What is a paragraph?

  A paragraph is a group of related sentences which develops one main idea. There are tree main elements in a paragraph, namely the topic sentence, the supporting sentences, and the concluding sentence.

 

1.The Topic Sentence

         Every paragraph has a topic sentence, which clearly states the topic and the controlling idea of the paragraph. It is a complete sentence. It is usually (but not always) the first sentence in the paragraph.

         A topic sentence is the most important sentence in a paragraph. It briefly indicates what the paragraph is going to discuss. For this reason, the topic sentence is a helpful guide to both the writer and the reader. The writer can see what information to include (and what information to exclude). The reader can see what the paragraph is going to be about and is, there fore, better prepared to understand it.

I. There are three important points to remember about a topic sentence

. 

1. A topic sentence is a complete sentence; that is, it contains a subject, a verb, and (usually) a complement. The following are not complete sentence:

         Driving on freeways

         The importance of gold

         How to register for college

2. A topic sentence contains both a topic and a controlling idea. It name the topic and then limits the topic to a specific area to be discussed in the space of a single paragraph. The following examples show how a topic sentence states both the topic and the controlling idea in a complete sentence.

            Driving on freeways requires skill and alertness.

            Gold, a precious metal, is prized for two important characteristics.

            Registering for college classes can be a frustrating experience for new students.

3. A topic sentence is the most general statement in the paragraph because it gives only the main idea. It does not give any specific details.

              The following is an example of a general statement that could serve as a topic sentence:

              The Arabic origin of many English words is not always obvious.

The following, on the other hand, is too specific :

    The slang expression so long (meaning "good bye") is probably a corruption of the Arabic Salaam.

Sentence such as the following may be too general:

    English is a difficult language to learn.

Generally, an effective sentence must (1) identify what the paragraph is about (the topic) and (2) make a point (an idea) about the topic.

 

    II. Writing Topic Sentence

 

When you write a topic sentence, remember these two points.   

 

1. A topic sentence should be neither too general nor too specific. If it is too general, the reader cannot tell exactly what the paragraph is going to discuss. If it is too specific, the writer may not have anything left to about in the rest of the paragraph.

 Too General   : American food is terrible.

Too Specific   : American food is tasteless and greasy because    Americans use too many canned,                                frozen, and    prepackaged foods and because everything is fried    in oil or butter.Good               : American food is tasteless and greasy.

 

 2. Do not include too many unrelated ideas in your topic sentence; if you do, your paragraph will not be unified.

 

Too many ideas   : San Francisco is famous for its temperate climate, its many tourist attractions, and its cosmopolitan atmosphere.

  The three parts of this controlling idea are too unrelated for a single paragraph. They would require three separate paragraphs.

 

Good: San Francisco is famous for its cosmopolitan atmosphere

 

III. The position of Topic Sentence

 

      The topic sentence may be the first or the last sentence in a paragraph. The topic sentence may also be the first and the last sentence of the paragraph-“a sandwich style.” A sandwich-style paragraph is especially helpful to your reader if the paragraph is very long. The second topic sentence in the sandwich-style paragraph also serves as a concluding sentence. 

 

IV. The two parts of a Topic Sentence

 

        A good topic sentence gas two essential parts: the topic and the controlling idea. The topic is the subject of your paragraph. It is what you are writing about. The controlling idea makes a specific comment about the topic, which indicates what the rest of the paragraph will say about the topic. It limits or controls the topic to a specific aspect of the topic to be discussed in the space of a single paragraph. 

 

Look at these examples:

 

1. New York is a fun place to be on New Year’s Eve.

        topic                         controlling idea

2. New York has great entertainment.

       topic                controlling idea

 

3. New York is the world’s most famous city.

       topic                    controlling idea

2. Supporting Sentences

 

I. Introduction to Supporting Sentences

       The supporting sentences, which are the next parts of the paragraph, are used to support the topic sentence. They develop the topic sentence by giving specific details. In order to choose details to support the topic sentence, rephrase it as a question, and then answer that question with your supporting sentences.

 

 

For example, when you read about smoking, the topic sentence is: 

           Smoking is harmful for four reasons. 

If you turn that statement into a question, it will say: 

          What are the four harmful reasons of smoking?

The supporting sentences in the paragraph must answer this question by explaining what the four harmful reasons of smoking are. Look at the model paragraph on page 9 and complete this list.

 

1.Firstly, it is a very expensive habit.

2.____________________________

 

   You can see that the supporting sentences list the four harmful reasons of smoking.Another question

 you can ask about your topic sentence is this one: How can I prove this? Your supporting sentences 

 should give some facts or examples that prove your topic sentence is true.

 For example, suppose you wrote this topic sentence: 

      Traditional American family relationships have changed greatly in the last thirty years. 

      You could then ask yourself: How can I prove that this is true? You could prove or support it by giving facts such as these: 

1.x out of x marriages end in divorce (in the United States).

2.x out x children live in homes with only one parent.

