1) 开头段落
首段要引人入胜，并帮助读者抓住要领，易于领会全文;开头方法有：
a. 引用名人名言;如：
As the proverb goes…;
It goes without saying that…;
There is no denying that…;
As everyone knows….
b. 数字统计;如：
According to a recent survey, about 78. 9% of the college students wanted to further their study after their graduation;
A recent study shows that …
c. 描述现象现状;如：
With the reform of Chinese higher education, more and more colleges and universities put emphasis on…;
Nowadays, some famous universities have become a hot tourist attraction.
d. 对立观点陈述; 如：
Some people believe that …while others argue that…
2) 主体段落
主体段落由三部分组成，也就是主题句(topic sentence)，推展句(supporting statement)和结论句(concluding statement)。
主题句概括段落的主要内容，它不仅确定段落的主题，而且限制该主题在本段落详细讨论的范围。因此主题句是整个段落的纲领。
推展句是对主题句的`论证，解释和说明，是每段的主体部分。只有写好了推展句才能使文章言之有理，具有说服力。在文章写作中，推展句的多少，长短要适中。既要把思想内容表达清楚，叙述翔实，又要注意简明扼要，重点突出。句与句之间应脉络清晰，相辅相成。
结论句是用来标志段落的结束，同时向读者提供记忆的要点。但并非所有的段落句都是总结句。
主体段落的写作方法有举例论证段、对比比较段、因果分析段、利弊分析段等。
a. 举例论证段落。
通过举出典型事例来解释作者观点，且事例可多可少。例如：
There are cases in which people have to trade goods for the things they need. For example, a person who needs something badly and happens to be penniless, what should he do? A good solution for him is to trade the goods he has for the things he needs. For another example, a person needs something and its owner is reluctant to sell it unless he gets the thing he wants. In such case, the person has to trade goods for what he needs.
举例论证中常用的连接词有for example (instance), such as, take…for example, besides, furthermore, moreover, what is more, in addition等。
举例论证中常用的句型有:
A good case in point is . . .
As an illustration, we may take . . .
Such examples might be given easily.
. . . is often cited as an example.
b. 对比法或比较段。
将同类事物按照某种特定的规则进行比较分析，通过对比更容易阐述所述对象之间的异同和优缺点。例如：
The heart of an electronic computer lies in its vacuum tubes or transistors. Its electronic circuits work thousand times faster than the nicer cells in the human brain. A problem that might take a human being a long time to solve can be solved by a computer in one minute.
常用于比较或对比的连接过渡词有…more than, compared with, in contrast with, as…as, be similar to, similarly, the same as, just like, just as 等。
常用于比较或对比的句型有：
The advantages far outweigh the disadvantages.
The advantages of A are much greater than those of B.
A may be preferable to B, but A suffers from the disadvantages that. . .
It is reasonable to maintain that . . . but it would be foolish to claim that. . .
For all the disadvantages, it has its compensating advantages.
Like anything else, it has its faults.
A and B has several things in common.
A bears some striking likenesses to B.
However, the same is not applicable to B.
A is different from B in several ways.
Evidently, it has both negative and positive effects.
People used to think . . . , but things are different now.
The same is true of B.
Wonderful as A is, it has its drawbacks.
It is true that A . . . , but the chief faults (obvious defects) are . . .
Indeed, A carries much weight when compared with B.
c. 因果分析段。主体句提出现象或论点，推展句分析原因。例如：
Why do they want odd jobs -- jobs usually requiring little skill and knowledge? The primary reason, I think, is money. Feeling the financial pressure as books, movies and bus fares have all gone up in price, there is scarcely a young boy or girl who does not want to earn a little money to help cover the increasingly higher college costs, and at best save enough to go traveling or buy things they have long desired. In this way they hope to be economically independent and avoid the indignity of having to ask for money again and again. Besides they want to gain some experience in the ways of society
常用于因果分析法的连接词有because, so, as a result, consequently，one reason, First, secondly, third, for one thing, for another thing等。
