College Writing 3-1

Analyzing Print Ads
A paragraph is well focused and flows smoothly if keywords and
phrases occur frequently in the text and refer back to the controlling ideas.
The student paragraph that follows describes the ways a jewelry ad
attracts consumers. The paragraph has been marked for you so that you
can see the paragraph's structure and development. Keywords and phrases
are underlined.
Topic sentencei topic
of the paragraph +
lcontrolling ideasl
Main Point 1:
color contrast
Evidence for Main
Point 1: description
of the (a) rings and
(b) background,
(c) fact the way color
contrast is achieved.
Main Point 2:
different textures
Evidence for Main
Point 2: descriptions
of the (a) rings'
texture and (b)
background texture
Concluding
sentence (summary)
ArmandiJewelers
( The ad for Armandi Jewelers relies on lcontrasting colors]
) I and [textures] lto attract] [consumers].The ad achieves a strong
ṭ
color contrast by showing two white gold and diamond rings
t-
] ugainst a red background. One ring has a white gold band with
l-
'
three small white diamonds in the middle while the other ring has
two white gold bands joined together by a large pale pink
diamond surrounded by six tiny white diamonds.The rings are
pale and shiny while the background is dark red.The ad creates a
strong contrast with the dark background because it makes the
rings stand out.The contrast between the rings and the
background is made stronger by their different textures.The
background is a velvet cloth that looks soft and warm while the
rings are obviously hatd, !o!q, and smooth.Thus, the Armandi
Jewelers ad is very attractive because of the contrast between
the red, soft background and the hard' smooth diamond rings.
With another classmate:
1. Discuss why the paragraph above is an effective academic
paragraph. In your notebook, make a list of effective characteristics.
2. Complete the following outline of the student paragraph so that
you can practice organizingmain points and supporting details
(evidence). Use the information written in the left margin of the
paragraph to fill out the outline.