Chapter 1: Paragraph Structure
Word Families
Are groups of words that are related.
Words in a word family often have similar meaning but are different parts of speech.
Parts of a Paragraph
Paragraphs generally include three parts.
All paragraphs have a topic sentence and supporting sentences.
Most paragraphs also have a concluding sentence.
I. The Topic Sentence
Most important sentence in a paragraph.
Briefly indicates what the paragraph is going to discuss.
Helpful guide to both the writer and the reader.
Three important points to remember about a topic sentence
a. A topic sentence is a complete sentence; that is, it contains at least one subject
and one verb.
b. A topic sentence contains two parts: a topic and a controlling idea.
Topic
Names the subject of the paragraph.
Controlling Idea
Limits or controls the topic to a specific area that you can discuss
in the space of a single paragraph.
Example:
Communication with colleagues requires sensitivity and understanding.
c. A topic sentence is the most general statement in the paragraph it gives only the
topic and the controlling idea. It does not give any specific details.
Sentence is too general if it doesn’t provide much guidance about what
the paragraph will be about.
Sentence is too specific if it could serve as a supporting sentence but not
as a topic sentence.
Topic sentence is usually (but not always) the first sentence in a paragraph.
II. Supporting Sentences
Explain or prove the topic sentence.
It must be specific details to be through and convincing.
Kinds of specific supporting details
a. Facts
Objective of truths
Opinions are subjective statements based on a person’s beliefs or
attitudes.
b. Examples
Easiest kind of supporting detail to use because can take examples from
your own knowledge and experience.
Examples make writing lively and interesting.
c. Statistics
d. Quotations
III. The Concluding Sentence
Serve as two purposes:
a. Signals the end of the paragraph
b. Reminds the reader of the important ideas.
It can do either by summarizing the main points of the paragraph or by repeating the
topic sentence in different words (paraphrasing).
A concluding sentence is helpful to the reader because it is a reminder of the important
points.
The Writing Process
Step 1: Prewrite to get ideas
Choose a topic and generate ideas.
Step 2: Organize your ideas
Decide which ideas to use and how you will organize them.
Create a plan of the main ideas and the supporting information for each of your
paragraphs.
Organizing your ideas will make writing a paragraph with a topic sentence and
supporting points and details much easier.
Step 3: Write the first draft
Follow your plan and write a first draft.
It is important to focus on making your ideas clear.
First draft is not supposed to be perfect.
Step 4: Revise the draft
Changing what you have written to improve it by checking the content and
organization.
Peer reviewer’s job is to read, ask questions, and comment on what is good and what
might be changed or made clearer.
Step 5: Edit and proofread the draft
Checking for possible mistakes in grammar, punctuation, spelling, and sentence
structure.
It helps to have a checklist.
Step 6: Write a new draft
Last step of the process it to write a new, final draft.
Writing process involves continuous writing, revising, and rewriting until you are
satisfied with the final product.