Writing a Paragraph+ Writing Process

8/14/2019 Writing a Paragraph+ Writing Process

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Writing a Paragraph

Parts of a

Paragraph

Topic Sentence

Supporting Details

Closing Sentence

How to Write aParagraph

Prewriting Paragraphs

Writing Paragraphs

Editing Paragraphs

Publishing Paragraphs

Kinds of ParagraphsNarrative

1. What is your main idea?

a. There is one main idea and it must be clear to your reader. Does it exactly

say what you want to express in your paragraph? It needs to be reworked

on until it does.

2. What should your topic sentence say?

a. State the main idea clearly. Tell exactly what the paragraph is about. Not

too general, not too specific

i. What is the topic sentence?

The topic sentence is the first sentence in a paragraph.

ii. What does it do? It introduces the main idea of the paragraph.

iii. How do I write one? Summarize the main idea of your paragraph.

Indicate to the reader what your paragraph will be about.

Source: http://www2.actden.com/Writ_Den/tips/contents.htm
http://www2.actden.com/Writ_Den/tips/paragrap/topic.htmhttp://www2.actden.com/Writ_Den/tips/paragrap/support.htmhttp://www2.actden.com/Writ_Den/tips/paragrap/closing.htmhttp://www2.actden.com/Writ_Den/tips/paragrap/prewrite.htmhttp://www2.actden.com/Writ_Den/tips/paragrap/write.htmhttp://www2.actden.com/Writ_Den/tips/paragrap/edit.htmhttp://www2.actden.com/Writ_Den/tips/paragrap/publish.htmhttp://www2.actden.com/Writ_Den/tips/paragrap/support.htmhttp://www2.actden.com/Writ_Den/tips/paragrap/closing.htmhttp://www2.actden.com/Writ_Den/tips/paragrap/prewrite.htmhttp://www2.actden.com/Writ_Den/tips/paragrap/write.htmhttp://www2.actden.com/Writ_Den/tips/paragrap/edit.htmhttp://www2.actden.com/Writ_Den/tips/paragrap/publish.htmhttp://www2.actden.com/Writ_Den/tips/paragrap/topic.htm


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Example:

There are three reasons why Canada is one of the best countries in the

world. First, Canada has an excellent health care system. All Canadians have

access to medical services at a reasonable price. Second, Canada has a high

standard of education. Students are taught by well-trained teachers and are

encouraged to continue studying at university. Finally, Canada's cities are

clean and efficiently managed. Canadian cities have many parks and lots of

space for people to live. As a result, Canada is a desirable place to live.

3. How will you develop your main idea?

a. Find and use details that help tell about your main idea (supportingdetails):

i. Facts

ii. Examples

iii. Reasons

iv. Description

v. Events

vi. Steps (next)

4. Do your details stick to the topic?

Each detail must support your main idea. In the opening paragraph, every

sentence develops one specific topic.

i. What are supporting sentences

They come after the topic sentence, making up the body of a

paragraph.

ii. What do they do? They give details to develop and support the

main idea of the paragraph.

iii. How do I write them? You should give supporting facts, details,

and examples.



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iii. Add a new detail or understanding

a. What is the closing sentence?

The closing sentence is the last sentence in a paragraph.

b. What does it do? It restates the main idea of your paragraph.

c. How do I write one? Restate the main idea of the paragraph using

different words.

Example:

There are three reasons why Canada is one of the best countries in the

world. First, Canada has an excellent health care system. All Canadians have

access to medical services at a reasonable price. Second, Canada has a highstandard of education. Students are taught by well-trained teachers and are

encouraged to continue studying at university. Finally, Canada's cities are clean

and efficiently managed. Canadian cities have many parks and lots of space for

people to live. As a result, Canada is a desirable place to live.



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Writing Process Notions

1. Prewriting: gathering and organizing ideas for a composition

a. Step 1.1: BRAINSTORMING

i. Look at the topic and try to collect information

1. Listing

2. Clustering

3. Questionning

b. Step 1.2: OUTLINING

i. Before you start listing your ideas, you need to define your

purpose. Then, you can make a list of your best ideas. Put

them in order that makes sense. Dont forget that each main

idea refers to a paragraph.

2. Drafting:

a. Now its time to start writing your text. It doesnt have to be perfect. It

is only a draft and needs to be improved. So, you are allowed to make

mistakes.

i. Work from your outline. Use your outline and add new ideas

as you go along if it is necessary. Audience + purpose =

fundamental

ii. Let the words flow. Write quickly. Dont worry about neatness.

