|
What is a paragraph?
A paragraph is a group of sentences that develops one
main idea. A paragraph may stand by itself as a complete piece of
writing, or it may be a section of a longer piece of writing, such
as an essay.
Paragraph Length
There is no single rule that will give you this answer, but if a
paragraph is too short, the reader will feel that basic information
is missing. If the paragraph is too long, the reader will be bored
or confused. A good rule of thumb is that paragraphs should be
between five to twelve sentences long.
Elements existing within the paragraph
Topic Sentences
A topic sentence states the main idea of a
paragraph. It is the most general sentence of the
paragraph. All the other sentences serve to explain,
describe, extend or support this main-idea sentence. The
topic sentence may be the first sentence of the
paragraph but that is not required.
Example:
Swimming in a lake is fun...This is the topic
sentence. The rest of the paragraph supports this main
idea.
What is the Controlling Idea of a topic sentence?
A topic sentence should contain not only the topic but
also a controlling idea. The controlling idea of a
topic sentence is the attitude or point of view that the
writer takes toward the topic.
Example:
Swimming in a lake is fun....The controlling
idea of this topic sentence (the attitude of the author)
is that it is fun.
Swimming in a lake is dangerous...The
controlling idea of this topic sentence (the attitude of
the author) is that it is dangerous.
How do you find the controlling idea of a topic
sentence? Ask yourself this question: What is the
writer's attitude toward the topic?
Supporting Detail in a
paragraph?
Once you have constructed a topic sentence made up
of the topic and its controlling idea, you are ready to
support your statement with details. A supporting
detail is a piece of evidence used by the writer to make
the controlling idea of the topic sentence convincing
and interesting to the reader.
Good supporting detail really makes clear the
information you are trying to tell the reader.
Example:
Poor supporting details: Many people died because of
the flu in the 1960's.
Good supporting details: In 1968, 70,000 people died
of the Hong Kong Flu in the United States.
Transitions
in a paragraph
Transitions are words that show
connection or relations between ideas.
Example:
First, I put the key in the door. Then, I turn the key.
Next, I open the door.
The words "first," "then" and "next" are consider
transition words. In the above example they show
movement from one idea to the next.
Here is a link to a list of transitional words that
you can use in different writing situations.
Visit
the link, print it out and put it in your workbook.
Closing Sentence in a
paragraph
The closing sentence is the last sentence in a paragraph. It
restates the main idea of your paragraph. It tells the
reader what you were writing about. You should restate the
main idea of the paragraph using different words. Note:
paragraphs do not always require closing sentence. It
depends on what you are writing about.
Example Paragraph
The following paragraph shows a topic
sentence, a controlling idea,
supporting detail and
a closing sentence.
There are three reasons why
I want to learn
English. One reason is that English has
become an international language. It is now used by most
international companies, including the company where I work, for
business communication. Another reason why I want to learn English
is so that I can travel to English-speaking countries. The United
States, England, Australia and many other countries all use English
as their primary language. Finally, I want to learn English because
I plan to move to the U.S. in the future. I will become a manager
for my company soon. For all these
reasons, I am very excited about learning English.
The process or steps for writing paragraphs
Follow this link to a description of the process for
paragraph writing. Print out this handout, and put it in
your workbook. I have taken this description from a web site
name The English Zone: english-zone.com
Evaluating paragraphs
This can be done by using the
steps for editing
paragraphs, found in the process for writing paragraphs
handout.
|