Writing a Paragraph by Bryan Lopez

OPINION ESSAY In an Opinion Essay (also known as the Persuasive Essay or Argumentative Essay), you must choose a controversial topic, or a subject about which people have varying and strong opinions, present your own opinion on the topic and defend it with clear reasons

What’s a paragraph?

A paragraph is a group of sentences that share one main idea A paragraph is a group of sentences that share one main idea. A paragraph can stand alone as a composition or may be one part of a longer piece of writing, such as an essay or report. Teaching content

Every paragraph has the same basic structure: Topic Sentence Supporting Sentences Concluding Sentence Teaching content

What’s a topic sentence?

A topic sentence is the sentence that clearly identifies the main idea in each paragraph. It controls the focus of the paragraph. It is usually, but not always, the first or second sentence within a paragraph. Teaching content

The following are weak topic sentences: Canada shares a border with the United States. Too narrow. A fact cannot be a topic sentence because it does not contain an idea that can be developed. Teaching content

Studying is difficult. Too broad. This sentence needs to be more specific. Studying what? Difficult for whom? Teaching content

Why traditional values are disappearing Incomplete sentence. While this may be a good topic, it is not a topic sentence because it is grammatically incomplete. Teaching content

I would like to discuss in this paragraph the growing concern about air pollution in my city. Do not announce your topic or intentions. Teaching content

A good topic sentence clearly introduces the topic of the paragraph and makes a point about that topic (a main idea). https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=144&v=EEkVH9Z4dIU Teaching content

A good topic sentence should also give the reader an idea of what type of paragraph he or she will be reading (Narrative, Descriptive, Opinion, Comparison/Contrast, Cause/Effect, Process, Classification, Summary). Teaching content

Here are some revised versions of the above topic sentences: Canadian cultural identity has been heavily influenced by its relationship with and proximity to the United States. Teaching content

Studying two languages at once can be very challenging. There are several reasons why traditional values are disappearing. Air pollution is a growing concern in my country. Teaching content

TOPIC