TOPIC:
Paragraph Writing/Development
Class: BSN-3rd Semester
Overview
Purpose
Definition rm
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Alexander Bain’ six rules or principles of the paragraph l at
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Compositions of Paragraph n
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Elements of Paragraph u ca
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Example of Unified Paragraph sh,
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Types of Paragraph/Patterns of Development
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PURPOSE OF WRITING
Knowing Your Purpose and Audience
The three most common purposes of writing are to inform, to persuade, and to entertain.
Each is described briefly below.
• To inform —to give information about a subject. Authors whomare writing to inform want
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to provide facts that will explain or teach something tto fo readers. For example, an
informative paragraph about sandwiches might begin, “Eating
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bread—a sandwich—is a practice that has its origins inaeighteenth century England.”
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• To persuade —to convince the reader to agree with
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Authors who are writing to persuade may givedufacts, but their main goal is to argue or prove
E sandwiches might begin, “There are good
a point to readers. A persuasive paragraph, about
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s with whole-grain bread.”
reasons why every sandwich should be imade
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• To entertain —to amuse and delight; D to appeal to the reader’s senses and imagination.
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Authors write to entertain in various ways, through fiction and nonfiction. An entertaining
paragraph about sandwiches b dmight begin, “What I wanted was a midnight snack, but what I
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got was better—the biggest, most magical sandwich in the entire world.”
What is Paragraph?
A paragraph is a group of related statements that a writer develops about a
subject.
The first sentence states the specific point, or idea, of the topic.
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The rest of the sentences in the paragraph support that tpoint, f or idea.
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Scottish Logician Alexander Bain defines a paragraph P as a “collection of sentences
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with unity of purpose.” io
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Alexander Bain popularized six rules dfor uc paragraph construction within his
rhetorical theory.
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As a result, he is usually called theanfounder of paragraph theory. His concept of the
paragraph appears to be analogically D derived from sentence theory.
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The theory asserts that the paragraph
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consists of several sentences. In addition, it claims that the paragraph should deal
with only one subject or topic and should comprise the topic sentence at the
beginning, followed by several supporting sentences, and a concluding sentence at
the end. Moreover, according to the theory, the topic sentence should have only one
topic and one controlling idea (or main idea).
Alexander Bain’ six rules or principles of the paragraph
Alexander Bain formulated six rules or principles of the
paragraph:
1. The direction and purpose of each sentence should connect
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must be explicit and unmistakable. tfo
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2. When several consecutive sentences repeat or illustrate
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much possible be formed alike. (Parallel construction) io The main subject and predicate
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should maintain their positions throughout.
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3. The opening sentence (topic sentence) , is expected to indicate the subject of the
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paragraph.
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4. Each sentence in a paragraphhshouldDa be found in its most suitable location within the
paragraph. Every paragraph hasu lla a plan dictated by the nature of the composition. As such,
sentences should be laid out
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confusion. A
5. A paragraph should possess unity and contain a definite purpose. There should be no
sentences or information contained in that paragraph which does not support that purpose.
6. The big sentences within the paragraph should be the important ideas. The smaller
sentences should be the less important ideas. Everything should have bulk and prominence
Composition of a Paragraph
What makes a paragraph:
A paragraph has three basic parts:
The topic sentence:
This is the main idea of a paragraph. It is usually the first sentence of
the paragraph and it is the most general sentence of the paragraph.
The supporting sentences:
These are sentences that talk about or explain the topic sentence. They are
more detailed ideas that follow the topic sentence.
The concluding sentence:
This may be found as the last sentence of a paragraph. It can finish a paragraph by
repeating the main idea or just giving a final comment about the topic. The
concluding sentence should restate the idea in the topic sentence. The concluding
sentence that restates the main idea should give the same information in a slightly
different way, perhaps by using different words or by using different word order.
The Basic Rule: Keep one idea to one paragraph
The basic rule of thumb with paragraphing is to keep one
idea to one paragraph.
If you begin to transition into a new idea, it belongs in a
new paragraph.
There are some simple ways to tell if you are on the same
topic or a new one.
You can have one idea and several bits of supporting
evidence within a single paragraph.
You can also have several points in a single paragraph as
long as they relate to the overall topic of the paragraph.
ELEMENTS OF A PARAGRAPH
Elements of a paragraph:
To be as effective as possible, a paragraph should contain each of the following:
Unity
Coherence
A Topic Sentence
Adequate Development.
As you will see, all of these traits overlap. Using and adapting them to your
individual purposes will help you construct effective paragraphs.
UNITY with in a Paragraph
A paragraph must have unity. A paragraph has unity when all the
sentences support a single idea.
The Paragraph must have one controlling idea in the topic sentence.
Otherwise the paragraph loses focus.
The entire paragraph should concern itself with a single focus.
If it begins with one focus or major point of discussion, it should not
end with another or wander within different ideas.
Unified Paragraph: An effective paragraph generally focuses on one
main idea. A good way to achieve paragraph unity is to state the main
idea clearly in one sentence—the topic sentence—and relate all other
sentences in the paragraph to that idea.
