Introduction to the paragraph Chapter 2 Introduction to the paragraph

What is a paragraph? TOPIC THE TOPIC SENTENCE. - A PARAGRAPH is a group of sentences that develops one main idea. This main idea is the TOPIC - The TOPIC is the subject of the paragraph; it is what the paragraph is about. It is usually introduced in a sentence called THE TOPIC SENTENCE.

THE TOPIC SENTENCE THE CONTROLLING IDEA. Introduces the topic, and also serves to state an idea or an attitude about the topic. It is a good idea to place it at or near the beginning of the paragraph. Sometimes it is not explicity started in one sentence but clearly suggested in the development of the paragraph. However, it is usually a good idea to state topic sentences clearly. The idea or attitude about the topic that this sentences introduce, is called THE CONTROLLING IDEA.

THE CONTROLLING IDEA - It controlls what the sentences in the paragraph will discuss. All sentences in the paragraph should rellate to this idea. It should be clear and focused on a particular aspect. - You must find you own controlling idea to formulate a good topic sentence. - Once you have found te topic for your paragraph, you have to to examine it closely to determine yout feelings and atittudes about it to find the controlling idea.

SUPPORT Prewriting: Planning - Extract from your prewriting notes notes of the material you can use to develop ypur paragraph: This material will serve you yo back up, clarify, illustrate, explain, or prove thepoint you make in your topic sentence. - SUPPORT comes from the information you used to arrive at the view you have expressed in your topic sentence. - To generate more notes at this stage, you may find it useful to ask WH- questions: The answers to these questions will serve as a foundation for the support for your paragraph.

Concluding sentence UNITY - Is the sentence which summarizes the main idea in the paragraph. - Not all paragraphs need concluding sentences, but they are useful for ending the development of the support smoothly. UNITY - Each sentence within a paragraph should relate to the topic and develop the controlling idea. If any sentence doues not relate to or develop that área, it is irrelevant and should be omitted from the paragraph.

COHERENCE - A coherent paragraph contains sentences that are logically arranged and that flow smoothly. - A paragraph can be incoherent even when the principle for ordering the ideas is logical; the sentences do not always flow smoothly. - SMOOTH FLOW refers to how well one idea or sentence leads into another. It can be achieved through sentence combining and through the use of certain expressions, called transitions, that provide links between ideas. - If the sentences are not logically arranged or if ther do not connect with each other smoothly, the paragraph is INCOHERENT.

Revision Checklist for the paragraph. - Is your topic sufficiently narrowed down? - Does your paragraph have a topic sentence? If not, is the topic sentence implied? - Does your paragraph have a clear, focused controlling idea? - Is your paragraph unified; that is, do all of the sentences support the controlling idea? - Is your paragraph coherent; that is, are the sentences logically arranged and do they flow smoothly?

The Narrative Paragraph Chapter 3 The Narrative Paragraph

writing There are principally two types of writing that require chronological development: Narration and process description. The term NARRATION is used here to describe the relating of an experience which may be in the past, it may be a typical experience, or it may be going on now. It can be difficult to decide what to include and what to omit and to select a controlling idea for your paragraph; but a controlling idea would help the reader get a clearer image of what the experience is like. By adding a topic sentence with a strong controlling idea, the writer establishes his attitude about the parade.

coherence - It is important in narrative writing to ahow the reader the time relationship between sentences and ideas; claryfying the time relationship helps to achieve coherence. - In your paragraphs, using adverbials of time and sequence will give your writing 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 involves adverbial clauses of time.

The Descriptive Paragraph Chapter 4 The Descriptive Paragraph

WRITING - When you are describing the way something looks, it is not time but space that is important. Therefore, you should arrange your sentences and details according to the location of the objects being described. This type of organization is called spatial organization. COHERENCE - Details in descriptive paragraphs are organized spatially to give the reader a clear picture of the scene being described. Clarifying the spatial relationship helps to achieve coherence. These spatial expressions are called adverbs of place.

DESCRIPTION OF A PERSON Description of a place - The description must be organized so that the reader can vividly imagine the scene being described. To make the paragraph more interesting, you can add a controlling idea that states an attitude or impression about the place being described. DESCRIPTION OF A PERSON - You can describe a person’s appearance in many ways. The style of clothing, the manner of walking and talking, style of hair, facial appearance, body shape. It is difficult to tell what the autor’s attitute is about the person described if there is no real controlling idea.

revision Checklist for the descriptive paragraph. - Does you paragraph use sufficient vivid detail? - Does you paragraph have a clear, focused controlling idea? - Is the controlling idea in your paragraph contained in a clear topic sentence? An implied topic sentence? - Are the topic sentence and deatails logically arranged in your paragraph? - Is your paragraph uniffied; that is, do all the sentences support the controlling idea? - Is your paragraph coherent; that is, do the sentences flow smoothly?

The Expository Paragraph Chapter 5 The Expository Paragraph

writing - The most common approach to developing an expository paragrapg requires using specific details and examples. - In expository writing, the writer is like a lawyer who is trying to prove a point, a lawer cannot make generalizations without giving proof to support his or her statements. Good proof es factual detail. - Support should not only be specific; it should be relevant as well. - It is not usually sufficient just to name an example; often it is necessary to explain the example to show how it relates and supports the generalization.

coherence The sentences in the expository paragraph follow no prescribed or set pattern of organization. The ordering depends on the subject and often on the autor’s logic. There are, however, some common patterns that might be considered guidelines: - Order of importance: Saving the best for last. - Order of familiarity: From the more familiar to the less familiar. - Order of time: From the past to the present.

revision Checklist for the expository paragraph. - Does your paragraph use sufficient details and examples? - Does your paragraph have a clear, focused generalization? - Are the generalization and support logically arranged in your paragraph? - Is your paragraph unifiez; that it, do al the sentences support the controlling idea? - Is your paragraph coherent; that is, do the sentences flow smootly?