Paragraph -- Model #2

Read this paragraph:

"The realm of fairy-story is wide and deep and high and filled with many things: all manner of beasts and birds are found there; shoreless seas and stars uncounted; beauty that is an enchantment, and an ever-present peril; both joy and sorrow sharp as swords. In that realm a man may, perhaps, count himself fortunate to have wandered, but its very richness and strangeness tie the tongue of the traveller who would report them. And while he is there it is dangerous for him to ask too many questions, lest the gate should be shut and the keys be lost." ---JRR Tolkien, On Fairy Stories

I will bold the parts that show the continuity between thoughts in one sentence and another. This could seem a bit like disrespect to an author; on the other hand, part of respect for someone who does things well is paying attention to the HOW of how he does things:

"The realm of fairy-story is wide and deep and high and filled with many things: all manner of beasts and birds are found there; shoreless seas and stars uncounted; beauty that is an enchantment, and an ever-present peril; both joy and sorrow sharp as swords. In that realm a man may, perhaps, count himself fortunate to have wandered, but its very richness and strangeness tie the tongue of the traveller who would report them. And while he is there it is dangerous for him to ask too many questions, lest the gate should be shut and the keys be lost." ---JRR Tolkien, On Fairy Stories

Do you see how the same subject is echoed by synonyms throughout each sentence? That's the simplest form of continuity yet in this example, it is not done in a simple way.

Read the paragraph one more time. Then go onto the NEXT section: Exercises in Continuity.