon dioxide traps the heat of the sun within the surface of the earth. Forests need carbon dioxide for the process of photosynthesis. If deforestation occurs, the forests will decrease, and in turn, the concentration of carbon dioxide will increase. As a result, global warming arises.

3. Recycling is important to save our mother earth.

Recycling is important to save our mother earth. Plastic and glass products are not biodegradable even though they are buried under the soil for a long time. Landfills are no longer a practical method to dispose off the wastes as many of the wastes may pollute the land. Besides, the lands are limited. Recycling, specifically paper recycling, can also help save the natural resources like trees.

One last thing to note, elaboration does not only require the skills mentioned. It also requires some knowledges to make the elaboration convincing and matured. So, read more! =D

Exercise of Main Idea Elaboration

The previous blog discussed about the components in an essay and also how the structure of the content is supposed to be. As mentioned, for the body, each paragraph must have a main idea with its supporting ideas.

Reinforcement Exercise
Elaborate the following main ideas.

1. Smoking is hazardous to health.
2. Deforestation can cause global warming.
3. Recycling is important to save our mother earth.

Recall what you have learnt from the previous blog on the basic ways to elaborate a main point. Use "wh-" questions and give some (concrete) examples. Try to do this exercise and try ask your teacher to help you mark them for grammatical mistakes.

I will demonstrate how I elaborate those main ideas on the next blog. Try to elaborate them on your own. Enjoy trying!

Techniques of Writing (Part 1) - Components in an Essay

In English 1119 Paper 1, there are two sections, Sections A and B, whereby Section A is directed writing (35 marks) and the latter is continuous writing (50 marks). To score well in this paper, apart from being good in the language, some techniques are required. In this blog, I will share one of the techniques - components in an essay.
Basically, this skill is best used in argumentative, factual and expository writing.

An essay must contain:
(i) an introduction,
(ii) body/content, and
(iii) a conclusion

An essay must have at least 5 paragraphs:
 1 for the introduction and 1 for the conclusion
 At least 3 for the content

For the content, each paragraph must have 1 main idea and its elaboration/supporting details.

The basic skills to elaborate the main idea are using “wh-“questions like what, why, who, when, how, and giving some examples.

Example:
Main idea: I like to eat bananas.

1) Ask yourself, why you like eating bananas?
Answer: They are tasty and their skins are easy to be peeled off.

2) Ask yourself, how much you like bananas?
Answer: Everyday, I must eat at least three bananas, that is, one after breakfast; one after lunch; and one after dinner. (The phrases in italics are examples)

Hence, when you write in a paragraph:
I like to eat bananas. It is because they are tasty and their skins are easy to be peeled off. Everyday, I must eat at least three bananas, that is, one after breakfast; one after lunch; and one after dinner.