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Understanding Paragraph Development

The document provides definitions and guidelines for paragraph development in English writing, including concepts such as indentation, order of information, paragraph length, topic sentences, supporting sentences, enumeration, enumerators, and listing signals. It emphasizes the importance of structure and clarity in writing paragraphs to effectively convey central ideas. Each element discussed contributes to the overall coherence and organization of written content.

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24 views2 pages

Understanding Paragraph Development

The document provides definitions and guidelines for paragraph development in English writing, including concepts such as indentation, order of information, paragraph length, topic sentences, supporting sentences, enumeration, enumerators, and listing signals. It emphasizes the importance of structure and clarity in writing paragraphs to effectively convey central ideas. Each element discussed contributes to the overall coherence and organization of written content.

Uploaded by

armitaesteki85
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Definitions from Paragraph Development: A Guide for Students of English

1. Indentation

The first sentence of a paragraph is always indented so that the reader will know that a new subject-or a

different aspect of the same subject-is being dealt with. The writer does this by leaving a blank space at the

beginning of the paragraph. Think of indentation as simply another kind of punctuation.

2. Ascending / Descending (Order)

In ascending order, the writer presents the least important item first and the most important item last.

In descending order, the writer presents the most important item first and the least important item last.

3. Length

A paragraph may vary in length. Some paragraphs are quite short; others are extremely long. Most

paragraphs have more than three sentences in them and usually have between 100 and 200 words.

4. Topic Sentence

The first sentence of a paragraph is usually called the topic sentence.

A paragraph is a group of sentences which develop one central idea. The central idea is usually stated in a

topic sentence.

In a topic sentence, always try to make a statement about your topic which limits it to a certain extent: Topic

Sentence = TOPIC + LIMITING STATEMENT.

5. Supporting Sentence

Besides the topic sentence, a paragraph includes several other sentences which in some way contribute to or

support the idea in the topic sentence. In other words, all these sentences must be related to the topic and

must therefore refer back to the topic sentence.


Definitions from Paragraph Development: A Guide for Students of English

6. Enumeration

Enumeration means listing points or examples one by one.

It is one of the rhetorical patterns most commonly found in expository writing.

7. Enumerator

An enumerator is a word or phrase that introduces a point in a list - for example, 'first', 'second', 'finally', and

so on. They help show that you are presenting a series of related points in an organized order.

8. Listing Signals

Listing signals are words or phrases that indicate a list is being presented. They may be enumerators (first,

second, etc.), or phrases like 'the following', 'such as', or 'for example'. They help the reader follow the

organization of the paragraph clearly.

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