Guide to spelling, punctuation and grammar

Closing paragraph
It can be seen, therefore, that the origins of the war
were complex. At the heart of it, however, was the
struggle for dominance between two major powers, a
conflict that would erupt twenty years later when
Hitler’s Germany would seek to expand and establish
a similar hegemony over Europe. Although Britain
was the apparent victor of the First World War, the
nature of British society was changed forever. No
longer could the ruling classes expect the
unquestioning support of the masses. With hindsight,
it could be argued that the demise of the British
Empire began in earnest after the First World War,
although it would take another thirty years to
unravel. It is ironic that it was the quest for colonial
expansion that was one of the root causes of the war. 
•
How does the first sentence address the topic and get the essay off to
a brisk start?
•
How does the rest of the opening paragraph map out the ground that
will be covered in the rest of the essay?
•
What linking phrase is used in the first sentence of paragraph two?
•
Does the first sentence of this paragraph act as the key sentence?
•
How does the last sentence of this second paragraph emphasise the
key point of the paragraph?
•
Which word is used to provide a signpost between paragraphs two
and three?
95
11 – S
AMPLE ESSAY
6:
HISTORY

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•
How does the first sentence of the third paragraph act as the key
sentence?
•
How does the rest of this paragraph answer the question that has been
asked in the opening sentence?
•
Which phrase is used in the first sentence of the fourth paragraph to
provide continuity?
•
What does this first sentence indicate is the topic of the paragraph?
•
Which word used in the opening sentence of the fifth paragraph acts
as a link?
•
How do the following sentences of the paragraph provide detail to
flesh out the key point made in the first paragraph?
•
How is the sixth paragraph linked to the previous paragraphs?
•
What is the key point made in the opening sentence of the paragraph?
•
How is that point developed in the remainder of the paragraph?
•
Which word in the opening sentence of the closing paragraph
indicates that a conclusion is about to be made?
•
How does the concluding paragraph act as a summarising paragraph
to the essay?
96
H
OW TO WRITE ESSAYS

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