Now that your planning stage is complete, you can begin writing your draft. Your writing should be organized, developed, accurate, and original.
Writing has unity when the supporting sentences all work together to support the topic sentences and thesis. Paragraphs that lack unity are confusing to the reader because some ideas do not seem to belong.
Compare the examples below. The first paragraph has poor unity because there are sentences that do not support the topic sentence. The topic sentence is underlined.
Example: Paragraph (Poor Unity)
There are many steps you need to complete in order to receive a driver’s license. First, you need to prepare your birth certificate to register for a driving exam. This is one of the required documents that you need to show. My sister forgot to bring hers when she went to register. She waited in line for over an hour, but could not register for an exam when it was her turn because she did not bring her birth certificate. Second, you need to become 16 years old to obtain the driver’s license. In some states you can get a permit before you are 16, but the permit requires that you always drive with an adult in the car. Third, you go to driving school. You may take classes in high school, from your parents, or pay a private business to teach you. Fourth, you must practice driving. There is a required amount of time that you must practice driving before taking the exam. I practiced with my mom because my dad did not want to drive with me. He said that I drove too quickly and that he was afraid for his life every time he got in the car with me. Fifth, you pay to take the final practice exams. There is usually a written and driving exam. You must pass both of these to obtain your license. Finally, once you have successfully completed all of the previous steps, you obtain a driver’s license. It is a long process, but being able to drive is definitely a skill worth learning!
Example: Paragraph (Revised for Unity)
There are many steps you need to complete in order to receive a driver’s license. First, you need to prepare your birth certificate to register for a driving exam. This is one of the required documents that you need to show. My sister forgot to bring hers when she went to register. She waited in line for over an hour, but could not register for an exam when it was her turn because she did not bring her birth certificate. Second, you need to become 16 years old to obtain the driver’s license. In some states you can get a permit before you are 16, but the permit requires that you always drive with an adult in the car. Third, you go to driving school. You may take classes in high school, from your parents, or pay a private business to teach you. Fourth, you must practice driving. There is a required amount of time that you must practice driving before taking the exam. I practiced with my mom because my dad did not want to drive with me. He said that I drove too quickly and that he was afraid for his life every time he got in the car with me. Fifth, you pay to take the final practice exams. There is usually a written and driving exam. You must pass both of these to obtain your license. Finally, once you have successfully completed all of the previous steps, you obtain a driver’s license. It is a long process, but being able to drive is definitely a skill worth learning!