SECTION A: Concept Check

1. When building a paragraph, where should you move the sentence that best captures the essence of your topic?
2. When evaluating the "flow" of your paragraph, should you arrange information from new to old or from old to new?
3. Two words that describe well-written paragraphs are cohesive and coherent. What does each quality entail?

SECTION B: Concept Check

1. Write a short paragraph that leads to a valid point but is filled with empty meta-discourse.
2. Revise the paragraph so that you get right to the point.
3. Identify common hedges, emphatics, fillers, and tag-ons.
4. Write a few sentences that contain unnecessary hedges, fillers, or tag-ons: you might like just work kind of hard on this one, but you will see results! Now, edit out the empty words so that each sentence states its point concisely.
5. Write a few sentences that include emphatics: really, really try to make your point! Now edit out the emphatics so that your message is clear.

SECTION C: Concept Check

1. What are some of the factors in the revising process?
2. What are the basic parts of a business message? What information is contained within these parts?
3. Describe the PEER model by identifying its elements.

SECTION D: Concept Check

Find transitional sentences and paragraphs in papers that you have written (for this class or other classes), textbooks, and newspapers. Then answer these questions:

1. Do some transitions seem awkward to you? Identify why that might be.
2. Are there cases where an abrupt transition is acceptable, even necessary?
3. How do the transitions in your papers compare with the textbook transitions?