PARAGRAPH STRUCTURE

What is a Paragraph?

When we are young, one of the first things we learn in writing is that a paragraph is made up of at least three sentences….

These three sentences are: The topic sentence The supporting sentence(s) The concluding sentence

A TOPIC SENTENCE: “A topic sentence is a sentence that indicates in a general way what idea or thesis the paragraph is going to deal with.” (Purdue Owl) Keep in mind a topic sentence doesn’t always have to be the first sentence in the paragraph. However, it is usually a good idea to keep it close to the beginning so you don’t confuse your reader.

SUPPORTING SENTENCE(S) These sentence(s) support or explain the idea that was made with the topic sentence. It is a good idea to have several supporting sentences to explain your idea. It adds strength to your topic.

CLOSING SENTENCE “The closing sentence is the restatement of the topic sentence but in a different way”( Georgie Ovenden)

As we get older we learn … “A paragraph is a collection of related sentences dealing with a single topic.” (Purdue Owl) “The basic rule of thumb with paragraphing is to keep one idea to one paragraph. (Purdue Owl)

Examples of a Topic Sentence Americans are obese because they love to eat a lot and don’t exercise. College students get bad grades because they are too busy partying. People are poor because they are too busy spending their money on things. Getting a college education will help you be successful in life Doing drugs will get you in trouble with the law.

Topic and the Controlling Idea In the previous slide, the topic was in red and the controlling idea was in blue. The controlling idea is what you want to say about your topic.

Examples of Supporting Sentence “The frightened boy sat frozen in his hiding place under the stairs. He watched as the prowler flashed his light around the room” (Wiki).

Paragraph Example Example: Dogs are good pets. They can be trained. They are affectionate. They are loyal. Dogs make great pets. Above the topic sentence is in red. The supporting sentences are shown in green. Lastly, the concluding sentence is purple.

Quick Review A paragraph is a group of 3 or more sentences about a topic. Topic sentence: Tell us what you are going to tell us about. Supporting Sentence(s): You tell us! Closing Sentence: Then, you tell us what you told us!

Works Cited Ovenden, Georgie. Paragraph Development. n.d. Web. 18 November 2011. <http://georgiesenglishwiki.pbworks.com/w/page/14387663/Paragraph%20Development Purdue Owl. On Paragraphs. n.d. Web. 18 November 2011. <http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/606/01/> Example of Supporting Sentence. n.p., n.d. Web. 20 Nov. 2011. <http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_an_example_of_a_supporting sentence>.