PARAGRAPHS 2.

Ask
On the same topic, ask yourself:
Paragraph  “What kind of person do I love or admire?”
- It is a group of related sentences that develops one main idea.  “Is there a family member I would enjoy writing about?”
- It is composed of 5 to 12 sentences.  “Who is the funniest, most unusual, or most talented person I know?”
- It is marked by the indentation of the first word in the first sentence. 3. Think deeper
i.e., you have already chosen a person, in the name of “Pete”.
The topic sentence states the main idea.
The body of the paragraph develops and supports the main idea with particular facts,
details and examples.

 Use of Coordination and subordination

 Coordination – connect complete sentences, clauses and phrases (for, and,
nor, but, or, yet, so)
 Subordination – connect two related sentences to each other so that one
carries the main idea and the other is no longer a complete sentence.
(although, after, as, as if, because, even if, rather than, since, though,
unless, until, when, whereas, while)
 Use of relative pronouns (which, who, whoever, whom, that, whose)
 Use of participles and participial phrases (-ing, -ed, -d) 1 1
 Use of prepositions
 A preposition is a word or set of words that indicates location (in, near,
beside, on top of) or some other relationship between a noun or pronoun
and other parts of the sentence (about, after, besides, instead of, in
accordance with). Writing the Topic Sentence
 A preposition isn't a preposition unless it goes with a related noun or Wrong: “Pete is sloppy”
pronoun, called the object of the preposition. Correct: “Pete’s sloppiness is a terrible habit.”
 Use of transitional words and phrases
Writing a good topic sentence is an important step toward an effective paragraph
because the topic sentence controls the direction and scope of the body. A topic
sentence should have a clear controlling idea and should be a complete sentence.
Narrowing the Topic
You can think of the topic sentence as having two parts, a topic and a controlling idea.
1. Think about your audience and purpose. The controlling idea states the writer’s point of view or attitude about the topic.
i.e., “Write a paragraph describing a person you know.”
Audience : instructor and classmates The controlling idea helps you focus on just one aspect or point.
Purpose : to inform, or entertain, by describing a person you want to write
about.
Generating Ideas for the Body
*using data gathered through your Pre-writing strategies
i.e., brainstorming on the topic “Pete’s sloppiness is a terrible habit.”
1. His apartment is full of dirty clothes, books, candy wrappers
2. His favorite candy—M&Ms
3. He is often a latecomer or a no-show
4. He jots time-and-place information for dates and appointments on scraps of
paper that are soon forgotten
5. Stacks of old newspapers sit on chair seats
6. Socks are on the lampshades
7. Papers for classes are wrinkled and carelessly scrawled
8. I met Pete for the first time in math class
9. His sister is just the opposite, very neat
10. Always late for classes, out of breath
11. He is one messy person
12. Papers are stained with coffee or M&Ms
X 2,8,9 – not related to the topic
X 11 – just repeats the topic sentence
Arranging Ideas in a Plan or an Outline
1. Group together ideas that have something in common, that are related or alike
in some way.
2. Order your ideas by choosing which one you want to present first, then second,
and so on.
Writing the First Draft
- Should contain all the ideas you have decided to use in the order you have
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chosen in your plan.
- Be sure to start with your topic sentence.
- Try to write the best, most interesting, or most amusing paragraph you can.
- Avoid getting stuck on any one word, sentence or idea.
- If unsure about something, put a check in the margin and come back to it later.
- Once you have included all ideas in your plan, think about adding a concluding
sentence that summarizes your main point.
Revising
- rethinking and rewriting your fi rst draft and then making whatever changes,
additions, or corrections are necessary to improve the paragraph.
- You may cross out and rewrite words or entire sentences. You may add, drop,
or rearrange details.
- As you revise, keep the reader in mind. Ask yourself these questions:
 Is my topic sentence clear?
 Can a reader understand and follow my ideas?
 Does the paragraph follow a logical order and guide the reader from point
to point?
 Will the paragraph keep the reader interested?
 FINAL DRAFT
Revising for Support
Pete’s sloppiness is a terrible habit. He lives by himself in a one-room
SUPPORT apartment carpeted with dirty clothes, books, and crumpled candy wrappers. Stacks of
a. Examples – particular instances of a general idea or principle papers cover the chair seats. Socks bake on the lampshades. When Pete makes a date
b. Details – small items or pieces of information that make up something or an appointment, he may jot down the time and place on a scrap of paper that is soon
larger. tucked into a pocket and forgotten, or—more likely—he doesn’t jot down the
c. Facts – specific pieces of information that can be verified as accurate information at all. As a result, Pete often arrives late, or he completely forgets to
d. Reasons – explanations, justifications, or causes. appear. His grades have suffered, too, because few instructors will put up with a
e. Incidents – events or happenings. student who arrives out of breath ten minutes after the class has begun and whose
wrinkled, carelessly scrawled papers arrive (late, of course) punctuated with coffee
stains and melted M&Ms. The less Pete controls his sloppiness, the more it seems to
FIRST DRAFT REVISIONS control him.

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ACTIVITY

Paragraph 1
Discuss an important day in your life
Think back to a day when you learned something important. In the topic
sentence, tell what you learned. Freewrite, or brainstorm to gather ideas. Then
describe the lesson in detail, including only the most important steps or events
in the learning process. Conclude with an insight.

Paragraph 2
Describe your ideal job
Decide on the job for which you are best suited and, in your topic sentence, tell
what this job is. Then describe the qualities of this job that make it ideal.
Include information about the pay, benefits, intangible rewards, working
conditions, and duties this perfect job would offer you. Explain how each
quality you describe matches your needs and desires. Revise your work,
checking for support and unity.

Paragraph 3
Discuss a quotation 4 4
Look through the Book of Proverbs and pick a verse that strikes or speaks the
most to you. In your topic sentence, state how you feel about the quotation.
Then explain why you feel the way you do, giving examples from your own
experience to support or contradict the quotation. Make sure your reader knows
exactly how you feel.
TRANSITIONS
- Uses particular words and phrases to connect or link one paragraph to another.

 Conjunctive Adverbs
 Transitional Phrases
 Implied or Conceptual Transitions

CONJUNCTIVE ADVERBS

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