3.x percent of couples living together are not legally married.

Still another way to develop your topic sentence is to give examples. Suppose you wrote this

topic sentence: 

  Valentine’s Day is a very expensive holiday. 

You could then ask yourself: How can I prove it? You could prove or support this topic sentence by giving examples of the cost of different activities during Valentine’s Day such as these:

1.People who are in love with each other exchange expensive gifts.

2.The gifts often cost a lot of money, sometimes as much as $100.

3.A romantic dinner at a nice restaurant may cost $100 or more per person. 

 

Look at the model paragraph below

An Expensive Holiday

      Valentine’s Day is a very expensive holiday. Typically, people who are in love with each other exchange gifts. The gifts often cost a lot of money, sometimes as much as $100. In some cases, if you don’t spend that much, your sweetheart might think you don’t care. “Some less expensive gifts that people often give are chocolate and flowers.” One pound of good chocolate may cost $10 to $15, and you add up all of the chocolate that is sold on Valentine’s Day, the total is probably well over $1 million. Flowers cost more than chocolate, so sales of flowers may amount to $5 million! Also, it is often expected that you and your sweetheart will go out to dinner on that evening. A romantic dinner at a nice restaurant may cost $100 or more than one person. It seems to me that Valentine’s Day is one of the most expensive days of the year. In short, in order to develop your topic sentence, you must write supporting sentences that prove, or support your ideas. An easy way to do this is to rephrase your topic sentence as a question or to ask yourself: How can I prove that? You should, moreover, know that the sentences that you select to support the topic sentence of your paragraph depend on the audience and the purpose of the paragraph.

 

As you write a paragraph, you should ask yourself:

1. Which technique would best support my topic sentence?

2. Which technique would best convince my audience that mytopic sentence is valid?

     One of the common ways to support a topic sentence is to use Facts or statistics. 

 

An Expensive Holiday 

      Valentine’s Day is a very expensive holiday. Typically, people who are in love with each other exchange gifts. The gifts often cost a lot of money, sometimes as much as $100. In some cases, if you don’t spend that much, your sweetheart might think you don’t care. “Some less expensive gifts that people often give are chocolate and flowers. One pound of good chocolate may cost $10 to $15, and you add up all of the chocolate that is sold on Valentine’s Day, the total is probably well over $1 million. Flowers cost more that chocolate, so sales of flowers may amount to $5 million! Also, it is often expected that you and your sweetheart will go out to dinner on that evening. A romantic dinner at a nice restaurant may cost $100 or more than one person. It seems to me that Valentine’s Day is one of the most expensive days of the year. A second way to support a topic sentence is with examples.

Valentine’s Day Overload

     Usually three or four weeks before Valentine’s Day, you begin to see too many reminders of this only-for-lovers holiday almost everywhere. For example, you see red hearts and cupids in every shop and restaurant. Shops what you to buy a gift for your Valentine, and restaurants hope that you will treat yourself and your Valentine to an expensive dinner. You also seem to see more pictures of people in love. They walk and-in-hand and gaze into each other’s eyes lovingly. Another example of Valentine’s Day reminders is seeing the commercials on TV, which tell you about all the wonderful presents and cards that you can buy for that “special someone.” In short, we are constantly reminded of Valentine’s Day for several weeks each year.

 

II. Major and Minor supporting sentences 

 

In terms of organization, especially of expository paragraphs, there are two types of supporting sentences: major supporting sentences and minor supporting sentences. The major supporting sentences are the main details that tell us about the topic sentence. The minor supporting sentences tell us more about the major supporting sentences.

        Look at the paragraph “Ways to Celebrate New Year’s Eve” below. 

Ways to Celebrate New Year’s Eve

     People in the United States celebrate New Year’s Eve in many ways. {The most common way may be going to a big party with lots of friends, music, and dancing(Major Supporting Sentences ). At the stroke of midnight, people at these parties grab their sweethearts and spend the first seconds of the New Year kissing them. Another way to spend New Year’s Eve is with the significant other in your life}. The New Year is greeted with a champagne toast to the relationship. Sometimes, families with children like to spend the evening together, letting the “kids” stay up until midnight. Finally, some people like to spend the evening by themselves. They use this time to evaluate the past year and to make resolutions and plans for the coming year. It is a time of reflection that can only happen when one is alone. In short, New Year’s Eve is a special time that can be spent with friends, with family, or even alone. Look at the paragraph “Ways to Celebrate New Year’s Eve” above. Below, it has been diagrammed to show the parts of a paragraph, including the major and minor supporting sentences. 

1.Topic Sentence (TS)

  People in the United States celebrate New Year’s Eve in many ways.

2. Supporting Sentences

   Major Supporting Sentences (SS)

  The most common way may be going to a big party with lots   of friends, music, and dancing.

Ÿ Minor Supporting Sentences (SS)

                At the stroke of midnight, people at these parties grab their sweethearts and spend the first seconds of the New Year kissing them.

