TOPIC SENTENCE: A well-organized paragraph supports or develops a single controlling idea, which is expressed in a sentence called the topic

sentence. Topic sentence = topic + controlling statement It advises the reader of the subject to be discussed and how the paragraph will discuss it. Readers generally look to the first few sentences in a paragraph to determine the subject and perspective of the paragraph. Thats why its often best to put the topic sentence at the very beginning of the paragraph.

People can avoid burglaries by taking certain precautions. (The precautions for)

2. There are several advantages to growing up in a small town. (The advantages of) 3. Most US universities require a 550 point TOEFL score for a number of reasons. (The reasons for) 4. Air pollution in Mexico City is the worst in the world for a number of reasons. (The causes of) or (The effects of) 5. Fixing a flat tire on a bicycle is easy if you follow these steps. (The steps for) 6. There are several enjoyable ways to travel between the US and Queretaro. (The ways to) or (The methods of) 7. Animals in danger of becoming extinct come from a wide range of countries. (The different countries [parts, kinds, types]) 8. Effective leadership requires specific qualities that anyone can develop. (The qualities (or characteristics or traits) of) 9. Industrial waste poured into Lake Michigan has led to dramatic changes in its ability to support marine life. (The effects of) 10. In order to fully explore the wreck of the Titanic, scientists must address several problems. (The difficulties of) or (The obstacles to)

SUPPORTING DETAILS: Supporting details are facts and details that explain, describe, or otherwise help the reader understand the topic sentence. Anything that tells more about the topic is a supporting detail Supporting Details:
details that tell you more about the main idea Supporting details make your main idea stronger!

COHERENT PARAGRAPH: A coherent paragraph does more than simply lay down the facts--it organizes them, creating a logical argument that makes sense from idea to idea. Coherent paragraphs have a beginning, a middle, and an end. Elements that contribute to coherence, such as transitional devices, linking pronouns, and repetition of key words, are discussed in the following sections. Coherence itself is the product of two factors paragraph unity and sentence cohesion. EXAMPLE Weak Limited investment in the housing sector makes it practically impossible to allocate sufficient resources for urban dwellers' housing needs. A high rate of urban

population growth has increased the country's needs for housing. A small group of city officials has laid out a new plan to combat the crisis. A solution to the housing-shortage problem is a vital policy issue here. Thehousing problem has grown in the last twenty years. [Although related by topic (housing shortage), each sentence makes its own separate point with no link to the sentences before or after. The result is a group of related yet separate ideas instead of one coherent paragraph.] Improved Limited investment in the housing sector makes it practically impossible to allocate sufficient resources for urban dwellers' housing needs. In fact, the problem has grown in the last twenty

years. Because a high rate of urban population growth has increased the country's needs for housing, a solution to the housing-shortage problem is a vital policy issue here. A small group of city officials has laid out a new plan to combat the crisis. [Each separate fact now flows into the next, creating a coherent whole.]

What is the conclusion paragraph? The third part of the essay is called the conclusion paragraph. It acts the same way that a concluding sentence works. In this paragraph the writer should briefly restate what they have written in the four previous paragraphs. Let's look at our sample essay. The conclusion paragraph is highlighted in blue. The conclusion should contain a definite, positive statement or call to action, but that statement needs to be based on what we have provided in the essay. Second, the conclusion is no place to bring up new ideas. If a brilliant idea tries to sneak into our final paragraph,

Your conclusion is a wrap-up of the entire essay. It takes your introduction and essentially says to the reader, "See, I told you so." You should be writing your conclusion with the belief that you have proven everything you have set out to prove in your essay. You are allowed to be confident here, and you are even allowed to drop little extra pieces of information that make the reader think more than you previewed in the entire paper. It is also important to have a concluding mini-thesis in this paragraph. This statement is the closing tagline, the "see what I just did" idea in every paper.

we must pluck it out and let it have its own paragraph earlier in the essay. If it doesn't fit the structure or argument of the essay, we will leave it out altogether and let it have its own essay later on. The last thing we want in our conclusion is an excuse for our readers' minds wandering off into some new field. Allowing a peer editor or friend to reread our essay before we hand it in is one way to check this impulse before it ruins our good intentions and hard work. , if you promised in the introduction that you were going to cover four points and you covered only two (because you couldn't find enough information or you took too long with the first two or you got tired), don't try to cram those last two points into your final paragraph. The "rush job" will be all too apparent. Instead, revise

your introduction or take the time to do justice to these other points.

y include a brief summary of the paper's main points. y ask a provocative question. y use a quotation. y evoke a vivid image. y call for some sort of action. y end with a warning. y universalize (compare to other situations). y suggest results or consequences.