Chapter 9: Successful Paragraphs ENG 113: Composition I

Paragraphs Paragraphs are the important building blocks of a successful essay Introduce the essay and present the thesis statement Support the thesis statement Conclude the essay Paragraph = easy to recognize, but difficult to construct Paragraph = a group of sentences How many sentences? Form need to follow function = a paragraph should have precisely as many sentences as it needs to accomplish its goals

The Structure of Successful Paragraphs Topic Sentence and Main Points Topic sentence Stakes out the territory of the paragraph Introduces the paragraph’s content Suggests the writer’s point of view about that content May or may not introduce the main point Main point Claim = main point of the paragraph Arguable statement – reasonable people can reasonably disagree with it Requires support “…the topic sentence of a paragraph introduces the content of the paragraph. Sometimes, but not always, presents the main point. And, in an academic essay, the main point is always a claim.”

The Structure of Successful Paragraphs Induction versus Deduction Inductive Reasoning = to reason from the particular to the general, to draw conclusions from specific knowledge of examples The Scientific Method – observation, hypothesis, experimentation, interpretation, conclusion Weakness = n+1 rule = no matter how much evidence supports your hypothesis, something might come along that forces you to reevaluate it

The Structure of Successful Paragraphs Induction versus Deduction Deductive Reasoning = uses general knowledge to arrive at particular knowledge – begins with a general statement of what is known to be true about a certain class or category and then predicts that the same truth will apply to a particular number of that class or category Syllogism= representation of the deductive process which lays out the relationships among the known truth, the specific case to be considered, and the conclusion Major Premise Minor Premise Conclusion Weakness = the tendency to treat a general truth as if it were absolute, as if the word all had been silently inserted into the statement

The Structure of Successful Paragraphs Structuring with Induction and Deduction Inductive structure = begins with a stated or implied question and then presented details that lead up to the main point Deductive structure = begins with the main point, either stated or implied, and then presents the details to validate that point

The Structure of Successful Paragraphs A strong topic sentence will: Be of sufficient scope (it will be neither so broad that it can’t be explored in a single paragraph nor so narrow that there’s really no point in exploring it in a paragraph) Be precise rather than vague or general It will come early in the paragraph—ideally as the first sentence, unless your paragraph requires a transitional sentence to set up the point of the topic sentence

The Body of the Paragraph The body of the paragraph is the middle section, the part between the beginning and the end, and its job is to provide specific details, examples, and illustrations in order to fulfill the promise of the topic setnece and validate the believability of the main point

The Clincher or Closing Statement Each paragraph must have a conclusion that ties up the paragraph’s content in such a way that the path to the next paragraph is logically paved (assuming there is a next paragraph) Clincher = ends the paragraph A clincher should NOT: introduce a new idea, go off topic, ask a question, or mindlessly repeat content already in the topic sentence or body of the paragraph A clincher should: tie up the content of its own paragraph and prepare the reader for the following paragraph

Paragraph Quality Achieve Unity Develop the paragraph Unity = a paragraph has unity when it is sharply focused on a single topic Topic sentence = umbrella = it covers what it covers, and anything it doesn’t cover is out of its territory Develop the paragraph The paragraph is developed when it provides sufficient specific detail—examples, explanations, descriptions, and so on—to make completely clear what is meant by its topic sentence Main job of the body sentences

Paragraph Quality Organize the paragraph Achieve Coherence A paragraph is well organized when it is written by an author who has a plan and sticks to it Achieve Coherence Coherence makes a paragraph hold together logically and reasonably For the paragraph to succeed all of the sentences need to fit together so that they represent a smooth progression of ideas. Each sentence needs to lead to the next one in a way that makes sense. One of the best ways to improve the coherence of an otherwise reasonable paragraph, is to link its ideas together using clear transitional words and phrases

Paragraph Structure and Quality Is your paragraph structured well? Does it have a clear topic sentence? Is it organized either inductively or deductively according to its needs? Does it have an effective body that supports the main point? Does it end with an effective clincher? Is your paragraph of high quality? Is it unified around a single topic as presented in your topic sentence? Is it fully developed? Is it organized meaningfully? Are its ideas connected to each other coherently?