Paragraph Organisation

A paragraph is like a hamburger A paragraph is like a hamburger. The topic and concluding sentences are the buns, and the supporting sentences are the fillings. The buns hold the burger together.

Topic sentence The most important sentence in a paragraph It tells the reader what she/he is going to read Usually the first sentence in a paragraph Has two parts: a topic and a controlling idea The topic tells what the paragraph is going to be about The controlling idea limits what the paragraph will say about the topic

Developing and Supporting sentences The middle sentences are the supporting sentences They support or prove the main idea in the topic sentence A paragraph must follow unity, all the sentences need to be about one main idea Only use relevant material in your supporting sentences

Transition signals For listing use words such as first of all, second, third, Also, in addition Other words you may use here include As a result, furthermore, following this, …………………..?

Concluding sentence A concluding sentence closes the paragraph so that the reader is not left expecting more Restate, summarise or add a personal comment Conclusion signals: in short, in brief, indeed, in conclusion

Parts of the Paragraph - TDSC Topic sentence tells the topic of the main idea D Develops the topic further by explaining in more detail S Supports the main idea by giving examples of what IS being discussed C Concludes the paragraph by summing up and adding a final comment