Paragraph Writing

The Topic Sentence The topic sentence is the first sentence of the paragraph. This is the most important sentence because it should indicate the main idea, main point, or main purpose of a paragraph If you are writing about literature you should identify the author, genre, and title of the work

Supporting Detail Supporting detail is the proof, evidence, facts, and quotes that should back up your topic sentence Use transitional words like, “in addition, firstly, secondly, for example, for instance, etc.. Make sure to keep your work in the present tense and write in the third-person especially if you are writing about literature (i.e. books, online articles, newspaper articles, essays, etc.)

Using Quotes When you extract quotes from literature, you need to refer to either the author or character(s) from the story or article. You must also include the page number in parenthesis Examples: Lowry says, “…………………………..” (46). Lowry illustrates this when she claims, “……………………” (112).

Using Quotes More Examples: “Jonas says to The Giver, “……………………….” (90). His father demonstrates this when he claims, “…………………………….” (189).

Concluding Sentence Your concluding sentence should restate your main point, main idea, or main purpose Use transitional words and phrases such as, “To conclude, To sum up, In the final analysis, in conclusion, etc…