Ø Major Supporting Sentences (SS)

             Another way to spend New Year’s Eve is with the significant other in your life.

             Ÿ Minor Supporting Sentences (SS)

               The New Year is greeted with a champagne toast to the relationship.

Ø Major Supporting Sentences (SS)

            Sometimes, families with children like to spend the   evening together, letting the“kids” stay up until midnight.

Ø Major Supporting Sentences (SS)

  Finally, some people like to spend the evening by   themselves.

           Ÿ Minor Supporting Sentences (SS)

              They use this time to evaluate the past year and to make resolutions and plans for the coming year.

           Ÿ Minor Supporting Sentences (SS)

              It is a time of reflection that can only happen when one is alone.

3. Concluding Sentence (CS)

           In short, New Year’s Eve is a special time that can be spent with friends, with family, or even alone. 

           It is important to note that all major supporting sentences do not need have the same number of minor supporting sentences at all.

3. Concluding Sentences

After you have finished the last sentence supporting the main point of a paragraph, you must

end the paragraph with a concluding sentence. This sentence tells the reader that the

paragraph is finished, and it completes the development of the subject of the paragraph.The

concluding sentence is like the topic sentence because both are general statements. However,

the topic sentence is usually the first sentence, a general statement that introduces the topic to

be discussed in the paragraph. The concluding sentence is also a general statement, but it is

the last sentence and ends the paragraph.  The concluding sentence of a paragraph is

generally a restatement of the topic sentence. It may not be possible to restate the topic itself,

but it is always possible to restate the controlling idea. A concluding sentence serves three

purposes:

1.It signals the end of the paragraph.

2.It summarizes the main points of the paragraph.

3.It gives a final comment of the topic and leaves the reader with the most important

ideas to think about.

When you write a concluding sentence, you can use one of the following methods.

1.Restate the topic sentence in different words. Do not just copy the topic sentence.

2.Summarize the main point in the supporting sentences of the paragraph.

3.Give your own opinion about the paragraph.

You may begin the concluding sentence with a phrase that tells the reader that the

paragraph is completed.

These are followed by a comma.

     Finally, ...                                                                                  

     In conclusion, ...                                                                         

     In summary, ...                                                                             

     In short, ...                                                              

     In brief, ...                                                           

     Indeed, ...                                                             

    Thus, ...                                                                                        

    Therefore, ...                                                                                    

    As a result, ...

    For these reasons, ..

These are not followed by a comma.

    We can see that ...

    It is clear that ..

    It is clear that ..

   These examples show that ..

   These can be no doubt that ...

   The evidence suggests that ...

 

       Look at this paragraph and pay particular attention to the topic sentence and its restatement in the

concluding sentence.

Model paragraph

1.How to Carve a Pumpkin

With Halloween just around the corner, it’s good to know how to carve a pumpkin.

          The first step is to gather your materials. You will need a large pumpkin, a sharp pen,

a candle, and some newspaper. Spread the newspaper on a table and place the pumpkin on top

of it. Using the knife, cut off the top of the pumpkin. Then use the spoon to take out the seeds

from the inside the pumpkin. Next, with the marking pen, draw eyes, a nose, and a mouth on

one side of the pumpkin in shapes that can be cut out. The next step is to carefully cut out the

eyes, nose, and mouth with the knife. Put a lighted candle inside the pumpkin, and put the top

back on the pumpkin. Finally, put it in a window after dark on Halloween night. Once you

know how to carve a pumpkin, you can amuse your trick-or-treaters this year and every year. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A second, less common, way to conclude a paragraph is to write a sentence that summarizes the

main points in the body of the paragraph.

Model paragraph 2

Celebrating the New Year

       The new year is celebrated throughout the world at many different times, based on the solar or lunar calendar. January 1 is recognized throughout the world as the beginning of the new year, but this date is the beginning of the Christian year based on the Gregorian solar calendar. The Jewish new year is called Rosh Hashanah and is celebrated in September or October even though the Hebrew calendar is lunar. the Chinese new year, called Tet in Vietnam,  follows a lunar calendar and comes on a day between January 10 and February 19 according to the solar calendar. Islam also uses a lunar calendar. Its new year celebration is in the spring, and the date varies depending on the year. In short, Christians use the solar calendar, whereas Jew, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Muslims use a lunar calendar to determine when to celebrate the new year. 

The last common way to conclude the paragraph is to give an opinion on the topic. 

 

Model paragraph 3

Smoking

       Smoking is harmful for four reasons. Firstly, Smoking is a very expensive habit. Frequently, the price of cigarettes rises. Secondly, it is bad for the respiratory system. Smokers get colds which last for a long time. As well, they get bronchitis and pneumonia more easily than non-smokers. Thirdly, everyone knows that there is a connection between lung-cancer and smoking. Finally, smoking gives you bad breath. Most smokers hate the smell of tobacco and they do not want to sit near someone who will puff smoke all over them. In my opinion, it is better not to start smoking.