COHERENCE
A paragraph has coherence—or flows—if its details fit
together clearly in a way that readers can easily follow.
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You can achieve paragraph coherence bytfoorganizing ideas, by
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repeating key terms or phrases, aland Pl by using parallel
structures and transitional [Link]
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Coherence is the trait that, Edmakes the paragraph easily
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understandable to a reader. an You can help create coherence in
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your paragraphs by lacreating
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bridges. d
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Logical & Verbal bridges
Logical bridges:
The same idea of a topic is carried over from sentence to
sentence
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Successive sentences can be constructed inaparallel
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Verbal bridges: u ca
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Key words can be repeated inhseveral sentences
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Synonymous words can beDarepeated in several sentences
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Pronouns can refer todunouns in previous sentences
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Transition words (therefore, moreover, furthermore, etc.) can be
used to link ideas from different sentences
A TOPIC SENTENCE
A topic sentence is a sentence that indicates in a general way what
idea or thesis the paragraph is going to deal with.
The topic sentence usually comes first in a paragraph.
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Although not all paragraphs have clear-cutl topic sentences, and
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despite the fact that topic sentences can t io occur anywhere in the
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paragraph (as the first sentence, the lastusentence, or somewhere in the
middle). Ed
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an easy way to make sure your ani reader understands the topic of the
paragraph is to put your topic D sentence near the beginning of the
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paragraph. (This is a goodullgeneral rule for less experienced writers,
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although it is not the only
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include an explicit topic sentence or not, you should be able to easily
summarize what the paragraph is about.
Topic sentence at the beginning:
If you want readers to see your point immediately, open
with the topic sentence. This strategytfocan rm be particularly
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useful in letters of application or in aargumentative
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Topic sentence at the end: t io
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When specific details lead ,
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the topic sentence at theD end of the paragraph makes sense.
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Controlling idea in a Paragraph
The topic sentence is usually the first or second sentence in a
paragraph.
It presents the topic and explains what the fwriter o rm will say about
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the topic. P la
This explanation is called the controlling al
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n idea.
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Read the following topic [Link] each one, the topic is my
friend. The controlling idea explains h ,E what the writer will say
about the topic. These controllingn is ideas tell the reader what to
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expect in the supporting sentences.
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topic controlling idea
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My friend is an honest A person.
My friend is the funniest person I know.
My friend is a very punctual student.
The controlling idea is the point of the paragraph. It guides
the ideas that provide support for the paragraph m and limits the
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scope of the paragraph. atfo
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The controlling idea itself may provide
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The controlling idea must say something Edu about the topic that
can then be supported, developed sh, and demonstrated in the
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supporting sentences. Da
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In either case, this limited
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paragraph, since any discussion must be within the
parameters of the controlling idea.
Supporting Sentences
Supporting sentences add information about the topic and the controlling
idea.
Supporting sentences can include definitions, explanations and examples.
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The supporting sentences must support and explainlathe tfo controlling idea with
examples, details, steps, or definitions. Otherwise, al P the paragraph will not be
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about one single idea. it o
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Paragraph Development
After you have chosen a topic and a written a topic sentence. You
develop your main idea by adding more information to explain what
you mean. The topic (which is introduced by the topic sentence)
should be discussed fully and adequately. Again, o rmthis varies from
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paragraph to paragraph, depending on the l author's
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writers should be wary of paragraphs that it o only have two or three
sentences. It's a pretty good bet thatucathe paragraph is not fully
developed if it is that short. Ed
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Some methods to make sure your paragraph is well-
developed:
•Use examples and illustrations rm
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•Cite data (facts, statistics, evidence, details, and others) l at
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•Examine testimony (what other people say such n as quotes and
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paraphrases) ca
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•Use an anecdote or story E
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•Define terms in the paragraph an
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•Compare and contrast
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•Evaluate causes and reasons
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•Examine effects and consequences
•Analyze the topic
•Describe the topic
Example of a Unified Paragraph
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Unified Paragraph
TOPIC: A generous person/friend
My friend Tariq is generous. He often lets o rmtravelers stay in
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his home. He has hosted many students lP temporarily. He
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sends money to his family every montha
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their bills. He always brings flowers
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when they are sick or haveisha, need. Tariq is one of the
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generous people I know.h Da
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Note: all the sentences are about Tariq’s generosity.
Types of Paragraph
Patterns of Development:
• Exposition (gives information, direction or explantation)
Exemplification (providing a series of examples to m
support a point)
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Process (explaining how to do or make something atfo or how
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something works) alP
Cause and effect (explaining the causes n
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Comparison or contrast (looking Ed for similarites & differences)
Definition Division-Classification sh, (breaking one thing down into
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parts or sorting a group of things into categories according to a single
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principle)
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• Description (describing
A a person, place, or thing by using words rich in
sensory details)
• Narration (tells a story that illustrâtes or explains a point)
• Argumentation (arguing a position and defending it with a series of solid
reasons)
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Thank You!
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