Writing Paragraphs

English I

Page 62-98

• WHAT IS A PARAGRAPH? A paragraph usually contains a general idea in one sentence, and 4 - 5 supporting sentences which expand this idea by giving explanation, details and/or examples to support the main idea. Length can vary. On the page, the paragraph is a solid block of writing. To start a new paragraph, you should leave a whole line and start at the beginning of the line after. You can indent - if handwriting (start about 2 cm from the left), but this is not necessary if you have left a line.

HOW IS A PARAGRAPH STRUCTURED?

• There is no one correct structure. However, a useful structure is:

• 1. Topic Sentence    This is the first sentence and it expresses the main idea.

• 2. Supporting Sentences details that expand your main idea.

• 3. Concluding Sentence a rounding off, possibly by summarizing what has been said or drawing a logical conclusion from it.

• So, in a nutshell…• Another way of explaining the 3 parts of a paragraph is

to describe these parts like this:• 1. Say what you are going to say. • 2. Say it. • 3. Say what you've said! 

The Main Idea

• Most paragraphs are organized around one main idea. The sentences in the paragraph make that main idea clear.

• Read pg. 68 and find the main idea:

• The main idea is stated in the first sentence. All the other sentences give more specific info to support that idea.

Topic Sentence

• The main idea of a paragraph is found in the topic sentence. This can be found almost anywhere in the paragraph but will most likely be found in the first or second sentence.

• When a topic sentence is at the beginning of the paragraph, it tells the reader what to expect for the rest of the paragraph. When would you put it at the end?

• Read the paragraph on pg. 69. Where is the topic sentence?

• Topic sentences are important for they help you focus your paragraph when you are writing. They suggest the order of details, either by compare/contrast or by cause and effect.

• Do Ex. 1 (pg. 70)

Support Sentences

• After you have your topic sentence, you then need support sentences to give specific details or information to support the main idea of the paragraph. The following are types of supporting sentences:

• Sensory Details

• Facts or statistics

• Examples

Sensory Details

• These are precise bits of information that you observe, or collect, through any of your five senses-

• Sight, sound, smell, touch, taste.

• Look at the paragraph on pg. 71

Facts and Statistics

• A fact is something that can be proven true by concrete information:

• The D-Day invasion happened on June, 6, 1944.

• A statistic is a fact that is based on numbers:

• The American casualties on D-Day were 1500.

• Look at the paragraph on pg. 72.

Examples

• Examples are specific instances of a general idea:

• A 50% is an example of what you may get on your next test if you don’t study.

• Look at pg. 73.

• Do Ex. 2

The Clincher Sentence

• You may want to end your paragraph with a sentence that restates or summarizes the main idea. This clincher sentence pulls all the details together.

• Look at pg. 75.

Unity

• A paragraph has unity when all the sentences work together as a unit to express or support one main idea. There are three ways this is done:

• By supporting a main idea that is stated in a topic sentence

• By supporting a main idea that is implied (understood w/o being directly expressed)

• By expressing a related series of actions• Look at page 76.• Do Ex. 3 (pg. 78)

Coherence• A good paragraph has coherence to it, meaning that it all

seems to fit together. There are two things to making your paragraph coherent:

• The order in which you arrange your ideas (chronological order-according to time) (spatial order-according to how they are spaced) (order of importance-which is most important, next, etc.) (logical order-group or arrange ideas together to show how they are related)

• Do Ex. 4 and 5• The connections you make between ideas

(making direct references to something else in the paragraph)(using words that make a transition, or bridge, from one idea to another)

Do Ex. 6 and 7