Redifining Composition Skills

What’s a paragraph? A group of sentences that develop a main idea, in other words, a topic. Paragraph lengths varies, as a general guide are about 5 to 10 sentences in length. Each paragraph develops one aspect of a topic. Each paragraph contains a topic sentence.

Topic of the paragraph When a topic is too general, you need to restrict it. Narrow down your topic to a more specific one. For example: Mexico Mexico City Historical sites Aztec Ruins The Great Temple When one topic is too broad for specific development in one paragraph, the topic needs to be narrowed down or restricted.

The topic sentence The topic of the paragraph is usually introduced in a sentence. It serves to state an idea or an attitude about the topic, called the controlling idea. All sentences in the paragraph should relate to and develop the controlling idea. The controlling idea should be clear and focused on a particular aspect of the topic.

Placement and Formulating of Topic Sentence It is generally near or at the beggining of the paragraph, although you might also find it at the middle or the end. It is a good idea to state topic sentences clearly, not only to be certain that the idea is clear but also to help control the development of the paragraph. Brainstorm ideas, and look through the list for something that catches your attention.

Coherence A coherent paragraph contains sentences that are logically arranged and that flow smoothly. The order of your sentence will vary depending on your purpuse. Connectors such as another, also, in addition are a great way to bring coherence to the paragraph. Combining sentences and adding transitions make the ideas easier to follow.

NARRATIVE PARAGRAPH

Ordering your sentences and ideas in order of time is refered to as chronological development. Having a strong controlling idea, where the writer describes what he feels about the experience, helps get a clearer image, making the paragraph unified. The relating of the experience can be in the past (past narration) or it may be a typical experience (what people usually do) or it may be going on now (present narration). Arrange your sentences logically and include only the sentences that relate to the topic.

Coherence It is important in narrative writing to show the reader the time relationship between sentences and ideas. Adverbials of time and sequence (first, next, by nine o’clock) tie the sentences together logically. Adverbial clauses of time (after we had…, as I walked, when I was…) help improve coherence in narrative paragraphs.

DESCRIPTIVE PARAGRAPH

Descriptive paragraphs describe a sequence of events or tell a story chronologically. When you are describing the way something looks (physical appearance) space is important. You should arrange your sentences and details according to where the objects being described are located. This type of organization is called spatial recognition.

 Description of a place: the description must be organized so that the reader can vividly imagine the scene being described. The selection and the description of the details depends on the purpose. Adverbs of place (preposition + noun phrase) help give coherence. Ex: straight ahead, in the corner.  Description of a person: depending on the subject or the assigment you can describe physical appearance, behavior or both. There are lots of way to describe a person appearance. Adjective clauses (which modifies the noun) help give coherence and more detailed descriptions.

EXPOSITORY PARAGRAPH

An expository paragraph explains or analyzes a topic using specific details and examples. The controlling idea in the paragraph is called a generalization, and is a statement that applies in most cases to a group of things, ideas or pleople. It can be a value judgement or an opinion or an actual fact.

Support of the Generalization Specific details: giving proof to support statements. Good proof is factual detail. Examples: it is a specific representative of a general category. Often it is necessary to explain the example to show how it relates to and supports the generalization. Illustration: it is an extended example explained in greater detail for illustrating the generalization. Anecdote: it is a brief story (narrative) that dramatizes the point made in the generalization.

Coherence The organization of details and examples follow no prescribed or set patters of organization, but there are some guidelines and patterns. Saving the best for last. From the more familiar to the less familiar. From the past to the present.

Transitional words and phrases help to achieve coherence by establishing the relationships between sentences in a paragraph. They provide transition –link or connectors- between ideas and sentences by signaling what is going to follow. Examples: for example, first, second, next, to illustrate, also, furthermore, besides, finally, in conclusion.

BY Luz De Lillo, Alvaro Alegre, Noelia Berardi.