Paragraph Development How to Support Topic Sentences

Types of Support Include Examples or illustrations Definitions of terms Descriptions of people, places, things Narrations or brief stories Comparisons and contrasts Causes and/or effects Classifications of groups

Support by Example Examples make the topic sentence more believable. Topic Sentence: “A good friend is someone who keeps my secrets.” “My best friend Nida, for example, never shares my secrets with anyone.”

Support by Definition Definitions help clarify the meaning of terms or key concepts “To me, friendship is about trust, dependability, and understanding.” “My car must look good, run good, and go fast.”

Support by Description Writers use descriptions to explain what they mean. “My dream house must have an upstairs bedroom for added privacy, a kitchen big enough for at least two people to cook in, and a living room with a good view of natural scenery like a lake or a waterfall.”

Narratives clarify ideas Tell a brief story to support your topic. “I didn’t pay much attention to my brother’s advice until I bought my first car. He told me not to shift until the car was stopped, but I like to shift into drive while the car was rolling back. It made the tires sound off. Then I broke the transmission doing it; it cost too much to get it fixed, so now I listen to my brother.”

Comparisons clarify ideas Writers provide comparisons to help readers understand their point. “I paid nothing for high school, so pretty much I just blew it off as unimportant. College, on the other hand, costs me about $1,000 per semester. Because I’m paying for it, it means a lot more to me!”

Results explain points Writers use effects to explain their points to readers. “With the unnecessary war, the president is putting too many soldiers in danger.” “Having school year-around will help kids to learn a lot more information.”

Causes also explain Another focus is to point to causes. “The exit essay is so difficult that it is causing a lot of students to fail English.” “The cause of test anxiety is that most students aren’t secure about their knowledge of the information.”

Support Thesis Sentences with a Variety Development Examples or illustrations Definitions of terms Descriptions of people, places, things Narrations or brief stories Comparisons and contrasts Causes and/or effects Classifications of groups

Which developmental style is needed? What kind of student are you? a. example, b. definition, c. cause. How do you make friends? a. description, b. contrast, c. classification. 3. Why do you come to college early? a. illustration, b. narration, c. cause.

Paragraph Development Begin each body paragraph with a topic sentence. The topic sentence expresses your main opinion in the paragraph. Next, support your opinion with reasonable detail. Provide more than one support for each topic sentence. /end/