A&B Chapter 17 skill 5 and 6

When writing a longer paper, it is important to be aware of the fact that you are taking your reader on a journey.  As with any journey it can be incredibly easy for one to get lost without a proper guides or signs to help them on their way.  One of the most basic signs that you can give your reader is the placement of the topic sentence.  When the reader begins their journey into a paragraph on your paper the first thing that they see is what they will be expecting to read about or discover as they continue on throughout your paper.  If you don’t clearly state you audience what each paragraph is trying to convey then the reader could receive an entirely different message from that paragraph.  Another way to make sure that your reader stays on topic is by carefully managing the old and new information that you present to the reader.  As you explain each part your argument or information start by bringing up the familiar information that they have already encountered.  Finally a way to make sure that the reader stays on the carefully laid out path that you have set up, you can use specific “signpost” words to show them what to expect.  These words such as “first” “for example” “therefore” “however” etc. make your reader expect a twist or turn in the path, they are expecting it and it will you as the author to make your point more clear.