Paragraph Unity: PRE as a writing strategy

Besides being the nickname of a famous runner, PRE can be used as a mnemonic device: each letter represents what type of content needs to show up in a unified, developed paragraph. Point. Reason. Example/Explanation. PRE the runner teaches us that to be the best one must put his or her best effort into all that he or she does. PRE, the device, can help us unify the sentences within a paragraph by helping us think about and identify the function of each sentence in the paragraph.

PRE can help you at different stages of writing the paragraph

• Be aware and use the device as you write a draft to stay unified
• Diagram sentences in a draft you’ve already written to test for unity, which can help you reorder or delete sentences based on focusing on this strategy

Point: start each paragraph off with a sentence (we call it that Topic Sentence) that states who/what the paragraph is about—your subject—and what you have to say about that subject in that paragraph.

Reason: follow up your Topic Sentence with some logical reasons for why you believe your point is true.

Example/Explanation: follow up your reasons with specific examples that support your point and reasons. You can also add a second E to Example, and that would be Explain! You do not always need to explain your examples, but it is helpful with some examples to provide explanation of how the example fits the topic sentence’s point.

Example of a student using PRE to structure a paragraph:

            [P] Steve Prefontaine, who held many American records in distance running, is a great example of how much effort plays a role in having success in life—even during high school years. [Rà] Prefontaine started off as one of the weaker runners on his high school team before setting goals to become a national record holder by his senior year. [Eà] In the article "Steve Prefontaine's High School Years," Michael Musca discusses how Prefontaine could not break five minutes in the mile his freshman year of high school, and as a sophomore failed to qualify for state. However, by his junior year in 1968, he went undefeated and won the Oregon state cross-country meet. Musca writes, "From this point forward, the winter of 1968, young Pre embarked on McClure’s 30-week program, which he hoped would yield the time goals and a state championship in the two-mile" (Musca). Prefontaine would run four to eight miles a day while working multiple jobs. His setting goals and following them is what lead to his success during those years.

And here are two more body paragraphs that use PRE

          Prefontaine's high school years illustrate how setting goals matters; Prefontaine's work ethic and mindset helped him accomplish his goals. Steve Prefontaine is widely known as the ultimate competitor. He fulfilled his goals by training extremely hard and by maintaining an aggressive mindset that he would maintain for the rest of his life. There is no better evidence than Pre's own words: "To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift" (Just Runners). These are the words of a competitor, someone who does not settle for finishing a task. He also boasted, in another interview: "I'm going to work so that it's a pure guts race at the end, and if it is, then I am the only one who can win it" (Smith). He confidently believes that nobody can beat him if he works as hard as he can.

        Prefontaine's successes came from also following a clear plan of actions to take to accomplish his goals. Pre's high school coach, Walt McClure, helped lay out a training program so that Prefontaine could set the records and live up to his goals. McClure set Pre up on a 30-week training regiment in the winter of 1968 that  helped Pre win state in the two-miler that Spring. Prefontaine continued to run at least four miles a day during that following summer, even as he worked multiple jobs to help his struggling family (Musca). Prefontaine won the two miler his senior year in a national record of 8:41.5 (Musca), which shows how much one can improve in something if they are really dedicated to their own success.

       Prefontaine was never known as a fast runner, but his effort on those days off helped propel him towards national success at an early age.  ...