Introduction to becoming a writer A guide on how to survive to the difficulties of writing a paragraph

What is a paragraph? A group of sentences which develops one main idea – a topic, the subject of the paragraph. The first sentence of a paragraph is indented: it begins a little bit more to the right of the margin. The topic of a paragraph is usually introduced in the “topic sentence”, which usually serves to state an idea or an attitude about the topic (the controlling idea).

The topic sentence It is usually placed at the beginning of the paragraph, but it also may be placed near the middle or even at the end of it. Sometimes neither the topic nor the controlling idea is explicitly stated in one sentence – they could be implied. The controlling idea of a topic sentence should be clear and focused on a particular aspect.

How to begin writing a paragraph Brainstorm on the topic you want to write about and decide your own controlling idea. Narrow the broad topic so that it becomes more manageable. Support your opinion or attitude expressed in your topic sentence. You can back up, clarify, illustrate, explain, etc. Factual details may help to prove your point.

Unity Check that all your sentences deal with the topic. Arrange them logically and make sure they flow smoothly. Some sentences may provide a link between two other sentences. This type of sentence is called “transition”. Some transitional expressions include for example, to begin with, however, etc. If possible, write a “concluding sentence”; that is, a sentence which summarizes the main idea in the paragraph.

How to organise your sentences The organization of your sentences within a paragraph will depend on your topic and purpose. Some types of paragraph include: - The narrative paragraph - The descriptive paragraph - The expository paragraph

The narrative paragraph In narrative writing, it is common to organise your sentences and ideas in order of time (chronological development). Narration refers to the telling of a story or the relating of an experience. That experience may 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).

Coherence Showing the reader the time relationship between sentences and ideas helps to achieve coherence. Time sequence is conveyed by terms like after, first, then, and until followed by noun phrases or time expressions. A more sophisticated technique for achieving coherence inovelves adverbial clauses of time.

The descriptive paragraph In descriptive writing, it is not time but space that is important. This type of organization in which sentences and details are arranged according to where the objects being describe are located, is called “spatial organization”. However, places are not the only thing that can be described. Other descriptions could focus on a person, for instance.

Description of a place It is not necessary to begin with one area and then proceed to another area. Nevertheless, the sentences should not be randomly arranged. The description must be organised so that the reader can vividly imagine the scene being described. Usually, the first object to be described is the first thing noticed. For example, when describing a room, it is wise to began describing the walls, the ceiling and the bed straight ahead.

Coherence Clarifying the spatial relationship helps to achieve coherence. These spatial expressions are called adverbs of place; most of them are prepositional phrases (preposition + noun phrase). Some of these expressions include on your left, in the corner, against the wall, etc. To make the details more vivid, you need to modify them, to restrict or narrow their meaning. Vague descriptions do not allow the reader to really see the object. Nouns can be modified in three ways: by adding adjectives, by adding adjective and prepositional phrases, and by adding clauses.

Description of a person In order to describe a person, you could focus on their physical appearance, behaviour, or both. You can describe a person’s appearance in many ways: you can tell about the person’s style of clothing, manner of walking, colour and style of hair, etc. However, sometimes it is better to focus on one or two outstanding features that convey something about the person’s character.

Coherence The use of the adjective clause (sometimes called a relative clause) helps improving coherence. It modifies a noun and, like an adverbial clause, it must be connected to an independent clause. An adjective clause can be placed only after the noun it modifies. The subordinators that introduce adjective clauses include who, whom, whose, that, and which. Less common adjective clause subordinators are when, where, and why.

The expository paragraph When exposing a topic – that is, explaining or analysing a topic – specific details and examples are required. Expository paragraphs usually begin with a generalization, an statement that applies in most cases to a group of things, ideas or people. It can be a value of judgement or an opinion, or a factual statement. This type of paragraph focuses on supporting the controlling idea.

Specific details In expository writing, the writer is like a lawyer who is trying to prove a point; a lawyer cannot make generalizations without giving proof to support his or her statements. Good proof is factual detail. However, support should not only be specific, it should be relevant as well. All the supporting sentences in a paragraph should relate to the controlling idea in order for the paragraph to be unified.

Examples An example is an item that represents a group of things, people, or ideas. It is a specific representative of a general category. Examples make the controlling idea – the generalization – clearer and more convincing. Often it is necessary to explain the example to show how it relates to and supports the generalization. The explanation of an example does not have to be lenghty, sometimes all you need is to add a few words.

Illustrations and Anecdotes Illustration is a kind of extended example which is explained in great detail. Anecdotes are also illustrations: they tell a brief story that dramatizes the point made in the generalization. It is a brief narrative.

Organization of Details and Examples The ordering depends on the subject and often on the author’s logic. There are, however, some common patterns that might be considered guidelines: - Order of importance - Order of familiarity - Order of time

Order of importance This pattern consists on saving the best for last. Often, in expository writing, one of the examples is more impressive than the others. Since readers generally remember what they read last, and since it is a good idea to leave a greater impression on the reader, it is wise to place the most impressive example at the end of the paragraph.

Order of familiarity When the details in an expository paragraph are mostly factual, it is common to begin with the most obvious or familiar detail and move toward the less obvious or less familiar detail.

Order of time When the details and examples in a paragraph are taken from history or are events that have taken place in the past, it is often a good idea to order the examples according to chronology.

Final tips: Coherence In order for a paragrapg to be coherent, the sentences should flow smoothly. Try to avoid short sentences and repetition of words. Expressions which signal time sequence, location and order of importance help to achieve coherence. Because they provide transitions between ideas and sentences by signaling what is going to follow, these types or words and phrases are called transitional words and phrases. Try to use a variety of coherence devices – a mixture of clauses, phrases and transitional expressions.

Final tips: Controlling idea Whether you are writing a narrative, descriptive or expository paragraph, you should always keep in mind a controlling idea. This controlling idea should be present throughout your writing in order to give unity to your paragraph. For example, the controlling idea of a descriptive paragraph is often an attitude or an impression about the subject. Don’t forget to include or imply a topic sentence.