Dont be afraid to cross out words, leave blank spaces, or

move things around. Dont stop because of mistakes.

iii. Start anywhere. When a good idea pops up in your head, write

it down immediately, even if its about the middle of the story.

You can fill out the empty parts later.

iv. Jump around if necessary. When ideas rush to your head,

make a few notes here and there.

v. Do more prewriting. If you get stuck, work on your prewriting

some more and sometimes you may also need to adjust your



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plan (brainstorming and outline).

vi. Write on every other line. Give yourself room for making

changes.

vii. Leave your draft aside. When nothing seems to work, put your

draft away for a while. A days rest will allow you to look at it

with fresher eyes.

3. Revising

a. The revising part is one step to the final product. Do not be afraid to

use a pen and to cross out, add and shift words or sentences.

i. Reread with a fresh eye. Try to look at your draft as if it was

written by someone else. What do you like? What could be

better? What should be cut out?

ii. Consider purpose and audience. How can you make your

composition achieve its purpose better? Is there any way you

can make it more appealing to your audience?

iii. Find another eye. Ask a friend or relative for comments.

iv. Expand your best ideas. Develop interesting parts and

descriptions with more details, examples, and incidents.

v. Cut out unnecessary parts. Weed out, or rewrite, parts that lack

appeal or are unrelated to the main idea.

vi. Check you writing style. Consider these:

0 - Which long, rambling sentences could be broken up?1 - Which short, choppy sentences could be combined?2 - Where can I use vivid words instead of dull ones?3 - Have I used transition words to make the order clear?4 - Does every paragraph have a main idea?

- How can I vary my sentence beginnings?

4. Proofreading

a. Before handing in your text, it is important to correct your mistakes.

i. Check for errors. Pay special attention to the following details:

0 - spelling (use a dictionary)1 - punctuation2 - capitalization3 - plurals4 - verb tenses



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ii. Look at one line at a time. Take the time to look carefully ateach sentence. Start by the end of your text.

iii. Go through your draft several times. Go over your text whenyoure well rested. A checklist may be useful to guide youfinding your mistakes.

iv. Find another eye. Ask a friend or relative to check your paper.5. Publishing

a. Finally, youre done!!!! You can publish your text in different way;

news paper, internet, journal prompts or entry, book report,

magazine, and so on.

i. Add a title and heading to your final draft

ii. Make a neat copy.

iii. Proofread one last time.

iv. Find a way to make the writing public

6. Editing

a. The editing part is done with your writing. You should ask other

peoples opinion to help you to improve yourself. There are different

kind of peer-evaluation feedback grids that can help to provide great

comments and being fair with the person you are evaluating.



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Kinds of Paragraphs

Narrative Paragraph

Purpose: The narrative paragraph tells about one main incident or happening. The

author brings the incident to life so the reader shares the experience. It should be written

in logical order. It describes what a person does over a period of time.

How to Write the Narrative Paragraph:

- Have a topic sentence that arouses the reader's interest. You can describe a scene or

introduce characters.

- Build your paragraph around one main incident. Here is where your action takes place.

- Write the event in the orderthat it occurred. Do notskip around.

- Your ending should satisfyyour reader's expectations. Bring your paragraph to a close.

Signal Words and Phrases:

next, then, while, after, first ,after while, a little later, at the same time, during the

morning, later that night

Example of Narrative Paragraph:

Yesterday evening I got home from school around 4 o'clock. My mother had dinner

prepared which we ate as soon as Dad came home from work. After eating, I helped

mother clear the table and do the dishes. After we got the kitchen cleaned, I had to sit

and do my homework. Mother always says, "No television until your homework is done".

I finally got my math finished, so I went into the family room and turned on the television.

I was watching American Idol, when the phone rang. It was my best friend, Amy. I talked

to her for awhile then it was time for bed. I put on my pajamas and turned on my favorite

cd. I finally started to get sleepy around 9:30. The next thing I knew, mother was calling

me to get ready for school.



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You must write your narrative paragraph with interesting events that

will catch the reader's attention. It is important to start your narrative

with a suspense. There must be dialogs that will help the reader to

understand the character and the personality of the character. The

events must be arranged one by one in a chronological order. The

narrative must have a climax. You can also end your narrative with a

conclusion or leave it to the imagination of the reader.


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Writing a Paragraph+ Writing Process